Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cournot Oligopoly Under Strategic Uncertainty with Optimistic and Pessimistic Firms

In this paper the Cournot oligopoly under uncertainty is analyzed by means of the Choquet Expected Utility (CEU) theory. Firms are supposed to be either optimistic (CEU maximizers who hold concave capacities) or pessimistic (convex capacities). Reaction functions, equilibrium quantities, prices and profits are derived and compared for different degrees of uncertainty and uncertainty attitude (optimism or pessimism). It is proved that optimists make higher profits than pessimists whenever uncertainty is sufficiently low. If it is high just optimists participate in the market making losses. An interpretation of the main results in terms of the market's level of maturity is provided.
Nateglinide and Mitiglinide, but Not Sulfonylureas, Induce Insulin Secretion through a Mechanism Mediated by Calcium Release from Endoplasmic Reticulum

Nateglinide and mitiglinide (glinides) are characterized as rapid-onset and short-acting insulinotropic agents. Although both compounds do not have a sulfonylurea structure, it has been postulated that insulin secretion is preceded by their binding to Kir6.2/SUR1 complex, and a mechanism of insulin secretion of glinides has been accounted for by this pathway. However, we hypothesized the involvement of additional mechanisms of insulin secretion enhanced by glinides, and we analyzed the pattern of time course of insulin secretion from MIN6 cells with the existence of agents that have specific pharmacologic actions. Dose-dependent effects of tolbutamide, glibenclamide, nateglinide, and mitiglinide were observed. Insulin secretion induced by 3 μM tolbutamide and 1 nM glibenclamide was completely inhibited by 10 μM diazoxide and 3 μM verapamil, although the latter half-component of insulin secretion profile induced by 3 μM nateglinide or 30 nM mitiglinide remained with the existence of those agents. Glinides enhanced insulin secretion even in Ca2+-depleted medium, and its pattern of secretion was same as the pattern with existence of verapamil. The latter half was suppressed by 1 μM dantrolene, and concomitant addition of verapamil and dantrolene completely suppressed the entire pattern of insulin secretion enhanced by nateglinide. Thus, we conclude that glinide action is demonstrated through two pathways, dependently and independently, from the pathway through KATP channels. We also demonstrated that the latter pathway involves the intracellular calcium release from endoplasmic reticulum via ryanodine receptor activation.
Sinteza Privind Modelarea Fragilitatii Sistemului Financiar

This survey analyzes two types of models: 1. Models based on assumptions of monetary and financial market equilibrium disturbance in line with mainstream thinking to believe that is self-regulating market, the units would have rational expectations, an the crisis would be a temporary phenomenon caused by exogenous shoks. Here are the main objectives and features characteristic of the three generations of models; 2. Models based on financial instability hypothesis, taking into account both the dynamics of financial market as well as the role of incertainty, interdependency and dynamic complexity. Here is shown Minsky’s concept of financial instability and then analized the content of some simplified models. * Articol realizat in cadrul Programului de cercetare al Academiei Romane „Probleme metodologice ale stiintelor economice”, 2010.
Understanding Sustained Participation in Virtual Travel Communities from the Perspectives of is Success Model and Flow Theory

Virtual travel communities (VTCs) are now popular and influential venues for tourism information sharing. With the increasing number of VTCs and low switching cost, it is challenging to retain existing users and encourage their continued participation. Despite the importance of user retention to VTCs survival, little research attention has been devoted to understanding the members’ continued participation behavior. The purpose of this study is to test a new model of VTC beliefs, attitudes, and continuance behaviors, by integrating information system success model and flow theory. The model integrates measures proven in traditional consumer behavior theory, such as word-of-mouth and satisfaction, with behavioral measures unique to the virtual domain, such as stickiness. The results of a field survey of members of QYER, a Chinese VTC, indicate that system quality and information quality directly affect flow experience and member satisfaction, which ultimately determine site stickiness and word-of-mouth behavior. Furthermore, by modeling system quality and information quality as multifaceted constructs, the results reveal key quality concerns in VTCs. The findings will help academics as well as practitioners gain insights into member retention in VTCs.
Currency Orders and Exchange-Rate Dynamics: Explaining the Success of Technical Analysis

This paper provides a microstructural explanation for the success of two familiar predictions from technical analysis: 1) trends tend to be reversed at predictable support and resistance levels, and 2) trends gain momentum once predictable support and resistance levels are crossed. ; The explanation is based on a close examination of stop-loss and take-profit orders at a large foreign exchange dealing bank. Take-profit orders tend to reflect price trends, and stop-loss orders tend to intensify trends. The requested execution rates of these orders are strongly clustered at round numbers, which are often used as support and resistance levels. Significantly, there are marked differences between the clustering patterns of stop-loss and take-profit orders, and between the patterns of stop-loss buy and stop-loss sell orders. These differences explain the success of the two predictions.
The Quality of Industrial Relations and Unemployment in Developing Countries

