Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Land Inventories to Plan for Urban Agriculture: Experiences From Portland and Vancouver

Problem: Urban agriculture has potential to make cities more socially and ecologically sustainable, but planners have not had effective policy levers to encourage this. Purpose: We aim to learn how to use land inventories to identify city land with the potential for urban agriculture in order to plan for more sustainable communities by answering two questions: Do land inventories enable integration of urban agriculture into planning and policymaking? Do land inventories advance both ecological and social dimensions of local sustainability agendas? Methods: We use case studies of two Pacific Northwest cities (Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia), comparing the municipal land inventories they undertook to identify public lands with potential for urban agriculture. We study how they were initiated and carried out, as well as their respective scopes, scales, and outcomes. Results and conclusions: We find that the Portland inventory both enabled integration of urban agriculture into planning and policymaking and advanced social and ecological sustainability. In Vancouver similar integration was achieved, but the smaller scope of the effort meant it did little for public involvement and social sustainability. Takeaway for practice: Other local governments considering the use of a land inventory should contemplate: (a) using the inventory process itself as a way to increase institutional awareness and political support for urban agriculture; (b) aligning urban agriculture with related sustainability goals; (c) ensuring public involvement by creating participatory mechanisms in the design and implementation of the inventory; (d) drawing on the expertise of institutional partners including universities. Research support: The Centre for Urban Health Initiatives at the University of Toronto provided financial support for writing up this research.
Panel Estimation Of The Impact Of Exchange Rate Uncertainty On Investment In The Major Industrial Countries

We estimate the impact of exchange rate uncertainty on investment, using panel estimation featuring a decomposition of exchange rate volatility derived from the components GARCH model of Engle and Lee (1999). For a poolable subsample of EU countries, it is the transitory and not the permanent component of volatility which adversely affects investment, implying high frequency shocks of the type that may be generated by volatile short term capital flows are most deleterious for investment. Results based on EGARCH also suggest that the response of investment to exchange rate uncertainty may depend partly on the sign of the initial shock. (100 words)
Liquidity Shocks and the Supply of Credit after the 2007-08 Crisis

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of heightened liquidity risk in bank funding markets during the 2007–2008 subprime crisis on the supply of credit to firms internationally. Our sample comprises almost 800 banks lending in the syndicated loan market to borrowers from 48 advanced and emerging market economies. To control for simultaneous changes in demand, we relate within‐borrower changes in bank credit from multiple banks to banks' exposure to liquidity risk. To capture banks' vulnerability to the liquidity shocks that occurred during 2007–2008, we use measures of pre‐crisis reliance on wholesale funding. Our results suggest that banks that were more exposed to liquidity risk during the crisis reduced syndicated lending more than other banks. Our results are robust to alternate measures of vulnerability to liquidity risk, choice of sample period and simultaneous movements in exchange rates. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trade Credit, Quality Guarantees, and Product Marketability

Although trade credit has long been an important source of financing for corporations, it is one of the least understood methods of doing business. One possible reason for misconceptions about trade credit is that it is not primarily financial in nature, but instead reflects production and marketing decisions. In this paper, we consider trade credit as a way that firms can guarantee product quality, rather than as a means of financing less creditworthy firms. In this context, we seek, and provide, possible explanations for observed phenomena such as relatively shorter (or no) trade credit terms for consumer and food products and relatively longer terms for heavy industrial equipment.
The implications of credit risk transfer for the credit channel

Growth in new instruments designed to trade credit risk has significant implications for the conduct of monetary policy through banks. This paper considers the effects of three credit risk transfer instruments - securitised assets, secondary market syndicated loans, and credit derivatives - on the credit channel of the transmission mechanism. With alternative funding opportunities, a new theoretical framework focuses on the ability of monetary policy to impact the financial condition of banks as borrowers in credit markets. Evidence of the credit channel is tested for in a factor-augmented vector autoregression (FAVAR) model. The results show no support for the existence of a traditional bank lending channel that functions through deposits and the supply of bank credit but demonstrate credit channel effects in higher bank funding costs, which are passed on to bank business loan and nonbank commercial mortgage borrowers. The results suggest that credit risk transfer has transformed some credit markets so that monetary policy remains effective through the cost of credit.
The Association between Various Earnings and Cash Flow Measures of Firm Performance and Stock Returns: some Iranian evidence

