Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of exchange rate on regional development: The example of western Switzerland

A currency space would be constitute in a ideal way if the integrated economic regions would react similarly on external shocks. In fact, Switzerland, as an economic space, is far from being homogenous. Since the end of Bretton-Woods, Switzerland is confronted with a durably revaluation of its currency on the exchange markets. The export industries and the tourism seem to be challenged by the strong currency. However, the financial industry is likely to profit by the development of the exchange rates. The "working place" and the "financial place" of Switzerland compete more and more concerning the optimal economic conditions. This situation must be considered as fairly explosive for regional development in Switzerland. We face an uneven spatial allocation of export orientated industries and presumed beneficiaries. And, there is also an unequal availability of resources on the organisational, sectorial and regional level - in order to react on the long-term revaluation of the Swiss currency. This paper presents the first results of a research project led on the Swiss case. We discuss the influence of the evolution of the exchange rate on the development of regions in Switzerland. It consists first in identifying regional production systems (RPS) in the country. A RPS is defined as a productive specialised area including a number of small and/or large firms. Across these RPS' sectorial specifities and their development logic, we try to understand the RPS' evolution against a durably strong currency. We expect different possible evolutions, i.e. the relocation of activities, the contraction of specific activities, the development of new industrial activities, etc. Through the notion of territorial anchoring, we develop the idea that particular activities are rooted more durably to their territory and maintain a more qualitative relation with it, preventing relocation. The analysis allows to constitute a typology of RPS' in Switzerland, regarding their exposure to the longrun currency development and their territorial anchoring.
Nitrogenase quantity varies diurnally in a subset of cells within colonies of the non-heterocystous cyanobacteria Trichodesmium spp.

Summary: Trichodesmium is a marine filamentous cyanobacterium with the exceptional ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen during the day without differentiating the specialized oxygen-protective cells known as heterocysts. The localization of the Fe-protein of nitrogenase (dinitrogenase reductase) was examined in cross-sectioned colonies of three species: Trichodesmium thiebautii, T. tenue and T. erythraeum, using immunogold/transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence/light microscopy. The enzyme was confined to a limited subset of cells (on average 14%) in the sections, randomly distributed within the colonies in all three species. The frequency of nitrogenase-containing cells varied on a diurnal basis, being highest and comparatively constant during the day, the period of active nitrogen fixation. The percentage of nitrogenase-labelled cells decreased in the evening and approached zero just before dawn. After sunrise a period of rapid synthesis of nitrogenase followed. Although the frequency of nitrogenase-containing cells was constant during the day, the relative concentration of nitrogenase within the labelled cells clearly increased until noon and then successively decreased in the afternoon/night. The data imply that in three species of the non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Trichodesmium there are a limited number of cells, or possibly whole trichomes (filaments), which are specialized for nitrogen fixation. Most likely the same set of cells is active throughout the day, with the variation in activity being due to a variation in the quantity of nitrogenase within each cell. Comparisons between nitrogenase-containing Trichodesmium cells and heterocysts are discussed.
Leading from the Bottom Up: Leadership Conceptions and Practices Among Early Career Engineers

Mike Klassen is the Assistant Director, Community of Practice on Engineering Leadership at the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead) at the University of Toronto. He designs and facilitates leadership programs for engineering students with a range of focus from tangible skill development to organizational leadership to complex social problems. Mike is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and has a BASc in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto.
PRODUCT FAILURE: A LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

The aim of this paper is to introduce a life cycle perspective on the notion of failure of engineered products. Usually failure is seen as an event that can occur during the utilization stage of products. Moreover, most definitions describe failure in terms of manifest termination of expected performance. The life cycle perspective expands this view by including failures occurring outside the utilization stage, and offers a categorization of phenomena that are arguably also taken as failures in engineering. The paper starts by considering previous attempts to take the life cycle into account when dealing with product failure. A definition of failure suitable for the life cycle approach is proposed and applied to categorize a number of case stories and examples of failure occurring in different stages of the life cycle, confirming the engineering credibility of the approach. Moreover, it shows that the life cycle approach affords applying the notion of failure to events that can occur after the products are removed from service and are related to their sustainability.
Manufacturer price reduction pressure and supplier relations

