Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PROFIT POTENTIALS IN GAME FARMING

ABSTRACT Game farming can be complementary, supplementary, competitive or antagonistic to livestock production. Little is yet known about financial returns to game farming. Ten game farmers' economic returns were therefore compared with those of beef cattle producers. Investment per hectare was found to be comparable. Game farmers invest more in fencing and more in animals, expressed in Rand per animal unit. Gross and net incomes comparable to those of beef fanners can be obtained with game. Returns on capital are also comparable but low; neither game nor beef cattle farming appear to be attractive fields for investment. Game farming appears to be more risky than beef production. Game fanners should devote more attention to financial management and records.
Interference between Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus: In Vitro Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Killing by Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT The bactericidal activity of Streptococcus pneumoniae toward Staphylococcus aureus is mediated by hydrogen peroxide. Catalase eliminated this activity. Pneumococci grown anaerobically or genetically lacking pyruvate oxidase (SpxB) were not bactericidal, nor were nonpneumococcal streptococci. These results provide a possible mechanistic explanation for the interspecies interference observed in epidemiologic studies.
Osteopontin: Correlation with phagocytosis by brain macrophages in a rat model of stroke

Osteopontin (OPN) is an adhesive glycoprotein linked to a variety of pathophysiological processes. We investigated whether OPN might act as an opsonin in the diseased brain by studying the postischemic expression and localization of OPN mRNA and protein in a rat model of ischemic stroke. In addition, we characterized the subcellular localization of OPN protein in the ischemic brain core. Induction of OPN mRNA occurred in activated microglia/macrophages in the ischemic core on days 3–7 after reperfusion and this was sustained up to day 28, at least. OPN protein was synthesized and secreted by brain macrophages, which first surrounded damaged striatal white matter tracts and then infiltrated into them. Punctate OPN‐immunoreactive profiles were scattered throughout the infarction core except in white matter bundles. Electron microscopy showed the localization of OPN protein along the membranes lining what appeared to be the debris of dead neurons. These were located in the extracellular space and within the cytoplasm of brain macrophages, indicating that the OPN protein accumulated selectively on the surface of dead cells, most of which were phagocytosed subsequently by brain macrophages. However, no significant induction of OPN occurred in degenerating striatal white matter tracts or in brain macrophage‐engulfed axonic or myelin debris. These data suggest that OPN secreted by brain macrophages in this rat model of stroke might be involved in the phagocytosis of fragmented cell debris and possibly not in the phagocytosis of axonic or myelin debris. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Entrepreneurs, Intuition, and Small-Business Performance

The recognition by Western nation governments of the increasingly important role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in job creation in post-Fordist economies has led to an expansion of public sector funding for training programs for owners or managers. Research into the cognitive style of entrepreneurs reflects that some researchers conclude that the more effective owners or managers are intuitive decision-makers. Based on these findings, researchers are recommending emphasis on intuitive thinking in government-funded owner or manager training programs. This study involved using research on small UK firms to gain further empirical evidence of the validity of the view that intuitive thinking is a preferred business style and relates to superior small-firm performance. Results illustrate that some owners or managers are intuitive thinkers but that individuals exhibiting an analytical decision-making style run successful firms. The results partially contradict earlier studies.
Has the Regulation of Pro Forma Reporting in the US Changed Investors’ Perceptions of Pro Forma Earnings Disclosures?

We explore whether investors’ perceptions of pro forma earnings numbers have changed following the regulation of pro forma reporting imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). First, we find that investors appear to pay more attention to pro forma earnings disclosures in the post-SOX period, consistent with the notion that they perceive that regulation generally renders these disclosures more credible. Second, the results indicate that investors discount aggressive pro forma earnings reports in both periods. However, they appear to discount at least some potentially misleading pro forma earnings disclosures more in the post-SOX period. Finally, our results imply that the regulation of pro forma reporting has increased the average quality of pro forma earnings disclosures by filtering out those that are most likely to be misleading. These results are consistent with the conclusions that (1) the quality of pro forma reporting has improved following SOX, and (2) investors’ perceptions of pro forma earnings metrics have changed in the post-SOX regulatory environment.
High and Uncertain Inflation: Results from a New Data Set

