Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
"Baumol's Disease": The Pandemic That Never Was

Baumol’s classic paper entitled “Macroeconomics of Unbalanced Growth: The Anatomy of Urban Crisis” published in the American Economic Review in June 1967 is analysed for mathematical and logical errors. Inde pendent errors are found in the derivation of Baumol’s Four Propositions and in the analysis o f static externalities. It is concluded that (1) none of the Four Propositions can be substantia ted because the mathematical derivation lacks sound microeconomic foundations, and (2) the analysis of static externalities falls into algebraic and logical error through failure to link cause with effect and failure to clarify precisely the distinction between intensive and ext ensive properties.
A race against time: The dementia epidemic

The global prevalence of dementia is expected to double every two decades. Consequently, there is an urgent need for high-quality research to identify effective strategies for providing optimal care to people with dementia and their carers. Currently, research in dementia care is fragmented, which has resulted in a division between the fields of diagnosis and management of dementia including end-of-life care. For example, interventions which have been developed to improve the well-being of the person with dementia and their families focus on discrete elements of the person and their family's experience, such as symptom management, dealing with emotional issues, or planning for the future. A more integrated approach is needed to address gaps in care across the trajectory, while recognizing the multitude impacts on the person affected and their families. This approach will make a meaningful difference to the well-being of people with dementia and their carers, and reduce the burden of the disease on the individual, their family, and society.
Interacting with the Reader: Politeness Strategies in Engineering Research Article Discussions

The writer’s strategy to combine the exposition of factual information with personal judgement and interaction with the reader has been analysed in a number of studies (Hunston, 1994; Hyland, 1998a, 1998b; Latour and Woolgar, 1979; Skelton, 1997). Myers’ studies (1989, 1992) on the pragmatics of politeness in scientific articles analyse politeness strategies in regularities of scientific style that are usually explained in terms of conventions. In the context of scientific communication, the researcher performs two basic tasks: presenting a claim and contradicting former theories or beliefs. Both actions could be interpreted as impolite behaviours and constitute what Brown and Levinson (1987) call face threatening acts (FTAs). In this study we explore the presence of face-redressive politeness strategies in the discussion sections of engineering research articles. The data are drawn from a corpus of 46 discussion sections in the fields of computing, telecommunications, nanotechnology and robotics.
A new combination in Phytopythium: P. kandeliae (Oomycetes, Straminipila)

Phytopythium is a new segregate genus of the diverse and polyphyletic oomycete genus Pythium. We analysed the morphology and phylogeny (partial large and small subunits and the complete internal transcribed regions of the ribosomal DNA and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I region of the mitochondrial DNA) of an authentic strain and three recent isolates of Halophytophthora kandeliae collected from a mangrove area in Brazil. Maximum likelihood trees showed that all isolates clustered within the clade provisionally named Phytopythium, which includes 13 species of Pythium from clade K, and the type species of the genus Phytopythium, P. sindhum. Based on the results presented in this paper and previous studies, we consider that H. kandeliae should be transferred to the genus Phytopythium and therefore we proposed a new combination, P. kandeliae.
Colliding Employer-Employee Perspectives of Employee Turnover: Evidence from a Born-Global Industry

Set in the context of internationalisation of global division of labour, this paper provides a deeper exploration of qualitative themes of conflicting accounts of employees’ reasons to quit and managerial strategies to prevent employee turnover in six business process outsourcing firms operating in India. Such differences in cognition and action between the two constituencies suggest that the decision to quit is not a linear and rational process as highlighted in most extant models of employee turnover. Our findings suggest that employees are attached more to a place or people they work with rather than the organisation per se. Intergenerational differences between Generation Y knowledge workers and Generation X managers and the ineffectiveness of espoused human resource practices suggest the presence of ‘push’ human resource management (HRM) systems. Our findings have implications for employee turnover models, inter-generational theory and high-commitment HRM, and practitioners.
Earthenware Pottery, the T'ai and the Malay