Using data from 45 countries for six years in the period 1995 to 2003, the author analyses whether the quality of industrial relations affects unemployment in developing countries. To measure the quality of industrial relations, the author uses the results of surveys in which senior business executives characterized the industrial relations of their countries of residence. According to the regression results, cooperative (confrontational) industrial relations are likely to lower (increase) unemployment. In general, the magnitude of the effect appears to be moderate. It seems to be small among women. The results are robust to variations in specification.
Dilemmas and advances in corporate social responsibility in Brazil. The work of the Ethos Institute

This article discusses the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Brazil from the perspective of the Ethos Institute of Business and Social Responsibility. The Institute is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, that has played a leading role in the Brazilian CSR effort. In Brazil, CSR initiatives have a long tradition of philanthropy, a consequence of the country's great social inequalities. The increased attention to corporate social responsibility has paralleled growing concern about sustainable development and the intensifying activities of pressure groups (consumers, customers, investors, NGOs, labour unions, the media, among others) that have been increasing since the 1990s as natural resources are progressively becoming exhausted, social tensions rising and environmental conditions deteriorating worldwide. This article identifies problems and obstacles to the growth of corporate social responsibility in Brazil, as well as advances and alternatives for CSR and towards creating conditions for the country to be internationally competitive and sustainable in the financial, social and environmental areas.
Innovation Cycles and Learning at the Patent Office: Does the Early Patent Get the Delay?

We study the relationship between the length of patent review and the importance of inventions. We build a simple model of the U.S. patent review process. Among the model predictions are that, controlling for a patent's position in a new technology cycle, more important innovations would be approved more quickly. Also, the approval delay is likely to decrease as an industry moves from the early stages of an innovation cycle to later stages. These predictions are in line with the evidence we obtain from a data set on U.S. patents granted in the field of genetically modified crops from 1983 to 1999. We also show that failing to account for the innovation lifecycle - as previous studies have done - is likely to bias upwards the estimates of the relationship between delay and importance. Copyright 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. and the Editorial Board of The Journal of Industrial Economics.
Entrepreneurial Origin, Technological Knowledge, and the Growth of Spin‐Off Companies

We contribute to the literature on corporate spin-offs and university spin-offs by exploring how different characteristics in the technological knowledge base at start-up influence spin-off performance. We investigate how the technological knowledge characteristics endowed at start-up predict growth, taking into account whether the knowledge / technology is transferred from a corporation or university. We use a novel, hand-collected dataset involving 48 corporate and 73 university spin-offs, comprising the population of spin-offs in Flanders during 1991-2002. We find corporate spin-offs grow most if they start with a specific narrow-focused technology sufficiently distinct from the technical knowledge base of the parent company and which is tacit. University spin-offs benefit from a broad technology which is transferred to the spin-off. Novelty of the technical knowledge does not play a role in corporate spin-offs, but has a negative impact in university spin-offs unless universities have an experienced technology transfer office to support the spin-off.
Assay of aspartate aminotransferase activity: effects of serum and serum proteins on oxalacetate decarboxylation and dialysis.

Effects of serum and protein on assays measuring aspartate aminotransferase (L-aspartate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.1) were examined. Increasing amounts of normal human serum or human serum albumin in samples with fixed amounts of purified enzyme decrease absorbance values and thus distort the results obtained in an assay in which diazonium-salt chromogenic reagent is used. Serum also directly accelerates disappearance of oxalacetate from an incubation medium similar to that of the enzyme assay studied. Protein accelerates spontaneous decarboxylation of oxalacetate to pyruvate, preventing its quantitation in assays specific for oxalacetate. Primary amine groups of protein are evidently involved, because acylated albumin does not accelerate decarboxylation. This effect is not attributable to metal ions in serum and is not significant in procedures involving use of the less specific dinitrophenylhydrazine, which measure the decarboxylation product, pyruvate. Continuous kinetic assays of aspartate aminotransferase activity, in which oxalacetate is not allowed to accumulate, are unaffected by protein concentration. Fivefold dilution of patients’ sera with physiological saline results in activities that are artifactually high by 56% in affected assays. Varying oxalacetate decarboxylation is also a source of error in the estimation of malate dehydrogenase (L-malate:NAD oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.1.37) activity in body fluids. Protein increases the values obtained by automated procedures requiring dialysis by increasing the amount of oxalacetate diffusing into the chromogenic flow stream. A solution of albumin, about 6 g/dl, is suggested as a dilution fluid for use with the affected assays.
Introduction: Global Citizenship Education for Learning/Volunteering Abroad

