Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Groundnut Export Tax in Senegal: Winners and Losers

Groundnuts are the most common cash crop and the main source of income for farmers in Senegal. Previously marginal, groundnut exports surged between 2011 and 2013. This new dynamic motivated the Government of Senegal to introduce a tax on groundnut exports in 2017. Senegal is a price-taker in the international groundnut market. Thus, the ex-ante simulation of the export tax on groundnuts results in a decreasing surplus for groundnut producers, while the surpluses of groundnut processors, the Government, and consumers increase. However, the positive effect on consumers is reversed if the introduction of the export tax is associated with a public investment-led groundnut productivity increase. The tax appears to be biased in favor of the export-oriented groundnut oil industry. Although the groundnut productivity increase mitigates the producersâ€™ loss, it widens the benefit accruing to the groundnut processors. The induced increase of groundnut oil exports and the exchange rate effect exacerbate the producersâ€™ loss. The associated negative income effect exceeds the positive price effect, leading to a decline in consumersâ€™ surplus. Therefore, the introduction of an export tax does not necessarily increase consumersâ€™ surplus in a country with weak market power. The economic structure and the external trade features of the country are as relevant as the fiscal policy decisions associated with the implementation of the trade reform.
Individuals have unique muscle activation signatures as revealed during gait and pedaling.

Although it is known that the muscle activation patterns used to produce even simple movements can vary between individuals, these differences have not been considered to prove the existence of individual muscle activation strategies (signatures). We used a machine learning approach (support vector machine) to test the hypothesis that each individual has unique muscle activation signatures. Eighty participants performed a series of pedaling and gait tasks. 53 of these participants performed a second experimental session on a subsequent day. Myoelectrical activity was measured from 8 muscles: vastus lateralis and medialis, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius lateralis and medialis, soleus, tibialis anterior, biceps femoris-long head. The classification task involved separating data into training and testing sets. For the within-day classification, each pedaling/gait cycle was tested using the classifier, which had been trained on the remaining cycles. For the between-day classification, each cycle from day 2 was tested using the classifier, which had been trained on the cycles from day 1.When considering all 8 muscles, the activation profiles were assigned to the corresponding individuals with a classification rate of up to 99.28% (2353/2370 cycles) and 91.22%(2343/2370 cycles) for the within-day and between-day classification, respectively. When considering the within-day classification, a combination of 2 muscles was sufficient to obtain a classification rate >80% for both pedaling and gait. When considering between-day classification, a combination of 4-5 muscles was sufficient to obtain a classification rate >80% for pedaling and gait. These results demonstrate that strategies not only vary between individuals, but are unique to each individual.
Limits‐To‐Arbitrage, Investment Frictions, and the Investment Effect: New Evidence

We perform a total of 480 tests to systematically examine the performance of the q-theory versus mispricing explanation for investment and profitability effects. Comparing to previous studies, our tests have numerous improvements in terms of specifications, interpretations, generality, biasedness, and statistical power. We find that both q-theory and mispricing have merits in explaining the investment effect. However, mispricing tends to lead q-theory in explaining the investment effect. In contrast, q-theory tends to be an important driver for the profitability effect, while mispricing seems not. All these results are not specific to a particular measure of investment or profitability.
The effect of addition sweet orange essential oil and penicillin in tris yolk extender to Simmental liquid semen against percentage motility, viability and abnormalities of spermatozoa

One of the causes a poor quality of liquid semen is increasing bacterial growth. The addition of sweet orange essential oil and penicillin in Simmental liquid semen is expected to improve the quality of liquid semen because it contains antibacterial. The purpose of this research is to know the value of the percentage of motility, viability and spermatozoa abnormalities in Simmental liquid semen with an addition of combination penicillin with sweet orange essential oil on tris yolk extender. The research hypothesis is the addition of combination penicillin with sweet orange essential oil to tris yolk extender can increase the value of the percentage of motility, viability and spermatozoa abnormalities in Simmental liquid semen. Materials used in this study is the Simmental fresh semen, tris yolk extender, penicillin, and sweet orange essential oil. The experimental design used randomized design with 5 treatments and 5 replications. Treatment on the research is the addition of sweet orange essential oil 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1%. The parameters observed were the evaluation of motility, viability and abnormality spermatozoa before equilibration and after equilibration. The results showed the best result was the addition of 1% sweet orange essential oil and the lowest on the addition of 0% sweet orange essential oil before and after equilibration.
Do rope and washer pumps provide safe water and satisfied users? A case study piloting new rural water supply technology in Rumphi District, Malawi

