Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eroding Representation-by-Population in the Canadian House of Commons: The Representation Act, 1985

Abstract The Representation Act, 1985 amended both the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. This article shows that in each case the amendments erode the principle of representation by population by increasing the likelihood that federal electoral districts across the country will have widely varying populations. The first section examines the legislative history of the Representation Act, 1985 and its implementation in 1986 and 1987. The second analyzes the unsuccessful legal challenge brought against it by the City of Vancouver in Campbell et al. v. The Attorney General of Canada. The third addresses more explicitly John Courtney's main conclusions about the redistribution process in Canada as he expressed them in his 1988 CPSA presidential address. Résumé La Loi de 1985 sur la représentation électorate a amendé à la fois la Loi constitutionelle de 1867 et la Loi sur la révision des limites des circonscriptions électorales. Le présent article explique que, dans chaque circonstance, les amendements diminuent le principe de la représentation proportionnelle par la population parce qu'ils augment la possibilité que les circonscriptions électorates à travers le pays aient des populations très inégales. La première partie examine l'histoire législative de la Loi de 1985 sur la représentation électorale et son implantation en 1986 et 1987. La deuxième analyse le défi légal infructueux contre la loi que la ville de Vancouver a engagé avec Campbell et al. v. The Attorney General of Canada. La troisième traite plus explicitement des conclusions de John Courtney sur le processus de la redistribution au Canada telles qu'il les a exprimées dans son discours présidentiel de l'Acsp en 1988.
Underpricing and Ex Post Value Uncertainty

As documented by a vast empirical literature, initial public offerings (IPOs) are characterized by underpricing. A number of papers have shown that underpricing is directly related to the amount of ex ante uncertainty concerning the IPOs valuation. Recent theoretical papers propose that not all value uncertainty is resolved prior to the start of trading, but rather continues to be resolved in the beginning of the after market. We term this type of uncertainty as ex post value uncertainty and develop proxies for it. We find strong support for the existence of ex post value uncertainty and find that including a proxy for it more than doubles the explanatory power of previous models.
Hemichannel-Mediated Inhibition in the Outer Retina

An essential feature of the first synapse in the retina is a negative feedback pathway from horizontal cells to cones. Here we show that at this synapse, connexin26 forms hemichannels on horizontal cell dendrites near the glutamate release site of the cones. Blocking these hemichannels hyperpolarizes horizontal cells, modulates the Ca2+ channels of the cones, and abolishes all feedback-mediated responses. We propose a feedback mechanism in which the activity of the Ca2+ channels and the subsequent glutamate release of the cones are modulated by a current through these hemichannels. Because the current through the hemichannels depends on the polarization of the horizontal cells, their activity modulates the output of the cones.
Prospective Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Transrectal and Transperineal Sonography, and Surgical Findings in Complicated Perianal Crohn Disease

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transrectal sonography are the two accepted imaging modalities for evaluation of perianal fistulas and abscesses. Transperineal sonography is a new technique that is easy to learn and can be performed at any time. The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of MRI, transrectal sonography, and transperineal sonography with surgical findings in patients with perianal Crohn disease.
A Portfolio Approach to Estimating the Average Correlation Coefficient for the Constant Correlation Model

This paper presents a portfolio approach to estimating the average correlation coefficient of a group of stocks that are considered for portfolio analysis. The average correlation coefficient has been shown to produce a better estimate of the future correlation matrix than individual pairwise correlations. The advantage of the approach described here is that it does not require the estimation of pairwise correlations for estimating their average. Copyright 1989 by American Finance Association.
Conditional Forecasts and the Measurement of Monetary Policy Stance in Brazil

In this article we u se the framework of conditional forecasts [Doan, Litterman, and Sims (1984) and Waggoner and Zha (1999)] to develop an indicator of monetary policy stance and calculate its error bands. The new indicator, called the Conditional Monetary Conditions Index (C MCI), measures monetary policy stance as the forecast of the output gap conditional on the deviation of observed values of the main potential instruments of monetary policy ─ the interest rate and the exchange rate ─ from their steady-state values. We show that the Dynamic Monetary Conditions Index (DMCI) developed by Batini and Turnbull (2002) is identical to the CMCI when some variables are stationary and when the interest rate and the exchange rate are (incorrectly) treated as exogenous variables. The new indicator we develop, with its error bands, is employed to analyze the Brazilian monetary policy stance using, alternatively, a Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) and a Forward -Looking (FL) model. According to the CMCI, the Brazilian monetary policy has been alternating between an expansive and restrictive stance through the last years, with expansive policy stance prevailing in election years.
The model of governance at FC Barcelona: balancing member democracy, commercial strategy, corporate social responsibility and sporting performance

