Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A conceptualized investment model of crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is growing in popularity as a new form of both investment opportunity and source of venture capital. This article takes a view on whether crowdfunding is a replacement or an addition to traditional seed capital sources in the early stages of a new venture. With access to angel investment decreasing since the financial crisis of 2008, crowdfunding is of great importance to start-ups seeking starting capital. However, little effort has been made to define the investment model of crowdfunding with both crowdfunder and crowdfundee in mind. Drawing on an in-depth review of current literature on crowdfunding, this article creates an investment model of crowdfunding with various reward models available to investor and investee in mind. This article provides an extensive survey of the environment of crowdfunding based on current literature. It offers a jumping off point and a thorough literature review for researchers of crowdfunding, providing a detailed examination of the current landscape of crowdfunding based on available literary sources.
Quantitative and qualitative decision‐making methods in simulation modelling

Discrete event simulation (DES) is widely known to be a quantitative research tool. A simulation modelling process is mainly based on feeding quantitative data into a model to produce quantitative results in a structured sequential process. Qualitative approaches to research take a less structured approach with more of an inclination towards judgmental and expert knowledge rather than hard data. In this paper the authors suggest that DES can be employed as both a qualitative and quantitative research tool. The paper demonstrates how simulation may represent both stances either separately or combined. This is based on the fact that the basic objectives of simulation are either for understanding – which needs a qualitative perspective – or performance measurement – which a needs quantitative perspective. Traditional quantitative and qualitative methods are discussed showing how DES might cope with the weaknesses of both stances. A structure for using DES as a combined research methodology is proposed.
Industrial and intellectual property rights in the Uruguay round and beyond

The current Uruguay Round of negotiations in GATT is considering the issues of industrial and intellectual property rights (IIPRs), trade in services and direct foreign investment. Although these issues are not linked conceptually, they have come to be integrated in a single policy initiative in which the US government is particularly active. The major reason for targetting IIPRs for reform is that there are major changes in technology which render the inherited regime anachronistic. This article considers these changes in technology, describes the implications for property rights and discusses the current policy negotiations in GATT. It concludes by pointing to the key role being played by the USA and questions whether this is likely to endure given the undermining of the technologically dominant position of the US economy.
Magnetic and structural properties of La-substituted ferrites

Production methods for obtaining the metastable LaFe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ are described. The magnetic properties of La-substituted Sr hexaferrite and pure LaFe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ are summarized. The uniaxial anisotropy of LaFe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ increases dramatically with decreasing temperature. This is attributed to a change of the Fe/sup 3+/ to an Fe/sup 2+/ on the 2a site which is confirmed by Mo/spl uml/ssbauer spectroscopy. This leads to a semiconductor behavior visible in the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity.
An approach to helical tubular self-aggregation using C2-symmetric self-complementary hydrogen-bonding cavity molecules.

In an approach to helical self-aggregation, C2-symmetric cavity compounds based on the fusion of the bicyclo[3.3. 1]nonane and indole framework and incorporating two 2-pyridone hydrogen-bonding motifs, compounds (-)-4 (pyrrole N-butyl) and (-)-5 (pyrrole N-decyl), have been synthesized. The 2-pyridone AD-DA hydrogen-bonding motif failed to operate in the solid state as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis of (-)-4. Instead, the hydrogen-bonded (D-A) chains . O=C-N-H.O=C-N-H.O=C-N-H. , interconnecting columnar stacks, comprise helices of the right-handed (P) chirality motif. In solution, the aggregation of (-)-5 was studied by NMR, electronic, and CD spectroscopies, and VPO measurements. These investigations strongly suggest that (-)-5 associates to oligomers in CHCl3 and CH2Cl2 using the 2-pyridone motif, fitting the equal K model, and that pi-stacking can be ruled out as a mode of aggregation. We conclude that the so formed aggregates of (-)-5 have a helical structure, based on the fact that only helical tubular structures can result when enantiomerically pure 5 uses its 2-pyridone AD-DA hydrogen-bonding motifs for aggregation.
Should Saskatchewan Farmland be Part of Your Investment Portfolio