Purpose – Manufacturer price reduction pressure on suppliers is an important contributor to helping a manufacturer maintain a strong competitive position by keeping costs low. The benefits of trusting supplier working relations also help strengthen a manufacturer's competitive position. The purpose of this paper is to determine if manufacturer price reduction pressure and trusting working relations with the pressured suppliers, typically considered to be mutually exclusive, can co‐exist.Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze data covering 946 production buying situations involving 279 suppliers and six NA automotive OEMs.Findings – Manufacturer price reduction pressure and trusting working relations with the pressured suppliers, are not mutually exclusive, they can co‐exist.Research limitations/implications – The research found that it is not the pressure that impacts the manufacturer – supplier relations, but rather it is the manner by which the manufact.
Supplying Information to Facilitate Price Discrimination

The authors examine the incentive of a seller to allow potential buyers to acquire private information about their tastes for the seller's product. Improved private information for buyers enables the seller to segment the market and charge higher prices to high-value buyers. However, improved information can also provide rents to buyers. In a variety of settings, this tradeoff is optimally resolved at one of two extremes: either buyers are supplied with the best available knowledge of their tastes or no information is supplied by the seller. Copyright 1994 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
The Impacts of Economic Reforms and Trade Liberalisation on Agricultural Export Performance in Pakistan

Economic reforms and trade liberalisation policies have been widely adopted in developing countries in recent years. Pakistan is no exception. This paper focuses on the effects of economic reform policies on the agricultural export performance. A number of studies have investigated the effects of trade liberalisation on export growth in developing countries, and have reached inconclusive results. Some studies have identified positive effects of trade liberalisation on export performance [Krueger (1997); Bleaney (1999); and Ahmed (2002)], others confirmed an insignificant or even a negative relationship [Greenaway, et al. (1994); Jenkins (1996) and Greenaway, et al. (2002)]. There are number of reasons for conflicting conclusions including different researchers have used different indicators for liberalisation and different methods to analyse the effect; difference in the extent of liberalisation studies; most studies have analysed scenarios rather than evaluating the effects, and so on. The present study analyses agricultural trade policy of Pakistan and accesses the impact of trade liberalisation on agricultural export performance, especially diversification, competitiveness, and openness. The relative importance of domestic supply related factors such as tariffs, quotas, etc. compared with external demand factors in affecting agricultural export expansion is analysed with respect to (i) relative agricultural export growth, (ii) changes in market shares of (traditional) agricultural exports, and (iii) changes in the export commodity composition.
The relative taxonomic value of morphological characters in the genus Nummulites (Foraminiferida)

The main evolutionary trends in the nummulites are briefly summarised and the value of certain morphological characters in species discrimination are summarised. The degree of interdependence of each morphological character on all other characters is assessed and the characters are weighted in order of importance. Environmental and ontogenetic effects on each character are then reviewed and the characters reweighted in order of importance.
Impacts of Moose ( Alces alces ) Browsing on Paper Birch ( Betula papyrifera ) Morphology and Potential Timber Quality

Although moose browsing effects on the growth and morphology of birch are well studied, effects of moose browsing on potential timber quality of birch have received little attention. Here, an assessment was made of the impacts of moose (Alces alces L.) damage to Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) trees from a 20-year old clear cut area in a sub-boreal spruce forest within the Aleza Lake Research Forest, near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Specifically, differences in overall tree architecture and in the internal characteristics of trees that had been severely damaged and suppressed by moose winter browsing were compared to birch trees that had not been damaged by moose in this way and were considered free-togrow. The average stem diameter, number of annular growth rings, and height of stem breaks made by moose on suppressed birches at the point of breakage was 17.9 ± 6.6 mm, 4.6 ± 1.2, and 141.8 ± 32.0 cm, respectively. Stem diameters and the heights above-the-ground of stem breaks made by moose during sequential breakage events were not significantly different (all p ≥ 0.05) from one another. Decay was significantly (all p ≤ 0.001) more extensive in trees where branches had been broken off by moose than in trees with no breaks or where breaks were from unknown agents. Suppressed birches were significantly (p = 0.048) more exposed (farther from their nearest tree neighbor) when compared to birches that were free-to-grow. The distance from birch trees to species-specific neighbors (of any species) did not differ (all p ≥ 0.05) between suppressed and free-to-grow birches. Suppressed birches damaged from intense browsing and stem breakage were significantly (p ≤ 0.001) farther away from other birches showing signs of slight to moderate browsing than free-to-grow birches were from similar conspecifics. Because moose appear to impact the potential wood quality of birch, forest managers should consider the impacts that browsing and stem breakage can have on birch timber where these trees co-occur with and are eaten by moose.
Consequences of Forcing Consumers to Use Technology-Based Self-Service

