Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impacts of redesigning European agricultural support

The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of decoupling at the individual member state level in the European Union and in nonâ€ member regions of liberalizing domestic support in the EU. Three scenarios are analysed to illustrate the impacts of eliminating or decoupling the European agricultural support. We found that the existing domestic support payments in the EU are indeed coupled to production and hence affect production decisions and distort international trade with adverse effects on the export potential of developing countries as a consequence. Further, the value of this support is capitalised in significant higher land prices in Europe than would otherwise prevail. The scenarios illustrate the economic implications of transforming all domestic support payments (as well as other distorting policies) into a nationally homogenous and fully decoupled payment to all agricultural land, irrespective of a farmer's decision to crop or not. The analysis suggests that it is possible to convert the existing agricultural support into a fully decoupled payment which would not distort international trade and it indicates a way forward to offset the negative impact on land prices. Such a policy would also comply with the WTO rules (i.e. fall within the green box as decoupled income support). The analysis also suggests that such a policy reform could be achieved at somewhat lower budgetary costs as compared with the existing costs of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Tourist Behaviour and Repeat  Visitation to Hong Kong

This article contributes to the growing literature on repeat visitation by investigating the relationship between tourism behaviour and repeat visitation. The data concern a sample of vacation visitors from Mainland China to Hong Kong in 1999. The study reveals that repeat visitors stay longer, take fewer activities and are involved more in local life-related activities. Furthermore, such repeat visitors spend larger sums on shopping, meals, hotel bills, local transport, etc. Results of the multivariate analysis show that, while the socio-economic characteristics of visitors are mostly insignificant, the number of visits is a significant variable positively contributing to the total spending and the spending on shopping, local transportation, meals outside of the hotel and hotel. In other words, repeat visitors are more beneficial economically to a destination than first-time visitors. The findings of this paper enrich the current literature about repeat visitation by demonstrating that repeat visitors and first-time visitors have significantly different tourist behaviour in terms of spending and length of stay, etc. The implication is that these two groups of visitors should be treated as two distinct market segments for developing marketing strategies and tourism programmes.
Do Labor Markets Provide Enough Short Hour Jobs? An Analysis of Work Hours and Work Incentives

This paper examines the role that work incentives play in the determination of work hours. Following previous research by Lang (1989), we use a conventional efficiency wage model to analyze how firms respond to worker preferences regarding wage-hours packages. We find that when workers are homogeneous, the role of worker preferences in determining work hours is similar to the simple neoclassical model of labor supply. For instance, if worker preferences shift in favor of shorter hours, firms will respond by offering jobs entailing shorter hours. When workers have heterogeneous preferences, however, employers will want to use a worker's hours preferences as a signal for the responsiveness of the worker to the work incentives used by the firm, and workers in turn may not reveal their hours preferences. Our key finding in this instance is that the labor market equilibrium may be characterized by a sub-optimal number of short-hour jobs. This shortage of short-hour jobs is likely to be found in high wage labor markets.
Collective and Individual Conflicts in the Workplace: Evidence from France

This article investigates whether collective disputes and individual disputes are substitutes in French workplaces. Using a nationally representative dataset, this article focuses on two prominent and distinct individual disputes in France, that is, employee applications to Employment Tribunals and employer disciplinary action, and considers alternately strikes and non‐strike disputes at the collective level. Our results suggest that collective disputes, with or without a strike, are substitutes only for Employment Tribunal claims, due to a significant negative relationship between them. In contrast, collective disputes are found to heighten disciplinary action in French workplaces.
Fusion of liposomes and chromatophores of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata: effect on photosynthetic energy transfer between B875 and reaction center complexes

The photosynthetic chromatophore membranes of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata were fused with liposomes to investigate the effects of lipid dilution on energy transfer between the bacteriochlorophyll-protein complexes of this membrane. Phosphatidylcholine-containing liposomes were mixed with chromatophores at pH 6.0 to 6.2, and the mixture was fractionated on discontinuous sucrose gradients into four membrane fractions with lipid-to-protein ratios that varied 11-fold. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy revealed that the fractions contained closed vesicles formed by the fusion of liposomes to chromatophores. Particles with 9-nm diameters on the P fracture faces did not appear to change in size with increasing lipid content, but the number of particles per membrane area decreased proportionally with increases in the lipid-to-protein ratio. The bacteriochlorophyll-to-protein ratios, electrophoretic polypeptide profiles on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and light-induced absorbance changes at 595 nm caused by photosynthetic reaction centers were not altered by fusion. The relative fluorescence emission intensities due to the B875 light-harvesting complex increased significantly with increasing lipid content, but no increases in fluorescence due to the B800-B850 light-harvesting complex were observed. Electron transport rates, measured as succinate-cytochrome c reductase activities, decreased with increased lipid content. The results indicate an uncoupling of energy transfer between the B875 light-harvesting and reaction center complexes with lipid dilution of the chromatophore membrane.
Croissance régionale, appartenance nationale et fonds structurels européens. Un bilan d'étape.

