Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are dedicated mutual fund pension products able to outperform traditional pension funds

More and more retirees are given the choice to allocate their pension investments with either their traditional employer-based pension plan or with mutual funds. Due to these developments, mutual funds increasingly provide pension products. This master thesis examines the performance difference between 78 U.S. dedicated mutual fund pension products (DMFPPs) and six U.S. traditional defined contribution funds. Performance is measured relative to style-adjusted benchmarks and is taking the fund’s cost component into account. Applying a single-factor and multi-factor model, I find that dedicated mutual fund pension products, on average, significantly underperform compared to traditional defined contribution funds. I will interpret the findings in the context of the agency cost debate, where mutual funds are more exposed to hidden costs than pension funds and extend the interpretation with the help of the fund value maximization and public choice theory. An equilibrium view concludes the thesis, where sophisticated investors, with time and skill, can find a more suitable investment with DMFPPs than with their traditional defined contribution plan.
The impact of farm-level variables on federal crop insurance coverage level selection

This thesis evaluates the significance of farm-level variables related to cash flow on coverage level selections as a potential explanation for the well-documented behavioral anomaly in producers’ federal crop insurance coverage level selection choices. The current crop insurance literature appears to lack a clear explanation of why producers choose to insure at lower or less than economically optimal coverage levels. To inform this question, the relationship between liquidity factors and insurance coverage level selection are estimated empirically using linear and fixed effects models with data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, Risk Management Agency Summary of Business, and the Risk Management Agency Actuarial Data Master. Specifically, this research endeavors to evaluate the associations between variables related to cash flow and coverage level selection, as well as isolate the effect of premium rates on coverage selection, in order to provide evidence that constrained cash flow may be the reason for the appearance of nonutility maximization in coverage level selection. The results indicate that variables directly related to cash flow such as higher costs are associated with significant differences in coverage level selection, though the direction of the association is dependent on the type of costs, whether fixed or variable, while higher revenue higher acreage farms insure at higher coverage levels. In addition, higher premium costs are associated with lower coverage level selection, despite subsidy incentives indicating expected cash flow plays a significant role in coverage level decisions.
Disparities in Emergency Department Quality of Care among Patients with and without Coronary Heart Disease Diagnoses

Author(s): Sammartinova, Jitka | Advisor(s): Glik, Deborah C | Abstract: This study investigated predictors of emergency department quality of care using the indicator of wait time to see a health care provider. Prior evidence shows that quality of care may vary by patient characteristics, with poorer outcomes among women and minority populations. Given as well the burden of acute coronary syndrome and the need to treat it quickly, the aim of this work was to study whether the amount of time patients waited in the emergency department varied by patient characteristics, with specific attention to patient gender and presenting with symptoms of coronary heart disease. Primary research hypotheses tested whether women and patients with minority population status had longer wait times compared to men and non-minority patients, while controlling for the contextual factors related to the patient visit. Study research questions were addressed using a large-scale population-based survey, the Emergency Department dataset of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey collected in 2008. Predictors of emergency department wait time were selected based on prior research. Development of the conceptual model that guided the study analysis applied the theoretical perspective of social stratification with focus on health disparities. Study findings revealed that the length of time patients must wait to see a physician in a hospital emergency department can be predicted from a cluster of factors descriptive of the patient visit. In general, patient wait time is associated with the situational nature of the visit, structural characteristics of the hospital, as well as the characteristics of the patients themselves. Patients who wait a longer time are more likely to be women, African American, and poor. Among patients with coronary heart disease diagnoses at the time of visit to the emergency department, the amount of time people wait is associated with situational characteristics of the patient visit, and structural characteristics of the hospital, but patient sociodemographic characteristics are not significant predictors. Among patients in general longer emergency department wait time for women patients, African American patients and the poor could indicate systematic biases and lower quality of care. However, when considering the specific context of seeking care among patients with coronary heart disease diagnoses, no significant gender differentials in wait time were found.
Reputation matters the most: The reputation inertia effect

“ Reputation systems ” are widely used in a high number of web-based services to enhance cooperation among users, as well as to ensure they function well. However, the acquired reputation within such systems does not always reflect people's actual behavior. Consequently, this bias can reduce the effectiveness and robustness of a web-based system. The present study investigates the mechanisms with which reputation is built in an online multiplayer game. The reputation, once acquired, seems to be maintained over time (i.e., reputation inertia effect) despite the actual behavior of its owner. Moreover, if the players are asked to pay to suggest to the other players, the reputation inertia effect decreases. Nevertheless, even if reduced in frequency, “ reputation inertia ” persists under this condition.
Climate Change is Unjust War: Geoengineering and the Rising Tides of War

