Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Design and Efficiency of Loyalty Rewards

The goal of this paper is to reexamine the optimal design and efficiency of loyalty rewards in markets for final consumption goods. While the literature has emphasized the role of loyalty rewards as endogenous switching costs (which distort the efficient allocation of consumers), in this paper I analyze the ability of alternative designs to foster consumer participation and increase total surplus. First, the efficiency of loyalty rewards depend on their specific design. A commitment to the price of repeat purchases can involve substantial efficiency gains by reducing price-cost margins. However, discount policies imply higher future prices and are likely to reduce total surplus. Second, firms may prefer to set up inefficient rewards (discounts), especially in those circumstances where a commitment to the price of repeat purchases triggers Coasian dynamics.
Randomized comparison of rectal misoprostol with Syntometrine for management of third stage of labor.

BACKGROUND The search for an effective, easily stored, affordable uterotonic agent in preventing postpartum hemorrhage is of importance, especially in the developing world. The objective of this study was to randomly compare the effectiveness of rectal misoprostol with Syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labor. METHODS Four hundred and ninety-one low risk women in labor were randomly allocated to receive either misoprostol 400 microgram rectally or Syntometrine 1 ampuole intramuscularly, and postpartum blood loss was estimated as the principal end point. Comparisons were by the chi-square test or Fisher's test and relative risks with 95% confidence intervals for categorical data, and the Mann-Whitney test for ranked continuous variables. RESULTS The baseline characteristics in terms of hemoglobin estimation in antenatal clinic, mean age, parity, and duration of labor in the 250 patients who received Syntometrine and 241 patients who received misoprostol were similar. However, there was a significant difference in the pre-delivery blood pressure of the two groups because of the non-protocol exclusion of women with elevated blood pressure allocated to receive Syntometrine. Duration of third stage of labor, blood loss postpartum and hemoglobin estimation post partum were all similar. Postpartum diastolic hypertension was more common in the Syntometrine group (p= 0.002). No other apparent side effect was noted in either group. CONCLUSION Misoprostol rectally for management of the third stage of labor merits further investigation.
Operational Aspects of Fiscal Policy in Oil-Producing Countries

Oil-producing countries face challenges arising from the fact that oil revenue is exhaustible, volatile, and uncertain, and largely originates from abroad. Reflecting these challenges, the paper proposes some important general principles for the formulation and assessment of fiscal policy in these countries. The main findings can be summarized in some key guidelines: the non-oil balance should feature prominently in the formulation of fiscal policy; it should generally be adjusted gradually; the government should strive to accumulate substantial financial assets over the period of oil production; and, where necessary, strategies should aim at breaking procyclical fiscal responses to volatile oil prices.
International Evidence on Convergence and Openness

In this paper we examine for both economic convergence and openness convergence across the global economy and within specific regions. We find that convergence in openness is much more profound than income convergence. Moreover, convergence within regions takes place faster than convergence across the globe. We then examine for the effects of trade openness on income convergence. We use both trade openness indicators based on actual trade volumes as well as indices that rank countries according to trade policy openness. Finally, we consider the effects of such indices on openness convergence. We discuss our results in the context of the regionalism versus globalization debate.
Do Measures of Investor Sentiment Predict Returns?

Abstract It has long been market folklore that the best time to buy stocks is when individual investors are bearish, and the best time to sell is when individual investors are bullish. We examine the forecast power of three popular measures of individual investor sentiment: the level of discounts on closed-end funds, the ratio of odd-lot sales to purchases, and net mutual fund redemptions. Using data from 1933 to 1993, we find that fund discounts and net redemptions predict the size premium, the difference between small and large firm returns, but little evidence that the odd-lot ratio predicts returns.
Does Judicial Quality Shape Economic Activity? Evidence from a Judicial Reform in India

This paper investigates the impact of judiciaries on firms' contracting behaviour and economic performance. In 2002, the Code of Civil Procedure Amendment Act was enacted in India to facilitate speedy disposal of civil suits. Some State High Courts had already enacted some of the amendments contained in this reform a long time ago. This spatial variation in the reform's implementation is used to identify the effect of judicial quality on firm's behavior. Using small informal firm data, I find that the reform led to fewer breaches of contract, encouraged investment, facilitated access to finance, and expanded rental markets.
Portfolio practices in higher education in Norway in an international perspective: macro‐, meso‐ and micro‐level influences