Farmland has been a good investment over the past 30 years, as part of an internationally diversified medium-risk portfolio. For average or medium levels of risk, farmland can enhance the financial performance of an investment portfolio. Investors who choose to maintain a low-risk portfolio will not include farmland and, similarly, the gains at the high-risk level are also very minimal. The financial gains from farmland are a result of its negatively correlated returns with other equity markets. When added to an equity portfolio, the risk is reduced while maintaining the same rate of return on investment. This is especially true of the medium-risk portfolios. Farmland investment has associated problems including illiquidity, poor marketability and asset lumpiness. A potential solution to these problems is to allow the organization of a Saskatchewan (or Canadian) farmland mutual fund. L'achat de terres agricoles s'est revele un bon placement dans les 30 dernieres annees dans le cadre d'un portefeuille a risque modere internationalement diversifie. Dans la categorie de risque moyen ou modere, la propriete de terres agricoles peut accroitre le rendement economique d'un poriefeuille de placement. Les investisseurs qui choisissent de maintenir un poriefeuille a faible risque ne s'interesseront pas aux terres agricoles, et par ailleurs, les gains au niveau de risque eleve sont egalement tres maigres. Les gains financiers tires de la propriete de terres agricoles sont la resultante de la correlation negative du rendement economique avec celle des autres marches de valeurs. En ajoutant les terres agricoles a un portefeuille de valeurs mobiligres, on abaisse le niveau de risque tout en conservant le meme taux de rendement sur les placements. C'est particulierement vrai des portefeuilles a risque modere. Les placements dans les terres agricoles component des inconvenients comme l'illiquidite, la difflculte de revendre et l;indivisibilite. Une solution a ces proxblemes serait d'autoriser la constitution d'un fonds mutuel de terres agricoles, soit pour la province de Saskatchewan ou pour l'ensemble du pays.
Reversible interconversion of carbon dioxide and formate by an electroactive enzyme

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a kinetically and thermodynamically stable molecule. It is easily formed by the oxidation of organic molecules, during combustion or respiration, but is difficult to reduce. The production of reduced carbon compounds from CO2 is an attractive proposition, because carbon-neutral energy sources could be used to generate fuel resources and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. However, available methods for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 require excessive overpotentials (are energetically wasteful) and produce mixtures of products. Here, we show that a tungsten-containing formate dehydrogenase enzyme (FDH1) adsorbed to an electrode surface catalyzes the efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate. Electrocatalysis by FDH1 is thermodynamically reversible—only small overpotentials are required, and the point of zero net catalytic current defines the reduction potential. It occurs under thoroughly mild conditions, and formate is the only product. Both as a homogeneous catalyst and on the electrode, FDH1 catalyzes CO2 reduction with a rate more than two orders of magnitude faster than that of any known catalyst for the same reaction. Formate oxidation is more than five times faster than CO2 reduction. Thermodynamically, formate and hydrogen are oxidized at similar potentials, so formate is a viable energy source in its own right as well as an industrially important feedstock and a stable intermediate in the conversion of CO2 to methanol and methane. FDH1 demonstrates the feasibility of interconverting CO2 and formate electrochemically, and it is a template for the development of robust synthetic catalysts suitable for practical applications.
Country performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad

This study seeks to explain country differences in the performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Hypotheses on the relationship between, on one hand, performance at the Olympiads and, on the other, population size and dynamics, economic resources, human capital, schooling quantity and quality, and the political regime are tested with a panel dataset of 97 countries over the period 1993-2006. The analysis distinguishes between crosscountry differences and intra-country differences. Results indicate that macro-conditions explain cross-country differences well but fail to predict changes in performance over time. Thus, long-term differences in country characteristics are associated with the average performance of Olympians.
Book Review: New York for Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate

One is that it is unrealistic to expect private capital fully to fund the infrastructure on public waterfronts—public investment is required. Such investment of course brings more public scrutiny, yet Brown holds to the view that lack of autonomy is the problem even after he demonstrates that such autonomy is inevitably eroded and does not deliver successful outcomes. In every one of his case studies, success has been limited by the structural contradictions in which quasi-public port authorities are enmeshed. The book demonstrates one thing, yet the author concludes another. I am left with the view that perhaps the best outcomes are in cities like San Francisco where the least change has occurred and where the opportunity remains for a more enlightened generation to redevelop in a much more imaginative and public-spirited manner.
Synergistic and antimicrobial properties of commercial turmeric (Curcuma longa) essential oil against pathogenic bacteria

Several studies have shown the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of turmeric (Curcuma longa), widely used in food industry as a colorant, among other functions. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of turmeric essential oil against pathogenic bacteria and to study the influence of the addition of ascorbic acid on the prevention of polyphenols oxidation. The commercial turmeric essential oil alone did not show bactericidal activity against the microorganisms studied, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium, but when combined with ascorbic acid, it showed significant antibacterial activity. The highest antimicrobial activity of turmeric essential oil against Salmonella typhimurium was 15.0 ± 1.41 mm at the concentration of 2.30 mg.mL-1 of essential oil and 2.0 mg.mL-1 of ascorbic acid. With regard to Listeria monocytogenes, the largest zone of inhibition (13.7 ± 0.58 mm) was obtained at the same concentrations. The essential oil showed antioxidant activity of EC50 = 2094.172 µg. mL-1 for the DPPH radical scavenging method and 29% under the concentration of 1.667 mg.mL-1 for the β-carotene bleaching method.
Incidence of anaemia and impact on sustained virological response in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin

