Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Political Economy of Corporate Control

In a democracy, a political majority can influence both the corporategovernance structure and the return to human and financial capital.We argue that when financial wealth is sufficiently diffused, thereis political support for a strong governance role for dispersed equitymarket investors, and low labor rents. When financial wealth is concentrated,a political majority prefers high labor rents and a strongergovernance role for banks or large investors, even at the cost of profits.The intuition is that labor claims are exposed to undiversifiable risk,so voters with low financial stakes prefer investors who choose lowerrisk strategies. The model may explain the ”great reversal” phenomenonin the first half of the 20th century (Rajan and Zingales, 2003). We argue that in several financially developed countries a financiallyweakened middle class became concerned about labor income risk associatedwith free markets and supported a more corporatist financialsystem. We offer suggestive evidence using post WW1 inflationaryshocks as the source of identifying exogenous variation. See also publication in the 'Journal of Political Economy' , 2006, 114(1) 145-175.
Lipid and Lipoprotein Cardiovascular Risk Factor Responses to Episodic Academic Stress

Substantial evidence indicates that mental stress has adverse effects on serum lipid levels and cardiovascular health. This study examined the effects of final medical degree examinations (mental stress) on serum lipid and lipoprotein cardiovascular risk factors in African medical students. Twenty-seven healthy male and female medical students had lipids, lipoproteins, urea and uric acid assessments before and during final year examination. The results showed that black African medical students had adverse lipoprotein changes characterized by reduction in the levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDLC) and HDLC/total cholesterol (TC) ratio [coronary heart disease (CHD) risk predictor index] during examinations, while mean urea level decreased from the baseline. These findings provide an opportunity for better planning of the nutritional requirements (vis-a-vis increase in protein intake) for medical students during examinations. They will also guide academic curriculum planners on how to work out strategies to reduce mental stress and its associated metabolic disturbances among the students during examinatinos, throughout the period of their medical training. In all, these findings will add to our knowledge of the numerous factors that may affect lipid and lipoprotein changes in African subjects.
Single-Step Genetic Evaluations in the Australian Sheep Industry

The main benefit of genomic selection for Australian sheep is to increase the accuracy of estimates of genetic merit for hard to measure traits including carcass, adult wool and reproduction traits. An extensive genotyped reference population, combined with a significant number of genotyped and phenotyped animals from ram breeding flocks enables genomic predictions with improved accuracies. Genomically enhanced breeding values have now been transitioned from a mixture of blending and independent single-trait single-step methods into full multiple-trait single-step analyses covering most traits evaluated. Key challenges to achieve this were: weighting of pedigree and genomic information, achieving acceptable run times, and estimation of breeding value accuracy from genomic contributions. The new analyses have been shown to significantly improve the prediction of progeny performance across most traits. Future developments will evaluate alternate models for incorporating genomic information, ability to include genotyped animals without any pedigree and phenotypic information, and development of single-step analyses for reproduction traits.
Interactive effects of diversity, nutrients and elevated CO2 on experimental plant communities

The effects of species richness and elevated CO 2 on community productivity under altered nutrient levels were studied in experimental herbaceous communities composed of species from the Midwestern United States annual community, which consists of three functional groups C 3 , C 4 and N-fixers. Aboveground and below-ground biomass were measured at flowering stage and at the end of the experiment when fruits of most plants were ripe. At the low nutrient level, species richness did not have a significant effect on community productivity. However, at the high nutrient level, the community biomass decreased with decreasing species richness at both ambient and elevated CO 2 in the first harvest, and at elevated CO 2 in the second harvest. At low nutrient level, CO 2 slightly increased community biomass at medium and high species richness. At high nutrient level, CO 2 significantly increased community biomass in all species-richness treatments in the first harvest, but a significant response was observed only in the high richness treatment in the second harvest. At the functional group level, biomass of C 3 responded positively to CO 2 , and C 4 responded very negatively to CO 2 . The N-fixers responded positively to CO 2 at low and medium species richness, but negatively at high species richness, showing a CO 2 x richness interaction. CO 2 increased species evenness in the communities, depending on nutrient level. Species varied in the responses of light-saturated net photosynthesis (P max ) to elevated CO 2 , even within functional groups. Our findings suggest that (1) the relationship between productivity and species diversity was dependent on nutrient levels. (2) Species diversity enhances responses of communities to elevated CO 2 . (3) Harvest time can affect the results of diversity-productivity experiments. (4) Responses of C 3 , C 4 , and N-fixers to elevated CO 2 in communities did not follow the prediction based on functional groups or plants grown individually, rather it depended on species richness.
The Effect of TQM on firm Performance: Empirical Study in Jordanian Private Airlines