The point of departure for this article is the ‘chameleon’ aspect of portfolios and the diversity of portfolio models and practices in higher education on the international arena today. Our aim is to investigate the contextual character of this diversity by using Norwegian higher education as an example and to show how macro‐level influences, particularly the Bologna related Quality Reform, have shaped the overall development of portfolio practices. We contextualise and discuss the sudden expansion of learning and assessment portfolios in Norway after 2002. Our data are primarily a nationwide survey of portfolio practices, supplemented by findings in a research evaluation of the reform and previously published case studies. The majority of portfolios in Norwegian higher education can be classified as ‘disciplinary‐based course work portfolios’ and they typically serve a combination of learning and assessment purposes. But within this category we found systematic differences between different educational areas where the main dividing line seems to be between professional and non‐professional education. The underlying research perspective is sociocultural and this directs our attention to contexts, cultures and traditions that shape portfolio development and practices rather than to individual differences (micro level).
Antarctic krill population genomics: apparent panmixia, but genome complexity and large population size muddy the water

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba; hereafter krill) are an incredibly abundant pelagic crustacean which has a wide, but patchy, distribution in the Southern Ocean. Several studies have examined the potential for population genetic structuring in krill, but DNA‐based analyses have focused on a limited number of markers and have covered only part of their circum‐Antarctic range. We used mitochondrial DNA and restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐seq) to investigate genetic differences between krill from five sites, including two from East Antarctica. Our mtDNA results show no discernible genetic structuring between sites separated by thousands of kilometres, which is consistent with previous studies. Using standard RAD‐seq methodology, we obtained over a billion sequences from >140 krill, and thousands of variable nucleotides were identified at hundreds of loci. However, downstream analysis found that markers with sufficient coverage were primarily from multicopy genomic regions. Careful examination of these data highlights the complexity of the RAD‐seq approach in organisms with very large genomes. To characterize the multicopy markers, we recorded sequence counts from variable nucleotide sites rather than the derived genotypes; we also examined a small number of manually curated genotypes. Although these analyses effectively fingerprinted individuals, and uncovered a minor laboratory batch effect, no population structuring was observed. Overall, our results are consistent with panmixia of krill throughout their distribution. This result may indicate ongoing gene flow. However, krill's enormous population size creates substantial panmictic inertia, so genetic differentiation may not occur on an ecologically relevant timescale even if demographically separate populations exist.
Response of Blood Serum Constituents to Production of and Recovery from a Kwashiorkor-Like Syndrome in the Young Pig

Abstract Twenty-six 3-week-old genetically obese pigs were fed in two experiments to determine the serum chemistry profile during severe protein malnutrition and repletion. Severe protein deficiency was produced in pigs fed the high-fat, low-protein diet (growth failure, rough hair, low serum total protein and albumin). In Experiment 1, blood was sampled from the anterior vena cava of each pig five times during depletion and three times during repletion to determine serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, albumin, glucose, Ca, inorganic P, Mg, Na, K, CI, total bilirubin, urea N, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyltransferase. In Experiment 2, blood was sampled weekly for 8 weeks for serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin, glucose, Ca, P, Mg and alkaline phosphatase. HDL-cholesterol was increased (P < 0.01) and albumin was decreased (P < 0.01) in protein-deficient pigs in both experiments. Creatinine, total bilirubin, γ-glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were elevated in protein-deficient pigs compared with controls after 7 weeks of depletion. Inorganic P (P < 0.01), Ca (P < 0.01), and Mg (P < 0.05) concentrations were depressed in protein-depleted pigs compared with controls in both experiments. After 8 weeks of repletion in Experiment 1, all elements except inorganic P were similar in the two groups. Short-term, severe, protein malnutrition affected lipid, electrolyte, and structural mineral metabolism and indices of liver function in the absence of parasites, diarrhea, and infection. The effects were reversed after 8 weeks of repletion. We conclude that the elevated serum cholesterol in protein deficiency is related primarily to an increase in the HDL fraction.
Under-Diversification and Retention Commitments in IPOs

Abstract This study is an extension of Leland and Pyle's (1977) signaling model. It introduces, in addition to the retained ownership, the length of the holding period to which the owner commits in the prospectus as a signal of firm value. The length of the holding period is found to be a signaling mechanism that complements ownership retention. Depending on the information structure of the firm, the entrepreneur may prefer to commit to a holding period longer than the minimum required by securities regulations.
The political economy of water pricing reforms

This book comprises two parts that attempt to explain the political economy of water pricing reforms. The three sections of part 1 provide the theoretical and empirical foundation to the approach of this book. Section A of part 1 provides a theoretical framework that emphasizes the link between property regimes and pricing regimes, address the power and influence between and within water resource management organizations, and demonstrate the importance of asymmetric information for the implementation of efficient pricing reform. Section B of part 1 demonstrates the applications of various political economy concepts in the evaluation of water pricing reforms. Main issues include the need to design the reform to account for the existing institutional and political setup, and the advantage of either having a broad agenda for the reform or combining two reforms that address similar issues of economic efficiency. Section C of part 1 addresses various political economy issues of urban water pricing reforms. This section also addresses the equity and social preferences of various segments of society affected by the tariff structure. Part 2 is a collection of five country case studies that individually and collectively attempt to support the framework and empirical evidence in part 1.
Modernising Government: The Way Forward—a comment