Today, traditional full service is increasingly replaced with technology-based self-service (TBSS), sometimes with no other option for service delivery. This study develops a conceptual model to investigate the impact of forcing consumers to use TBSS. The model is tested using an experimental design within railway (ticketing and travel information) contexts. The results show that forced use leads to negative attitudes toward using the TBSS as well as toward the service provider, and it indirectly leads to adverse effects on behavioral intentions. The findings also show that offering interaction with an employee as a fall-back option offsets the negative consequences of forced use, and that previous experience with TBSS (in general) leads to more positive attitudes toward the offered self-service, which can offset the negative effects of forced use to some extent.
RAPD profile for the assessment of genotoxicity on a medicinal plant;Eruca sativa

Eruca sativa (Family: Brassicaceae) has gained an importance as a vegetable and spice, especially among Europeans. The genotoxicity of three heavy metals, viz. Zn, Pb and Cd was studied on E. sativa which showed a dose-dependent effect on radicle and coleoptile lengths. The radicle length was more affected as compared to coleoptiles length under all tested concentrations. The ranking of genotoxic potencies of three heavy metals was as in descending order: Cd2+> Pb2+≥ Zn2+. The high concentration of Cd and Pb at 150 mg/l showed genotoxic effects, thereby length (cm) of radicle and coleoptile were decreased at high concentration of Cd as compared to low, medium and high concentrations of Pb and Zn. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used for detection of genotoxicity produced by these metals. Twenty decamer primers were used, of which four did not amplify, three gave single and polymorphic band and the rest of thirteen primers generated upto 5 bands (an average of 4 bands per primer). Sixteen primers showed amplified products as monomorphic, whereas three primers (OPC-11, OPC-12, and OPC-13) showed unique extra band from seedlings treated with medium and high concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn respectively. Genetic divergence among the seedlings was evaluated with dendrogram and similarity matrix value was obtained from 47.83 - 95.83%. Key words: Environmental pollutant, genetic toxicity, heavy metals, mutation.
Seasonal plasticity in two satyrine butterflies : state-dependent decision making in relation to daylength

In this study we investigate how the need for seasonal timing of diapause and sexual maturation have selected for plasticity in life history traits in two butterfly species, Lasiommata maera and Lopinga achine. We test the general hypothesis that insects living in temperate areas should have shorter development times at progressively later dates of the growth season, and that they use daylength as a cue to determine the date. Both species have two different larval growth periods, the first in autumn and the second after termination of diapause in spring. Due to the difference in photoperiodic change in autumn and spring, we expected larvae to interpret daylengths qualitatively differently in the two growth periods. In other words, developmental decisions in response to daylength should depend on the seasonal state (autumn or spring) of larvae. In laboratory experiments we investigated the reaction norms relating larval development times to daylength. In both species the slopes of these reaction norms were different in autumn and in spring. The results of the experiment on L. maera supported specific predictions both in autumn and in spring. The same was true in autumn for L. achine but development time in spring seemed to be insensitive to daylength. In all cases, short development times were associated with high larval growth rates rather than with small final body sizes. Growth and development in these species can be described as state-dependent decision processes, where information about the external and internal environment is used at several points in development.
The Adaptive Nature of Investors Risky-Preferences

The work developed on this paper aims to exploit the adaptive nature that investors perceive risk and return, emphasizing the effects that context has on decision-preferences. Based on the concepts developed on the Adaptive Market Hypothesis and The Context Theory, the empirical analysis dissecting stock returns of Brazilian companies identified that investors adjusts and adapts its risk/reward expectations based on the broad market context. The methodology used in this paper measure and ranks the Brazilian listed securities by their respective F-Score, a fundamental measurement developed by Piotroski. The findings of this paper indicate that undervalued firms consistently and significantly outperforms overvalued firms, incurring in significantly lower risk.
The Association between Job Demand, Control and Depression in Workplaces in Japan

Karasek 1) suggested that the work environment could be defined by two important elements, the psychological job demands (demand) placed on the worker and the decision latitude (control) permitted in deciding how to meet these demands. The demand-control (DC) model of job stress was therefore proposed. The DC model is one of the most popular models in the domain of job stress and employee well being 2) . Although there has been an increase in the number of overseas studies on the DC model, reports in Japan are much less common. We targeted the Japanese population to examine associations between job demand, control and the depressive state.
Relationship of Test Anxiety, Psychological Distress and Academic Motivation among First Year Undergraduate Pharmacy Students

