Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of R&D in Productivity Growth: The Case of Agriculture in New Zealand: 1927 to 2001

Productivity growth is a key determinant of rising living standards. The agricultural sector has been an important contributor to the overall growth of productivity in New Zealand. The average rate of multifactor productivity growth in agriculture from 1926-27 to 2000-01 was 1.8%. We find evidence that this rate has been increasing especially since the reforms of the 1980s. This paper estimates the contribution that R&D has made to agricultural productivity. It develops a theoretical framework based on the stock of knowledge available to producers. This model incorporates foreign stocks of knowledge and the spill-in effect for New Zealand. The estimation allows for extended lag effects of research spending on productivity. We find that foreign knowledge is consistently an important factor in explaining the growth of productivity. It appears that the agricultural sector relies heavily on drawing on the foreign stock of knowledge generated off-shore. The contribution of domestic knowledge generated by New Zealand’s investment in R&D is less clear cut. However, there is typically a significant positive relation between domestic knowledge and the growth of productivity. We find a wide range of estimates of the return to domestic R&D. The results are sensitive to the type of model used and the specification of the variables. Based on our preferred model we estimate that investment in domestic R&D has generated an annual rate of return of 17%. The results underscore the importance of foreign knowledge in a small open economy. The very existence of foreign knowledge may be a necessary condition for achieving productivity growth in a small open economy. However in no way could it be argued that this was sufficient. Having a domestic capability that can receive and process the spill-ins from foreign knowledge is vital to capturing the benefits. The challenge is to be able to isolate those effects from aggregate data for the agricultural sector. In that task we claim only modest success.
Coordination in Games with Strategic Complementarities: An Experiment on Fixed vs. Random Matching

In this article, we study behavior in a series of two‐player supply chain game experiments. Each player simultaneously chooses a capacity before demand is realized, and sales are given by the minimum of realized demand and chosen capacities. We focus on the differences in behavior under fixed pairs and random rematching. Intuition suggests that long‐run relations should lead to more profitable outcomes. However, our results go against this intuition. While subjects' capacity choices are better aligned (i.e., closer together) under fixed pairs, average profits are more variable. Moreover, learning is slower under fixed pairs—so much so that over the last five periods, average profits are actually higher under random rematching. The underlying cause for this finding appears to be a “first‐impressions” bias, present only under fixed matching, in which the greater the misalignment in initial choices, the lower are average profits.
Hierarchy and power: a conceptual analysis with particular reference to new public management reforms in German universities

For more than 20 years, new public management (NPM) has been the guiding governance model of university reforms in Europe. One central aspect of this governance model is to strengthen the hierarchy within the universities. Recent research shows that the formal decision-making authority of university leaders and deans has increased in almost every European country. While these changes at the formal level are well documented in the literature, researchers have given little attention to the institutional protection mechanisms of hierarchy in organizations. The most important institutional protection mechanisms of hierarchy in organizations are power and the related potential for negative and positive sanctions. By discussing the German university system, we ask whether university leaders and/or deans have the power to use hierarchy within their universities. Three types of power are considered: organizational power, personnel power and power over resources. The article shows that in Germany, neither university leaders nor deans have sufficient power over the academics in order to exercise hierarchical governance. The absence of power at the university leadership level and at the departmental level seems an important barrier to the implementation of the NPM model in Germany. Our perspective on hierarchy and power allows for further comparative research.
Canada and U.S. Outward FDI and Exports: Are China and India Special?

Using cross-country time series data for the period 1989–2001 we analyze the Canadian and United States' outward FDI and export performances, particularly to China and India. Casual examination of data may suggest that Canada is underperforming in its exports and FDI to China, but results from our econometric model do not support that conclusion. We found that Canada's FDI in India is lower than that predicted by the model. Interestingly, while the evidence that investors from the United States tend to invest more in the growing economies is quite strong, it is weak in the case of Canada. Although in-depth research is necessary to understand these differences, it is plausible that there are mismatches between the areas where investment opportunities are available in the fastest-growing parts of the world such as China and India, and the areas in which Canadians have comparative advantage. For example, financial services and mining constitute a big share in Canadian FDI abroad but these sectors are yet to be opened up in China and India. The U.S. FDI base is more diversified and better able to take advantage of the increased opportunities in fast-growing countries such as China and India.
Minimising menopausal side effects whilst treating endometriosis and fibroids