FOR ABOUT TWENTY YEARS, in generalizations I have made about Southeast Asian prehistory, I have considered South China, roughly from the Tsinling Mountains to the south, as a part of Southeast Asia (Solheim 1973,1975, 1979a, b, 1980, 1984a, b). I consider that most of the people of South China were not ethnically Chinese and that South China became inhabited by Chinese in changing patterns and at a varying tempo after the Chin and Han expansion. The subject of this article1 is a relationship that I see between one of the large Austronesian-speaking ethnic groups of Southeast Asia and an ethnic minority of Southwestern China: the Malay and the T'ai (and the Thai of Thailand). I hypothesize this relationship as a result of my studies of prehistoric earthenware pottery in Southeast Asia and a study of present-day and recent past pottery manufacture of these peoples. I will begin by explaining the relevance of pottery studies to prehistory. Pottery has been the most important artifact recovered by archaeologists in sites where it has been found in any quantity. This is so for two reasons. First, because where found it is by far the most common artifact in a site. Very little of the material culture of the people who lived on a site lasts to be recovered by archaeologists. Virtually all organic materials disintegrate rapidly in the soil of most sites. Except for bronze and gold, most metals oxidize quickly. Pottery is practically indestructible under most conditions found in archaeological sites-not in its original form, but as potsherds. Second, pottery is fully susceptible in manufacture to cultural and individual choice, while stone and metal present inherent limitations because of their physical properties, making cultural and individual expression more limited in these materials. Before pottery is fired, the clay used is fully plastic and so can be worked into any desired form and decorated using a wide variety of techniques to make an infinite number of patterns. There are many different ways in which pottery can be analyzed, the choice of method(s) depending on the purpose of the analysis. Chemical and petrographic analysis of the clay can be used to indicate the source of the clay and through this to work out patterns of internal and external trade. Through detailed analysis of methods of manufacture, of form and decoration, pottery associated with burials in a cemetery can indicate differences in status and suggest other social elements that
Trial of the BX conical-ended borehole overcoring stress measurement technique

In South Africa, gold mining is proceeding to ever-greater depths, and also being conducted to remove remnants, both of which involve higher seismic risks. The more in situ stress data is available, the better the seismic hazards can be assessed with the aid of stress modelling software. However, as reported by Gay (1975), or more recently by Wesseloo and Stacey (2006), very little data has been published for each gold mining district in South Africa, although there is more unpublished data. In the data, there is significant scatter in the k-ratios, which does not easily constrain the stress field in the areas of concern. If regular geological drilling equipment can be adapted for overcoring, this would create more opportunities to obtain in situ stress data. One of the popular methods of in situ stress measurement in South Africa is the CSIRO HI technique (suggested by ISRM; Kim and Franklin, 1987), a version of the South African CSIR triaxial strain cell method initially proposed by Leeman and Hayes (1966). However, as Stacy and Wesseloo (2002) point out, it requires:
Asset Prices and Monetary Policy in the Euro Area: a tentative model

The nature of the relationship between asset price movements and monetary policy is a currently hotly debated topic in macroeconomics. This paper examines empirically if monetary policy in the euro-area, since 1987, has been influenced by high valuations of the equity and housing markets. A first aim of the paper is to assess the performance of Taylor-type rules and to evaluate whether alternative specifications, including asset prices, can better track the interest rate setting in the euro area. The general finding is that a Taylor-like rule, with an interest rate smoothing term but without including asset prices, seems to be helpful in describing monetary policy in the euro-area in the last fifteen years. Next, in the context of a simple macro model, extended with asset prices, we derive the optimal reaction function for the monetary authorities. Through a simple calibration of that model, we find that asset prices inclusion in the monetary authority’s reaction function implies a larger volatility for the interest rate and destabilizes the economy. That is, apart from demand shocks, the rule incorporating asset prices implies more volatility than a simple rule. The effect of the disturbances dies out after some periods, but the observed volatility in the variables is greater in the extended model.
Pharmacologyonline 2 : 440-462 ( 2011 ) ewsletter

This review describes the morphology, microscopy, traditional and folklore uses, phytoconstituents, pharmacological reports, clinical pharmacology of Centella asiatica Linn. Flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, volatile constituents, etc. have been reported as the major phyto-constituents of the plant. The plant has been used for curing various ailments, hence acts as antiulcer, gastro protective, hepatoprotective, cardio protective, etc., the most important being neuroprotective property. The pharmacological activities performed on the plant have been focused. The antidiabetic property of the plant has been highlighted with a view to explore, isolate and identify the medicinally important phyto-constituents responsible for it, which could be utilized to alleviate the disease affecting the mankind.
Performance, Emissions and Combustion Characterization of Biodiesel in a Generator Engine

Alternative energy sources need to be developed in order to meet the increasing demand for fossil fuels. Furthermore, from environmental perspective, these new resources of energy must be environment friendly. Biomass, and particularly vegetable oils, fulfill these imperatives and is seen as a potential substitute for mineral diesel. Base catalysed transesterification is most acceptable process for biodiesel production. In this study, biodiesel produced from Neem oil with high free fatty acid content was characterised for its physical, chemical and thermal properties. Performance, emission and combustion characteristics of this biodiesel and its 20% blend (with mineral diesel) were compared with baseline data of mineral diesel in a direct injection (DI) engine. Brake specific fuel consumption for biodiesel was found to be marginally higher than mineral diesel however biodiesel also showed significant improvement in thermal efficiency at higher engine loads in comparison to mineral diesel. Brake specific CO and HC emissions for biodiesel were lower than mineral diesel at lower engine loads however NO emissions increased significantly in compassion to mineral diesel. Detailed combustion characterisation revealed that combustion starts earlier for biodiesel fuelled engine at all operating conditions but start of combustion was slightly delayed for 20% blend of biodiesel in comparison with mineral diesel. Combustion duration for biodiesel blends was shorter than mineral diesel.
Validation of the new HelioClim-3 version 4 real-time and short-term forecast service using 14 BSRN stations