Résumé Cet article apporte sa contribution au débat sur le mouvement de la géographie économique européenne au travers de la mesure des performances comparées de croissance entre les régions de l'Union sur la période 1986-1996. Il examine la dépendance de ces performances à l'égard de l'appartenance nationale des régions et de leur accès aux fonds structurels européens. Il montre ainsi que la capacité d'une région retardataire à résorber ce retard de développement est certes positivement influencée par l'accès aux fonds structurels mais qu'elle est fortement conditionnée par l'appartenance nationale. Non seulement les performances d'un pays retentissent sur le sort de ses régions, mais le caractère équilibré ou inégal du développement régional est très variable d'un pays à l'autre de l'Union. L'échelon national corrige difficilement l'inégalité du développement régional, qui relève de la confrontation entre la logique nationale de ce dernier et la dynamique plus globale de la géographie européenne. Ce constat plaide pour des politiques territoriales européennes qui marient plus audacieusement intégration et décentralisation.
[A prospective randomized study of wound drainage versus non-drainage in primary total hip or knee arthroplasty].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Drainage of the operative wound following total hip or knee replacement (THR, TKR) is usually performed to avoid hematoma formation. A certain amount of blood is lost through the drain. The necessity of wound drainage has been questioned, with a view towards blood saving, although most surgeons have not abandoned drainage for fear of local complications. A prospective randomized study was undertaken to compare drainage and non-drainage following THR/TKR in terms of blood-saving and local complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 256 patients undergoing primary THR (152) or TKR (104) were randomly allocated to undergo either suction drainage or no drainage of the wound: there were 76 drained and 76 non-drained THR's, 52 drained and 52 non-drained TKR's. Blood loss was calculated in each patient from the postoperative drop in hematocrit values; the amounts of blood lost intra-operatively and in the drain were also recorded, as was the number of blood units transfused in each patient. Swelling, hip or knee range of motion and wound healing were monitored over the first 6 weeks after operation, and any local or systemic complication was recorded. RESULTS No significant difference was noted between drained and non-drained THR's/TKR's regarding swelling, recovery of hip or knee motion, wound healing, other local or systemic complications. Following THR, no significant difference was noted between calculated blood losses or transfusion requirements in drained versus non-drained patients. Patients with drains lost on average 1 942 ml of blood versus 1 766 ml for non-drained patients; they received on average 1.18 units of transfused blood versus 1.32 units for patients without drains. The differences are not significant. Following TKR, total blood loss was significantly higher in non-drained than in drained patients (1 983 ml versus 1 590 ml) and the amount of blood transfused was also significantly higher in non-drained patients (0.98 unit versus 0.54 unit). CONCLUSION Following primary hip or knee arthroplasty, the use of wound drainage did not lead to increased blood loss, and non-drainage did not lead to significant wound healing problems but did not reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements. It was even associated, following TKR, with greater blood loss and transfusion. Such data may therefore be used to support drainage as well as non-drainage following THR or TKR. Avoiding drainage may be interesting in terms of cost, but the benefit is marginal; it also eliminates one possible source of retrograde wound infection. Systematic wound drainage following THR or TKR is essentially a tradition. This study shows that it can safely be dispensed with in a number of cases.
Population Migration and Urbanization in China: A Comparative Analysis of the 1990 Population Census and the 1995 National One Percent Sample Population Survey