Innovation is needed to develop rural water supply to support sub-Saharan Africa communities that are hard to reach. The purpose of this study was to critically review rope and washer pumps that have been installed on manually drilled boreholes in 48 communities as part of a pilot project in Rumphi District, Malawi, and which serve as a sustainable source of drinking water from both technical (water quality and functionality) and social (user satisfaction) perspectives. At each water source, an infrastructure checklist was used (n = 48); 10 users were interviewed (n = 472); and, if the pump had water, water quality samples were collected (n = 24). The results show that use of a professional driller does not guarantee a functioning rope and washer pump that produces safe water. Where the pumps were functional, most provided safe drinking water. However, only 8% (4/48) of pumps had good water quality, a flow rate of >20 L/min and a full consensus of positive satisfaction among users. Pumps are not necessarily working better or worse in more remote areas. A process of introducing and creating evaluative guidelines for new (approved) technologies for rural water supply has not been established in Malawi. Sub-Saharan African governments need to be open to innovative solutions while making sure that standards, including those for functionality, water quality, user satisfaction, private operators, and human capacity for local government regulators, are being followed to ensure safe water for rural communities.
Improving strategic decision making with big data-based media analysis - the case of coal power

Big-data based methods are developed to aid corporate decision-making. This study utilises big-data based global media-analysis to clarify the role of coal-power related media-image in company decision-making. Opinion mining by a specific software tool for media-analysis and monitoring is utilised. The analysis bases on the notion that the media-image of company products - or specific technologies - may impact corporate investment and divestment decisions in the energy sector. The assumption is that coal-power related media-image may cause corporate brandimage pressures. The findings indicate that the general media-sentiment towards coal-power is negative, possibly influencing corporate decisions. The large negative media-sentiment towards coal-power may override the benefits of developing cleaner coal-power and related technologies such as carbon capture and storage and utilisation. The negative media-sentiment towards coal-power may mitigate the more positive image of related less-known technologies. Evidence is provided on the media-impact of coal-power related divestment decisions and potential impacts on decision making.
Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons. Despite Africa’s widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region’s challenges remain daunting: economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa. Accelerating poverty reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth - critical yet insufficient components of these objectives - to ask what more can be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a jobs lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable - that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.
Knowledge Attitude and Practice towards Pharmaceutical Care in Community Pharmacy in Saudi Arabia

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of towards pharmaceutical care for pharmacists working in community pharmacy in Alqassim region in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mthedology: Two hundred twenty four pharmacists were included using a pretested self administered questionnaire designed to carry out a cross-sectional descriptive study. Results: The response rate was 63%, there were (52.7%) of the pharmacists think that they are knowledgeable about pharmaceutical care. The majority of the pharmacists (77.7%) think that pharmaceutical care is the pharmacist responsibility. Taking patients’ medication history is a service often/always provided by (54.5%) of the pharmacists. The most important barriers to provide pharmaceutical care are overload of responsibilities (86.8%), lack of clinical knowledge of disease states (50%), and lack of technical knowledge on how to provide Pharmaceutical care (47%). Conclusion: The current pharmaceutical care situation in community pharmacies in Alqassim Original Research Article Ahmed and AL-Wahibi; BJMMR, 15(9): 1-9, 2016; Article no.BJMMR. 23920 2 needs further improvement by improving pharmacist information regarding medications and disease states, and overcoming barriers to provide pharmaceutical care are useful.
Unequal Returns to Education: How Female Teachers Narrow the Gender Gap in Political Knowledge

