Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trade policies in developing countries

Trade policies in developing countries have been a focal point of analysis for international economists in the past several decades. Policies adopted in many developing countries have often been widely at variance with those emanating from models of rational resource allocation and provided researchers with ample scope for analysis of their effects. Simultaneously analysts have examined the theoretical and empirical content of the rationales given for rejection of the rational resource allocation models. In addition, some developing countries reversed their trade policies in important ways. These reversals and the resulting changes in economic structure also provided stimulus for analysis of the link between trade policies and development. The concerns and experience of developing countries form the basis of discussion of trade and development. This paper first outlines the history and evolution. It then focuses upon analysis of policies adopted under alternative trade strategies. Thirdly, it discusses measures of protection and the effects, and then introduces factor market imperfections into the analysis. Finally, it deals with export pessimism and instability of the international market.
Optimal choice of an exchange rate regime: a critical literature review

This paper set out to review the main theories and empirical methods employed in selecting an appropriate exchange rate regime.In order to achieve this, the paper is organized as follows : Section 2 introduces the distinct classifications of exchange regimes(de jure exchange rate regimes versus the facto exchange rate regimes), and the different theoretical approaches which illustrate how an optimal exchange rate regime is determined . Despite their initial popularity, the theoretical considerations have not escaped criticism.Section 3 reviews the criticism of these theories.A conclusion is provided in Section 4.
Effects of carnitine and its derivatives on gastric acid secretion in rats.

Carnitine is a natural substance that acts as a carrier of fatty-acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for subsequent beta-oxidation. Acetyl-L-carnitine is the acetyl derivative of L-carnitine that has been shown to possess a slight cholinomimetic activity. Its success in sports medicine is dependent on the fact that it is able to stimulate the central nervous system functions. This study aims to investigate the effects of L-carnitine (LC) and its derivatives-acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC)-on gastric acid secretion in rats. A concentration-dependent relationship with both ALC or PLC was observed in experiments in vitro using a rat isolated stomach. The addition of atropine to the perfusion bath only partially antagonized the effects of the two compounds. Stimulation of gastric acid secretion in a dose-dependent manner was also found when the tested compounds were administered i.v. to anaesthetized rats. To elucidate the mechanism of the gastric secretory response, assay for acetylcholine esterase activity using acetylthiocholine as substrate, was performed. It was found that ALC and PLC inhibited acetylcholine esterase, however, the IC50 for both compounds was about four times of magnitude greater than that of eserine. As the increase of the gastric acid secretion promoted by carnitines was blocked only partially by atropine both in vitro and in vivo, whilst it was completely abolished by experimental degeneration of the sympathetic neurons or by blockade of the postsynaptic sympathetic receptors, it is suggested that the effect of carnitines is determined by cholinergic and partly by adrenergic mechanisms.
Market Efficiency of Collective Bonds for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in China

Collective bonds are innovative financial instruments issued in some of China's high-tech development zones to solve the financing dilemma of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This article creates a credit model with which to analyze the operating mechanism and inherent laws of collective bonds and to answer the following questions from the point of view of quantification: Can SME collective bonds improve financing efficiency? How do they improve financing efficiency? What are the extent and requirements of improved financing efficiency? The article provides a theoretical basis for the development of SME collective bonds in China
Nitrogen‐Land Substitution in Corn Production: A Reconciliation of Aggregate and Firm‐Level Evidence

In this paper we seek to reconcile low farm-level substitution elasticity between nitrogen, fertilizer, and land, with larger industry-level values for the corn sector. This is accomplished with a micro-simulation model which identifies twenty-three heterogeneous groups of corn farmers based on survey data for Indiana. After controlling for soil quality, slope, crop rotation, and natural nitrogen sources, considerable variation in fertilizer application rates remains. Model simulations indicate that the estimated substitution elasticity at the state level (1.15) is consistent with very low farm-level substitutability. The difference is attributable to compositional changes in the wake of relative price shocks. These compositional effects are potentially very important but they are ignored in most policy analyses. Copyright 1996, Oxford University Press.
Differential effects of norepinephrine on brain and other less vital organs detected by a multisite multiparametric monitoring system.