This article presents an in‐depth case study of the governance of FC Barcelona up to the end of 2008. An historical account of how the membership‐ownership model at FC Barcelona was threatened during the presidency of Josep Núñez between 1978 and 2000 is first presented. An analysis of the conditions over 2000–2003 which led to the election in 2003 of Joan Laporta as club president, on a radical platform for reform of the governance of the club, is then presented. A detailed analysis of the governance and management of FC Barcelona over the 2003–2008 period is then outlined, with the analysis focusing on four key strategic areas: the prioritisation of sporting success; the re‐assertion of member democracy and improvements in transparency of club governance; the implementation of a commercial strategy designed to generate increased revenues; and the development of an innovative series of corporate social responsibility initiatives. The analysis concludes with a critical consideration of the reasons why the mutual ownership and governance structure of FC Barcelona does not appear to have hampered its ability to compete in financial and sporting terms and whether this model could be replicated in the English Premier League.
The effect of household characteristics on economic returns to schooling: evidence from the Palestinian territories

This paper estimates the economic returns to schooling in the Palestinian territories, and examines the relationship between household characteristics and the returns received by male household members in the labour market. The basic findings are that the economic returns to schooling are very low, and the inclusion of household characteristics in the wage equation does not significantly lower the estimated returns to schooling. Yet, the least-square estimate of the economic returns to schooling in Palestine is overestimated because of omitted unobservable household characteristics from the wage-schooling relationship. This is true even after correcting for measurement error in the schooling variable. The measurement error-corrected least square estimator of the returns to schooling is overestimated by 32%. Nevertheless, the omitted variable bias is of different magnitude in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In fact, the results indicate that such a bias exists in the West Bank whereas the results for the Gaza Strip indicate no such bias. Thus, household background is likely to be a less important determinant of both education and earnings in the Gaza Strip.
Schooling and Subject Disengagement in Year 10 Science in Four Maintained Schools in Northern England

The reform of curriculum and assessment in the 14-19 age range in England seeks to address the failure of schools to engage substantial cohorts of pupils, as measured by truancy rates, disruption of lessons and GCSE pass rates. The new statutory orders for Science are motivated in part by similar concerns. Four schools, already in partnership for initial teacher education with the researcher's university, participated in research that involved interviews and lesson observations with seven Science Year 10 classes, their Science teachers and pupil focus groups. Dilemma analysis reveals that elements of schooling distort instrumental value and deny intrinsic value in the study of Science. Pupils disengage as teachers retreat into routines of schooling and pedagogy that prioritise control. There is a warning in this work, that the opportunity to develop pupil engagement with Science could be lost unless the disruptive elements of schooling evident in this study are removed.
RURAL TRANSPORT AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION: DEVELOPING A RURAL TRANSPORT TYPOLOGY

This article stems from a report for the UK Commission for Integrated Transport and uses a wide range of census and survey data to analyse the problem of transport in rural areas. These areas subdivide into different categories, some being more urbanized than others, and it is in the least urbanized of them that one finds the greatest degree of car dependency. For the rural poor, this can mean a severe strain on the household budget. (A)
Relay Coordination Schemes for Two-Hop Networks: Two-Cell Case

The outage probability of a two-hop coordinated decode-and-forward relay network is investigated. The case of two interfering cells is considered. This is analogous to the case when network coordination is performed with the dominant cochannel interfering cell. Different levels of network coordination are studied and their performances are compared. Exact expressions are derived for of the system for each coordination method. The impact of user location randomness on the outage probability is investigated.
Empirical Testing on Uncovered Interest Rate Parity in Malaysia

Uncovered interest rate parity (UIRP) provides a crucial theoretical concept for many models in international finance and international monetary economics. Using quarterly data span from 1998Q1 to 2010Q3, we run conventional regressions (OLS) and simple GARCH analysis on UIRP for the case of Malaysia-UK, Malaysia-Japan and Malaysia-Singapore. The empirical results show that these relationships do not support the UIRP in all cases. We, therefore, cannot reject the validity of UIRP violation such as in widely documented literature reviews. In addition, we also find that traditional (conventional) regressions on UIRP yield positive slope estimates for both Malaysia-UK and Malaysia-Japan cases, whereby for the case of Malaysia-Singapore, the beta slope estimates has a wrong sign (negative value). Results also show that the UIRP deviation for the case of Malaysia-Singapore has the smallest standard deviation. Moreover, the volatility analysis on the UIRP deviation using simple GARCH analysis revealed that there are significant ARCH and GARCH effects in the caseÂ of Malaysia-Singapore, and it seem to be persistent in the long term period. In addition, the empirical investigation on the impact of the interest rate volatility shocks on UIRP deviation does not exist in any cases.
Multinational Enterprises and the Growth of Services: Some Conceptual and Theoretical Issues