The main purpose of this research is the study of association between various measures of firm performance based on earnings and cash flows and stock returns. This research is an applied research, and its design is semi-empirical, which is done by the method of post-event (past information). The statistical population of the research includes all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), and its period is nine consecutive years, from 2003 to 2011. Simple and multiple regressions are applied in order to test the hypotheses. Results of the research represent that earning based measures are more related to stock returns than cash flow based measures. Furthermore, earning based measures depict the company performance better than cash flow measures in some companies with higher accruals. But in companies with lower accruals, the company performance cannot be depicted properly neither by earning based nor cash flow based measures.
Dominant-negative tumor necrosis factor protects from Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) and endotoxin-induced liver injury without compromising host immunity to BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is associated with the development of inflammatory pathologies. Antibodies and soluble TNF (solTNF) receptors that neutralize excessive TNF are effective therapies for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, clinical use of TNF inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of infections. METHODS A novel dominant-negative (DN) strategy of selective TNF neutralization, consisting of blocking solTNF while sparing transmembrane TNF (tmTNF), was tested in mouse models of mycobacterial infection and acute liver inflammation. XENP1595, a DN-TNF biologic, was compared with etanercept, a TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2)-IgG1 Fc fusion protein that inhibits murine solTNF and tmTNF. RESULTS XENP1595 protected mice from acute liver inflammation induced by endotoxin challenge in Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-infected mice, but, in contrast to etanercept, it did not compromise host immunity to acute M. bovis BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in terms of bacterial burden, granuloma formation, and innate immune responses. CONCLUSIONS A selective inhibitor of solTNF efficiently protected mice from acute liver inflammation yet maintained immunity to mycobacterial infections. In contrast, nonselective inhibition of solTNF and tmTNF suppressed immunity to M. bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis. Therefore, selective inhibition of solTNF by DN-TNF biologics may represent a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases without compromising host immunity.
Smooth Sailing?: Passengers' Assessment of Cruise Brand Equity

ABSTRACT This study proposes and tests the influence of the cruise ship brand equity model on behavioral intentions by utilizing the constructs of brand loyalty, image, awareness, message, and perceived quality. The study found overall that brand loyalty and perceived quality were most influential on the behavioral intentions of cruise passengers. Specifically, repeat purchase intentions, the likelihood of recommending the brand to others, and brand preference were found to be significant in the model. The finding is consistent with extant literature which credits brand loyalty with being the most influential variable on cruise passenger's behavioral intentions. Brand image was the most highly correlated construct with behavioral intentions and was found to lack discriminant validity although theory distinguishes the two as separate constructs. The results from this study may be useful to cruise line corporations, particularly in formulating successful marketing campaigns and in encouraging relationship building with customers.
Molecular nature of spontaneous mutations at the hypoxanthine‐guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus in chinese hamster ovary cells

The hypoxanthine‐guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus has been widely used as a selectable genetic marker for studies of mammalian cell mutagenesis. We report here the spontaneous mutation spectrum at the hprt locus in 64 independently isolated mutants of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. All nine hprt exons were simultaneously analyzed via multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid detection of gene deletions or insertions. Structural point mutations were identified by direct sequence analysis of the PCR amplified cDNA. The molecular nature of RNA splicing errors and insertions was analyzed by solid‐phase direct exon sequencing. Single base substitutions were found in 24 mutants (38%), of which 21 were missense and 3 were nonsense mutations. Transversions were about twice as frequent as transitions. Fifteen mutants (23%) had deletions involving either intragenic small fragments (2), single exons (9), or multiple exons (4). The majority of deletion breakpoints (71%) were located in regions surrounding exons 4, 5, and 6. RNA splicing mutations were observed in 15 mutants (23%) and affected exons 3–8; most (6/15) resulted in the loss of exon 7. Two insertion mutants, one with a 209 bp insert in exon 4 and the other with a 88 bp insert accompanied by a 24 bp deletion in exon 6, represent novel mutations reported for the first time in spontaneous mutants of the mammalian hprt gene. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
COUNTING THE INDUSTRIAL-REVOLUTION

In all my experience … I have found how insecure all details of mere figures are upon which to build an argument. … It is easy to add a little here, and subtract a little there; gently to slip in a figure, it may be a cypher, among your data; slyly to make what seems a reasonable postulate in your premises, but which turns out in the result to be a begging of the question-and behold you gain your point, and triumph, until it is found that your adversary, having access to the same stores of arithmetic, just proves his case and refutes yours with the same facility. ’(Lord Brougham, 1849)2
How Markets Slowly Digest Changes in Supply and Demand