Climate change is undeniably a global problem, but the situation is especially dire for countries whose territory is comprised entirely or primarily of low‐lying land. While geoengineering might offer an opportunity to protect these states, international consensus on the particulars of any geoengineering proposal seems unlikely. To consider the moral complexities created by unilateral deployment of geoengineering technologies, we turn to a moral convention with a rich history of assessing interference in the sovereign affairs of foreign states: the just war tradition. We argue that the just war framework demonstrates that, for these nations, geoengineering offers a justified form of self‐defense from an unwarranted, albeit unintentional, aggression. This startling result places our own carbon‐emitting activities in a stark new light: in perpetrating climate change, we are, in fact, waging war on the most
Serum Resistin, Vaspin and Chemerin in Rats with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Correlation with Metabolic and Haemostatic Parameters

Background: The patho-physiology that leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not well understood. It is thought that adipokines affect lipid metabolism, inflammatory and fibrotic processes in developing NAFLD. Objective: To investigate the possible interplay between resistin, vaspin and chemerin and pathogenesis of high fat diet induced NAFLD and its associated coagulopathy in male albino rats. Material and methods: This study was conducted on 2 groups of male albino rats: Control group (I) which was divided into 3 equal subgroups (n=10), in which rats fed normal chow for 4, 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. HFD-fed group (II) which was divided into 3 equal subgroups (n=10) in which rats were fed high fat diet (HFD) (%58) for 4, 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. In all groups, BMI, abdominal circumference (AC), serum levels of resistin, vaspin, chemerin, glucose, insulin (with calculation of HOMA-IR), lipid profile, ALT, AST, CRP, plasma fibrinogen and D-dimer levels were measured and histopathological liver injury scoring was done. Results: HFD-feeding for 4w, 12w, 24w resulted in simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis, respectively, as evidenced by results of the liver histopathology and significantly elevated liver enzymes. Also, there was a significant progressive increase in BMI, AC, serum glucose, insulin, TC, TG, VLDL, LDL, CRP levels and HOMA-IR in HFD/NAFLD groups. Furthermore, there was a significant progressive increase in serum resistin, vaspin and chemerin levels in the same groups, with a significant positive correlation between serum resistin & chemerin, but not vaspin, and all the above mentioned parameters including liver injury scoring. Further, results indicated a hypercoaguable state in steatosis and NASH groups, and DIC in cirrhotic group. Whatever, there was a significant positive correlation between serum resistin & chemerin, but not vaspin, and plasma D-dimer levels in the three HFD/NAFLD groups. Conclusions: This study suggested that resistin and chemerin, but not vaspin, may play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and development of its associated coagulopathy.
Mediating Role of Competitive Advantage on the Relationship of Supply Chain Management and Organizational Performance on the Food Industry of Thailand

This study evaluated the effectiveness of supply chain management (SCM) practices with respect to competitive advantage and firm performance. It also investigated the mediating role of competitive advantage between SCM practices and organizational performance relationships. It used the PLS-SEM to examine the association between the variables under study. Data were collected form the supply chain mangers of the food industry in Thailand. The results indicated that effective practices of SCM could increase the competitive advantage and organizational performance. This study also revealed that the competitive advantage of the firm mediates the SCM practices and organizational performance relationship.
Efectos del envejecimiento en el acceso al léxico: El fenómeno de la punta de la lengua ante los nombres propios

Introduccion. El fenomeno de la punta de la lengua (PDL) es una de las quejas subjetivas de memoria mas frecuentes en las personas mayores, especialmente con relacion a los nombres propios. Los estudios experimentales previos se han centrado en la comparacion de grupos de edad extremos y han utilizado paradigmas de busqueda estrategica que impiden conocer bien el proceso. Objetivo. Analizar la incidencia y resolucion de la PDL en nombres propios en el proceso normal de envejecimiento. Sujetos y metodos. 140 participantes con edades comprendidas entre 19 y 82 anos realizaron un experimento de evocacion de nombres de personajes famosos a partir de definiciones y otros 36 participantes de 20 a 80 anos realizaron un experimento parecido a partir de fotografias. Se incorporaron tareas de evocacion libre de palabras y de facilitacion fonologica. Los datos se analizaron con un modelo lineal general, introduciendo como covariables el nivel de vocabulario y la velocidad de procesamiento. Resultados. A partir de los 50 anos, los adultos producen mas PDL en los nombres propios que los jovenes, siendo mayor este incremento a partir de los 70 anos. El incremento de PDL es independiente del nivel de vocabulario. Los mayores tienen mas dificultades para resolver los PDL que los jovenes. La facilitacion fonologica parece ayudarlos en la resolucion. Conclusion. El envejecimiento debilita el proceso de activacion necesario para la recuperacion de los nombres propios, pero la presentacion de facilitadores fonologicos contribuye a mejorar el nivel de activacion.
How Do We Improve Quality in Clinical Education? Examination of Structures, Processes, and Outcomes

