Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing prices of medicinal plants traded in the Lowveld, South Africa

There has been limited research into pricing and consumer behaviour in the informal sector, an understanding of which is critical to effective management of extensively traded wildlife resources. This paper explores factors influencing prices of wild-collected medicinal plants traded in the Lowveld, South Africa. Resource management decisions relating to medicinal plants are often based on the high price/kg values of certain species, and the assumption that there is an inverse relationship between the availability of products and prices. Despite the high-utility value of these plants, subsistence consumers have historically paid low prices for products. In this study, price/kg fluctuated widely, as did market players' perceptions of species availability and consumer demand. Unit prices were low, with a few exceptions. There was no relationship between prices and perceptions of species availability. No relationship was found between prices and consumer demand in one study area, although there was a non-significant relationship in the other. The size of products was the main determinant of price. Consumers were prepared to pay higher prices for certain species, e.g.those used to treat children, those considered highly dangerous (culturally) to collect, or those used for anti-social purposes.
Performance Outcomes

Recent appreciation for emotional labor draws attention to employees who work “with heart” to deliver public services. This article reports an investigation of the relationship between emotional labor and service outcomes. The survey sample is drawn from caseworkers of the Florida Network of Youth & Family Services. The Florida Network is the main youth service provider in Florida and has approximately 200 caseworkers who help troubled, runaway youth. To measure service outcome, workers' self-report of their emotion work skills is compared to client satisfaction scores. Findings indicate that clients rate higher levels of satisfaction when services are provided by caseworkers who feel capable and comfortable performing emotion work. This research moves us a step further in understanding the linkage between individual performance, emotion work, and public service delivery. It is argued that emotion work skills should be included in job descriptions and performance appraisals for human service jobs.
The economic crisis and efficiency change: evidence from the Korean construction industry

This article gauges and analyses different types of efficiency in the Korean construction industry for the period 1996 to 2000, which includes the country's economic crisis. We also identify several important factors of the efficiency change and provide some managerial implications for the reason why most Korean construction firms had failed to maintain or enhance efficiency during this period. The results show that efficiency measures decreased significantly during the sample period and that there are large differences over the period before and after the economic crisis. Unlike many other industries, the low level of cost efficiency of the construction industry is mainly due to allocative inefficiency (inappropriate mix of input factors) rather than technical inefficiency. The low level of allocative efficiency, together with the strong relationship between institutional investors and efficiency, implies that the agency problem between managers and owners had prevailed in the Korean construction industry, and that construction firms could increase efficiency by minimizing agency costs. The study also implies that firms having failed in decreasing the leverage ratio, disposing unproductive assets and increasing the receivables overdue turnover could not avoid the efficiency decrease.
Employer Learning, Statistical Discrimination and Occupational Attainment

I examine the implications of employer learning and statistical discrimination for initial employment rates, wages, and occupational attainment and for wage growth and occupational change over a career using a model in which the sensitivity of productivity to worker skill is increasing in the skill requirements of the job and in which employers learn about worker skill more rapidly in high skill jobs. I show that statistical discrimination influences initial employment rates, wage levels and job type, and that employers' initial estimate of productivity influences wage growth even in an environment in which access to training is not an issue. The implication is that the market may be slow to learn that a worker is highly skilled if worker's best early job opportunity given the information available to employers is a low skill level job that reveals little about the worker's talent.
Corporate ownership and governance practices in Canada: a longitudinal study

The objective of this study is to analyse convergence of corporate governance in Canada in a period characterised by high financial uncertainty (1999-2008). The methodological strength of this study resides in the combination of a longitudinal approach with a multilevel analysis, focusing on both governance practices and ownership structure. Our results show that ownership structure and control did not change over time. Canadian firms remained controlled by an ultimate shareholder who often is in a position to enjoy all of the private benefits of control while internalising only a small fraction of the costs. However, corporate governance practices converged toward a US model over the period under investigation, overall lending support to functional convergence, not formal convergence.
Exploring causal influences

