Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AN ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF A CROP INSURANCE PROGRAMME FOR SMALL-SCALE COMMERCIAL FARMERS IN SOUTH AFRICA / 'N EKONOMIESE EVALUASIE VAN 'N OESVERSEKERINGSKEMA VIR KLEINSKAALSE KOMMERSIËLE BOERE IN SUID AFRIKA

Hail insurance is provided by the private sector in South Africa but crop insurance (drought insurance) programmes, after a promising start, failed to attract customers. A crop insurance programme (drought) for small-scale commercial farmers, who are not yet paying tax, has been recommended to government. The purpose in this research is to study the economic viability of such a programme drawing on the US experience. The US programme is well developed but heavily subsidised. During 1998 US growers paid $900 million in premiums while during 1995–98 the US government spent $1.2 billion per year on subsidies. An area insurance plan (farmers are insured as a group) is shown to be more appropriate for small farmers growing dryland field crops such as maize because risk is systemic (drought related) while adverse selection, moral hazard etc are overcome. Individual crop insurance will not be viable due to the cost of farm visits (verification of claims) and the non-availability of information. As a large part of the cost to government goes to administration of crop insurance it is recommended that an Income Equalisation Deposit (IED) scheme for small growers receive serious consideration with the government making a contribution as for example in Canada.
Safety incidents in family medicine

Objective To discuss the characteristics of incidents reported to the Medical Safety in Community Practice (MSCP) safety learning system. Methods Members of family physician offices in the Alberta Health Services—Calgary zone, confidentially reported patient safety incidents via web or fax from September 2007 to August 2010. The incident reporting form contained both open-ended and closed questions. Incidents were reviewed for their characteristics. Results A total of 19 family practices participated in MSCP. A total of 264 useable reports were collected. Reporting was higher when practices first joined and then decreased. There was an average of 1.4 reports per month. Physicians submitted the majority of reports. Physicians and nurses were more likely to report an incident than office staff. The vast majority of reported incidents were judged to have ‘virtually certain evidence of preventability’ (93%). Harm was associated with 50% of incidents. Only 1% of the incidents had a severe impact. The top four types of incidents reported were documentation (41.4%), medication (29.7%), clinical administration (18.7%) and clinical process (17.5%). Conclusion MSCP has developed and implemented the first safety learning system in Canada for family practice. All clinic members were encouraged to submit reports, but most of the incidents were reported by physicians. The vast majority of incidents reported were preventable with limited severity. The most frequently reported types of incidents fell into the categories of documentation and medication. The low reporting rates suggest that for family practices incident reporting may not be the most effective method to determine the types and frequency of incidents in family medicine.
The Estimation of the Prais-Houthakker Model of Equivalence Scales

Given a preference basis for the model, a household's general equivalence scale is seen to be a cost of living index relative to the reference household type defined at constant prices. A maximum likelihood estimation procedure which can be applied both to cross-section data and pooled time-series/cross-sections is derived. The lack of identification of the model is established theoretically and checked empirically on British family expenditure survey data. With prior information, e.g. a nutrition based food scale, identification can be reached but ultimately the model is rendered implausible because of its zero substitution implication and the empirical results bear this out.
Change: The Strategic Human Resource Management Challenges

Alvin Toffler's book, "Future Shock", is now some 16 years old and yet we are still trying to come to terms with the increasing rates of change in our lives that he so vividly described. Rosabeth Moss-Kanter, author of "The Change Masters", claims that in many highly competitive industries "the mean time between surprises is shorter than the organisa tion's reaction time".
Applying fuzzy techniques to cash flow analysis

Construction managers are interested in the direction of movement of cash flow at valuation periods rather than its forecast value, and fuzzy set theory applied to decision making might help in this process. Fuzzy models are particularly suited to making decisions involving new technologies where uncertainties inherent in the situation are complex. The problem of healthy cash flow at valuation periods relates to the proper estimation of cash in and out flows and project progress. The paper presents an alternative approach to cash flow analysis for construction projects. This project is based on the assumption that cash flow at particular valuation stages of a project is ambiguous. The paper discusses the weaknesses of existing methods for cash flow and establishes the need for an alternative approach. Using an example of 30 cash flow curves, the advantage of fuzzy cash flow analysis is demonstrated. Results of the analysis are presented and discussed. The model can be used to analyse the cash flow curve of projects at any progress period to make sure it is reasonable.
Strategies for survival following tariff reform