The purpose of this study was to explre the relationship between total quality management and firm performance, i.e. quality, business and organizational performance in Jordanian private airlines. The design of this study has a quantitative approach. Data was obtained by questionnaire instrument. The respondents of this study are all employees in quality department, maintenance department, human resource department, and operation department. The number of population was 480 employees. Random sampling was used in the study. 340 completed questionnaires were analyzed as a final sample. Three hypotheses have been developed through literature review and tested using descriptive statistical analysis performed by SPSS. The results show that total quality management practices have a positive and significant impact on business, quality, and organizational performance in Jordanian private airlines. The study reports that effective implementation of total quality management practices results in enhancing airline performance. The major limitation of this study is that the study asked for perceived data about actual TQM practices and performance measures, but the respondents might have given desired data, which made their companies sound good, most of the respondents were non managers and from different departments in addition to the quality department, who might not understand to answer the questions accurately. Another limitation was that business performance tenets were measured by using one question per each tenet. Future research may investigate those TQM practices and performance measures in another Jordanian industry.
Determinants of Bank Closures: Do Changes of Camel Variables Matter?

This study examines whether changes in CAMEL variables matter in explaining bank closure. Using a unique set of monthly bank-specific balance sheet data from Russia, we estimate determinants of bank license withdrawals during 2013m7-2017m7. We make two key findings. First, changes in CAMEL indicators are always significantly correlated with probability of bank closure, and the magnitude of parameter estimates decreases with the lag length. Second, while the one-month lagged levels of capital, earnings, and liquidity are significantly associated with the probability of bank closure in the subsequent month, the level of liquidity is the only significant indicator for longer lags. Our key contribution that changes in CAMEL variables matter more than levels is robust to various robustness checks.
Using grounded theory for theory building in operations management research: a study on inter-firm relationship governance

Purpose – Qualitative theory building approaches, such as grounded theory method (GTM), are still not very widespread and rigorously applied in operations management (OM) research. Yet it is agreed that more systematic observation of current industrial phenomena is necessary to help managers deal with their problems. The purpose of this paper is to provide an example to help guide other researchers on using GTM for theory building in OM research. Design/methodology/approach – A GTM study in the German automotive industry consisting of 31 interviews is followed by a validation stage comprising a survey (110 responses) and a focus group. Findings – The result is an example of conducting GTM research in OM, illustrated by the development of the novel collaborative enterprise governance framework for inter-firm relationship governance in the German automotive industry. Research limitations/implications – GTM is appropriate for qualitative theory building research, but the resultant theories need further testing. Research is necessary to identify the transferability of the collaborative enterprise governance concept to other industries than automotive, to other organisational areas than R&D and to product and service settings that are less complex and innovative. Practical implications – The paper helps researchers make more informed use of GTM when engaging in qualitative theory building research in OM. Originality/value – There is a lack of explicit and well-informed use of GTM in OM research because of poor understanding. This paper addresses this deficiency. The collaborative enterprise governance framework is a significant contribution in an area of growing importance within OM.
A Determination of Vitamin D Status and Intake of Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Saudi Arabian Women in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the present study was to determine serum 25(OH)D and PTH concentrations as well as vitamin D and Ca dietary intake in healthy pregnant (P) (n=48) and non-pregnant (NP) (n=70) Saudi Arabian women who reside in MeccaSaudi Arabia. Age, occupation, skin color, smoking status, use of sunscreen, use of supplements, and sun exposure were correlated to vitamin D status. Dietary and supplement intake was assessed. Among the participants, 50.8% (35% P, 65% NP) women had 25(OH)D concentration that were ≤ 11 ng/mL. PTH concentrations were normal in 60.2% and high in 37% of the participants. Dietary vitamin D intake was normal, whereas dietary Ca intake was extremely low. Positive correlations were shown to exist between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and the use of supplements, avoidance of smoking, and the length of exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency appears to be prevalent among P and NP Saudi women.
Networks, Information and Brokerage: The Diversity-Bandwidth Tradeoff