Let me start by saying that this is a very welcome publication. While there are (and always have been) certain important limitations on OECD surveys of public management reforms they have nevertheless provided at least a starting point in bringing together the ‘official story’ of reform processes in one place. Even with their officially sanctioned and therefore sometimes less than complete, especially on implementation, accounts of reform policies they have provided valuable material for analysts. The decision in the late 1990s to cease the regular surveys by OECD was a very shortsighted one, as this volume clearly demonstrates. There is still much to be learnt from international comparisons between advanced democracies and, at a minimum, bodies like the OECD should be providing the raw material for such analysis. It is not possible to address all the issues this report raises so I want to concentrate on four issues:
Characterization of a heritable partial monosomy 18p by molecular and cytogenetic analysis.

This report describes the fourth case of heritable 18p monosomy, which was ascertained by prenatal diagnosis. Cytogenetic analysis of amniotic fluid cells by G-banding showed an apparently distal 18p chromosome deletion and a derivative X chromosome resulting from a translocation between the X and Y chromosomes. Analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes from the parents by G-banding revealed the same chromosome 18 deletion in the mother, who did not have the X/Y translocation. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies confirmed the loss of chromosome region 18p11.3-pter previously detected, and eliminated the presence of unbalanced reorganizations of other chromosome regions. No subtle translocation was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies using whole chromosome specific painting probes. This is a new report of a heritable 18p monosomy. Although in our case the mother had several minor congenital malformations, the loss of 18p11.3 band was not associated with any obvious phenotypic alteration in the fetus.
PHYSICIANS' SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF CARE FOR EMERGING ADULTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES.

OBJECTIVE Establishing care with adult providers is essential for emerging adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) transitioning from pediatric care. Although research evaluating the transition from pediatric to adult care has been focused primarily on patients' perceptions, little is known about the adult providers' perspectives. We sought to ascertain adult providers' perspectives of caring for the medical and psychosocial needs of this patient population. METHODS We developed and mailed a survey to 79 regional adult endocrinologists and 186 primary care physicians (PCPs) identified through 2 regional insurance plans. Questions addressed perceived aptitude in clinical aspects of diabetes management, importance and availability of diabetes team members, and opinions regarding recommended transition methods. RESULTS The response rate was 43% for endocrinologists and 13% for PCPs. Endocrinologists reported higher aptitude in insulin management (P<.01). PCPs reported greater aptitude in screening and treating depression (P<0.01). Although endocrinologists and PCPs did not differ in their views of the importance of care by a comprehensive team, endocrinologists reported better access to diabetes educators and dieticians than PCPs (P<.01). Recommended transition methods were described as useful. CONCLUSION These preliminary results suggest that endocrinologists are better prepared to assume diabetes care of emerging adults, whereas PCPs may be better prepared to screen and treat associated depression. Future studies are needed to determine if a medical home model with cooperative management improves care for emerging adults with T1D.
Transaction Costs and the Design of Cropshare Contracts

Modern cropshare contracts are explained using a model in which agents are risk neutral and contract rules are chosen to maximize expected joint wealth. It is shown that the farmer either bears the entire cost of inputs or shares the costs with the landowner in the same proportion as the output. The incentives of altering the cropshare percentage are examined and are used to derive implications about the portion of the crop that will be owned by the farmer. The model is tested and supported using data from a 1986 survey of farmers and landowners in Nebraska and South Dakota.
Three new species of the killifish genus Melanorivulus from the central Brazilian Cerrado savanna (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae)