For several years Canadian universities and colleges have been expanding opportunities for students to learn and/or volunteer abroad for academic credit. Many of these study abroad programs are directed to the European Union, Singapore and other “business opportunity” destinations. For this collection, however, we are concerned with travel and study in less developed countries – those countries deemed by the United Nations to be low income whereby the vast majority of residents of the country live, on average, on $1-$2 per day. The focus on less developed countries exposes the specific ethical dilemmas one encounters abroad as a result of economic disparities, cultural differences, historical circumstances and social situations linked, for example, to the legacy of colonialism. This introduction provides context and background information on learn/volunteer abroad programs, the diverse opportunities available to college and university students, the potential impact of these programs, and the relationship (perceived or real) of learn/volunteer abroad programs, and global citizenship education.
Tackling Social Exclusion: Evidence from Chile

This paper studies an innovative welfare program in Chile that combines a period of frequent home visits to households in extreme poverty, with guaranteed access to social services. Program impacts are identified using a regression discontinuity design, exploring the fact that program eligibility is a discontinuous function of an index of family income and assets. The analysis finds strong and lasting impacts of the program on the take-up of subsidies and employment services. These impacts are concentrated among families who had little access to the welfare system prior to the intervention.
[Prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in venezuelan college students. Preliminary findings].

The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in college students. The sample was constituted by 411 college students, ages between 17 and 47 years, attending the School of Education at the Universidad del Zulia, 1st thru 5th semester. The identification of probable cases was performed by using the ASR-S v1.1 and FASCT as screening instruments. For the second part of the diagnostic process, students with positive scores in both screening measures were selected to be interviewed using the M.I. N.I plus. Results indicated that the estimated prevalence of ADHD in college students is 4.8%, with a behavioral profile which suggests that hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms were predominant in this sample. Comorbidity related to the ADHD diagnosis was 35%. A prevalence estimate of 4.35% should be considered as an alert sign for the need of diagnostic and treatment of this population.
Radiological Imaging Findings of Patients with Congenital Totally Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine and classify inner ear abnormalities in patients who had cochlear implants because of congenital sensorineural hearing loss using preoperative temporal bone computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients in the otolaryngology department who had cochlear implants because of congenital sensorineural hearing loss between January 2011 and December 2013 were included in the study. There were 167 male and 133 female patients, a total of 300. All of the patients were evaluated with 4-detector-row computed tomography and 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Inner ear abnormalities were found in 136 of 600 ears (20.3%). There were six ears with incomplete partition-II (4.4%), five ears with incomplete partition-I (3.6%), two ears with Michel deformity (1.4%), two ears with cochlear hypoplasia (1.4%), two ears with cochlear otosclerosis (1.4%), and one ear with common cavity deformity (0.7%). Dilatation of the internal acoustic canal was found in 42 ears (30.9%); also, 21 ears with cochlear nerve aplasia/hypoplasia (15.4%), 5 ears with internal acoustic canal aplasia, and 1 ear with internal acoustic canal hypoplasia (0.73%) were detected. There were 10 ears with posterior semicircular canal (7.3%), 10 ears with lateral semicircular canal (7.4%), 8 ears with superior semicircular canal aplasia/hypoplasia (5.9%), and 8 ears with lateral semicircular canal-vestibular dysplasia. An enlarged vestibular aqueduct was found in 16 ears (11.7%). High jugular bulbs were found in 21 ears; however, this variation was not considered to be an inner ear abnormality. CONCLUSION Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are essential for the evaluation, determination, and classification of inner ear abnormalities in patients with congenital sensorineural hearing loss who are candidates for cochlear implant operations. Also, these radiological instruments aid in determining contraindications and predicting intraoperative difficulties. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings for these patients should be evaluated by an experienced radiologist before the operation.
Do Firms Have Unique Target Debt Ratios to Which They Adjust?