Background and Purpose. The current state of clinical education curricula in physical therapist education programs across the United States reflects disparate approaches to clinical education experiences for students. Using Donabedian's classic conceptual framework for examining health care quality, this position paper describes the structures, processes, and outcomes of the current approach to clinical education in physical therapist education programs and makes recommendations for taking steps toward improving quality. Position and Rationale. Wide variation in the organizational structure and processes of clinical education, and in expected student outcomes may not be advantageous or appropriate. Costs to all stakeholders are a concern and may be unsustainable. Although the problem is complex, to successfully manage clinical education, improve outcomes, and reduce costs, some degree of profession‐wide consensus must be reached about best practices related to structure, processes, and outcomes. Discussion and Conclusion. Although published literature is insufficient to support any one structure or process in any aspect of clinical education, scholarly practitioners in any profession must weigh the best available evidence in making necessary decisions. The physical therapy profession must decide if there is a compelling reason to make changes using the existing sparse and flawed evidence, and, if so, what those changes should be. Given the complexity of the problem, a national dialogue should open regarding viable standardized structures, processes, and outcomes measurement, with an eye toward improved quality.
Does decentralization of governance promote urban diversity? Evidence from Spain

ABSTRACT The worldwide trend to decentralize the responsibilities and budgets of governments impacts regional economies in various ways. We use the example of Spain to test empirically whether the decentralization of governance is an important determinant of the sectoral composition of cities in an urban system. Our regression results, exploiting unique firm-level and time-varying transport-cost data, support the hypothesis that governance decentralization and the establishment of regional government headquarters in specific cities have been conducive to a more diverse urban economic structure and a more even city-size distribution in the Spanish urban system during a period of continuous reductions in transport costs.
The Impact of Financialization on the Rate of Profit

ABSTRACT This work investigates some channels through which financialization may impact the normal rate of profit by making use of the ‘integrated wage-commodity sector’ methodology. We analyse the effect of technical innovations in the financial sector, a higher financial sector’s share of profits and GDP, rising household indebtedness and socio-political factors that reduce workers’ bargaining power. We find that during the financialization era, the first factor did not impact normal profitability since it mostly regarded instruments such as derivatives. The second should in principle not affect the normal rate of profit although it may impact aggregate income shares. The third, as far as its effect on aggregate demand is concerned, does not have an impact on the normal rate of profit. The fourth turns out to be the main factor that drives the normal rate of profit upwards through its impact on functional income distribution.
Managing Uncertainty from Planning and Design to Construction Process of Building Refurbishment Projects: A Proposed Conceptual Approach

The number of building refurbishment projects in Malaysia has increased significantly over the past few years. Empirical data from previous research confirmed that managing Building Refurbishment Project (BRP) is demanding and risky which is inherent in Uncertainty Factor (UF) associated with unforeseen elements, mostly comprising of actual cost that exceeds budget. This occurs when they involve structural modifications with sensitive, dangerous, difficultoperations with large number of sub-contractors, and the high number of building services that has always been identifiedas one of the reasons for poor performance. The reasons were as stated because UF of construction process was less emphasised compared to planning and design process. This emphasis is however questionable in the real world as the UF is consistent throughout the BRP life cycle. This paper aims to determine the UF of construction process and the relationship with BRP performance.The method used for this study is based on a comprehensive review of related journal papers, book chapters and conference papers from 1997 to 2018, from which 125 articles were identified and 51 papers were subsequently selected for further analysis. This study concluded that UF of construction process is indeed one of the most important factors that influence the performance of BRP. On that basis, there is still room for improving the level of BRP performance. The findings of this study form the foundation for an extended investigation to identify UF specifically in the construction process to serve as a guide in managing the UF and improving BRP performance in Klang Valley.
Determinants Of Residential Rental Values In Ghana: Evidence From Experts And Stakeholder Perspectives