Summary. Ribavirin (RBV) exposure is important for maximizing the response to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy. However, RBV‐associated haemolytic anaemia may force dose reductions or even treatment discontinuation. The use of zidovudine might further increases the risk of anaemia in HCV/HIV‐coinfected patients. The predictors of anaemia were examined in PRESCO, a large trial conducted in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients treated with pegylated interferon alpha‐2a 180 μg/week plus RBV 1000–1200 mg/day. Measurements included maximal decrease in haemoglobin (Hb) throughout treatment, drops in Hb to <10 (moderate) or to <8.5 g/dL (severe), and premature RBV discontinuation because of anaemia. Finally, the impact of anaemia on sustained virological response (SVR) was assessed. Moderate or severe anaemia occurred, respectively, in 51 (13%) and 13 (3.3%) of 389 patients included in the study. Lower baseline Hb [RR: 0.14 (95% CI 0.07–0.27); P < 0.0001] and greater Hb drops during the first 4 weeks of therapy [RR: 4.74 (95% CI 2.95–7.60); P < 0.0001] were independent predictors of moderate anaemia at any time point in the multivariate analysis. Mean drops in Hb from baseline to week 4 were significantly greater in patients receiving zidovudine compared with other drugs (−3.09 vs−2.3 g/dL; P < 0.001). Lower baseline Hb [RR: 0.33 (95% CI 0.11–0.95); P = 0.04] and maximal Hb drops during treatment [RR: 2.48 (95% CI 1.33–4.59); P = 0.004] predicted treatment discontinuation because of anaemia. However, maximal Hb drops, development of moderate–severe anaemia and RBV dose reductions were comparable among patients who achieved SVR and those who did not. Lower baseline Hb predicts maximal drops in Hb and development of anaemia in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients treated with pegylated interferon plus RBV. The use of zidovudine is associated with greater Hb declines at week 4. However, severe anaemia is relatively infrequent and seems not to have much impact on SVR. Given the availability of alternative antiretroviral drugs, it is advised to avoid zidovudine while receiving anti‐HCV treatment.
The Entrepreneur in Theory and Practice

The entrepreneur, in one form or another, has been around a long time in both economic theory and empirical studies of entry. Argues that these traditions have exhibited an over-concern with the entrepreneur's function at the expense of the supply of entrepreneurs, an area which has received only sporadic attention in the literature. It is this supply aspect which is critical to economic development and economists should now devote more attention to it.
Author ' s personal copy Voicing assimilation in Catalan two-consonant clusters

This paper reports electroglottographic (EGG) data for consonant sequences composed of a word final stop or fricative followed by a voiced consonant produced by eight speakers of a Romance language, i.e., Catalan, where these clusters undergo regressive voicing assimilation. Analysis results reveal considerable speakerand consonant-dependent differences in the temporal period of vocal fold vibration during C1. In agreement with the degree of articulatory constraint (DAC) model of coarticulation, there appears to be a direct relationship between the extent to which consonants allow contextual voicing (voicing coarticulation resistance) and exert voicing effects on other consonants (voicing coarticulation aggressiveness) in a good number of cases; in other cases, however, this prediction does not hold, mainly in fricativeþnasal, lateral sequences presumably due to the aerodynamic requirements involved. EGG and acoustic data for two-obstruent cluster pairs where C2 may be underlyingly voiced or voiceless but agrees in place and manner of articulation show that speakers may use not only the temporal extent of vocal fold vibration but also C1 and preceding vowel duration (as well as fricative noise intensity in clusters with C11⁄4/s/) as voicing cues; in particular, segmental duration was found to stay more constant than vocal fold vibration across speakers. In view of this cooccurring relation, it is concluded that regressive voicing assimilation in Catalan may be signaled by vocal fold vibration and segmental duration and intensity acting interactively. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Immunopathology of Multiple Sclerosis: An Overview

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is traditionally seen as an inflammatory demyelinating disease, characterized by the formation of focal demyelinated plaques in the white matter of the central nervous system. In this review we describe recent evidence that the spectrum of MS pathology is much broader. This includes demyelination in the cortex and deep gray matter nuclei, as well as diffuse injury of the normal‐appearing white matter. The mechanisms responsible for the formation of focal lesions in different patients and in different stages of the disease as well as those involved in the induction of diffuse brain damage are complex and heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is reflected by different clinical manifestations of the disease, such as relapsing or progressive MS, and also explains at least in part the relation of MS to other inflammatory demyelinating diseases.
Age management in the public sector in Norway: exploring managers' decision latitude