BACKGROUND Under emergency situations, the protection of the most vital organs in the body, the brain and the heart, may result in a decrease in tissue perfusion, mitochondrial dysfunction and energetic failure, in "less-vital" organs (skin, G-I tract, kidney etc.). One of these pathways includes the secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of norepinephrine injection on the vitality of four different organs (vital and "less-vital") monitored simultaneously. MATERIAL/METHODS The four organs monitored were, the brain- a vital organ and three "less vital" organs-the kidney, liver and testis. The vitality of the organs was evaluated by monitoring the levels of microcirculatory tissue blood flow (TBF) and the level of mitochondrial NADH measured from the surface of each organ. The hemodynamic state, TBF, was monitored by the laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and the metabolic state was evaluated by surface fluorometry-reflectometry. RESULTS The results indicated that following norepinephrine bolus injection the increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) was associated with an increase in cerebral blood flow and a decrease in all three "less vital" organs TBF. As a result, NADH levels in the brain remained stable whereas in all other organs NADH increased due to the hypoperfusion developed and the lack of enough oxygen in these organs. CONCLUSIONS The significant correlation between the hemodynamic state of the organs and its mitochondrial redox state may serve as an indicator of tissue vitality under "Brain Sparing" conditions.
Determinants of leasing propensity in Canadian listed companies

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a firm's propensity to lease and several firm characteristics: tax position, financial constraint, ownership structure, growth, and size. Design/methodology/approach - Controlling for industry, total lease share, operating and capital lease share ratios, obtained using an income statement approach, are regressed on a trichotomous tax variable, a dichotomous cash flow coverage ratio variable, debt over fixed assets, ownership concentration, market to book value of shares and the natural log of sales. Findings - Total lease share increases with leverage, tax position and growth; it decreases with cash flow coverage, ownership concentration and firm size. Results for operating lease share are similar to those for total lease share. In contrast, capital lease share decreases with tax position and increases with ownership concentration and size. Research limitations/implications - The results suggest that leasing offers added debt capacity and increases in financially constrained firms. Firms that pay high taxes seem to place more value on the constant stream of tax deductions from the rental payments than on deductions from decreasing interest costs and amortization. Finally, highly concentrated Canadian firms may use less leasing because they are more family-controlled. Originality/value - The literature offers mixed reasons for firms' decisions to lease or purchase assets. This study provides further evidence in a rich setting. In 2001, the Canadian tax authorities changed the tax treatment of leases, thus providing an opportunity to validate prior results on the impact of taxes on leasing. By including two different measures of financial constraint, this study disentangles the substitution and the added debt capacity hypotheses.
Determinants of Coup d’État Events 1970—90: The Role of Property Rights Protection

Existing research on the political-economic determinants of coup d’état events has not explored the role of property rights protection in decreasing the likelihood of their global and regional incidence. Case studies confirm that the military institutions of the developing world began to represent elite class values that reacted adversely to state attempts at the redistribution of wealth and the expropriation of property after the 1970s. Thus far, no empirical analysis has tested the assertions made by these cases. Using Binary Times Series Cross-Section models from the period 1970—90, this article investigates the impact of the Contract Intensive Money ratio and International Country Risk Guide measures, which are tapped as property rights proxy variables, on decreasing the likelihood of a coup. The findings show that developing states that secure their property rights (as a function of these measures) are more likely to experience a decreased likelihood of a coup. The effect of property rights protection on the decreased likelihood of a coup shows statistical significance in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The results hold true even when the global model is subjected to a sensitivity analysis where lagged coup events over a six-year period are included as a control variable.
Biodiversity and the functioning of seagrass ecosystems

Biodiversity at multiple levels — genotypes within species, species within functional groups, habitats within a landscape — enhances productivity, resource use, and stability of seagrass ecosystems. Several themes emerge from a review of the mostly indirect evidence and the few exper- iments that explicitly manipulated diversity in seagrass systems. First, because many seagrass com- munities are dominated by 1 or a few plant species, genetic and phenotypic diversity within such foundation species has important influences on ecosystem productivity and stability. Second, in sea- grass beds and many other aquatic systems, consumer control is strong, extinction is biased toward large body size and high trophic levels, and thus human impacts are often mediated by interactions of changing 'vertical diversity' (food chain length) with changing 'horizontal diversity' (heterogene- ity within trophic levels). Third, the openness of marine systems means that ecosystem structure and processes often depend on interactions among habitats within a landscape (landscape diversity). There is clear evidence from seagrass systems that advection of resources and active movement of consumers among adjacent habitats influence nutrient fluxes, trophic transfer, fishery production, and species diversity. Future investigations of biodiversity effects on processes within seagrass and other aquatic ecosystems would benefit from broadening the concept of biodiversity to encompass the hierarchy of genetic through landscape diversity, focusing on links between diversity and trophic interactions, and on links between regional diversity, local diversity, and ecosystem processes. Maintaining biodiversity and biocomplexity of seagrass and other coastal ecosystems has important conservation and management implications.
Industrial Relations Reform: Chasing a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow?