We propose that a trade-off between network diversity and communications bandwidth regulates access to novel information. As the structural diversity of a network increases, the bandwidth of its communication channels decrease, creating countervailing effects on the receipt of novel information. This trade-off occurs because more diverse networks, presumed to provide more information novelty, typically contain weaker ties. Weaker ties imply fewer opportunities for interaction and less total information flow. Information advantages to brokerage then depend on (a) whether the information overlap among alters is small enough to justify bridging structural holes, (b) whether the size of the topic space known to alters is large enough to consistently provide novelty, and (c) whether the knowledge stock of alters refreshes enough over time to justify updating what was previously known. We test these arguments by combining social network and performance data with direct observation of the information content flowing through e-mail at a medium-sized executive recruiting firm. We find that brokers with bridging ties to disparate parts of a social network can have disadvantaged access to novel information because their lower bandwidth communication curbs the total volume of novelty they receive. These analyses suggest that information benefits to brokerage depend on the information environments in which brokers find themselves and that we should embrace a more nuanced view of how information flows in social networks. The methods developed serve as ‘proof-of-concept’ for using e-mail content data to analyze relationships among information flows, networks and social capital.
Are We There Yet? Improving Solar PV Economics and Power Planning in Developing Countries: The Case of Kenya

Despite the rapid decline in the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the past five years, even recent academic research suggests that the cost of generating PV electricity remains too high for PV to make a meaningful contribution to the generation of grid electricity in developing countries. This assessment is reflected in the views of policymakers throughout Africa, who often consider PV as a technology suited only to remote locations and small-scale applications. This paper therefore analyzes whether, in contrast to conventional wisdom, PV is already competitive with other generation technologies. Analytically, the paper is based on a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) model to calculate the cost of PV electricity in Kenya, which serves as a case study. Based on actual technology costs and Kenya's solar resource, the LCOE from PV is estimated at USD 0.21/kWh for the year 2011, with scenario results ranging from USD 0.17–0.30/kWh. This suggests that the LCOE of grid-connected PV systems may already be below that of the most expensive conventional power plants, i.e. medium-speed diesel generators and gas turbines, which account for a large share of Kenya's current power mix. This finding implies that researchers and policymakers may be mistaken in perceiving solar PV as a costly niche technology, rather than a feasible option for the expansion of power generation in developing countries.
The Effects of Pulsed Exposures of Suspended Clay on the Survival, Growth, and Reproduction of Daphnia magna

Suspended sediments are a natural component of aquatic ecosystems but anthropogenic activity such as land development can result in significant increases, especially following rain events due to surface erosion. Continuous exposures of suspended clay and silt have been shown to effect growth and reproduction of Cladocera, leading to a decrease in population growth rate. The mechanism of clay toxicity in these filter-feeding organisms is clogging of the gut tract resulting in decreased food uptake and assimilation. When placed in clean water, daphnids can purge clay from their gut and recover. In many surface waters, aquatic organisms experience episodic exposures of high concentrations of suspended solids driven by rain events. However, little is known about the consequences of pulsed exposures on individuals and populations. The objective of the present study was to characterize the effects of continuous and pulsed exposures of natural and defined clays on survival, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna. Two defined clays, montmorillonite and kaolinite, as well as clay isolated from the Piedmont Region of South Carolina, USA were used. Continuous exposures of clays elicited a dose dependent decrease in survival. Toxicity varied depending on clay source with montmorillonite > natural clay > kaolinite. Pulsed exposures caused a decrease in survival in a 24 h exposure of 734 mg/L kaolinite. Exposure to 73.9 mg/L also caused an increase in the time to gravidity although there was not a corresponding decrease in neonate production over 21 d. No significant effects
Simultaneous Removal of MTBE and Benzene from Contaminated Groundwater Using Ultraviolet-Based Ozone and Hydrogen Peroxide

Efficiency of ultraviolet-ozone (UV/O3) and ultraviolet-hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) processes was investigated for simultaneous removal of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and benzene from contaminated ground water. The photoreactor employed housed 15-watt low pressure (LP) and 150-watt medium pressure (MP) mercury UV lamps. Oxidation of contaminants was studied at two different levels of ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Brackish groundwater samples were spiked with MTBE and benzene up to a concentration of 500 μg L−1. Removal potential was evaluated at different parameters such as UV type and intensity and peroxide and ozone dosages, as well as contact time. Results indicated that no removal of the contaminants was attained when treated with hydrogen peroxide or ozone alone. However, about 50% and 30% removal of MTBE were achieved in 30 minutes when irradiated with MP-UV and LP-UV lamps, respectively. On the other hand, UV/H2O2 process was found to be superior in removal of MTBE (90% in 10 min.) and benzene (95% in 5 min.) compared to UV/O3 process. Furthermore, removal of benzene was comparatively easier than MTBE in both approaches. It is hence concluded that higher UV intensities and elevated doses of H2O2 accelerate simultaneous removal of MTBE and benzene from water.
Effects of host plant species on the development and reproduction of Neoseiulus bicaudus (Phytoseiidae) feeding on Tetranychus turkestani (Tetranychidae)