In this article we revisit the classic problem of tatonnement in price formation from a microstructure point of view, reviewing a recent body of theoretical and empirical work explaining how fluctuations in supply and demand are slowly incorporated into prices. Because revealed market liquidity is extremely low, large orders to buy or sell can only be traded incrementally, over periods of time as long as months. As a result order flow is a highly persistent long-memory process. Maintaining compatibility with market efficiency has profound consequences on price formation, on the dynamics of liquidity, and on the nature of impact. We review a body of theory that makes detailed quantitative predictions about the volume and time dependence of market impact, the bid-ask spread, order book dynamics, and volatility. Comparisons to data yield some encouraging successes. This framework suggests a novel interpretation of financial information, in which agents are at best only weakly informed and all have a similar and extremely noisy impact on prices. Most of the processed information appears to come from supply and demand itself, rather than from external news. The ideas reviewed here are relevant to market microstructure regulation, agent-based models, cost-optimal execution strategies, and understanding market ecologies.
Health-care expenditure, GDP and share of the elderly in Japan: a panel cointegration analysis

By employing a panel data set of 47 prefectures in Japan, this article investigates the cointegrating relationship between health-care expenditure, GDP and population share of the elderly by using panel cointegration tests developed by Pedroni (1999). Our empirical result shows that there is a cointegrating relationship between the three variables. We also estimate the effects of GDP and share of the elderly on health-care expenditure by employing the group-mean fully modified ordinary least-squares (FMOLS) method of Pedroni (2001) and find that the coefficient on the share of the elderly is positively significant. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the issue of an ageing society to curb rising health-care expenditures in Japan.
Differential signalling of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 by stromal cell‐derived factor 1 and the HIV glycoprotein in rat neurons and astrocytes

CXCR4 is the Gi protein‐linked seven‐transmembrane receptor for the alpha chemokine stromal cell‐derived factor 1 (SDF‐1), a chemoattractant for lymphocytes. This receptor is highly conserved between human and rodent. CXCR4 is also a coreceptor for entry of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in T cells and is expressed in the CNS. To investigate how these CXCR4 ligands influence CNS development and/or function, we have examined the expression and signalling of this chemokine receptor in rat neurons and astrocytes in vitro. CXCR4 transcripts and protein are synthesized by both cell types and in E15 brain neuronal progenitors. In these progenitors, SDF‐1, but not gp120 (the HIV glycoprotein), induced activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs) 1/2 and a dose‐dependent chemotactic response. This chemotaxis was inhibited by Pertussis toxin, which uncouples Gi proteins and the bicyclam AMD3100, a highly selective CXCR4 antagonist, as well as by an inhibitor of the MAP kinase pathway. In differentiated neurons, both SDF‐1 and the glycoprotein of HIV, gp120, triggered activation of ERKs with similar kinetics. These effects were significantly inhibited by Pertussis toxin and the CXCR4 antagonist. Rat astrocytes also responded to SDF‐1 signalling by phosphorylation of ERKs but, in contrast to cortical neurons, no kinase activation was induced by gp120. Thus neurons and astrocytes can respond differently to signalling by SDF‐1 and/or gp120. As SDF‐1 triggers directed migration of neuronal progenitors, this alpha chemokine may play a role in cortex development. In differentiated neurons, both natural and viral ligands of CXCR4 activate ERKs and may therefore influence neuronal function.
Skill-Based Pay: Fad or Classic?

Paying employees based on their skills and abilities rather than their current job is an idea that has been around for more than 25 years. Despite strong support from leading experts, it has not achieved the level of use that many expected. Although it continues to be recommended, usage has actually declined in recent years. This article examines the skill-based pay concept using an innovative tool that applies eight criteria to determine if an idea is a management classic or passing fad. It identifies the reasons why the pay practice has endured, despite bearing the markings of a fad.
The role of agriculture in welfare, income distribution and economic development of the Free State Province of South Africa: A CGE approach