This article reviews the economy-wide effects of the Work Choices and Fair Work reforms to Australia's industrial relations system. Outcomes examined are wages growth and earnings inequality, labour market adjustment, labour productivity growth and industrial disputes. Little evidence is found of an effect from the industrial relations reforms made in the 2000s. I argue that this is consistent with the nature of the reforms, being primarily oriented to distributive rather than efficiency goals. I finish by describing how private interest can explain current lobbying for further reform to Australia's industrial relations system.
EffiEye: Application-Aware Large Flow Detection in Data Center

With the rapid development of cloud computing, thousands of servers and various cloud applications are involved in data center. These changes result in more and more complex flows in data center, which motivates the need for faster, lower overhead, more scalable large flow detection technology. This paper firstly shows the shortcomings of the traditional large flow detection technologies. Then it proposes a new method named EffiEye, which efficiently realizes application-aware large flow detection in the controller. EffiEye mainly replies on two different mechanisms: one is the flow classification based on the pre-classification of cloud applications in App Info module, which can ensure the fast detecting speed, the other is the flow-stat triggering supported by OpenFlow 1.5, which can ensure the high detecting accuracy.
Transforming the HRM vision into reality

Line managers and supervisors have a prime role in ensuring the success of performance outcomes under HRM. They are required to take on new people management roles, whether it be through a style which is “hard” and control centred or more “soft” and facilitative. Presents findings from an in‐depth study of 45 establishments. Highlights concerns over whether line managers and supervisors are sufficiently competent to take on demanding roles required under change programmes, and the difficulties in attempting to transfer an HR vision, which is senior management‐led, down to the line.
The Use of Prostaglandin Analogs in the Uveitic Patient

Glaucoma is a disease process characterized by progressive optic nerve damage and corresponding visual field loss. It may be further categorized into either primary open-angle glaucoma or secondary glaucoma. These secondary glaucomas include glaucomas associated with uveitis and inflammation. Prostaglandin analogs (PGA) have been used to help lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in these often difficult to manage eyes. However, controversy exists concerning their use in uveitic patients due to the theoretically higher risk of anterior uveitis, development of cystoid macular edema (CME), and reactivation of herpes simplex keratitis (HSK). There is little evidence that PGA disrupt the blood-aqueous barrier and only anecdotal evidence suggesting an increased risk of these rare findings. PGA may be used in uveitic glaucoma when other topical treatments have not lowered IOP to the patient’s target range.
Genetic diversity and differentiation in natural populations of Arapaima gigas from lower Amazon revealed by microsatellites

Genetic variability is one of the important criteria for species conservation decisions. This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity and the population differentiation of two natural populations of Arapaima gigas, a species with a long history of being commercially exploited. We collected 87 samples of A. gigas from Grande Curuai Lake and Paru Lake, located in the Lower Amazon region of Amazônia, Brazil, and genotyped these samples using a multiplex panel of microsatellite markers. Our results showed that the populations of A. gigas analyzed had high levels of genetic variability, which were similar to those described in previous studies. These two populations had a significant population differentiation supported by the estimates 2 P.F. Fazzi-Gomez et al. Genetics and Molecular Research 16 (1): gmr16019552 of FST and RST (0.06), by Bayesian analysis (K = 2), and by population assignment tests, which revealed a moderate genetic distance.
Evidence-Based Invasive Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Diagnostic Procedures Nerve blocks are the most common type of invasive diagnostic procedure. Their rationale is simple: if a certain anatomical structure is the source of pain, then anesthetizing its nerve supply should temporarily relieve the pain. Face and construct validity have been demonstrated for blocks of the nerves that supply the zygapophysial (facet) joints of the cervical and lumbar spine [6]. There is some evidence that selective blocks of the spinal nerves are sensitive and specific for identifying a nerve root as the source of pain [3]. Unfortunately, other types of nerve blocks have not been subjected to rigorous validation studies.
Differential Expression of the IFN-γ-Inducible CXCR3-Binding Chemokines, IFN-Inducible Protein 10, Monokine Induced by IFN, and IFN-Inducible T Cell α Chemoattractant in Human Cardiac Allografts: Association with Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy and Acute Rejection1