Abstract The leaf structure of the host plant can affect the development and reproduction of the predatory enemies of spider mites. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of five host plant species [cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)] on the development and reproduction of Neoseiulus bicaudus feeding on Tetranychus turkestani. There were significant differences in the characteristics of trichomes on the surfaces of the host plant species. Tomato leaves had the greatest trichome density (782 trichomes/cm2) whereas green bean leaves had the least density (58 trichomes/cm2). Cucumber had the longest trichomes (1.58 mm) and green bean had the shortest (0.14 mm). N. bicaudus developed into adulthood and completed its development on all five plant species. The total immature period of N. bicaudus feeding on T. turkestani was shortest (5.07 d) on tomato. N. bicaudus on cucumber had the longest previposition period (2.78 d) and the shortest oviposition period (11.96 days). Total fecundity was highest on green bean (42.4 eggs/day/female) and lowest on cucumber (20.81 eggs/day/female). The female/male sex ratio was highest on cucumber (0.76) and lowest on tomato (0.65). The net reproductive rate (R0) was 14.55 on cucmber, 23.54 on cotton, 21.79 on eggplant, 24.05 on tomato, and 34.61 on green bean. In conclusion, among the five host plant species in this study, green bean was best and cucumber was worst for the development and reproduction of N. bicaudus preying on T. turkestani.
Social choice of convex risk measures through Arrovian aggregation of variational preferences

This paper studies collective decision making with regard to convex risk measures: It addresses the question whether there exist nondictatorial aggregation functions of convex risk measures satisfying Arrow-type rationality axioms (weak universality, systematicity, Pareto principle). Herein, convex risk measures are identified with variational preferences on account of the Maccheroni-Marinacci-Rustichini (2006) axiomatisation of variational preference relations and the Follmer- Schied (2002, 2004) representation theorem for concave monetary utility functionals. We prove a variational analogue of Arrow's impossibility theorem for finite electorates. For infinite electorates, the possibility of rational aggregation depends on a uniform continuity condition for the variational preference profiles; we prove variational analogues of both Campbell's impossibility theorem and Fishburn's possibility theorem. The proof methodology is based on a model-theoretic approach to aggregation theory inspired by Lauwers-Van Liedekerke (1995). An appendix applies the Dietrich-List (2010) analysis of majority voting to the problem of variational preference aggregation.
Strategies for the molecular genetic manipulation and visualization of the human fungal pathogen Penicillium marneffei

P. marneffei has been established as an experimentally amenable system to study morphogenesis and pathogenicity. This paper describes the development of a number of tools, including numerous selectable markers, to expand the ease with which it can be genetically manipulated. Combined with strains engineered for homologous recombination of exogenous DNA, these tools facilitate efficient molecular genetic studies.
Heart and skeletal muscle insulin resistance but not myocardial blood flow reserve could be related to chronic use of thiazolidione in patients with type-2 diabetes

Heart and skeletal muscle insulin resistance and abnormal myocardial flow reserve (MFR) occurs in patients with type-II diabetes. Improvement of heart and skeletal muscle insulin resistance with rosiglitazone use over 16 weeks have been reported. However, it is not clear whether chronic use of troglitazone can improve heart and skeletal muscle insulin resistance and MFR. Materials and Methods: To test the hypothesis whether effects of troglitazone on heart and skeletal muscle insulin resistance and MFR in patients with type-II diabetes, rest and dipyridamole stress perfusion positron emission tomography (PET) with 13N-ammonia and heart and skeletal muscle 18FDG PET scans under insulin clamping were undertaken before and 12 month after the initiation of troglitazone therapy (400 mg/day) in 23 patients with type-II diabetes. Twenty patients with type-II diabetes without CAD and without medications were served as controls. In controls, any medications were not added from the first PET study and 12 months after the second PET study. Results: Baseline myocardial blood flow (MBF) was comparable before and after the troglitazone group as was the controls. MBF during dipyridamole administration (0.56 mg/min/kg) was not significantly improved in troglitazone group and controls. MFR was not improved in troglitazone group and controls. In troglitazone group, whole body glucose disposal rate (GDR; μmole/min/kg) significantly improved (pre; 19.0 ± 9.55, post; 28.7 ± 15.3, p as did the skeletal muscle glucose utilization rate (SMGU (μmole/min/kg); pre; 20.3 ± 12.0, post; 34.8 ± 10.6, p insulin resistance is implicated in patients with type-II diabetes and impaired MFR is uncoupled with insulin resistance in the whole body and heart and skeletal muscle in patients with type-II diabetes.