This article sets out to identify first, the main competitive advantages of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in providing services; second, the way in which these advantages are used to best advance the strategic goals of MNEs and the reasons why the value added activities which these advantages generate are undertaken outside the home country of the M NE. The article also identifies some of the reasons for the growth of MNE involvement in the service sector over the lasttwo decades and, in particular, why foreign direct investment (FDI) has been the preferred route for organising cross-border activities involving services.
The association between book-tax conformity and earnings management

There is an ongoing debate in the literature about the costs and benefits of conforming book and taxable income. Proponents argue that increased book-tax conformity will reduce aggressive financial reporting: managing earnings up increases taxes and will curtail abusive tax shelters because managing taxes down decreases earnings reported to shareholders. We use a panel of 139,536 firm-year observations across 34 countries over the period 1996–2007 to test whether high levels of book-tax conformity are associated with less earnings management. We find that higher book-tax conformity is associated with significantly more, not less, earnings management. We conclude that one of the primary claimed benefits of increasing book-tax conformity, more truthful financial reporting with less earnings management, is unlikely to be as large as previously thought.
The role of estrogen receptors, erbB receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors, and vascular endothelial growth inhibitor in the development of the rat mammary gland

We identified the localization and distribution of cell-specific epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs: erbB-1, erbB-2, erbB-3, erbB-4), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptors [VEGFRs: VEGF-R1 (flt-1), VEGF-R2 (flk-1/KDR), VEGF-R3 (flt-4)], vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGI), and estrogen receptor (ER), and determined whether or not these growth factors in rat mammary glands are functional. Thirty-five adult female Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups, each of which were at the 7th, 14th, and 21st day of pregnancy; 7th day post-delivery; and 7th day after weaning. It was determined that erbB, VEGF and its receptors, VEGI, and ER stained at different intensities. Intense staining was observed, in particular, in erbB receptors during pregnancy and involution, and also in VEGF and its receptors during lactation, while ER stained during the last periods of pregnancy and lactation. In conclusion, the expression of erbB, VEGF and its receptors, and ER were determined at varying intensities at different sites of the mammary gland during pregnancy, lactation, and involution periods.
Correcting for background nitrate contamination in KCl-extracted samples during isotopic analysis of oxygen and nitrogen by the denitrifier method.

RATIONALE Previous research has shown that the denitrifying bacteria Pseudomonas chlororaphis ssp. aureofaciens (P. aureofaciens) can be used to measure the δ(15)N and δ(18)O values of extracted soil nitrate (NO3(-)) by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. We discovered that N2O production from reference blanks made in 1 M KCl increased relative to blanks made of deionized water (DIW). Further investigation showed that isotopic standards made in KCl yielded δ(15)N and δ(18)O values different from the standards prepared in DIW. METHODS Three grades of crystalline KCl were dissolved in DIW to create solutions of increasing molarity (0.1 M to 2 M), which were added to P. aureofaciens broth and measured as blanks. Reference standards USGS-32, USGS-34, and USGS-35 were then dissolved in a range of KCl concentrations to measure isotopic responses to changing KCl molarity. Reference blanks and standards created in DIW were analyzed as controls to measure the impact of KCl on the δ(15)N and δ(18)O values. RESULTS The amount of N2O in the KCl blanks increased linearly with increasing molarity, but at different rates for each KCl grade. The isotopic values of the reference standards measured in KCl were systematically different from those measured in DIW, suggesting contamination by background NO3(-) in the KCl reagents. However, we also noted reduced conversion of NO3(-) into N2O as the KCl molarity increased, suggesting there is a physiological response of P. aureofaciens to KCl. CONCLUSIONS There is a small amount of NO3(-) present in crystalline KCl, which can bias isotopic measurement of NO3(-) at low sample concentrations. This can be minimized by making standards and blanks in the same KCl as is used in samples, diluting all samples and standards to the appropriate NO3(-) concentration using matched KCl solutions, and adding samples and standards to the broth at a constant volume to standardize the KCl molarity in the reaction vial.
Technical, Allocative, Cost and Scale Efficiencies in Bangladesh Rice Cultivation: A Non-parametric Approach

Applying programming techniques to detailed data for 406 rice farms in 21 villages, for 1997, produces inefficiency measures, which differ substantially from the results of simple yield and unit cost measures. For the Boro (dry) season, mean technical efficiency was efficiency was 56.2 per cent and 69.4 per cent, allocative efficiency was 81.3 per cent, cost efficiency was 56.2 per cent and scale efficiency 94.9 per cent. The Aman (wet) season results are similar, but a few points lower. Allocative inefficiency is due to overuse of labour, suggesting population pressure, and of fertiliser, where recommended rates may warrant revision. Second-stage regressions show that large families are more inefficient, whereas farmers with better access to input markets, and those who do less off-farm work, tend to be more efficient. The information on the sources of inter-farm performance differentials could be used by the extension agents to help inefficient farmers. There is little excuse for such sub-optimal use of survey data, which are often collected at substantial costs.
A market for worker rights: Explaining business support for international private labour regulation