Recent data mining techniques exploit patterns of statistical independence in multivariate data to make conjectures about cause/effect relationships. These relationships can be used to construct causal graphs, which are sometimes represented by weighted node-link diagrams, with nodes representing variables and combinations of weighted links and/or nodes showing the strength of causal relationships. We present an interactive visualization for causal graphs (ICGs), inspired in part by the Influence Explorer. The key principles of this visualization are as follows: Variables are represented with vertical bars attached to nodes in a graph. Direct manipulation of variables is achieved by sliding a variable value up and down, which reveals causality by producing instantaneous change in causally and/or probabilistically linked variables. This direct manipulation technique gives users the impression they are causally influencing the variables linked to the one they are manipulating. In this context, we demonstrate the subtle distinction between seeing and setting of variable values, and in an extended example, show how this visualization can help a user understand the relationships in a large variable set, and with some intuitions about the domain and a few basic concepts, quickly detect bugs in causal models constructed from these data mining techniques.
METABOLIC FLUX IS A DETERMINANT OF THE EVOLUTIONARY RATES OF ENZYME‐ENCODING GENES

Relationships between evolutionary rates and gene properties on a genomic, functional, pathway, or system level are being explored to unravel the principles of the evolutionary process. In particular, functional network properties have been analyzed to recognize the constraints they may impose on the evolutionary fate of genes. Here we took as a case study the core metabolic network in human erythrocytes and we analyzed the relationship between the evolutionary rates of its genes and the metabolic flux distribution throughout it. We found that metabolic flux correlates with the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates. Genes encoding enzymes that carry high fluxes have been more constrained in their evolution, while purifying selection is more relaxed in genes encoding enzymes carrying low metabolic fluxes. These results demonstrate the importance of considering the dynamical functioning of gene networks when assessing the action of selection on system‐level properties.
Investigating the Scheduling Sensitivity of P2P Video Streaming: An Experimental Study

Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology has recently been employed to deliver large scale video multicast services on the Internet. Considerable efforts have been made by both academia and industry on P2P streaming design. While academia mostly focus on exploring design space to approach the theoretical performance bounds, our recent measurement study on several commercial P2P streaming systems indicates that they are able to deliver good user quality of experience with seemingly simple designs. One intriguing question remains: how elaborate should a good P2P video streaming design be? Towards answering this question, we developed and implemented several representative P2P streaming designs, ranging from theoretically proved optimal designs to straightforward ldquonaiverdquo designs. Through an extensive comparison study on PlanetLab, we unveil several key factors contributing to the successes of simple P2P streaming designs, including system resource index, server capacity and chunk scheduling rule, peer download buffering and peering degree. We also identify regions where naive designs are inadequate and more elaborate designs can improve things considerably. Our study not only brings us better understandings and more insights into the operation of existing systems, it also sheds lights on the design of future systems that can achieve a good balance between the performance and the complexity.
Organizational Transformation and Top‐Down Change: The Case of the NHS

This paper analyses the effects of government-sponsored attempts to change the way that the NHS, one of the largest employers in Europe, is managed. The theoretical issues raised relate to the concept of transformational change and attempts at public-sector restructuring, which set the context for the presentation of data. The empirical research, carried out over three years, examines the changes since the most recent reforms (the NHS and Community Care Act 1990). The research considers the extent of organizational change which can be seen as the outcome of these reforms in relation to: a multiple and inter-related change agenda; the creation of new forms of organization; the creation of new roles; the reconfiguration of power relations; and the creation of a new culture, ideology and organizational meaning. These are presented as the key variables which could indicate whether transformational, rather than incremental, change has occurred. The focus of this analysis is at local board level. This article concludes that earlier analyses of the limited success of administrative reform are no longer the case. Our analysis of the key variables suggests that what is occurring at least at local board level goes beyond incremental change and may represent the beginnings of an ‘organizational transformation’. This contains unintended as well as intended elements as an unanticipated ‘hybrid’ form of management may be emerging.
Under What Conditions is an Insurance Guaranty Fund Beneficial for Policyholders?

In this article, we derive conditions in an imperfect market setting, under which the introduction of a self‐supporting insurance guaranty fund improves the position of the policyholders. When a guaranty fund is advantageous given homogeneous firms in the market, all policyholders benefit from it to the same extent, if they have the same underlying risk preferences and are charged identical premiums. In a more realistic heterogeneous setting, the introduction of an insurance guaranty fund is in general no longer beneficial for all policyholders in the same manner. Hence, systematic wealth transfers take place between the policyholders of different insurance companies. As a possible solution, and in order to counteract this effect, we introduce a framework for utility‐based fund charges.
The identifiable victim effect in charitable giving: evidence from a natural field experiment