A cursory glance over retailers’ shelves in Australia reveals a proliferation of imports, with locally‐made goods often a minority. This is especially true of clothing, footwear and small electrical appliances and is linked to lower tariffs and other barriers to trade. Much of the debate about government policy concerns the pace of tariff reform that will give domestic manufacturers a chance to adapt. Looks at the ways a small sample of companies has coped; many have moved production offshore. Analyses why, how, and through what strategies and environmental factors the rest keep on manufacturing here. Finally, compares the results with expectations.
Synthesis of Sulfated Glucosaminides for Profiling Substrate Specificities of Sulfatases and Fungal β‐N‐Acetylhexosaminidases

Systematic sulfation: Sulfated glycoconjugates are degraded either by desulfation followed by glycoside cleavage, or by glycoside cleavage followed by desulfation. To study these processes, here we report the synthesis of four regioisomerically sulfated p‐nitrophenyl glucosaminides from the common precursor p‐nitrophenyl N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminide. These substrates allowed the rapid analysis of the substrate preferences of a set of four sulfatases and 24 hexosaminidases.
RoboBUG: A Serious Game for Learning Debugging Techniques

Debugging is an essential but challenging task that can present a great deal of confusion and frustration to novice programmers. It can be argued that Computer Science education does not sufficiently address the challenges that students face when identifying bugs in their programs. To help students learn effective debugging techniques and to provide students a more enjoyable and motivating experience, we have designed the RoboBUG game. RoboBUG is a serious game that can be customized with respect to different programming languages and game levels.
What is the effect of ghrelin on rat uterine contractility in vitro?

Abstract Background: Ghrelin, a recently isolated gastric hormone, is an endogenous ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptors. There is novel evidence that ghrelin might be expressed in rat ovaries, placental tissues, and the uterus. It has been reported to have modulatory effects on smooth muscle contractility. In this study, we investigated the effects of ghrelin on spontaneous and oxytocin-induced contractions in the rat uterus in vitro and tried to detect its signaling pathway. Methods: Myometrium strips were removed from virgin female albino Wister rats and placed in a jacketed tissue bath. After initiation of spontaneous contractions, ghrelin was added to the tissue bath alone or after administration of indomethacin or NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or propranolol HCl. Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Our results revealed an inhibitory effect of ghrelin on both spontaneous and oxytocin-induced myometrial contractions. This effect was not affected by the application of indomethacin or L-NAME but was blocked after propranolol HCl administration. Conclusions: Ghrelin has an inhibitory effect on basal and oxytocin-induced rat myometrial contractions in vitro, and this myometrial response to ghrelin might be mediated by β-receptor signaling pathway.
Oil prices and exchange rates: A survey

Norsk Regnesentral (Norwegian Computing Center, NR) is a private, independent , non-profit foundation established in 1952. NR carries out contract research and development projects in the areas of information and communication technology and applied statistical modeling. The clients are a broad range of industrial, commercial and public service organizations in the national as well as the international market. Our scientific and technical capabilities are further developed in cooperation with The Research Council of Norway and key customers. The results of our projects may take the form of reports, software, prototypes, and short courses. A proof of the confidence and appreciation our clients have for us is given by the fact that most of our new contracts are signed with previous customers. Abstract Many non-US oil producers have operating revenues in US dollar and US dollar-denominated debt. If there is a negative relationship between the oil price and the US dollar the oil producers have a natural hedge. That is, if oil prices increase, so does the exchange rate and the US dollar debt, and vice versa. However, if the relationship becomes negative, an oil price increase may induce a lower US dollar debt (which is good) or, vice versa, an oil price decrease may induce a higher US dollar debt (" double trouble "). We give a survey of the literature and present a preliminary data analysis of some oil price and exchange rate data.
Alprazolam Significantly Improves the Efficacy of Granisetron in the Prophylaxis of Emesis Secondary to Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy in Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: Alprazolam, a newer benzodiazepine, may be useful in the control of nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients. Methods: Nineteen operable breast cancer patients were included in this randomized prospective crossover open-label trial. Patients received either granisetron (G) alone, or in combination with alprazolam (A). Group A patients received G+A first and then crossed over to G-alone after the 2nd or 3rd cycle. Group B patients received the reverse order. Eighty-four cycles were evaluated. Results: In group A, complete remission (CR) plus major response (MR) was higher (93.9%) with G+A than with G-alone (83.3%; p = 0.0001) in the first 24-hour period. In group B, CR plus MR was higher in G+A cycles (100%) than in G-alone cycles (85.7%; p = 0.035) in the 24-hour period and in the 25- to 129-hour period (92 vs. 90.5%, respectively; p = 0.022). Conclusion: Alprazolam increases the efficacy of granisetron in patients with breast cancer treated with an anthracycline-containing regimen.
Effects of tetrandrine on production of leukotriene B4 and thromboxane B2 in rabbit blood.