Where it concerns traditional political knowledge, on average, men have outscored women. Research indicates that part of the knowledge gap originates before adulthood, and convincing work indicates it is likely the result of unequal returns to education. Yet, no research that we know has examined the role of educators. Given research about representative bureaucracy and how a gender match between student and teacher improves girls’ performance in fields that they may otherwise perceive as dominated by men, we examine the theory’s application to political knowledge. Using administrative data from five cohorts of public school students in North Carolina, we test the hypothesis that female students will do better on a state exam in civics and economics when their teacher is a woman. Results of our analyses support the hypothesis by revealing a small but significant narrowing of the gap in test scores when students have a female teacher.
Effect of grain processing on nutritional and physico-chemical, functional and pasting properties of amaranth and quinoa flours

Amaranth and quinoa are the ancient crops known for their excellent nutritional profile. Impact of different processing treatments including cooking, germination and roasting of grains on their flour properties was investigated in present study. Flours of raw and treated grains were analyzed for their physicochemical, functional, pasting and anti-nutritional factors. Results revealed that amaranth and quinoa flours are good source of protein and minerals. Mineral content reduced while water and oil absorption capacities of flours increased following the grain treatments. Processing of grains resulted in reduction of saponin and tannin content of grains of both the crops that improved the overall eatable quality of flours. Raw amaranth flour was whiter in color exhibiting higher values of L* and lower values of b* than quinoa flour. Germination caused significant increase in protein and decrease in fat content of flours of amaranth and quinoa. RVA curves showed that peak viscosity, trough viscosity and final viscosity of amaranth and quinoa flours were higher than the raw quinoa flour. Peak viscosity and trough viscosity of amaranth and quinoa flours decreased after processing of grains.
Firm dynamics in an global and uncertain economy

In this dissertation, I study firm dynamics in the context of a global and uncertain economy. In the first chapter, I show how uncertainty generates reallocation among French multinationals. In a second chapter, I study how an increase in demand uncertainty negatively impacts firm growth and how the persistence of this effect depends on the synchronicity of the firm dynamic with that of the other firms in its sector. Finally in the third chapter, I highlight how the extensive margin of international trade contribute to shape the direction, quantity and content of the international transmission of knowledge.
Analysis of natural gas vehicle acceptance behavior for Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) have been regarded as one of the most promising alternatives to tackle the concern on energy dependence and climate change. Despite various efforts in promoting NGVs, the acceptance of NGVs as an alternative fuel vehicle still remains as a challenge to many countries (including Malaysia). As such, an up-to-date and in-depth analysis is certainly required to analyze the market penetration of NGVs especially in the developing countries. In particular for the context of Malaysia, this paper aims to examine the acceptance behavior of private car users on NGVs (in comparison to conventional vehicle) for which the targeted respondents comprises current NGV users as well as non-NGV users. The acceptance behavior analysis also examines numerous aspects in affecting the perceptions of car users on NGV usage. Besides, the intention of NGV users to recommend NGV to the others is investigated. The acceptance behavior analysis is carried out by using discrete choice approach based on the undertaken revealed and stated preference survey. Concisely, the results show that it is promising to boost the NGV usage in Malaysia. The findings revealed that the perceptions of car users towards NGV usage are greatly influenced by numerous factors, namely government policy, market value of NGV, convenience & accessibility, green & technology concern and also the influence of family, friends & colleagues. It is anticipated that the findings are useful to the stakeholders, especially policy makers, in stimulating the usage of NGVs.
Modelling dependency structures of crude oil prices and stock markets of developed and developing countries: A C-vine copula approach

This paper aims to investigate the impact of oil price on the stock price of developed countries (represented by the Group of seven) and the stock price of developing countries (represented by BRICS) by using C-vine copula approach. A C-vine based GJR-GARCH is used to measure the conditional dependence between stock price and oil price and investigate the difference between developed countries and developing countries. The empirical evidence shows that G7 and BRICS countries have a positive and significant dependence between oil returns, and there is an even stronger dependence between oil returns for the G7 countries. Some countries in the developed and the developing countries have the tail relationship in the low market or in bear market, further, both groups do not have a relationship with oil return when the stock is in a boom market.
Beyond Cheap Talk: Management's Informative Tone in Corporate Disclosures