Abstract Three new species are described from the Neotropical region comprising the Cerrado savannas of the central Brazilian plateaus, which is among the most important biodiversity centres in the world. These species are considered closely related to Melanorivulus dapazi from the same region, with which they share the presence of a rudimentary interarcual cartilage and a dark reddish brown distal margin on the male anal fin. The group comprising Melanorivulus dapazi and the three new species is here named as the Melanorivulus dapazi species group. Melanorivulus ignescens sp. n. , from the upper Rio Araguaia basin, is distinguished from all other species of the Melanorivulus dapazi group by the anal-fin colour pattern in males; Melanorivulus flavipinnis sp. n. and Melanorivulus regularis sp. n. from the Rio Paraguai basin are distinguished from all other congeners of the Melanorivulus dapazi group by the colour pattern of the caudal fin and number of scales in the longitudinal series, respectively. All the new species are further unambiguously diagnosed by unique combinations of morphological characters, including meristic and morphometric data, and colour patterns. This study reinforces the importance of using live colour patterns to diagnose species and species groups of the genus Melanorivulus, but also indicates that osteological characters may be informative for species diagnosis. This study confirms the high diversity of species of Melanorivulus in the central Brazilian Cerrado plateaus already reported in previous studies, indicating that endemic species are often restricted to short segments of a single river drainage.
New and young firms: Entrepreneurship policy and the role of government – evidence from the Federation of Small Businesses survey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether new and young firms are different from older firms. This analysis is undertaken to explore general characteristics, use of external resources and growth orientation.Design/methodology/approach – Data from the 2008 UK Federation of Small Businesses survey provided 8,000 responses. Quantitative analysis identified significantly different characteristics of firms from 0‐4, 4‐9, 9‐19 and 20+ years. Factor analysis was utilised to identify the advice sets, finance and public procurement customers of greatest interest, with ANOVA used to statistically compare firms in the identified age groups with different growth aspirations.Findings – The findings reveal key differences between new, young and older firms in terms of characteristics including business sector, owner/manager age, education/business experience, legal status, intellectual property and trading performance. New and young firms were more able to access beneficial resources in terms of fin.
Transmission of Neisseria meningitidis among asymptomatic military recruits and antibody analysis

SUMMARY Following the occurrence of a case of systemic meningococcal disease in a military camp in Norway, throat cultures and blood samples were collected from 33 healthy individuals belonging to the same troop as the patient (troop A) and from 29 individuals from a different troop (troop B) in the same camp. Serological studies showed that 91% of the recruits had bactericidal antibodies against the disease-causing strain. The isolates of Neisseria meningitidis recovered from the throat cultures were serogrouped, serotyped, and assigned to a clone on the basis of an analysis of the electrophoretic mobilities of 14 metabolic enzymes. None of the 23 carriers in troop A harboured the clone responsible for the case of disease, but 6 carried isolates of the same electrophoretic type, ET-7, which was not identified in any of the 19 carriers of troop B. Individuals in troop A were resampled 2 and 17 weeks after the meningococcal disease episode. Five of the carriers had acquired different clones and one of them changed clone twice in that period. Four of the six newly acquired clones had previously been identified in other carriers of troop A, demonstrating transmission of clones among individuals living and working in close proximity.
New Administration, New Immigration Regime: Do Parties Matter After All? A UK Case Study

Research on the impact of parties on public policy, and on immigration policy in particular, often finds limited evidence of partisan influence. In this paper, we examine immigration policy-making in the UK coalition government. Our case provides evidence that parties in government can have more of an impact on policy than previous studies acknowledge, but this only becomes apparent when we open up the ‘black box’ between election outcomes and policy outputs. By examining how, when and why election pledges are turned into government policies, we show that partisan influence depends not only on dynamics between the coalition partners, but how these dynamics interact with interdepartmental conflicts and lobbying by organised interests. In-depth process tracing allows us to see these complex dynamics, which easily get lost in large-n comparisons of pledges and outputs, let alone outcomes.
Impact of malocclusion and dentofacial anomalies on the prevalence and severity of dental caries among adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between malocclusion/dentofacial anomalies and dental caries among adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted with 509 adolescents aged 11 to 14 years enrolled at public schools in the city of Osório in southern Brazil. Parents/caregivers answered a structured questionnaire on demographic and socioeconomic variables. A trained examiner recorded the presence of malocclusion (Dental Aesthetic Index [DAI]), traumatic dental injury, and dental caries. Data analysis involved the chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Poisson regression with robust variance was used for the multivariable analysis. RESULTS A total of 44.8% of the adolescents had dental caries (mean DFMT = 1.33 ± 1.84). The DAI index ranged from 15 to 77 (mean = 29.0 ± 7.9); 43.6% of the sample had severe malocclusion and 11.6% had traumatic dental injury. The prevalence and severity of dental caries were significantly greater among adolescents with severe malocclusion. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that adolescents with severe or handicapping malocclusion had a 31% greater probability of having dental caries (prevalence ratio: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.02-1.67), independently of demographic, socioeconomic, or clinical aspects. The orthodontic characteristics associated with the occurrence and severity of caries were maxillary irregularity ≥3 mm (P = .021) and abnormal molar relationship (P = .021). CONCLUSIONS Handicapping malocclusion, maxillary irregularity, and abnormal molar relationship were associated with the occurrence and severity of dental caries. The findings suggest that the prevention and treatment of these conditions can contribute to a reduction in dental caries among adolescents.