This article examines the changing pattern of population migration and its implications for the urbanization process in China as revealed by the 1990 Population Census and the 1995 National One Percent Sample Population Survey. It is found that, in comparison with the period 1985–90, migration in the period 1990–95 tended to be more distance sensitive, reflecting the increase in the number of migration foci resulting from the policy of opening on all fronts. Foreign investment also appears to have a greater effect on migration flow. Proportionately, there was an increase in both village-to-village and city-to-city migrations. The former was most sensitive to increase in distance while the latter was least sensitive. As for rural-to-urban flows, which include both village-to-town and village-to-city flows, migrants in China increasingly bypassed the towns and ended up in the cities.
Do US Commercial Banks Use FAS 157 to Manage Earnings?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether commercial banks manage earnings through their use of Level 3 valuation under The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 (FAS 157), Design/methodology/approach - The authors extract information from all the 10Q-reports submitted by the US commercial banks (SEC Code 6021) for the first two quarters of 2008. Since Level 3 input is subject to the highest level of managerial discretion, this is expected to be an avenue for earnings management. Multivariate regression was applied to test whether the banks' performance and size are associated with a higher level of Level 3 input. Findings - Out of 329 quarterly bank observations, the authors find large banks and poor performing banks with lower returns on assets, lower cash flows, and higher amounts of provision for loan losses, use more Level 3 inputs on valuing their assets and liabilities. Research limitations/implications - The results suggest that US commercial banks use FAS157 as an avenue for earnings management. The results have implications for the accounting standard setters, banking sector and policy decision makers. Originality/value - This is the first paper providing evidence that banks use fair value measurements to manipulate earnings.
An Analysis of Changes in Board Structure During Corporate Governance Reforms

This study examines the evolution of company board structure during a period of corporate governance reform. Using data over a time period following the publication of the Cadbury Report (1992) we present evidence of an increase in the independence of UK boards, as measured by an increased willingness to employ independent non-executive directors, and to separate the positions of the CEO and the Chairman of the Board. In examining the determinants of these changes, we find that boards change more readily in response to changes in managerial control, equity issuance and corporate performance than changes in the firm-specific operating environment of companies.
The Rise of Regulatory Capitalism: The Global Diffusion of a New Order

Preface - David Levi-Faur and Jacint Jordana Introduction: 'The Making of a New Regulatory Order - David Levi-Faur and Jacint Jordana PART I. Globalization as a Diffusion Process: Theoretical Framework The Global Diffusion of Regulatory Capitalism - David Levi-Faur On Wave Clusters and Diffusion: A Conceptual Framework - Elkins Zachary and Beth Simmons Regulatory Capitalism as a Networked Order: The International System as an Informational Network - David Lazer Policy Learning, Policy Diffusion and the Making of a New Order - Covadonga Meseguer PART II. The Diffusion of Economic Regulations The Institutional Foundations of Regulatory Capitalism: The Diffusion of Independent Regulatory Authorities in Europe - Fabrizio Gilardi The Diffusion of Regulatory Capitalism in Latin America: Sectoral and National Channels in the Making of New Order - Jacint Jordana and David Levi-Faur Political Insecurity and the Diffusion of Financial Market Regulation - Christopher Way PART III. The Diffusion of Social Regulations The Global Diffusion of Regulatory Instruments: The Making of a New International Environmental Regime - Per-Olof Busch, Helge Jorgens and Kerstin Tews Standards and Regulatory Capitalism: The Diffusion of Food Safety Standard in Developing Countries' - Diahanna L. Post Review Paper - Jacint Jordana Conclusion: Regulatory Capitalism: Convergent-Divergence - David Levi-Faur and Jacint Jordana PART IV. Quick Review Synopsis The Rise of Regulatory Capitalism: The Global Diffusion of a New Order
How Aid Targets Votes: The Impact of Electoral Incentives on Foreign Aid Distribution

Despite allegations that foreign aid promotes corruption and patronage, little is known about how recipient governments' electoral incentives influence aid spending. This article proposes a distributional politics model of aid spending in which governments use their informational advantages over donors in order to allocate a disproportionate share of aid to electorally strategic supporters, allowing governments to translate aid into votes. To evaluate this argument, the author codes data on the spatial distribution of multilateral donor projects in Kenya from 1992 to 2010 and shows that Kenyan governments have consistently influenced the aid allocation process in favor of copartisan and coethnic voters, a bias that holds for each of Kenya's last three regimes. He confirms that aid distribution increases incumbent vote share. This evidence suggests that electoral motivations play a significant role in aid allocation and that distributional politics may help explain the gap between donor intentions and outcomes.
A Review of the Effects of Financial Incentives on Performance in Laboratory Tasks: Implications for Management Accounting

Management accounting information plays an important role in motivating individuals to improve performance (cf., Atkinson, Banker, Kaplan, and Young 1997). This role tends to be operationalized by linking compensation to performance, typically through the provision of financial incentives. Theoretically, financial incentives motivate people to exert additional effort, which in turn should improve task performance. However, a large body of empirical evidence indicates that financial incentives frequently do not lead to increased performance (e.g., Young and Lewis 1995; Jenkins et al. 1998). Consequently, it is important to examine variables that may interact with financial incentives in affecting task performance. This paper presents an extensive review of laboratory studies on financial incentives and examines the relations between type of task and type of incentive scheme, respectively, and task performance. We posit that performance in tasks of varying types (which we view as a surrogate for the gap bet.
Changing the property mindset by making research relevant