Medical management of endometriosis and fibroids involves manipulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis to alter the balance of sex hormones thereby inhibiting disease progression and ameliorate symptoms. Unfortunately, resultant menopausal symptoms sometimes limit the tolerability and duration of such treatment. The use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists to treat these diseases can result in short-term hypoestrogenic and vasomotor side effects as well as long-term impacts on bone health and cardiovascular risk. The routine use of add-back hormone replacement has reduced these risks and increased patient compliance, making this group of drugs more useful as a medium-term treatment option. The estrogen threshold hypothesis highlights the concept of a ‘therapeutic window’ in which bone loss is minimal but the primary disease is not aggravated. It explains why add-back therapy is appropriate for such patients and helps to explain the basis behind new developments in the treatment of hormonally responsive gynaecological conditions such as gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists and progesterone receptor modulators.
Falling Behind, Getting Ahead: The Changing Structure of Inequality in the UK, 2007-2013

Detailed examination of the qualifications, employment, pay, incomes and wealth of different groups since the economic crisis reveals an uneven legacy. Young people in their twenties have lost out most across a wide range of outcomes, despite gaining higher qualifications than previous generations.  By 2013 more than a third of young people in their thirties had a degree, and those in their twenties were on course to become even better qualified. But full-time employment of those aged 20-24 fell by 10 percentage points for men and 8 points for women between 2006-08 and 2013.  Hourly wages and weekly earnings fell fastest among younger workers. This affected the highest-paid under 35s, as well as the lowest-paid. After allowing for housing costs, typical incomes for those in their twenties in 2012/13 were 18 per cent lower than five years before.  Wealth changes tilted away from younger households too. By 2010-12, median total wealth for households aged 55-64 had grown to £425,000, but had fallen to £60,000 for those aged 25-34. Bridging the £365,000 gap would require young households to save or make pension contributions of £33 every day for the next thirty years.  Council and housing association tenants fared worst in the labour market. By 2013, fewer than half of adults in social housing were employed or self-employed. But allowing for increased rents, the incomes of private tenants fell fastest – by 13 per cent in real terms from 2007/08 to 2012/13.  Employment fell less in London than in other regions, but the gaps between low-paid and high-paid Londoners grew fastest. Allowing for housing costs, the lowest-income Londoners were 18 per cent worse off in 2012/13 than five years earlier. The top tenth of London households had total wealth over £1 million, but the bottom tenth less than £6,300.  Experiences of ethnic groups varied considerably. A smaller proportion of White working-age adults now have degrees than any other group apart from Bangladeshis. But White men had the smallest rise in unemployment and a much higher proportion of White adults were employed than of other groups. Chinese and Indian households now have the highest wealth.
A model predictive control scheme with torque ripple mitigation for permanent magnet motors

This paper analyses the effect of torque ripple on back-EMF based speed observers for permanent magnet motors. It introduces a scheme that allows to improve these estimates and to identify the motor inherent torque ripple. A high-dynamic performance sensorless model predictive controller is proposed to effectively mitigate selected torque harmonics. The presented concepts are validated experimentally.
Control of lytic development in the Streptomyces temperate phage φC31

The repressor gene. c, is required for maintenance of lysogeny in the Streptomyces phage φC31. The c gene expresses three in‐frame N‐terminally different protein isoforms at least one of which is thought to bind to a 17bp highly conserved inverted repeat (CIR) sequence found at 18 (or more) loci throughout the φC31 genome. Here we present evidence that one of these loci, CIR6, and its interaction with the products of the repressor gene are critical in the control of the lytic pathway in φC31. To the right of CIR6, according to the standard map of φC31, an ‘immediate‐early’ promoter. ap1, was discovered after insertion of a fragment containing CIR6 upstream of a promoterless kanamycin‐resistance gene. aphll, to form pCIA2. pCIA2 conferred kanamycin resistance upon Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) but not upon a φC31 lysogen of S. coelicolor. Operator‐constitutive (Oc) mutants of pCIA2 were isolated and the mutations lay in CIR6, i.e. CIR6:G14T and CIR6:C2A. Primer extension analysis of RNA prepared from an induced, temperature‐sensitive lysogen of S. coelicolor localized a mRNA 5′ endpoint 21 bp to the right of CIR6. The importance of the ap1/CIR6 region in the regulation of lytic growth was demonstrated by the analysis of a virulent mutant, φC31 vir1, capable of forming plaques on an S. coelicolorφC31 lysogen, φC31 vir1 contained a DNA inversion with the breakpoints lying within the integrase gene (which lies approximately 7kbp to the right of CIR6) and in the essential early region between CIR6 and the ‐10 sequence for ap1. The separation of ap1 from its operator was thought to be the basis for the virulent phenotype in φC31 vir1. Band‐shift assays and DNase I footprinting experiments using purified 42kDa repressor isoform confirmed that CIRs 5 and 6 were indeed the targets for binding of this protein. The 42 kDa repressor bound to CIR6 with higher affinity than to CIR5 in spite of their identical core sequences. Repressor bound at CIR6 facilitated binding at CIR5. The high‐affinity binding to CIR6 was abolished with the Oc mutant, CIR6:G14T. Hydroxyl radical footprinting and dimethyl sulphate methylation protection of the 42 kDa repressor–CIR6 interaction suggested that the protein bound in the major groove and to one face of the DNA.
Conditional ablation of GFRα1 in postmigratory enteric neurons triggers unconventional neuronal death in the colon and causes a Hirschsprung's disease phenotype