We design a natural field experiment to enhance our understanding of the role of the identifiable victim effect in charitable giving. Using direct mail solicitations to 25 797 prior donors of a nonprofit charity, we tested the responsiveness of donors to make a contribution to either an identifiable or a statistical victim. Unlike much previous research, which has used only laboratory experiments, we find that the campaign letter focusing on one identifiable victim did not result in significantly larger donations than the campaign letter focusing on the statistical victim. In addition to the role of the identifiable victim, we investigate the degree to which each of our campaign letters affected donors’ payments to other concurrent and future campaigns and whether there is decreasing marginal returns to campaigning in the sense that receiving a letter crowds out donors’ payments to other future and concurrent campaigns. We find some evidence of crowding out, indicating that charitable giving could be a zero-sum game; however, the treatment letters did not have different effects on other payments.
Trends in snow water equivalent in the Pacific Northwest and their climatic causes

Observations of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the Pacific Northwest are examined and compared with variability and trends in temperature and precipitation at nearby climate stations. At most locations, especially below about 1800 m, substantial declines in SWE coincide with significant increases in temperature, and occur in spite of increases in precipitation.
Traditional Framingham risk factors fail to fully account for accelerated atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE The frequency of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke are increased in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the extent of the increase is uncertain. We sought to determine to what extent the increase could not be explained by common risk factors. METHODS The participants at two SLE registries were assessed retrospectively for the baseline level of the Framingham study risk factors and for the presence of vascular outcomes: nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), death due to CHD, overall CHD (nonfatal MI, death due to CHD, angina pectoris, and congestive heart failure due to CHD), and stroke. For each patient, the probability of the given outcome was estimated based on the individual's risk profile and the Framingham multiple logistic regression model, corrected for observed followup. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by bootstrap techniques. RESULTS Of 296 SLE patients, 33 with a vascular event prior to baseline were excluded. Of the 263 remaining patients, 34 had CHD events (17 nonfatal MIs, 12 CHD deaths) and 16 had strokes over a mean followup period of 8.6 years. After controlling for common risk factors at baseline, the increase in relative risk for these outcomes was 10.1 for nonfatal MI (95% CI 5.8-15.6), 17.0 for death due to CHD (95% CI 8.1-29.7), 7.5 for overall CHD (95% CI 5.1-10.4), and 7.9 for stroke (95% CI 4.0-13.6). CONCLUSION There is a substantial and statistically significant increase in CHD and stroke in SLE that cannot be fully explained by traditional Framingham risk factors alone.
Using SERVQUAL to assess the quality of service provided by Jordanian telecommunications Sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of the SERVQUAL approach to assess the quality of service of Jordanian telecommunication sector and how this can ultimately affect customer loyalty. Service quality has a very high importance in a sector that is becoming highly competitive. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a survey to asses the service quality from the viewpoint of customers using a stratified sample that consists of customers of each of Jordanian Telecommunication Company. The survey contrasts respondents’ expectations of a service with their perceptions of the service delivered by telecommunication companies. Findings – The study showed that the telecommunications company needs to understand the Jordanian customer expectations in the light of the unique cultural traits of these customers. This affects that companies’ ability in meeting customer expectations, Loyalty is directly enhanced by achieving service quality and should be one of the main goals for telec.
Monetary Integration, Inflation Convergence and Output Shocks in the European Monetary System

Studies on monetary convergence in Europe have reached mixed conclusions, raising questions about whether the European Monetary System failed to expedite convergence or whether convergence requires redefining. A definition of convergence is explored that conditions monetary policy on factors affecting real exchange rates. Inflation rates have converged, while unconditional monetary policies have not. Once conditioning factors are considered, much of the gap between inflation and monetary convergence is explained. Differences in output trends do not explain the gap, while velocity variability does. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
US Market Integration and Corporate Governance Practices: Evidence from Canadian Companies

The objective of this study is to investigate further the interplay between market globalisation and corporate governance practices. The study is conducted in Canada using a sample of 230 firms listed on the TSX in 2002 and ranked by Report on Business (ROB ) on a set of corporate governance best practices. The ROB corporate governance index is built around four categories, namely board composition, compensation, shareholder rights and disclosure. The interaction of the sample companies with the US markets is analysed on the three following dimensions: financial market, product market and multi-markets (combining financial, product and labour markets). Overall, our results show that greater US market interaction is associated with higher corporate governance ratings. Copyright (c) 2007 The Author; Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
International credit, financial integration and the Euro