The authors use a data set of inflation expectations that covers twenty years and forty-four countries to investigate the relationship between the level and uncertainty of inflation. While there is strong and robust evidence of a relationship between average inflation and average uncertainty across countries, there is little evidence in their data for a within country relationship. In particular, very few of the countries in the sample exhibit a relationship between lagged inflation and future uncertainty. This result holds even when the authors use a bootstrapping technique that is robust to small sample size and heteroscedasticity.
Income growth, redistribution, and subjective well-being in Taiwan – a simulation study

This study simulates different income growth and income distribution scenarios in Taiwan in 2001, and examines how social happiness and people's happiness at different income levels change. Without taking downward comparison into consideration, the simulation supports income redistribution in favour of the poor. When the downward comparison is taken into consideration, the simulation does not support any kind of income redistribution. The present study investigates the relationship between income inequality and subjective well-being, and shows that a change in the Gini index can be interpreted in terms of a shift in revealed subjective well-being.
Embracing Ecological Learning and Social Learning: UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as Exemplars of Changing Conservation Practices

Biosphere reserves were first created in 1976 to help scientists, managers, and communities better understand how to conserve biodiversity and improve human-environment interactions. Since then, biosphere reserves have evolved from a primary focus on 'ecological learning' to a broader orientation that includes 'social learning'. The purpose of this paper is to trace how this shift became intertwined with changing expectations about the purpose and philosophy, criteria for site selection, and assessment of effectiveness of biosphere reserves as exemplars of conservation and sustainable development. Drawing on academic reports, policy and other archived documents from the international and Canadian programs, and interviews of key participants, this paper examines how international priorities changed and became expressed on the ground in designation processes and research practices of Canadian biosphere reserves. Our research indicates that social dimensions of learning have been added to earlier ecological objectives. This addition has had a dual impact. While laudably broadening perspectives on research, learning, and learners to include social scientists and local people more effectively, a heightened emphasis on social dimensions has increased the complexity of anticipated outcomes tied to governance and social goals. Biosphere reserves must now establish research and management approaches that encompass both ecological and social dimensions of learning reflecting collaborative and interdisciplinary research and practice that include local perspectives and assessment goals. These changes may require improved clarity for determining where future biosphere reserves should be created and how they should be managed.
Voluntary Disclosure in the Annual Reports of New Zealand Companies

New Zealand is currently experiencing a liberal and competitive economic environment which has led to a greater investment interest in corporate securities. Likewise, New Zealand firms are also developing strategies to attract investors, for example, through voluntary disclosure of information. Therefore, the level of information voluntarily disclosed by New Zealand companies is of interest to prospective investors. The purpose of this study is to examine empirically the relationship between five firm-specific characteristics and the general level of accounting information voluntarily disclosed by companies listed on New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE). In this study the a priori expectations are based on agency theory. The five firm-specific characteristics examined are: firm size, leverage, assets-in-place, type of auditor, and foreign listing status. The results obtained from cross-sectional regression show that firm size, foreign listing status and leverage are significantly related to the extent of voluntary disclosure. In contrast assets-in-place and type of auditor are not significant explanatory variables. A study of this type would be of particular relevance to accounting policy makers because, inter alia, it helps them in (a) understanding corporate disclosure behaviour, (b) explaining why firms adopt certain disclosure strategies, and (c) developing a coherent and acceptable set of mandatory disclosure requirements.
The structural, social, and strategic factors associated with successful business networks

Business networks, formal arrangements between independent businesses established to enhance member success, are generally accepted as an important strategy to help small businesses survive and prosper, and to promote regional economic development. However, knowledge about what contributes to the success of business networks themselves is less extensive and based primarily on case studies or reports of network directors. The purpose of this paper is to partially address this shortcoming. We consider the structural and social features identified in previous studies as likely correlates of business network success. Using a social constructionist definition of network success, we distinguish successful from less successful networks from among a sample of 29 industry and community business networks in the USA. Findings from interviews with 1122 members and 29 network leaders suggest that trust is central to understanding network success. Structural features have complex positive and negative indirect effects on success through trust and resource exchanges. The findings highlight the fact that business networks, while offering great potential as a way to enhance economic vitality of regions and industries, cannot be viewed as a simple remedy.
Existence and Properties of Equilibria for a Dynamic Game on Productive Assets