Summary It is now about 15 years, two slumps and one boom since property research began to grow as a distinct activity within the development and investment sector. It is also seven years since the research community took its first tentative steps towards professionalization with the founding of the Society of Property Researchers. Yet despite this time‐scale, and the prolific production of market reports, client studies, academic papers and so on, property research has largely failed to secure its seat at the property decision‐making table.
Functional role of PKC in contraction of cultured human prostatic stromal cells

The contractile activity of prostatic stromal cells contributes to symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, the mechanisms for this contraction have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in prostatic contraction by measuring the isometric tension development of cultured human prostatic stromal cells (CHPSCs) derived from BPH patients. Fresh human BPH tissue was used only in a Western blot analysis. A ring preparation made of CHPSCs and collagen gel could develop an isometric tension during activation with various agonists. Phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDBu), a PKC activator, induced a relaxation. A Western blot analysis revealed the expression of PKC‐potentiated protein phosphatase‐1 inhibitory protein (CPI‐17) in both CHPSCs and fresh human BPH tissue to be much lower than that in the rabbit aorta. When CPI‐17 was over‐expressed, PDBu induced a large contraction, but the agonist‐induced contraction did not become larger than expected. In α‐toxin permeabilized preparations, PDBu induced a relaxation in control CHPSCs, while it induced a contraction at a constant [Ca2+]i in CPI‐17 over‐expressing CHPSCs. These results indicated that the activation of PKC in CHPSCs induces a relaxation probably due to low expression level of CPI‐17 and also that the PKC‐CPI‐17 pathway does not appear to play a major role in the agonist‐induced contraction even when CPI‐17 was over‐expressed. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
International Trade and Business Cycles

Virtually all economies experience recurrent fluctuations in economic activity that persist for periods of several quarters to several years. Further, there is a definite tendency for the business cycles of developed countries to move together--there is a world component to business cycles. This paper argues that capital accumulation and international capital flows are central to understanding world trade and business cycles. In particular, fluctuations in net exports and the current account are shown to be dominated by trade in capital goods. The paper develops a two country model of international trade within which capital accumulation and international investment flows play a central role. We explore the channels by which technology shocks and fiscal shocks are transmitted to the domestic and foreign economies, and discuss the extent to which these results are sensitive to individuals' opportunities for international trade in financial assets. Overall, we find that the models capture many of the salient features of international business cycles. However, it has proven consistently difficult to generate sufficient comovement across countries in labor input and investment. The paper concludes with a discussion of fruitful directions for future research.
Evaluation of Price Policy in the Presence of Water Theft

Mathematical programming models of “representative” farms are commonly used to evaluate policies such as input subsidies and output price supports. On canals in India, upstream farmers routinely use more irrigation water than allotted. In such circumstances, the programming model should encompass farmers' locational heterogeneity. Here, a representative watercourse with thirty farms is calibrated to the eight crops, fifteen irrigation turns, yield responses to water, and seepage in Maharashtra. Not only does water “theft” increase the social cost of price policies, but the policies' increased inducement to theft by upstream farmers leaves those downstream with less water and lower incomes. Copyright 1999, Oxford University Press.
Effect of clopidogrel besylate on platelet reactivity in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Comparison with clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate

Objective: The efficacy of clopidogrel therapy in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been established using the clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate (CHS) formulation. In this study we compared the antiplatelet effectiveness of a generic clopidogrel salt, clopidogrel besylate (CB), with the original CHS in patients with an ACS. Research design and methods: Ninety-six ACS patients were randomized to receive a 600-mg loading dose of either CHS (n = 45) or CB (n = 51), followed by 75 mg/day. Sixty-eight patients underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whereas 28 were treated conservatively. Platelet aggregatory response, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation, P-selectin expression and platelet–leucocyte conjugates were determined before clopidogrel loading (baseline), as well as at 5 days and at 1 month afterwards. Results: No difference in the clopidogrel response variability was observed between patients receiving CHS or CB either at 5 days or at 1 month of follow-up. Similarly, no difference in the inhibition of platelet aggregation, P-selectin expression or in the platelet–leucocyte conjugates was observed between CHS and CB group during the follow-up. Conclusions: There is no overall significant difference in the antiplatelet efficacy between CB and CHS during their administration in ACS patients for up to 1 month after the episode.