ABSTRACT This article researches quantitatively two distinctive roles of agriculture in the Free State provincial economy: a buffer role and the role of poverty alleviation using a Computable General Equilibrium model. To examine the capacity of the agriculture sector to act as a “buffer” in the presence of a negative external shock to the Free State provincial economy, two different shocks are considered: an increase in the international oil price together with a decrease in the international gold price and a devaluation of South African currency. In these simulations, the agricultural sector does not play a buffer role of absorbing labour displaced from other sectors. Our hypothesis was that in the presence of a negative external shock, the agricultural sector would be able to absorb, to some extent, the negative impact, especially labour. The argument is that when the rest of the economy suffers a slowdown, people will “migrate” back to agriculture and therefore the agricultural sector will grow and increase its labour demand, alleviating the impacts of the crisis. To analyse the impact of the agriculture sector on welfare and income distribution, an increase in agricultural production, industrial production and other sectors is simulated through increased labour productivity. The results suggest that the agricultural sector plays a significant role in reducing poverty and improving income distribution, but considering poverty the results suggest that the manufacturing sector increases income more than other sectors. Our hypothesis is that growth based on agriculture has a greater impact on poor income households than industrial-based growth. The assumption behind this is that more poor households rely on agriculture than on other sectors.
Cumulative Causation, the Welfare State and International Specialisation

We model a small open economy which produces a high-tech and a low-tech good and whose government pursues redistributive policies financed through distortionary taxation. With vertical linkages between sectors and with unionised labour markets, we analyse the effects of welfare state provision on: (1) the pattern of the country’s trade, (2) the depth of the division of labour within the economy, and (3) the country’s welfare. We show that an increase in the size of the welfare state might have positive effects on the country’s income and on the extent to which the country specialises in the high-tech sector. (99 words)
Constrained Fuzzy Hierarchical Analysis for Portfolio Selection Under Higher Moments

Marginal impacts of assets on portfolio higher moments are characterized by triangular fuzzy numbers and then evaluated by fuzzy ranking procedures in order to assemble fuzzy reciprocal matrices that are needed for the constrained fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods. The proposed methodology increases the scope for emphasizing objective quantitative measures, thus alleviating the influence of subjective qualitative factors. Employing constrained fuzzy arithmetic during fuzzy AHP application produces greater precision and reliability compared with applications of the standard fuzzy arithmetic. By reference to higher moments, the investor is able to strategize portfolios so that there is a reduction not only in exposure to normal risk (i.e., volatility) but also to risk of asymmetry (skewness) and the risk of “fat tails” (kurtosis). The efficiency of the proposed approach is highlighted in the ability to handle investor preferences regarding higher moment risks. More optimal values for a particular risk can be obtained if that risk is of more concern. Moreover, in terms of obtaining portfolio diversification, the method is shown to be more useful than conventional optimization models.
Multi-Temporal Airborne LiDAR-Survey and Field Measurements of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest to Monitor Changes

Natural tropical peat swamp forests are important for their rich biodiversity and serve as a huge carbon pool. However, peat swamp forests are decreasing due to deforestation, conversion into farm land, excessive draining, the use of shifting cultivation on a large scale, illegal logging, forest fire and palm oil plantation. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) also termed airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data is nowadays a good single sensor to investigate bio-geophysical parameters in remote tropical rain forest areas (e.g. tree canopy height which is strongly correlated with above ground biomass). Bi-temporal airborne LiDAR data acquired in August 2007 and August 2011 were used to characterize peat swamp forest changes located in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. We measured the tree height and Canopy Height Model (CHM) with LiDAR, segmented the canopies and then compared the tree height with the field measurements. Additionally, we collected ground field measurements at Sabangau forest transect in order to characterize some biophysical properties of different peat swamp forest physiognomies such as diameter at breast height (DBH), tree-height, leaf area index (LAI), crown coverage and above ground biomass (AGB). From the bi-temporal LiDAR Data we analyzed the forest regrowth and the peat subsidence. This work can be promising in the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) framework of knowledge of tropical PSF. The LiDAR technology supports the MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) aspect of REDD+.
The drivers for collective horizontal coopetition: a case study of screwcap initiatives in the international wine industry

This paper investigates antecedents for forming collective horizontal coopetition, where all or most major competitors in an industry cooperate to achieve a common goal while competing with each other in other areas of business. The purposes of this paper are: 1) to gain an understanding of how coopetition emerges within an industry using a case study of the screwcap initiative in the Australian, New Zealand and US wine industries; 2) to develop a conceptual model that describes the factors that lead to coopetition among horizontal competitors at the industry level. The following five factors are found to facilitate formation of this type of collective horizontal coopetition: strategic common goals, greater expected collective benefits, safeguards against knowledge transfer, intra-industry complementarities and strong ties in cooperative networks. These factors are presented as propositions. Then, theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.