CXCR3 chemokines exert potent biological effects on both immune and vascular cells. The dual targets suggest their important roles in cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and rejection. Therefore, we investigated expression of IFN-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), IFN-inducible T cell α chemoattractant (I-TAC), monokine induced by IFN (Mig), and their receptor CXCR3 in consecutive endomyocardial biopsies (n = 133) from human cardiac allografts and corresponding normal donor hearts (n = 11) before transplantation. Allografts, but not normal hearts, contained IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC mRNA. Persistent elevation of IP-10 and I-TAC was associated with CAV. Allografts with CAV had an IP-10-GAPDH ratio 3.7 ± 0.8 compared with 0.8 ± 0.2 in those without CAV (p = 0.004). Similarly, I-TAC mRNA levels were persistently elevated in allografts with CAV (6.7 ± 1.9 in allografts with vs 1.5 ± 0.3 in those without CAV, p = 0.01). In contrast, Mig mRNA was induced only during rejection (2.4 ± 0.9 with vs 0.6 ± 0.2 without rejection, p = 0.015). In addition, IP-10 mRNA increased above baseline during rejection (4.1 ± 2.3 in rejecting vs 1.8 ± 1.2 in nonrejecting biopsies, p = 0.038). I-TAC did not defer significantly with rejection. CXCR3 mRNA persistently elevated after cardiac transplantation. Double immunohistochemistry revealed differential cellular distribution of CXCR3 chemokines. Intragraft vascular cells expressed high levels of IP-10 and I-TAC, while Mig localized predominantly in infiltrating macrophages. CXCR3 was localized in vascular and infiltrating cells. CXCR3 chemokines are induced in cardiac allografts and differentially associated with CAV and rejection. Differential cellular distribution of these chemokines in allografts indicates their central roles in multiple pathways involving CAV and rejection. This chemokine pathway may serve as a monitor and target for novel therapies to prevent CAV and rejection.
Electric load estimation techniques for high-speed railway (HSR) traction power systems

As modern (e.g., high-speed railway (HSR)) traction power systems (TPS) become more and more comparable in size to grid capacity, dynamic load estimation (DLE) has become not just an important tool for TPS planning, but also an indispensable tool for utility companies to evaluate traction system's accurate unbalance impact on the grid. Without a good DLE algorithm, unbalance impact can easily be underestimated and causes power system instabilities. A good DLE must be carried out with a power engineering perspective while incorporating real railway operating principles and practices. However, due to the lack of well-documented literature on this subject and the interdisciplinary nature of DLE, it usually presents a difficult task for the system planner. As such, this paper presents an accurate DLE algorithm capable of achieving these goals, while providing a complete coverage of all the principles and parameters used during the derivation. The methodology developed here is applicable to HSR TPS and to conventional railways as well with minor modifications. Unbalance impact evaluation of the new Taiwan HSR is presented in the last part of the paper, while further application of the proposed DLE algorithm is also proposed.
The formation of teams: a British and German comparison

The aim of this paper is to examine the introduction of teamwork in a British and in a German car plant owned by the same American corporation. It contributes to the current discussions about teamwork (Kochan et al., 1997; Delbridge and Lowe, 1996). Using the German concept of a 'constitutional factory' vs 'adversarial' framework, a cross-country comparison is made. The research includes interviews and surveys. Conclusions have been drawn on the actual Gestalt (form, shape) of teamwork with special attention given to the relationship between team members and team leaders. Teams in a more 'adversarial management appoints team leaders' model seem to see team leaders as a new form of supervison and split team members and team leaders into 'us and them'.
Music and the brain - design of an MEG compatible piano

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging has been used to study subjects' responses when listening to music, but research into the effects of playing music has been limited by the lack of MEG compatible instruments that can operate in a magnetically shielded environment without creating electromagnetic interference. This paper describes the design and preliminary testing of an MEG compatible piano keyboard with 25 full size keys that employs a novel 3-state optical encoder design and electronics to provide realistic velocity-controlled volume modulation. This instrument will allow researchers to study musical performance on a finer timescale than fMRI and enable a range of MEG studies.
Rational Response to the Money Supply

Knowledgeable consumers should be attentive to published measures of the money supply. They have an incentive to forecast money's future quantity as accurately as possible, for they must decide which commodities, assets, and labor income should be contracted now, in nominal terms, and which should be left for purchase or sale at future (unknown) prices. Information about the money supply has a central role in consumption forecasting and choosing because it is commonly and correctly believed to be the most important influence on commodity prices. By forecasting the money supply into the future and estimating its effect on the sequence of commodity prices, the consumer is performing a rational decision calculation, identical in substance with that performed by an investor estimating the effect of predicted future earnings on the sequence of a firm's common stock price. By the very act of making decisions on the basis of anticipated money stocks, however, consumers decrease the empirical connection between future changes in money and the current price of goods. The efficient commodity market would display a minimal connection between the two because commodity prices would be bid quickly to a discounted level related to the predictable portion of the monetary sequence. Again