ABSTRACT Why do companies choose the private labour regulations that they do? Scholars know plenty about why companies might accept private regulators to oversee and protect labour standards. But they know very little about why companies choose one rather than another private regulatory approach when several are available, differing in terms of stringency. This paper explores the conditions under which companies in the clothing industry choose private labour-standards regulation with more rather than less stringent regulation. It does so based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of clothing companies in Europe. It argues that business preference for more stringent private labour regulation is positively affected by societal pressure, and that this societal pressure is predominantly orchestrated by activist groups. This not only entails campaigns, but also can be a combination of public and informal efforts to influence companies, together with pressures from consumers and media. This research also shows that national and industrial factors play a role. In particular, the position of the firm in the value chain and its distance to consumers and manufacturers affect preference for more or less stringent private regulation. Societal pressure is therefore important but not the only source of business preferences for private regulation.
Entitlements, destitution, and emigration in the 1930s Singapore great depression

This article uses an entitlements approach to analyse the divergent impacts of the 1930s great depression on the diverse population groups of Singapore and its Malay Peninsula hinterland. Contrary to a revisionist argument in the literature that the depression had comparatively little effect on South-east Asia, Singapore was considerably affected. This arose more from the externality of migration of unemployed hinterland workers to the city than from a shift in the terms of trade against Singapore producers. Only the ‘safety valve' of mass emigration, promoted by colonial policy, enabled Singapore to escape the depression with a sharp, if relatively brief, drop in welfare and serious distress for its inhabitants.
Intergeneric transfer and exchange recombination of restriction fragments cloned in pBR322: a novel strategy for the reversed genetics of the Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Transmission of ColE1/pMB1‐derived plasmids, such as pBR322, from Escherichia coli donor strains was shown to be an efficient way to introduce these plasmids into Agrobacterium. This was accomplished by using E. coli carrying the helper plasmids pGJ28 and R64drd11 which provide the ColE1 mob functions and tra functions, respectively. For example, the broad host‐range replication plasmid, pGV1150, a co‐integrate plasmid between pBR322 and the W‐type mini‐Sa plasmid, pGV1106, was transmitted from E. coli to A. tumefaciens with a transfer frequency of 4.5 x 10(‐3). As pBR322 clones containing pTiC58 fragments were unable to replicate in Agrobacterium, these clones were found in Agrobacterium only if the acceptor carried a Ti plasmid, thus allowing a co‐integration of the pBR322 clones with the Ti plasmid by homology recombination. These observations were used to develop an efficient method for site‐specific mutagenesis of the Ti plasmids. pTiC58 fragnents, cloned in pBR322, were mutagenized in vitro and transformed into E. coli. The mutant clones were transmitted from an E. coli donor strain containing pGJ28 and R64drd11 to an Agrobacterium containing a target Ti plasmid. Selecting for stable transfer of the mutant clone utilizing its antibiotic resistance marker(s) gave exconjugants that already contained a co‐integrate plasmid between the mutant clone and the Ti plasmid. A second recombination can dissociate the co‐integrate plasmid into the desired mutant Ti plasmid and a non‐replicating plasmid formed by the vector plasmid pBR322 and the target Ti fragment. These second recombinants lose the second plasmid and they are identified by screening for the appropriate marker combination.
Stationarity, non-stationarity and early warning signals in economic networks

Economic integration, globalization and financial crises represent examples of processes whose understanding requires the analysis of the underlying network structure. Of particular interest is establishing whether a real economic network is in a state of (quasi)stationary equilibrium, i.e. characterized by smooth structural changes rather than abrupt transitions. While in the former case the behaviour of the system can be reasonably controlled and predicted, in the latter case this is generally impossible. Here, we propose a method to assess whether a real economic network is in a quasi-stationary state by checking the consistency of its structural evolution with appropriate quasi-equilibrium maximum-entropy ensembles of graphs. As illustrative examples, we consider the International Trade Network (ITN) and the Dutch Interbank Network (DIN). We find that the ITN is an almost perfect example of quasi-equilibrium network, while the DIN is clearly out-of-equilibrium. In the latter, the entity of the deviation from quasi-stationarity contains precious information that allows us to identify remarkable early warning signals of the interbank crisis of 2008. These early warning signals involve certain dyadic and triadic topological properties, including dangerous 'debt loops' with different levels of interbank reciprocity.