Passing standardized academic tests are important in current education system which increases the prevalence of test anxiety among students. Test anxiety has become ubiquitous and leads to several complications, for instance psychological distress and amotivation. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of test anxiety and psychological distress among pharmacy students, to identify the relationship between test anxiety and psychological distress among pharmacy students and at what extend test anxiety is a predictor of psychological distress and academic motivation. Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) were distributed to 144 first semester students who are pursuing under graduate pharmacy program in one of the universities in Malaysia. Forty seven (32.5%) participants experienced test anxiety and 88(61.1%) of them experienced psychological distress. Further results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between test anxiety and psychological distress as well as between test anxiety and amotivation. Test anxiety is a significant predictor of psychological distress and amotivation. Over all, pharmacy students experience test anxiety and psychological distress. Test anxious students tend to experience higher level of psychological distress and amotivation.
Relationship between season of the year, culture medium and in vitro oocyte competence in Dromedary camels.

Summary Amer, H. & A. Moose, 2008. Relationship between season of the year, culture medium and in vitro oocyte competence in Dromedary camels. Bulg. J. Vet. Med. , 11, No 3, 195 ￻204. The effect of season and hormones in the culture medium on the competence of camel oocytes to mature in vitro was conducted on 67 ovarian pairs. The ovaries were collected during breeding season (BS; n=24), at early non-breeding season (ENBS; n=20) and at late non-breeding season (LNBS; n=23). The follicles (2 ￻8 mm) were aspirated, then oocytes were qualified into 4 grades: Q1 (very good), Q2 (good), Q3 (bad) and Q4 (very bad). The effect of follicle-stimulating hormone and equine chorionic gonadotropin (0.5 µg/mL FSH or 10 IU/mL eCG) on cumulus expansion and in vitro maturation of oocytes was assessed. The numbers of healthy follicles were significantly (P<0.01) higher during BS compared to both ENBS and LNBS. The left ovary showed a higher (P<0.01) activity than the right one regarding the number of healthy follicles. The number of Q1 to Q3 oocytes and recovery rate were significantly (P<0.01) higher during BS than NBS at early or late months. A significantly (P<0.01) higher number of Q1 to Q3 oocytes were obtained during the ENBS than in LNBS months. The left ovary had higher (P<0.01) number of Q1 and Q2 oocytes compared to the right one. Only during the BS, oocytes cultured in medium containing eCG exhibited a higher (P<0.05) percentage of expansion and maturation (metaphase-II) rates than the medium containing FSH. In conclusion , dromedary camels showed better ovarian activity and oocyte status during BS compared to NBS, and displayed ovarian activity during early as well as late non-breeding months. Further detailed studies are required to establish the reproductive efficiency of dromedary camels throughout the nonbreeding season.
Audit Quality and Firm Value: A Case of Pakistan

The present study intends to explore the influence of audit committee characteristics on a firm's financial performance. The corporate governance mechanisms are highly recognized in era of global financial crisis and current economic recession. Audit committee is one of the core mechanisms that ensure good corporate governance in the firms. Yet, very less evidence found on the impact of audit committee and its characteristics on firm's performance in the context of Pakistani literature. For that reason, four audit committee characteristics were identified namely audit committee size, independence, activity and quality of external audit to study their impact on firm financial performance while using ROA as accounting measure and Tobin's Q as market measure. The results of panel data showed that two audit committee characteristics namely audit committee size and external audit quality has strong and significant positive impact on ROA and Tobin's Q. Another two variables namely audit committee independence and AC activity remains insignificant, which is consistent with mostly previous studies carried in different countries. In short, present study provides an insight to all the regulators, policy makers and stakeholders while adopting certain audit committee characteristics in Pakistan; overall firm's financial performance can be improved. For further research audit committee expertise can be used to determine the improvement in corporate performance by getting data from the company's management.
Marginal Benefit Incidence Analysis of Public Spending in Nigeria

This study estimates the progressivity of benefit, the average benefit incidence and the marginal benefit incidence of public spending on selected public services in Nigeria, using data from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2004 Living Standard Household Survey. The analyses were carried out using Distributive Analysis Stata Package (DASP) 2.1. The results of the analyses show that spending on public services in Nigeria is not pro-poor. The marginal benefit incidence of spending on public services in Nigeria indicates that the poorest group only benefits more than the richest group from extra spending on public services which they already have relatively high access to. Finally, we use the findings of this study to formulate policy recommendations to make public spending in Nigeria pro-poor in order to accelerate the speed at which the poor enjoy additional benefits from increased access to public services in the country.