In response to decreasing retirement ages, greater attention is paid to ways of extending older workers' careers without inflicting them with unacceptable strain. Workplace management is supposed to be a key success factor and possible solutions have been coined ‘age management’. The purpose of this article is to assess the extent to which managers accept responsibility for age management issues, how do they perceive their decision latitude (options and constraints) with regard to age management and how does this perceived decision latitude vary in relation to a range of organisational and managerial variables. Data used consist of responses from 672 managers in the public sector. Decision latitude was defined by employees' support, option to reorganise work, sufficient human resources, sufficient budget resources and opportunities to unite age management with efficiency demands. The results showed that management attitudes were the most important predictors, explaining 22.4% of the variance for the decision latitude. Changing managers' attitudes and providing access to human and financial resources seem to be the most important criteria for influencing on managers' perceived decision latitude and contributing to retention of older employees.
Fenoldopam mesylate in early acute tubular necrosis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) occurs commonly in critically ill patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Fenoldopam is a dopamine receptor alpha1-specific agonist that increases renal blood flow in patients with kidney failure. We hypothesized that administration of low-dose fenoldopam during early ATN would decrease the need for dialysis therapy and/or incidence of death at 21 days. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in 155 patients with early ATN. Patients were considered eligible for enrollment if serum creatinine level increased to 50% greater than admission levels within 24 hours and mean arterial pressure was greater than 70 mm Hg. Patients were randomly assigned to the administration of placebo or fenoldopam for 72 hours. RESULTS Overall, 22 of 80 patients (27.5%) in the fenoldopam group reached the primary end point compared with 29 of 75 patients (38.7%) in the placebo group (P = 0.235). This 11% absolute reduction in the primary end point was not statistically significant (P = 0.23). Similarly, there was no difference in the incidence of dialysis therapy between patients randomly assigned to fenoldopam (13 of 80 patients; 16.25%) versus the placebo group (19 of 75 patients; 25.3%; P = 0.163). Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in 21-day mortality rates between the 2 groups (fenoldopam, 13.8% versus placebo, 25.3%; P = 0.068). In secondary analyses, fenoldopam tended to reduce the primary end point in patients without diabetes and postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients with early ATN (fenoldopam patients without diabetes, 14 of 54 patients [25.9%] versus placebo patients without diabetes, 23 of 52 patients [44.2%]; P = 0.048) and postoperative cardiothoracic patients (6 of 34 patients [17.6%] versus 14 of 36 patients [38.8%]; P = 0.049). Conversely, fenoldopam did not improve the primary end point in patients with diabetes or those with acute renal failure from other causes. A larger multicenter trial using separate randomizations for patients with and without diabetes will be needed to determine the efficacy of fenoldopam mesylate in specific subpopulations with ATN. CONCLUSION Fenoldopam does not reduce the incidence of death or dialysis therapy in intensive care unit patients with early ATN.
Human Fertility: the basic components

In this innovative and comprehensive work, expanded by one-third for the English-language edition, Henri Leridon integrates biology and demography to investigate human fertility, both natural and controlled. Traditionally, demographers have been concerned with birthrates in different populations under varying conditions, while biologists have limited themselves to the study of the reproductive process. Leridon has formulated the first coherent overview of the functioning of the human reproductive system in relation to the external conditions that affect fertility. The book begins with a readable, authoritative review of human fertility in its natural state. Leridon summarizes and evaluates current knowledge, drawing together rare statistical data on physiological variables as well as demographic treatments of these data. After discussing the classical framework used by demographers, Leridon undertakes a "microdemographic" analysis in which he focuses on the individual and explicates the biological processes through which social, psychological, and economic factors affect fertility. He isolates its components fecundability, intrauterine mortality, the physiological nonsusceptible period, and sterility then reviews the composite effect of variation in any one component. Leridon considers situations of controlled fertility: contraception, abortion, and sterilization. The author also presents valuable new data from his own investigations of varying risks of intrauterine mortality. Finally, he shows how the previous approaches can be complemented by the use of mathematical models. "
Evaluating Interval Forecasts

A complete theory for evaluating interval forecasts has not been worked out to date. Most of the literature implicitly assumes homoskedastic errors even when this is clearly violated and proceed by merely testing for correct unconditional coverage. Consequently, the author sets out to build a consistent framework for conditional interval forecast evaluation, which is crucial when higher-order moment dynamics are present. The new methodology is demonstrated in an application to the exchange rate forecasting procedures advocated in risk management. Copyright 1998 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.