Abstract We consider a model in which two agents share access to the same stock of a productive asset and study the implications of non-cooperative consumption behavior over time. Under standard assumptions on the production function we construct infinitely many Nash equilibria, all of which consist of stationary Markovian strategies. These equilibria result in overconsumption so that the uniquely determined long-run asset stock is too low as compared to the cooperative solution. However, in the limit as the discount rate becomes sufficiently small the stead states generated by the Markovian Nash equilibria converge to the efficient steady state.Journal of Economic LiteratureClassification Numbers: C73, O41, Q22.
Population Aging and the Generational Economy: A Global Perspective

– 453 (2013) 452 This is an important book, one that provides a novel and comprehensive way of identifying and portraying concerns of particular relevance for economies with aging populations. The approach focuses attention on how four fundamental activities – working, consuming, sharing, and saving – vary over the life course, creating fl ows across generations. The pattern and evolution of these intergenerational fl ows raise areas of genuine concern with current arrangements for the transfer of funds and the provision of services. However, the approach followed in the book suggests ways of addressing concerns about population aging. Among its many contributions, this volume effectively dispels various myths related to possible “solutions” (pp. 27–28) and notes that “reform of transfer systems is . an alternative to pronatalist policies” (p. 102).
Managing professionals: exploring the role of the hospital HR function.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of the HR function in the management of professional and non-professional staff in the acute hospital sector. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A qualitative approach was adopted. Empirical data from three hospital case studies is utilised to explore the role of the hospital HR function. Cases were compiled from 45 interviews, observation and secondary data analysis. FINDINGS The paper finds that in two of the three cases the human resource (HR) function predominantly provides services to non-professional workforce groups. However, the effective and strategic management of professionals is undertaken in the third case, without a professional HR function. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The findings of this paper require some caution in extrapolation, being based on research in one national context. The authors suggest the delivery of service as a useful lens to explore the enacted practice of HRM in hospitals. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The paper draws attention to a significant deficit in the role of the HR function in managing core professional staff. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The paper applies an existing conceptual framework to explore the role of the HR function in hospitals. It identifies a significant deficit in the management of core professional staff. On this basis the paper suggests alternative research methodologies to investigate the management of all hospital staff.
The Influence of Actual and Unrequited Interventions

Intervention operations are used by governments to manage their exchange rates but officials rarely confirm their presence in the market, leading inevitably to erroneous reports in the financial press. There are also reports of what we term, unrequited interventions, interventions that the market expects but do not materialize. In this paper we examine the effects of various types of intervention news on intra-day exchange rate behavior. We find that unrequited interventions have a statistically significant influence on returns, volatility and order flow, suggesting that the expectation of intervention, even when governments do not intervene, can affect currency values.
Over-Reliance on Previous Periods' Earnings Can Cause Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift and Over-Reactions to Extreme Performance

This paper uses a laboratory experiment to show that investors systematically over-rely on firms' previous performance levels: when previous performance is high (low), prices are too high (low). This error creates two types of anomalies. Too much reliance on previous levels gives the appearance that investors under-react to changes in performance from that level. Prices therefore remain too low (high) after large increases (decreases) in performance, similar to the post-earnings-announcement drift anomaly. Too much reliance on previous levels also gives the appearance that investors overestimate the degree to which extreme performance in prior periods leads to extreme performance in the target period. Prices therefore remain too high (low) after persistently strong (weak) performance, similar to the long-term over-reaction anomaly. The results therefore suggest that these two anomalies may be caused by a single behavioral effect.
Community-based Environmental Planning: Operational Dilemmas, Planning Principles and Possible Remedies

The operational dilemmas and challenges associated with the practice of community-based environmental planning (CBEP) are examined. The paper examines the frequently invoked ‘bottom-up’ versus ‘top-down’ dichotomy and argues that environmental governance is more complex, dynamic and multi-scalar than this simple dichotomy implies. The paper identifies six key problems with the CBEP approach: (i) the conceptualization of ‘community’ which poorly accounts for difference; (ii) problems of inequality; (iii) the organizational capacity and efficacy of community groups; (iv) the scale of CBEP; (v) the types of knowledge utilized by communities in environmental management; and (vi) the potential for parochial concerns to dominate the priorities and agenda of community organizations. The paper analyses each of these issues, identifies planning principles that may aid resolution, and suggests possible remedies.
Of mice and men: more neurobiology in dementia

