Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving Profitability with Quantity Discounts under Fixed Demand

Abstract Quantity discount schedules have been studied, in the past, from the retailer's, and not the supplier's, point of view. These studies address the problem of determining the economic order quantities for the retailer, given a quantity discount schedule set by the supplier. In this paper, this problem is addressed from the supplier's point of view, assuming that the retailer always uses his optimal order quantity. It is shown that under certain circumstances, quantity discounts could be of benefit to the supplier (and obviously to the retailer), even when retailer's demand is insensitive to price changes. An algorithm is developed to determine the optimal pricing policy for a linear quantity discount schedule. Numerical examples are provided, and sufficient conditions when no quantity discount should be offered are derived.
Can Bad News Be Better Than No News? The Value of Transparency in Organisations

Economists have recently started to theoretically analyse the performance implications of transparency in organisations where the principal has private information. An important finding in this literature is that the principal may want to partly withhold information from the agent, and to expose him to uncertainty about the true state of nature. In this paper, we report empirical evidence that such uncertainty exposure is more detrimental to agent effort than previously thought. We design an experiment, in which an agent has only probabilistic beliefs about the true state of nature and needs to choose costly effort that benefits the principal. The true state relates to his fixed-wage, which can either be high or low. Prior to effort choice, the principal can create full transparency by disclosing the true state to the agent via costly communication. Our results show that principals should always create full transparency: even if this requires her to disclose 'bad news' (the low state), effort increases by 47 percent relative to non-disclosure. We show that the value of transparency extends beyond positive effects of the personal communication involved. However, half the principals misperceive this value and disclose information too restrictively, thereby foregoing 30 percent of their potential profits. To help overcome this misperception, we provide evidence on agents' various motivations to reward even the disclosure of bad news.
The Revealed Preference Approach to Collective Consumption Behavior: Nonparametric Testing and Sharing Rule Recovery

We present a nonparametric revealed preference methodology for empirically analyzing collective consumption behavior. First, we introduce an integer programming (IP) methodology for testing data consistency with collective consumption models that account for publicly as well as privately consumed goods.This IP methodology can include information on assignable quantities.for private goods. Next, we show that the IP methodology allows for recovering the personalized (Lindahl) prices for the public goods and the personalized quantities for the private goods. In turn, this implies recovery of the sharing rule (i.e. personalized income share levels). Numerical examples and an empirical application demonstrate the practical usefulness of the methodology.
Evolutionary Economic Geography, Institutions, and Political Economy

Abstract In this response to MacKinnon et al. (2009), I argue that the theoretical development of evolutionary economic geographies is necessary in order to evaluate its unique contribution to an understanding of the uneven development of the space economy; that the distinction between evolutionary and institutional economic geographies is overdrawn; that the neglect of class, power, and the state reflect empirical rather than theoretical shortcomings of the evolutionary approach; and that there is significant potential overlap between evolutionary and political economy approaches.
Potent inhibition of tubulin polymerisation and proliferation of paclitaxel-resistant 1A9PTX22 human ovarian cancer cells by albendazole.

BACKGROUND Resistance to paclitaxel (PTX) is a major concern in treating ovarian cancer. Thus, agents effective in taxane-resistant tumours are highly sought. It has recently been shown that albendazole (ABZ) is a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation, angiogenesis and tumour growth. This study was designed to examine the efficacy of ABZ in PTX-resistant human ovarian cancer 1A9PTX22 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using both the parent PTX-sensitive 1A9 and PTX-resistant sub-line 1A9PTX22 cells, the effects of both drugs on cell proliferation, tubulin polymerisation and microtubule distribution across the cell was investigated. RESULTS Comparison of the inhibitory concentration to achieve 50% cell death (IC(50)) revealed that, unlike PTX, ABZ is highly efficacious in inhibiting proliferation of 1A9PTX22 cells. The finding that ABZ but not PTX is highly effective in disrupting tubulin polymerisation in these cells confirmed involvement of the tubulin pathway. CONCLUSION Data from this study suggest that ABZ is effective in suppressing growth of PTX-resistant ovarian tumour cells.
Evidence of a current and lasting national anesthesia personnel shortfall: scope and implications.