This study investigates the information content of Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) reports of listed Chinese companies. We develop a Chinese word dictionary and measure the tones of MD&As. Our results indicate that tone is positively associated with future earnings and is particularly useful when a firm's future prospect is uncertain, accounting information is difficult to understand, or board monitoring is strong. Further analyses show that tone also predicts future cash flow, future sales growth, market reactions, analysts’ revisions, and institutional investors’ shareholdings. Together, we provide robust evidence that in emerging markets such as China, management tone conveys valuable information beyond cheap talk.
Motivational factors for educational tourism: marketing insights

Abstract Intertwined with other structural changes, are policies to increase the number of international students to diversify tourism activities into what is known as educational tourism (edutourism). Of immediate relevance to this article is the implementation of policies and strategies to attract students from all over the world. Unfortunately, these policies are partially implemented opting out important factors, as such this article attempt to conceptualize the motivational factors associated with edu-tourism. Data garnered from foreign students in North Cyprus suggest that cost, quality, environmental, regulatory, cultural, political, safety and social factors are key factors for edu-tourism. The outcome in this study will help policy makers determine the factors that influence the choice of tertiary institutions in North Cyprus associated with a particular geodemographic setup. This will also enable policy makers to create a tailor made persuasive strategies, policies, adverts and messages to increase their market share.
Long-Horizon stock returns predictability : evidence from the Stock Exchange of Thailand

Title of Dissertation Long-Horizon Stock Returns Predictability: Evidence from the Stock Exchange of Thailand Author Miss Suthawan Prukumpai Degree Doctor of Philosophy (Finance) Year 2012 The primary purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the behavior of the stock returns over long horizons using the data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand. In Chapter 2, the long-run relationship between stock prices and dividends is investigated. The null hypothesis of no cointegration using both the Engle-Granger and Johansen cointegration tests cannot be rejected; however, when the structural break is addressed, the Gregory-Hansen cointegration test reports the significant evidence of the long-run relationship between stock prices and dividends. Chapter 3 explores the evidence of structural break in dividend-price ratio. The Bai and Perron’s (1998) structural break test shows that there is one break located on October 1986. The results show that the long-horizon returns predictability is strong and increasing over time horizons. Moreover, the information of structural break both in mean of predictor and in cointegrating relationship is important and hence should not be ignored. These findings explain the weak evidence of return predictability in past literatures, in which those models were misspecified. Chapter 4 further examines the relationship between stock prices and dividends in VAR and VECM. The issue of permanent and transitory components in stock prices and dividends has been emphasized in particular. Interestingly, the results from IRFs show that the effect of price shock is dried out quickly over time while that of dividend shock is not. These imply that the price shock has temporary effect whereas the dividend shock has permanent effect. In addition, the results from VD provide evidence that most of fluctuation in stock prices can be explained by their own innovation. In other words, the stock prices move according to price shocks or discount rate shocks similar to those reported in Cochrane (1994, 2011). In summary, stock prices gradually revert back to their long-term equilibrium and dividends are unpredictable.
Exponential-Type GARCH Models With Linear-in-Variance Risk Premium

Abstract One of the implications of the intertemporal capital asset pricing model is that the risk premium of the market portfolio is a linear function of its variance. Yet, estimation theory of classical GARCH-in-mean models with linear-in-variance risk premium requires strong assumptions and is incomplete. We show that exponential-type GARCH models such as EGARCH or Log-GARCH are more natural in dealing with linear-in-variance risk premia. For the popular and more difficult case of EGARCH-in-mean, we derive conditions for the existence of a unique stationary and ergodic solution and invertibility following a stochastic recurrence equation approach. We then show consistency and asymptotic normality of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator under weak moment assumptions. An empirical application estimates the dynamic risk premia of a variety of stock indices using both EGARCH-M and Log-GARCH-M models. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
The Global Economic Crisis and International Tourism: A Sub-Continental Analysis

ABSTRACT This work conducts a comparative analysis of the main international tourism indicators on a sub-continental level from 2000 to 2016. The aim is to analyze the recent evolution of tourism growth in different areas and determine to what extent it has been affected by the economic crisis. The study simultaneously identifies which large regions and sub-continental areas have experienced greater positive and negative variation in their global positioning as tourist destinations. For these sub-continental areas, a panel data model is estimated to determine which tourist sector variables have the greatest influence on arrivals and revenues and whether they do so differently during the years of economic crisis.