Abstract. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite images acquired every 15 min during daytime are currently processed by the Heliosat-2 method every night to generate the HelioClim-3 (HC3) database of the surface solar irradiation for the day before. A new service is proposed based on version 4 of HC3 (HC3v4) that offers real-time and forecasted irradiation for horizons up to a few hours. The service is based on a local persistence of the clear-sky index. Its results were compared to coincident high quality 15 min global irradiations measured in fourteen stations belonging to the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). For forecasts for a temporal horizon of 15 min ahead, the relative bias and root mean square error (RMSE) range respectively from 0 to 2 %, and 20 to 23 % for most stations. The correlation coefficient ranges from 0.94 to 0.95. These performances are similar to HC3v4 for the same stations. Expectedly, the quality of the forecasts degrades as the temporal horizon increases. For 1 h ahead forecasts of 15 min irradiation, the relative bias, root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient range respectively from −3 to 1 %, 30 to 37 %, and 0.90 to 0.91.
FOCAL POINT PRICING : A CHALLENGE TO THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 10 A ( INTRODUCED BY THE COMPETITION AMENDMENT ACT )

The Competition Amendment Act introduced section 10A, which provides the Competition Commission with the powers to investigate complex monopoly conduct in a market and allows the Competition Tribunal, under certain conditions, to prohibit such behaviour. Although more than five years have elapsed since the Competition Amendment Act was promulgated, this provision has yet to come into force. However, when it eventually does so, it will mark a significant change in South African competition law, as it seeks to regulate firms’ consciously parallel conduct. This is coordinated conduct that occurs without communication or agreement, but results in the prevention or substantial lessening of competition. Examples of horizontal tacit coordination practices include price leadership and facilitating practices, such as information exchanges and price signaling. The successful implementation of the amendment poses problems for the competition authorities in assessing the competitive effects of complex monopoly conduct and in providing effective remedies. Oligopoly markets result in mutual interdependent decision-making by firms, which can lead to market outcomes similar to explicit collusion. However, a further and little noticed issue is that firms in oligopolistic markets have opportunities to use focal points to determine coordinated strategies. This paper explores the nature and role of focal point pricing, which can lead to prices that are above competitive levels. The South African banking industry is used as an example. We find that focal point pricing is difficult to control, making the successful implementation of section 10A even more problematic. Moreover, the proposed amendment provides scope for the imposition of structural remedies by the Competition Tribunal, a function that the Competition Tribunal is ill-suited to perform.
SOURCE CREDIBILITY MODEL, SOURCE ATTRACTIVENESS MODEL AND MATCH-UP-HYPOTHESIS – AN INTEGRATED MODEL

Customers find themselves in a flood of information and testimonials are one way of gaining the customer’s attention. Previous studies have shown the positive effects of testimonials on purchase intentions. In this present study, different types of testimonials (celebrity and expert) are tested, and the fit between the product (ring, motorcycle and in/out-trays) congruency of the testimonial with the customer’s image is introduced and analysed. Furthermore, not only is source credibility measured, but source attractiveness and expertise are also measured and combined in a new model integrating these three theories. The model shows direct and indirect effects of credibility and congruency on attitudes and purchase intentions. Product fit, in contrast to congruency, has a positive effect on attitude towards the ad and in turn influences attitude towards the brand, affecting purchase intention. Credible testimonials strongly influence this effectiveness, with trustworthiness being a main driver.
Another Look at Verb Movement in Japanese

This paper is a response to Hatakeyama et al (2008), who argue for V-to-I in Japanese mainly on the basis of the distribution of the particle mo. I retest their data and reach a different result: Japanese verbs stay in situ at all times, and the relevant linearizations arise from phrasal versus head movement around mo, a particle that I define as a functional head (versus XP clitic in the cited study). Key words: Japanese, verb movement, mo, aspectual head, modal head.
The effect of discourse markers on intermediate learners’ listening comprehension