OBJECTIVES To prove the existence of a current anesthesiologist shortage, and to project the balance of labor supply and demand in the future. METHODS To quantify the current supply we used published health personnel data from federal agencies and the American Medical Association, as well as membership data from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. We estimated anesthesiologist supply in 2001 based on the number of graduating residents and fellows, taking into account the loss of a portion of graduating residents due to temporary visa status. We assumed that neither a shortage nor an oversupply existed in 1994 and that demand for anesthesiologists was approximated by the number of surgical procedures reported by federal agencies. In modeling future supply and demand for anesthesiologists, we assumed that the current health care policy and economic climates will continue. We extrapolated demand using 1.5% to 3% yearly growth rates based on a synthesis of recent and projected procedure growth rates, procedure rates for the elderly, and population aging trends. We estimated the supply for 2001 through 2003 based on the current resident cohort modified by their projected graduation rate. Accounting for attrition during residency and the effect of fellowship training, we assumed that after 2003 the number of American medical graduates will initially increase by 15% annually and that the number of international medical graduates will decrease to a stable level of 500 trained each year. We assumed an average retirement age of 65 years. RESULTS Our model suggests that there is currently a 3.6% to 10.9% shortage of anesthesiologists nationwide, depending on the assumption of a 2% or 3% increase in annual demand since 1994 and a constant pattern of work distribution by anesthesia providers. This amounts to approximately 1200 to 3800 anesthesiologists. If projected demand continues to increase at the rate of 1.5% to 2% annually, the shortfall will amount to 2.6% to 12.0% of the labor supply by 2005, representing a deficit of 1000 to 4500 anesthesiologists. By 2010, this shortfall is projected to disappear or continue to amount to about 11% of the anesthesiologist supply, depending on the assumptions about the rate of demand for anesthesiologists. Compared with the expected graduating class of 1100 anesthesiology residents in 2001, our model calls for nearly 1600 graduates by 2005 and 2000 by 2010. CONCLUSION A substantive shortfall of anesthesia personnel exists in 2001 and will continue for years to come, fueled by changing population demographics, population health trends, and accelerating advancements in surgical technology, as well as growth in ambulatory and office-based surgery, pain medicine, and intensive care. In addition to focusing on financing, national health policy needs to address the adequacy of health care personnel resources for an aging population, in particular when they require surgery, are afflicted by painful conditions, or become critically ill.
Platelets counts closely correlate with the disease-free survival interval of pancreatic cancer patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS We investigated the relationship between preoperative platelets count and the outcome of pancreatic cancer patients. METHODOLOGY We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 105 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the pancreas who underwent radical resection at our institution over a 20-year period. The patients were divided into two groups based on their preoperative platelets counts: a group with thrombocytosis (> or = 40x10(4)/mL) and a group with non-elevated platelets counts (< 40x10(4)/mL). Histopathological findings, survival rates, recurrence patterns, and disease-free survival intervals were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The outcome of the group with thrombocytosis was significantly poorer than that of the group with non-elevated platelets counts (p=0.043). The mean disease-free interval of patients with thrombocytosis was 4.9 months as opposed to 46.5 months for those with non-elevated platelets counts (p=0.006). Patients were classified into four groups according to changes in platelets counts after surgery. Consistently, the outcome of the group with both pre- and postoperative non-elevated platelets counts was the best compared to groups with post- and/or postoperative thrombocytosis. CONCLUSIONS Our clinical data suggest that high platelets counts in the preoperative and postoperative period may be associated with a poor outcome and shortening of postoperative disease-free survival interval.
State Abortion Restrictions and Child Fatal-Injury: An Exploratory Study

This paper tests the hypothesis that state-level restrictions on abortion access are linked to increases in child fatal-injury rates. The rationale is that such restrictions may disproportionately increase births of “unwanted” children as well as births to young, single, and low socioeconomic–status mothers, which in turn may lead to more adverse child outcomes—including more child fatal injury deaths. The paper uses state-level data on child fatal injuries in the 0–4 age group for 1981–2002, and estimates count-data models with state and year effects separately for white and black children. The abortion restrictions considered are enforced parental consent and notification laws, no public funding, and mandatory delays. Many of the restrictions are found to be significantly associated with increased homicide-resultant fatal injuries for white and black children, and increased unintentional fatal injuries for white children. Results for unintentional fatal injuries for black children are mixed.
A Political Economy Approach to Regulated Australian Information Disclosures