The effects of tetrandrine (Tet) on the production of 2 major metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA), the leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and the thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in rabbit whole blood were investigated by reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and radioimmunoassay (RIA), respectively. After incubation with different doses of Tet for 15 min in vitro, the production of LTB4 and TXB2 by rabbit whole blood stimulated with calcimycin (20 mumol.L-1) was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 value of 17.8 +/- 8.6 and 17.7 +/- 9.2 mumol.L-1, respectively. In the presence of exogenous AA, the inhibitory effects of Tet were markedly lessened. The effects of Tet were much like those of calmodulin (CaM) antagonist fluphenazine (Flu). Dexamethasone (Dex) also inhibited the production of LTB4 and TXB2 when incubated with rabbit whole blood for 60 min. Tet iv 10 mg.kg-1 also inhibited the production of LTB4 and TXB2 in rabbit whole blood stimulated with calcimycin. These results suggest that Tet may be an antagonist of CaM, thus suppressing the release of AA which was catalyzed by CaM dependent phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from the membrane phospholipids of blood cells.
DUAL LABOUR MARKETS AND THE POTENTIAL EARNINGS OF THE UNEMPLOYED

This paper shows that the potential earnings of the unemployed are lower compared to the employed. The authors interpret this as being supportive of a dual labor market with a privileged primary sector who are less likely to be unemployed compared to the secondary sector who are more likely to be unemployed. Small differences in reward to the unemployed compared to those in employment could reflect larger differences in reward to primary and secondary workers. One implication is given concerning the measurement of the replacement ratio. A large underestimate for secondary workers is possible with commonly used methods of construction. Copyright 1995 by Scottish Economic Society.
Impact of Macroeconomic Announcements on the Stock Prices: An Empirical Study on the Turkish Financial Services Sector

The purpose of this study is to test the efficiency of the Turkish Markets in terms of the monthly inflation announcement effect. The study examines the reaction of the financial services sector to monthly inflation announcements, particularly, in case of unexpectedly low or high levels of inflation. Strong evidence emerges thatthe Turkish financial services sector does not react significantly to the announcements that are in line with the expectations. In other words, the cumulative abnormal returns around such inflation announcements are not significantly different from 0. The results of the robustness tests for no news, indicate that the t-statistics calculated by means of the Moving Average Approach are insignificant for the sector, which is in line with the results of the original approach. The results of the two robustness tests are found to be supporting the original findings of the adaptive approach.
Mean-reversion in closed-end fund discount: evidence from half-life

This article examines the mean-reversion properties of the discount on UK and US closed-end funds. While the discounts are tested I(1), strong statistical evidence of mean-reversion is ascertained by bias-corrected bootstrap half-life estimates. The estimates also indicate that equity-based funds converge to the steady-state level faster than fixed income funds. In addition, although an equilibrium pricing condition postulates an inverse relation between half-life and the discount size, correlation estimates fail to show strong support for the relation.
Research Note: The Economic Impact of Opening a Gaming Venue in Australia

Research shows that opening a large gaming venue has economic impacts. This paper evaluates these impacts from the perspectives of the government, industry and the community. Though the effects are interrelated, the direct impact for each of these stakeholders is unique. For the government, direct taxation, tourism and investment are discussed, with a focus on the immediate effect on infrastructure. For industry, revenue generation, the multiplier effect, leakage, cannibalization and the trend of strategic cross-industry alliance are examined. For the community, average household disposable income, employment rate, direct competition, land speculation and the impact on standard of living are analysed.
Regional Growth and Beaver Lake: A Study of Recreation Visitors

Beaver Lake is the primary water supply for a rapidly growing region in Northwest Arkansas. The lake is a popular tourist destination and land surrounding it is highly sought after for development. Some voice concern that development could affect lake water quality negatively and threaten future regional growth. The results of the study presented here suggest the spending of 2.4 million annual visitors to Beaver Lake generates 600 jobs, US$12.9 million in income and US$20.9 million in value added to the region. However, this economic activity is not likely to offset the costs to the region of maintaining the water supply and the water quality of the lake.
Interplay between Iron Homeostasis and the Osmotic Stress Response in the Halophilic Bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens

ABSTRACT In this study, the connection between iron homeostasis and the osmostress response in the halophile Chromohalobacter salexigens was investigated. A decrease in the requirement for both iron and histidine and a lower level of siderophore synthesis were observed at high salinity, and these findings were correlated with a lower protein content in salt-stressed cells. A six-gene operon (cfuABC-fur-hisI-orf6 operon) located downstream of the ectABC ectoine synthesis genes was characterized. A fur strain (in which the ferric iron uptake regulator Fur was affected) had the Mn resistance phenotype typical of fur mutants, was deregulated for siderophore production, and displayed delayed growth under iron limitation conditions, indicating that fur encodes a functional iron regulator. hisI was essential for histidine synthesis, which in turn was necessary for siderophore production. Fur boxes were found in the promoters of the cfuABC-fur-hisI-orf6 and ectABC operons, suggesting that Fur directly interacts with DNA in these regions. Fur mediated the osmoregulated inhibition of cfuABC-fur-hisI-orf6 operon expression by iron and functioned as a positive regulator of the ectABC genes under high-salinity conditions, linking the salt stress response with iron homeostasis. Excess iron led to a higher cytoplasmic hydroxyectoine content, suggesting that hydroxyectoine protects against the oxidative stress caused by iron better than ectoine. This study provides the first evidence of involvement of the iron homeostasis regulator Fur as part of the complex circuit that controls the response to osmotic stress in halophilic bacteria.
Assuring Spatio-Temporal Integrity on Mobile Devices with Minimum Location Disclosure

Since the boom of smartphones and location-based services, spatio-temporal data (i.e., user locations with timestamps) have become increasingly essential in many real-life applications. To ensure these data are faithfully extracted from the underlying location tracking hardware and not altered by any malicious party or the user himself/herself, integrity assurance schemes such as digital signatures or message authentication codes (MAC) must be adopted. However, these conventional schemes disclose to the verifier the complete plaintext location and thus jeopardize users’ privacy. In this paper, we propose an integrity assurance scheme with minimum location disclosure. That is, the granule of the disclosed location is just small enough to prove the user is/has been to a certain place, and the verifier cannot learn anything beyond it. To this end, we propose a new MAC scheme called Prefix-verifiable MAC (PMAC), based on which we design indexes and protocols to authenticate both spatial and spatio-temporal predicates. Security analysis and experimental results show our scheme is both secure and efficient for practical use.
Cheating in Contests

Much of the interest in the study of sports from the perspective of an economist lies in the empirical application of contests as efficient mechanisms for eliciting effort. Contestants respond to contest incentives, and these incentives include the incentive to cheat. This paper discusses different forms of cheating: sabotage, doping, and match fixing. The paper discusses how these forms of cheating arise and how they can be treated. In particular, we look at specific forms of cheating in soccer, baseball, and cricket. In the appendix we develop a simple model of match fixing. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
Critical Design Features of Pre-Service Education Programs to Enhance Teacher Capacity to Effectively Work in Schools With Indigenous Students

For more than 3 decades governments and education systems have struggled to address the gaps in educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Over the past 10 years it has become increasingly apparent that central to redressing these gaps is the development of teachers who are able to effectively engage with Indigenous students, their families and communities. The introduction of National Professional Standards has increased the focus on the development of pre-service teachers’ capacity to effectively teach Indigenous students. In 2008, the New South Wales Department of Education (DET) and four universities implemented an enhanced teacher training program (ETTP) that was delivered to final-year primary pre-service teachers. The success and continuing expansion of this program, coupled with the current national focus on building pre-service teachers’ capacity to teach Indigenous students, suggests it is timely to detail the critical design features of, and rationale for, this program to inform and support development of similar programs within pre-service teacher education. The article reports on four critical elements of the program: knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal history and culture; effective cross-cultural communication skills; holistic understanding of Aboriginal education and strategies required for improving Aboriginal student outcomes; and appropriate pedagogy and classroom management strategies.
Preprocessing Methods of Raman Spectra for Source Extraction on Biomedical Samples: Application on Paraffin-Embedded Skin Biopsies

Raman spectra are classically modeled as a linear mixing of spectra of molecular constituents of the analyzed sample. Source separation methods are thus well suited to estimate these constituent spectra. However, physical distortions due to the instrumentation and biological nature of samples add nonlinearities to the Raman spectra model. These distortions are dark current, detector and optic responses, fluorescence background, and peak misalignment and peak width heterogeneity. The source separation results are thus deteriorated by these effects. We propose to develop specific preprocessing steps to correct these distortions and to retrieve a linear model. The benefits brought by these steps are studied by the application of two different source separation methods named joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices and maximum likelihood positive source separation after the application of each step on a dataset acquired on a paraffin-embedded human skin biopsy. The efficacy of these methods to separate Raman spectra is also discussed.