Purpose of review An increasing number of genetically modified mouse models are designed and used in the field of Alzheimer disease research. This review aims to offer a general view of the existing transgenic mouse lines and to discuss their relevance and limitations. Recent findings Potential therapeutic targets have been identified in rodent models of Alzheimer disease. Although important steps towards obtaining a safe vaccine to prevent amyloid plaque formation have been made, further evaluations and the use of intermediate models are considered a necessity. Summary More than 18 million people worldwide are suffering from Alzheimer disease, the most common dementing disorder in humans. Transgenic lines have been created in order to understand the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer disease and to find a cure. None of the available models completely recapitulates the characteristics of human pathology, but they provide valuable information on different pathogenic pathways involved. New therapeutic approaches and improvement of current strategies can be obtained from the use of Alzheimer animal models.
Edward Snowden, Criminal or Patriot: Media Coverage of National Security Agency Document Leaks

Kenneth Burke's dramatic pentad was used to analyze Edward Snowden's National Security Agency (NSA) document leaks from June 5, 2013 through October 1, 2013 as published in the New York Times (NYT) and the Guardian. The articles were coded by newspaper, headline, reporting journalist, page prominence, word count, publication date, and tone of stories. Content analysis revealed that there was significant difference in coverage of Snowden: the Guardian utilized the word "swhistleblower"s extensively in a positive way while negative words like "leaker" drove NYT coverage of Snowden. Both papers overlap in the identification of Snowden's actions as one of the most significant intelligence disclosures since the Pentagon Papers.
An EOQ model with imperfective quality items under an announced price increase

The economic ordering quantity (EOQ) model has been widely applied to inventory management. However, some assumptions in the model are unrealistic in practice. One of the assumptions is that all produced units are of good quality. This article deals with an EOQ model for products with imperfect quality under an announced price increase, where the defectives are screened out by a 100% inspection process, and which can be sold as a single batch at the end of the inspection process. The optimal ordering policies associated with three kinds of effective times of the price increase are obtained. A numerical example is then provided to illustrate the proposed model. Besides, based on the numerical example, the effects of some important parameters on the optimal order quantity and the corresponding saving in cost are also investigated.
Phagocytic Function of Monocytes in Children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

ABSTRACT We investigated the phagocytic function of monocytes in 7- to 10-year-old children horizontally infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in comparison to that in healthy sex- and age-matched controls. CR3-mediated phagocytosis was increased in patients with HIV-associated pulmonary tuberculosis, independently of CD4 counts and p24 antigenemia.
Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth: Lessons for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

This study explores public finance policies in the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and their likely effects on economic growth. The analysis is organized in three parts. Part one reviews public finance systems across the ECA region with regard to overall size, structure of expenditures and revenues, and patterns of fiscal adjustment over time. It compares these patterns and trends in ECA countries against those in fast-growing economies in other regions, and it explores possible relationships between these public finance variables and rates of economic growth. Part two undertakes detailed analysis of public expenditures policies in four major areas: infrastructure, education, health, and pensions. Part three turns to the revenue side of the budget and looks in detail at two issues of particular importance in current policy debates: the impact of flat income tax reforms and the level and structure of taxes on labor.
Identifying and evaluating horizontal support and resistance levels: an empirical study on US stock markets

We propose a novel rule-based mechanism that identifies Horizontal Support And Resistance (HSAR) levels. The novelty of this system resides in the manner it encloses principles, found in well known technical manuals, used for the identification via visual assessment. The drawing of these levels derives from historical locals, rather than denoting support (resistance) levels from the lowest (highest) price levels of precedent constant time intervals. We further proceed in evaluating whether these levels are efficient trend-reversal predictors, and if they can generate systematic abnormal returns. The dataset used includes adjusted for dividends and splits, daily closing prices of stocks listed on National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for the last 2 decades. Our results are aligned with the efficient market hypothesis. More concretely, support levels outperform resistance ones in predicting trend interruptions but they fail to generate excess returns when they are compared with simple buy-and-hold strategies.
Is Stabilization of Potato Price and Supply Effective? Empirical Evidence from Idaho

High potato price volatility, decreasing demand for fresh potatoes and prices below the cost of production led to a decision of a number of Idaho potato growers to organize the United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho, a marketing cooperative. The programs and strategies of the cooperative target both production and marketing of fresh potatoes. To evaluate the effectiveness of the programs implemented by the cooperative, we examine the level and volatility of fresh potato prices during two periods: before the cooperative was organized and when the cooperative is in the market. We find empirical evidence suggesting that fresh potato prices were higher and less volatile during the period when the cooperative was in the market.