In an effort to improve comparability between socially responsible investment products and standardize investment terminology, Australian legislators recently required investment managers to report to retail investors the extent to which ‘social considerations’ are used in portfolio construction. Using a lens of political economy, this paper assesses whether the objectives of the legislation to standardize investment terminology, promote inter-product comparability and encourage the accountability of product claims have been met. The context of legislative development is examined in Australian Parliamentary debates. Practised accountabilities are identified by examining a representative sample of the initial set of regulated disclosures issued. The quality of regulated information disclosures is assessed by the degree of correlation with legislators' objectives and the regulatory requirements. Initial disclosures were poor, providing little basis for comparability. In some instances, the quality of information had declined relative to the information supplied on a voluntary basis before the legislation took effect. The evidence supports a criticism of a regulatory laissez faire approach to self-reporting and an argument for more directed regulation of management processes.
The evolution and impact of unconditional cash transfers in South Africa

At the time of the transition to democracy in 1994, the South African social security system was already notably well developed for a middle income country (Lund 1993; Van der Berg 1997; Case and Deaton 1998). This fact can be ascribed to the way in which the system developed under apartheid as a welfare state for whites which was then incrementally expanded under social and political pressure to incorporate other groups. Thus, at the advent of the new post-apartheid society some important planks for a social assistance system were in place. Since then, a set of policies have been implemented that have expanded this system substantially. Direct spending on cash transfers currently stands at 3.5 percent of GDP. This is more than twice the median spending of 1.4 percent of GDP across developing and transition economies (World Bank 2009).
The Partisan Policy Cycle and Firm Valuation

Our research probes the firm valuation impact of partisan-motivated policy cycles. We first identify the micro-channels of policy transmission that link partisan policy disturbances to firm value. Then, we draw on firm-level data from 21 industrial democracies for the period extending from 1989 to 2008 to examine whether government partisanship has any distinct impact on firm value. We identify a surprisingly large and consistent positive relationship of left-oriented governments with firm value. Additionally, our research finds that the partisan impact on firm value is appreciably conditioned by factors like economic openness.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Should We Completely Banish Human Albumin from Our Intensive Care Units?

Implications Human albumin is still widely used in critically ill patients for volume replacement therapy or for correcting hypoproteinemia. Most meta-analyses on the value of albumin administration are over 15 yr old and raise more questions than they answer. With the help of a MEDLINE analysis, we examined more recent studies in humans using albumin. Most of these studies have recommended a very cautious use of albumin in critically ill patients.
Identification of patients with decompensated cirrhosis at high risk for death: improving the prediction by hepatic venous pressure gradient?

BACKGROUND/AIMS The incremental usefulness of adding hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) for predicting the risk of death has not, to our knowledge, been evaluated among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. We investigated whether the incorporation of the HVPG in an established model improved the prediction of death in a cohort of decompensated cirrhosis patients. METHODOLOGY We used data from 106 consecutive patients with decompensated cirrhosis who underwent a hemodynamic study between January 2006 and December 2007, to investigate whether the HVPG improved the risk discrimination of a patient beyond an assessment that was based on the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) or MELD-Na. We used occurrence vs. non-occurrence of events within 12 months as the outcome for analysis. RESULTS For prediction of 12 months survival, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the MELD-Na was significantly greater than that of the MELD (79.4% vs. 70.5%, p=0.05). The MELD performed similar to the HVPG (70.5% vs. 71.2%, p=0.471). Adding the HVPG measurement to the MELD or the MELD-Na did not result in significant increase of the AUROC,with only a small improvement of about 5% in both cases. CONCLUSIONS The MELD-Na is the most predictive for 12-month survival in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The addition of the HVPG to the MELD or the MELD-Na score does not appear to improve the prognostic accuracy of the MELD or the MELD-Na score significantly.
Multiplex PCR That Can Distinguish between Immunologically Cross- Reactive Serovar 3, 6, and 8 Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Strains

ABSTRACT We describe a highly sensitive and specific multiplex PCR, based on capsular loci and the species specific apxIV gene, that unequivocally differentiates serovar 3, 6, and 8 Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains that are cross-reactive in conventional immunological tests.
Topographic Studies of the GroEL-GroES Chaperonin Complex by Chemical Cross-linking Using Diformyl Ethynylbenzene