The regulation of neuronal survival and death by neurotrophic factors plays a central role in the sculpting of the nervous system, but the identity of survival signals for developing enteric neurons remains obscure. We demonstrate here that conditional ablation of GFRα1, the high affinity receptor for GDNF, in mice during late gestation induces rapid and widespread neuronal death in the colon, leading to colon aganglionosis reminiscent of Hirschsprung's disease. Enteric neuron death induced by GFRα1 inactivation is not associated with the activation of common cell death executors, caspase-3 or -7, and lacks the morphological hallmarks of apoptosis, such as chromatin compaction and mitochondrial pathology. Consistent with these in vivo observations, neither caspase inhibition nor Bax deficiency blocks death of colon-derived enteric neurons induced by GDNF deprivation. This study reveals an essential role for GFRα1 in the survival of enteric neurons and suggests that caspase-independent death can be triggered by abolition of neurotrophic signals.
Differential activities of immunogenic collagen type II peptides in the induction of nasal tolerance to collagen-induced arthritis.

Nasal tolerance has recently been used to modulate immune responses in animal models of autoimmunity. We have compared immunogenic collagen type II (CII) peptides for induction of nasal tolerance in DBA/1 mice to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Three synthetic peptides corresponding to T cell-stimulating sequences of alpha1(II)-CB11, 260-270, 245-270 and 259-273, one peptide analog 245-270 (A260B261N263) and one myelin basic protein (MBP) peptide 89-101 were administered intranasally to DBA/1 mice respectively (total 300 microg peptide/mouse on three consecutive days) 10 days prior to CII immunization. Forty percent of CII245-270 (P<0.05) and 20% CII260-270 (P>0.05) treated mice did not develop arthritis whilst all of the mice treated with CII245-270 (A260B261N263) or CII259-273 developed arthritis compared to those in control groups (PBS- and MBP89-101-treated). The mice in either the CII245-270- or CII260-270-treated group which developed arthritis had a significantly delayed onset and their disease was less severe both clinically and histologically. All mice in both CII245-270- and CII260-270-treated groups had a reduced serum level of anti-CII antibody (P<0.01), with a marked reduction of IgG2a. Drain lymph node (LN) cells taken 7 days after CII immunization from these mice showed a significant reduction of interferon (IFN)-gammaP<0.01) production uponin vitro stimulation with CII. These results indicate that intranasal administration of synthetic CII peptides can control CIA, which is achieved by down-regulating the Th1 CII-induced responses. In addition, they stress that a fine 'tuning' of the peptide able to induce 'tolerance' is required to achieve the optimal effect.
What Is Distinctive about China's Economic Transition? State Enterprise Reform and Overall System Transformation

Abstract Entry of nonstate industrial firms has played a crucial role in China′s reform process by creating markets and competition. Yet the state-owned sector has also performed adequately, improving incentives and productivity, and turning in a respectable growth performance. Moderate improvements in the state sector have thus supported a virtuous cycle of reform. Simple contrasts between state and private ownership systems therefore explain little of China′s apparently successful combination of reform and growth. J. Comp. Econom. , June 1994, 18 (3), 470-490. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0519.
On measuring speculative and hedging activities in futures markets from volume and open interest data

This article provides a critical assessment of the line of research that measures speculative and hedging activities in futures markets from volume and open interest data. It makes several contributions. First, a detailed theoretical analysis of the measures proposed in the previous literature as proxies for speculative activity clarifies the circumstances in which they fail, as well as the assumptions that have to be made, when they are used as intended. Second, we propose a new way of combining the volume and the open interest figures, which provides additional information regarding the type of trading activity that takes place in the market on a given date. Finally, we analyse empirically the basic statistical properties of all the ratios when they are applied to real data for some of the stock index futures contracts most actively traded in the world. This empirical analysis shows the diverse behaviour of the ratios when they are applied to a common sample of real data, which confirms our previous theoretical findings. Our contributions should be taken into account when any of the measures is used as a proxy for the relative importance of speculative demand in empirical analyses.
Testing for nominal convergence in the Central American area: evidence from panel data unit-root tests