The estimates of the speed of adjustment to target leverage tend to be significant but low. One interpretation for the slow adjustment is that firms fully adjust to target only infrequently, when the benefits of adjustment exceed its costs. Using both ex-ante and ex-post information to identify situations when the adjustment should be full, we find no evidence of full adjustment. We find that adjustments to target are rarely full, with many firms adjusting beyond or away from the target. The results imply that firms may have target ranges but no unique target debt ratios to which they ever want to fully adjust. One implication of this is that empirical analyses, such as partial adjustment regressions, that rely on the existence of a well-defined target debt ratio may be ill-suited for quantifying the importance of dynamic tradeoff behavior vis-a-vis alternative theories.
The Role of Goals and Feedback in Incentivizing Performance

In this paper, we experimentally investigate how goal setting and feedback policies affect work performance. In particular, we study the effects of (i) absolute performance feedback, (ii) self-specified goals, and (iii) exogenous goals and relative performance feedback. Our results show that the average performance of the subjects who are provided self-performance feedback is 11% lower than the ones who obtain no feedback. Moreover, setting a non-binding personal goal does not affect performance. Finally, assigning an exogenous goal and providing relative performance feedback decreases performance by 8%. We discuss the insights our findings offer for the optimal design of goal setting and feedback mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Seasonal changes in body and adrenal weights of chipmunks (Eutamias).

Body weights of Eutamias amoenus luteiventris (Allen) and Eutamias minimus oreocetes Merriam collected in western Alberta were low in April on emergence from hibernation and increased through May and June to a constant summer level. Adrenal weights were also low at the time of spring emergence but increased steadily, reaching a peak in July and August. In the case of breeding males, this seasonal increase in adrenal weight was delayed until the breeding season had ended but increase was rapid thereafter and relative adrenal weights of breeding males were comparable with those of the rest of the population by July. Limited data suggest a decrease in adrenal size before hiber¬nation. Seasonal changes in adrenal weight may be related to seasonal changes in social interaction but could just as readily be related to other seasonal variables such as reproduction, hibernation, food-gathering activity, length of foraging move¬ments, and density of vegetative cover.
Do Tropical Forests Provide Natural Insurance? The Microeconomics of Non-Timber Forest Product Collection in the Brazilian Amazon

Tropical forests may contribute to the well-being of local people by providing a form of “natural insurance. ” We draw on microeconomic theory to conceptualize a model relating agricultural risks to collection of non-timber forest products. Forest collection trips are positively correlated with both agricultural shocks and expected agricultural risks in an event-count model of survey data from the Brazilian Amazon. This suggests that households rely on forests to mitigate agricultural risk. Forest product collection may be less important to households with other consumption-smoothing options, but its importance is not restricted to the poorest households. (JEL Q23)
Peanut butter salvation: the replayed assumptions of ‘community’ – conservation in Zambia

Abstract In contemporary conservation discourse, an uncomfortable distinction exists between the foreign organisations invested in protected areas and the surrounding ‘local communities’. Specifically, this dichotomy seems to reinforce a stereotypical set of imagined stakeholders, ultimately promoting Euro-American conservation experts as the instructors of uninformed residents in wild areas. This paper presents publications on two community-based conservation efforts in South Luangwa, Zambia that emphasise this division: Administrate Management Design (ADMADE) and Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO). Through community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) literature from Zambia, additional CBNRM narratives from elsewhere in Southern Africa, and limited supporting ethnographic evidence from South Luangwa, this paper demonstrates the continued Euro-American environmental hegemony of ‘community-focused’ conservationism. In particular, the perspectives publicised by both ADMADE and COMACO suggest that without influence from international conservation institutions, ‘communities’ that live amongst wildlife in Zambia will deplete their natural resources and in the process alter the African savannah as imagined and revered by the global North. This paper introduces a preliminary analysis of both ADMADE and COMACO in attempt to unveil their inherent imperial associations and highlight the local challenges to their protocols. In so doing, this critique serves as a point of departure for future comparative research on the repeat assumptions and rejections of CBNRM programmes in Southern Africa.
Characterizing Computer Access Using a One-Channel EEG Wireless Sensor

This work studies the feasibility of using mental attention to access a computer. Brain activity was measured with an electrode placed at the Fp1 position and the reference on the left ear; seven normally developed people and three subjects with cerebral palsy (CP) took part in the experimentation. They were asked to keep their attention high and low for as long as possible during several trials. We recorded attention levels and power bands conveyed by the sensor, but only the first was used for feedback purposes. All of the information was statistically analyzed to find the most significant parameters and a classifier based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was also set up. In addition, 60% of the participants were potential users of this technology with an accuracy of over 70%. Including power bands in the classifier did not improve the accuracy in discriminating between the two attentional states. For most people, the best results were obtained by using only the attention indicator in classification. Tiredness was higher in the group with disabilities (2.7 in a scale of 3) than in the other (1.5 in the same scale); and modulating the attention to access a communication board requires that it does not contain many pictograms (between 4 and 7) on screen and has a scanning period of a relatively high tscan≈ 10 s. The information transfer rate (ITR) is similar to the one obtained by other brain computer interfaces (BCI), like those based on sensorimotor rhythms (SMR) or slow cortical potentials (SCP), and makes it suitable as an eye-gaze independent BCI.