Many essential cellular processes depend upon the self-assembly of stable multiprotein entities. The architectures of the vast majority of these protein machines remain unknown because these structures are difficult to obtain by biophysical techniques alone. However, recent progress in defining the architecture of protein complexes has resulted from integrating information from all available biochemical and biophysical sources to generate computational models. Chemical cross-linking is a technique that holds exceptional promise toward achieving this goal by providing distance constraints that reflect the topography of protein complexes. Combined with the available structural data, these constraints can yield three-dimensional models of higher order molecular machines. However, thus far the utility of cross-linking has been thwarted by insufficient yields of cross-linked products and tandem mass spectrometry methods that are unable to unambiguously establish the identity of the covalently labeled peptides and their sites of modification. We report the cross-linking of amino moieties by 1,3-diformyl-5-ethynylbenzene (DEB) with analysis by high resolution electron transfer dissociation. This new reagent coupled with this new energy deposition technique addresses these obstacles by generating cross-linked peptides containing two additional sites of protonation relative to conventional cross-linking reagents. In addition to excellent coverage of sequence ions by electron transfer dissociation, DEB cross-linking produces gas-phase precursor ions in the 4+, 5+, or 6+ charge states that are readily segregated from unmodified and dead-end modified peptides using charge-dependent precursor selection of only quadruply and higher charge state ions. Furthermore, electron transfer induces dissociation of the DEB-peptide bonds to yield diagnostic ion signals that reveal the “molecular ions” of the unmodified peptides. We demonstrate the power of this strategy by cross-linking analysis of the 21-protein, ADP-bound GroEL-GroES chaperonin complex. Twenty-five unique sites of cross-linking were determined.
Changes of Pan Evaporation in the Recent 40 Years in the Yellow River Basin

Abstract Based on monitoring data of 123 meteorological stations from 1960 to 2000 near or in the Yellow River Basin, the spatial and temporal distributions and their trends for pan evaporation (PE) are investigated in this study. The results indicate that, despite the annual mean air temperature over the Yellow River Basin has, on average, increased by 0.6° over the past 40 years, the rate of PE has steadily decreased, especially in summer and spring. Compared with the period of 1960s to 1970s, the rate of annual pan evaporation during 1980s to 1990s has decreased by 126mm or 7.0 percent. Spatial distribution of the rate of change show that this kind of trend is general but not universal, PE has significantly decreased over the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River, but increased to a small degree over the middle reaches. Further analyses show that the decrease of PE is mainly related to reductions in sunshine durations and solar irradiance, owing to more clouds and aerosols.
A closer look at return predictability of the US stock market: evidence from new panel variance ratio tests

This paper examines the return predictability of the US stock market using portfolios sorted by size, book-to-market ratio and industry. We use novel panel variance ratio tests, based on the wild bootstrap proposed in this paper, which exhibit desirable size and power properties in small samples. We have found evidence that stock returns have been highly predictable from 1964 to 1996, except for a period leading to the 1987 crash and its aftermath. After 1997, stock returns have been unpredictable overall. At a disaggregated level, we find evidence that large-cap portfolios have been priced more efficiently than small- or medium-cap portfolios; and that the stock returns from high-tech industries are far less predictable than those from non-high-tech industries.
The 1993 Tax Rate Increase and Deferred Tax Adjustments: A Test of Functional Fixation

When the U.S. corporate income tax rate was increased from 34 to 35 percent in August 1993, corporations had to remeasure their deferred tax assets and liabilities and include the net adjustment in their 1993 third-quarter earnings. This study shows that, at the time of the earnings announcement, the deferred tax adjustment was mapped into security prices at the same rate as the recurring portion of unexpected earnings. Further analysis reveals that mis-pricing was more pronounced for firms with income-increasing tax adjustments and for firms that did not disclose the tax adjustment separately. In addition, the study finds that financial analysts generally failed to include the deferred tax adjustments in their earnings forecasts, even though it could be estimated beforehand. These findings suggest that investors' ability to understand sophisticated accounting rules is limited.
Public services management and co-production in multi-level governance settings

From a normative stance, co-production has been recommended at all stages of the public service cycle. However, previous empirical studies on co-production have neglected the question of how to make this happen. Moreover, little attention has been paid to how co-production might occur in multi-level governance settings. The aim of this article is to fill these gaps, identifying triggers and organizational and managerial issues that could support the adoption of co-production in multi-level governance settings. The empirical analysis is based on a case study of services for autistic children. The findings highlight that co-production was prompted by inter-organizational arrangements and that trust-building among the actors played a pivotal role in nurturing a co-production approach. Points for practitioners From an organizational perspective, our case study shows that, in order to foster co-production in multi-level governance settings, all stages of the public service cycle should be aligned and inspired by the same logic. From a managerial perspective it highlights that the implementation of co-production requires new managerial skills and tools. Public managers are asked to listen to community groups and individuals, to mobilize collective resources and knowledge, and exercise a meta-governance role. Finally, in order to have co-produced services, our findings point to the need to start thinking differently about the roles of civil society and government in satisfying the common good.