Inflation convergence between the Central American Area and the United States is investigated using both recent homogeneous and heterogeneous panel data unit-root methods. Strong rejections of unit-root hypothesis are found, and therefore evidence of Purchasing Power Parity, in the Central American countries for the 1981:1–2005:4 period. Then by considering the nominal convergence criterion, the dollarization system seems to be suited to this region.
Wages, Hiring Standards, and Firm Size

We present a model of firm behavior in which firms choose a wage and a hiring standard to maximize their profits. The correlation between productivity and reservation wage affects the relationship among firm size, wages, and hiring standards. In the special case where labor productivity is a linear function of a worker's reservation wage, we find that in the absence of hiring costs wages are monotonically increasing with firm size. Any positive hiring costs, however, result in an interval of sufficiently small firms within which wages decrease with firm size. In all cases, among sufficiently large firms, wages increase with firm size. A review of previous empirical evidence finds that in some occupations the relationship between wages and firm size is U-shaped, while in other occupations wages increase monotonically with firm size. These empirical findings are consistent with our theoretical results.
Correction: Enhanced Performance of Brain Tumor Classification via Tumor Region Augmentation and Partition

There are errors in the Funding section. The correct funding information is as follows: This work was supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (http://kjzc.jhgl.org/) under grant (No. 2012BAI14B02), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/) under grant (Nos. 61471187, 61473190, 31271417, 31371009), Program of Pearl River Young Talents of Science and Technology in Guangzhou (http://www.gzsi.gov.cn/) under grant (No. 2013J2200065). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Beyond Competing Theories of the Hidden Economy: Some Lessons from Moscow

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate critically the validity of rival theorisations of the hidden economy that variously read this sphere as a leftover from a previous era, a by‐product of a new emergent form of capitalism, a complement to formal employment or an alternative to the formal economy. Until now, the common tendency among economic theorists has been to either universally privilege one theorisation over others, or to represent each theory as valid in different places.Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate their validity to the city of Moscow, a survey is reported involving 313 face‐to‐face interviews with inhabitants conducted during 2005/2006.Findings – The finding is that, although each theory is a valid representation of particular types of hidden work in Moscow, no one theory fully captures the diverse nature of the hidden economy in this city, and that only by combining all of them can a finer‐grained understanding of the multifarious character of the hidden economy in this city be ach.
Factors helping the HR function gain greater acceptance for its proposals and innovations: evidence from Spain†

On the basis of the sense-making and sense-giving literature, this study addresses factors helping the HR function gain greater acceptance by employees for its proposals and innovations. Using an original sample of 298 employees from nine firms in Spain, we find that HR department credibility is only one of the factors that influence employees' acceptance. Other essential elements are top management and supervisor support. We also investigate the consequences that differential levels of support from supervisors and top managers can have for the acceptance of HR innovations, and we find that supervisor support carries more weight than that of top managers. Finally, we explore variations in the importance of the HR function credibility as an acceptance enabler under different organizational innovation climates. The results suggest that HR credibility plays an essential role independently of climate.
Nutritional and Functional Status in Newly Hospitalized Older Patients Who are Not Underweight

ABSTRACT Although malnutrition is commonly associated with being underweight, it occurs whenever nutrient intakes are inadequate, regardless of current body weight. The aim of the study was to determine nutritional status as a predictor of functional status among older patients without underweight according to body mass index (BMI) at hospital admission. This cross-sectional study enrolled 90 patients aged ≥65 years (mean age 78.1 ± 6.4). Assessments included basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (bADL, IADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and BMI. Most of respondents were at risk of malnutrition (46%) or malnutrition (17%) according to MNA. Patients with/at risk of malnutrition had lower scores in bADL (p = 0.020), IADL (p = 0.010) and MNA (p < 0.001). Scores for bADL and IADL positively correlated with MNA (r = 0.34, r = 0.42, respectively) and negatively with age (r = −0.33, r = −0.21). MNA scores were also significant predictors of staying independence in bADL (β = 0.53, p < 0.001) and IADL (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) in regression analysis. Our findings indicated that most older patients with normal/elevated BMI were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and experienced functional limitations in ADL at admission to hospital. In this population, nutritional status estimated by MNA appears to be one of the most important factors in predicting functional status of older adults who are not underweight.