Rental value or rent that is observed in the market has individual utility bearing attributes (explanatory variables) that could be modelled to ascertain the significance or contribution of same on overall rental value. We analyse the main drivers of residential rental values (RRVs) from experts and stakeholders in the residential rental market in a developing country context. A residential property is multidimensional and spatially fixed. A variety of theoretical and econometric studies have explored the determinants of house prices. However, the phenomenon that location determines RRVs has not been much understood as various researchers measure these explanatory variables differently. Not only does location and neighbourhood attributes determine to a large extent RRVs, but also the physical characteristics of the subject property. We present a first step in recognising and identifying which explanatory variables are relevant in determining RRVs prior to an empirical analysis. This in our opinion puts the discussion in its proper perspective in a market that is highly complex and diverse. To situate the research in its proper local context, 114 respondents (who comprise experts and stakeholders in the rental market) were asked their views about what they perceive, based on their individual experiences, on what explanatory variables drive the fixing of RRVs in the rental housing market in Ghana. We provide 38 different variables based on 3 broad groupings; structural, locational and neighbourhood characteristics. Most of these variables are statistically significant and have a positive effect on RRVs. Respondents agree that the variables electricity connection, piped water connection, type of house, property condition and number of bedrooms ranked among the top 5 variables per the relative importance index measured. Also the variables storeroom availability, rental units near to recreational facilities and a place of worship, quality of landscaping and number of storeys ranked among the bottom 5 variables.
Current Trends and Regulatory Impact on Home Sharing Businesses in Seoul, South Korea

The rise in home sharing as tourist accommodations has largely been facilitated by the home sharing platform Airbnb. This trend receives varied receptions from policy makers and the tourism industry. Airbnb chooses to not release data, further contributing to the uncertainty on how to analyze and regulate this new market. South Korea is among a growing number of governments pursuing home sharing regulation. This paper serves as an overview of Airbnb regulation in South Korea and provides data trends obtained through web scraping all in-country listings at three points, twice in 2016 and once in 2017. The data point to the ineffectuality of a 2016 regulatory crackdown, the saturation of the Seoul market, and the types of listings receiving the most rentals.
Supply Chain Strategy in Initial Public Offering in Malaysia: A Review of Long-Run Share Price Performance

Abstract- The paper examined the current status of research regarding the long-run share price performance of initial public offerings (IPO) in Malaysia. The review on previous ‎studies was divided into the followings: underwriter reputation, earnings management, and board variables‎. The paper found that ‎there was a noticeable poor long-run performance, and Malaysian IPOs were lesser than others from developed nations. The evidences of the long-run performance were inconsistent. This paper pinpointed significant factors that could ‎influence the ‎‎long-run share price performance in the Malaysian IPO market. New areas for future research were also suggested.
Determinants of E-government Adoption: Testing the Mediating Effects of Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use

ABSTRACT This study proposes an e-government adoption model to determine the factors which lead to citizens’ adoption of e-government services in the Togolese context while investigating the mediating roles of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The proposed model was tested using valid and reliable data gathered from a sample of 482 respondents. Findings indicate that behavioral intention to use e-government services is significantly influenced by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. More importantly, the analysis revealed that, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use play a mediating role, either full or partial between the antecedent variables, social influence, trustworthiness and facilitating conditions and the outcome variable, behavioral intention to use. The implementation of e-government services with a focus on these fundamental factors will eventually increase the acceptance and adoption of such services by citizens.
Domiciliary visits in old age psychiatry: Expectation and practice

The views of GPs on the domiciliary visit service in old age psychiatry were ascertained by means of a postal questionnaire. This datum was compared with that from a retrospective review of visits in the same catchment area. The domiciliary visit service was judged to be very important by 86% of GPs and 76% rated the service excellent or good. The assessment of home circumstances was felt to be by far the most important reason for requesting a visit. Age of the GP and lack of psychiatric training both influenced the reasons for requesting domiciliary visits. Urgent visits were done significantly more quickly than non-urgent ones (p < 0.001). Most GPs (70%) said they tried to attend visits but in practice few (15%) did so. Dementia was by far the most common diagnosis given, followed by depression and schizophrenia/persecutory disorders. Physical illness was not frequently diagnosed. In conclusion, domiciliary visits in old age psychiatry appear to be valued and valuable but the guidelines for their use are out of line with current usage, and there are areas where improvements could be made, particularly in the requirement for patients to be unable to attend hospital.