Prospects for the European Monetary Union are inevitably affected by the theoretical presuppositions of the observer. The most common approach, the theory of optimal currency areas, postulates that traded goods are produced by labour and the exchange rate between 'national' currencies is the ratio of commodity wages, expressed in monetary units, in different countries. In this analysis the exchange rate and wages are substitutes for obtaining international 'competitiveness'. Such a view is the basis for current reflections about the future of the euro and the reduction of its difficulties to relative wages rates in different countries of the eurozone. The theory has two important limitations. First, it takes no account of the import intensity of exports, which would require wage adjustments to reinforce exchange rate adjustments, so that wages and exchange rates are necessarily complementary parameters, rather than being substitutes for each other. Hence, exit from the eurozone as a means of closing trade deficits would require additional austerity. Even more importantly, it is a commodity money theory, in which imbalances are accommodated by accumulations of specie or fiat money. However, in a credit economy, banking systems absorb trade imbalances into their balance sheets. Moreover, financial integration means that banking systems throughout Europe are vulnerable to balance sheet risks from exchange rate depreciation in any country in Europe. Copyright , Oxford University Press.
Stereoscopic Segmentation Cues Improve Visual Timing Performance in Spatiotemporally Cluttered Environments

Recently, Cass and Van der Burg demonstrated that temporal order judgment (TOJ) precision could be profoundly impaired by the mere presence of dynamic visual clutter elsewhere in the visual field. This study examines whether presenting target and distractor objects in different depth planes might ameliorate this remote temporal camouflage (RTC) effect. TOJ thresholds were measured under static and dynamic (flickering) distractor conditions. In Experiment 1, targets were presented at zero, crossed, or uncrossed disparity, with distractors fixed at zero disparity. Thresholds were significantly elevated under dynamic compared with static contextual conditions, replicating the RTC effect. Crossed but not uncrossed disparity targets improved performance in dynamic distractor contexts, which otherwise produce substantial RTC. In Experiment 2, the assignment of disparity was reversed: targets fixed at zero disparity; distractors crossed, uncrossed, or zero. Under these conditions, thresholds improved significantly in the nonzero distractor disparity conditions. These results indicate that presenting target and distractor objects in different planes can significantly improve TOJ performance in dynamic conditions. In Experiment 3, targets were each presented with a different sign of disparity (e.g., one crossed and the other uncrossed), with no resulting performance benefits. Results suggest that disparity can be used to alleviate the performance-diminishing effects of RTC, but only if both targets constitute a single and unique disparity-defined surface.
Effect of Relative Decrease in Blood Hemoglobin Concentrations on Postoperative Morbidity in Patients Who Undergo Major Gastrointestinal Surgery.

IMPORTANCE Delta hemoglobin (ΔHb), defined as the difference between the preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level and the nadir Hb level during a patient's hospitalization, may be associated with adverse outcomes even if the absolute level of Hb remains greater than the transfusion threshold of 7 g/dL. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between ΔHb and morbidity in patients who undergo major gastrointestinal surgery as an independent factor or combined with the nadir Hb concentration. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective review of prospectively collected data on patients who underwent pancreatic, hepatic, or colorectal resection from January 1, 2010, through April 30, 2014, at Johns Hopkins Hospital were included in the study. Data regarding the ΔHb concentration following surgery, nadir Hb level, and overall perioperative blood use were obtained and analyzed. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to identify the preoperative factors associated with ΔHb and the effect of ΔHb on perioperative morbidity. The study and data analysis took place from January 22 through February 20, 2015. INTERVENTIONS Major gastrointestinal surgery and packed red blood cell transfusion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Overall morbidity and ischemic-specific complications. RESULTS Of the 4669 patients who underwent major gastrointestinal surgery, the median ΔHb level after surgery was 40%. Patients with multiple comorbidities (American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score of 3-4: odds ratio [OR], 1.96; 95% CI, 1.30-2.97; P <.001; ≥3 coexisting medical conditions: OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.08-2.42; P = .001) and those who underwent pancreatic surgery (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.18-3.33; P = .01) were at increased risk of having a ΔHb of 50% or greater. Compared with patients who had a ΔHb level of less than 50% and a nadir Hb level of 7 g/dL or greater, patients with a ΔHb level of 50% or greater whose nadir Hb level was less than 7 g/dL were at a high risk of developing postoperative complications (OR, 6.60; 95% CI, 4.34-10.03; P < .001); in particular, a ΔHb level of 50% or greater was strongly correlated with a risk of ischemic complications, even if the nadir Hb level was 7 g/dL or greater (OR, 5.68; 95% CI, 1.44-22.39; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A ΔHb level of 50% or greater following gastrointestinal surgery was associated with complications, especially ischemic adverse events, even if the nadir Hb level remained at 7 g/dL or greater.