This research was designed to investigate the effects of discourse markers on EFL Iranian learners' listening comprehension. Fifty eight male and female students took a pre-test as a proficiency test first, 39 students out of 58 are needed. To gain this aim, a language proficiency test, i.e., Nelson test will be given to the total participants. After calculating Mean and Standard Deviation, each person with +1SD above the mean will be assigned to high level of language proficiency and each one with -1SD below the mean will be assigned to low level of language proficiency. Then they were assigned to two experimental groups and a control group, twenty students for high level proficiency of DMs group, nineteen students for low level proficiency of DMs group and nineteen students for control group were selected. During four sessions of the treatment, each experimental group worked on four listening passages taken from IELTS sample. The participants in two experimental groups were encouraged to think and notice meaningfully to the DMs and their functions how concepts are linked in listening passages by DMs. Along with the experimental groups, the participants in the control group also worked on the different four listening passages. At the end, three post tests were performed in one session. Finally One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the results of the control and the two experimental groups’ posttests, and a significant difference was observed in the high proficiency experimental group of DMs and control groups, but there was not observed any remarkable difference between the low proficiency group and control group.
Blades and papillae as likely dispersing propagules in Chilean populations of Mastocarpus sp. (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales)

Mastocarpus sp. es un alga roja nativa a la costa del Pacifico de Norteamerica, y tambien presente en Concepcion, Chile (ca. 37°S), donde se ha propuesto como especie no indigena. Su establecimiento y expansion podrian verse favorecidos si laminas y papilas constituyeran propagulos. Las caracteristicas de desprendimiento de estas dos estructuras apoyan esta interpretacion. Laminas de Mastocarpus sp. requirieron menos fuerza para ser desprendidas desde las rocas que laminas de otras algas rojas comunes. Asimismo, un estimado mensual de 14,9% de las papilas con cistocarpos maduros se desprenden de laminas sometidas a turbulencia en laboratorio. Ademas, es comun encontrar laminas y papilas a la deriva, y liberan esporas de pigmentacion normal. La distribucion de papilas a lo largo de las laminas, considerando su madurez, sugiere un patron de desprendimiento predecible. Papilas nuevas fueron mas abundantes en segmentos distales de laminas, y papilas viejas en segmentos centrales. La abundancia de cicatrices dejadas por papilas desprendidas fue mayor en segmentos basales, sugiriendo que las papilas que dejaron esas cicatrices portaban cistocarpos maduros. Concluimos que los puntos de adhesion de laminas y papilas se tornarian relativamente mas debiles a medida que crecen, facilitando su desprendimiento. Esto no representa la abscision de estructuras senescentes ya que en su interior crecen carpoesporofitos con esporas que pueden ser liberadas. Esto facilitaria el establecimiento de nuevos individuos a distancias y lugares diferentes de los que alcanzarian las esporas, pudiendo ser consideradas como estructuras alternativas de dispersion. Como tales, podrian afectar la dinamica poblacional y expansion de rango de Mastocarpus sp. en Chile.
“Can nurse work environment influence readmission risk?” – a systematic review

Background: Readmissions have been targeted as events that can improve quality of care while reducing health care expenditures. While increasing evidence has linked nurse work environment to various patient outcomes, no systematic review has assessed evidence examining nurse work environment in relation to readmission. Methods: This review was guided by the Institute of Medicine’s Standards for Systematic Reviews. Comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, and were complemented by hand searching. Two reviewers independently completed full-text review and quality assessment using a validated tool. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria and were included for final review. Various methods were used to measure readmission and nurse work environment, and analyses were conducted at both the patient and hospital levels. Overall, associations between nurse work environment and readmission emerged, and better nurse work environments (particularly higher levels of nurse staffing) were associated with fewer readmissions. Discussion: The interpretation of results from each study was limited by the differences in variable measures across studies and methodological flaws. The relationship between nurse work environment and readmission needs to be further confirmed by stronger evidence from studies using standardized measures and more rigorous research design.
Seasonal Variations in Egg Quality and Yolk Cholesterol in Backyard and Cage Rearing Chicken

Received: Revised: Accepted: 2013–10–04 2013–11–28 2013–12–17 A study was conducted to compare the external and internal egg quality traits, egg composition and yolk cholesterol levels in the eggs of range reared rural birds, to that of urban backyard and commercial cage layer eggs. The rural, urban range and backyard reared birds laid 22–25% smaller eggs as compared to the commercial layer. Furthermore, commercial layers eggs contained higher albumen (62%) and lower yolk (23–28%) when compared with eggs of urban backyard raised birds (55% albumen and 35% yolk). From the above results, it is concluded that total cholesterol in the egg and cholesterol level/g yolk of the range reared rural (180 g and 13.4 g) and urban backyard birds (187 g and 13 g ) were lower when compared to that of commercial layer eggs. (207 g and 14 g). Eggs laid during the monsoon season had lower cholesterol level than those laid during summer. Hence it is inferred based on this study that an intake of cholesterol is comparatively less with consumption of eggs from range reared rural birds. All copyrights reserved to Nexus® academic publishers