Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interdependencia Significativa Entre Riesgos Financieros En Microempresas Comerciales Hidalguenses (Significant Interdependence between Financial Risks in Micro Commercial Business in Hidalgo)

<b>Spanish Abstract:</b> El actual entorno empresarial altamente competitivo ha visto numerosas debacles, trayendo al estudio del riesgo a la luz y el desarrollo de diversos enfoques para su medición desde los más tradicionales, con visiones individualistas y netamente cuantitativos, hasta los enfoques integrales y cualitativos. Dada la carencia de herramientas para la evaluación de riesgos en las microempresas, el documento presenta un enfoque integral: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) como metodología viable para la evaluación de riesgos en este sector de la economía, considerando como premisa la existencia de interdependencia entre los riesgos identificados, que aunque en lo individual no presentan altos niveles de exposición, en su relación con otros se determina que potencialmente son riesgos que afectan los niveles de exposición de la empresa, permitiendo establecer pronósticos de su comportamiento. El estudio es cualitativo, transversal, no experimental, correlacional y explicativo, realizado a 265 microempresas del sector comercial del estado de Hidalgo, México. Los hallazgos muestran que el ERM para la evaluación del riesgo es una herramienta sencilla, útil y aplicable para la medición de riesgos con datos cualitativos, evidenciando una relación altamente significativa entre los riesgos financieros evaluados, generando la posibilidad de pronosticar significativamente su comportamiento. <b>English Abstract:</b> In today’s highly competitive environment, businesses have seen numerous debacles. Thus, there is an increased need to understand and measure risk. Given the lack of tools for evaluation of risk suitable for very small enterprises, this document presents a comprehensive approach: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) as viable methodology for the evaluation of risks in this sector of the economy. The study is qualitative, non-experimental, correlational and explanatory. Some 265 small enterprises in the commercial sector of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico participated in the study. The findings show that the ERM to risk assessment is a simple, useful and applicable tool for the measurement of risks with qualitative data, demonstrating a highly significant relationship between financial risks assessed, generating the ability to predict their behavior significantly.
Health and Work in the Family: Evidence from Spouses' Cancer Diagnoses

Using Canadian administrative data from multiple sources, we provide the first nationally representative estimates for the effect of spouses' cancer diagnoses on individuals' employment and earnings and on family income. Our identification strategy exploits unexpected health shocks and combines matching with individual fixed effects in a generalized difference-in-differences framework to control for observable and unobservable heterogeneity. While the effect of spousal health shocks on labor supply is theoretically ambiguous, we find strong evidence for a decline in employment and earnings of individuals whose spouses are diagnosed with cancer. We interpret this result as individuals reducing their labor supply to provide care to their sick spouses and to enjoy joint leisure. Family income substantially declines after spouses' cancer diagnoses, suggesting that the financial consequences of such health shocks are considerable.
The humic content of lake water and its relationship to watershed and lake morphometry

The relationship of lake water color (mg liter−1 Pt) to watershed and lake morphometry, derived from topographical, hydrological, and bathymetric maps, was examined by log-linear multiple regression on a data set obtained from 337 lakes from the northern United States and Canada. Color was positively related to the drainage ratio, and negatively related to watershed slope, mean lake depth, and lake area. Lakes that receive significant indirect drainage from other lakes were less colored than headwater lakes. The best regression model explained 60% of the variance in lake water color. Regression models were calculated separately for four geographic regions (the Laurentians of Quebec, eastern Quebec-Maine, northeastern Wisconsin, and the Experimental Lakes Area of western Ontario). The regression coefficients for the most significant variables, drainage ratio, watershed slope, and lake area were similar over these four areas, but the regional models still had significantly smaller standard errors than the general model based on the whole data set.
Evidence of Rational Bubble in Indonesian Stock Market

The present value model is a popular and reasonable model used to assessing the stock price in accordance with the rational expectations. In fact, that we see that stocks overvalued may become more overvalued. We argue that investor has another aspect when valuing a stock price. Furthermore, we believe it is called bubble. The specification of stock price included bubble satisfied the Euler Equation. Thus, it is called rational bubble. This study employs co-integration between stock price and dividend as present-value model in the equilibrium relationship. This study used Indonesian quarterly data in period of 1999-2008. By Engle-Granger and Johansen co-integration tests we find that stock price and dividend are not co-integrated, in favor of the evidence of rational bubble in Indonesian stock market. The result gives us some explanation that the fundamental approach is not sufficient to describe all stock price movements. Thus, one may revisited his investment decisions beyond the fundamentals.
Pink bollworm moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) catches in the Imperial Valley, California from 1989 to 2003

Abstract We examined the patterns of male pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), moth catches in gossyplure‐baited traps over a 15‐year period from 1989 to 2003 in the Imperial Valley, California, USA. Monitoring was conducted during periods when different pink bollworm areawide control strategies were being used. Numbers of male pink bollworm moths caught in gossyplure‐baited traps progressively decreased each year from 1990 to 1994 during short‐season cotton production. High numbers of male moths caught in traps from 1995 to 1997 may have been related to moth migrations from the large cotton acreages grown in the Mexicali Valley bordering the Imperial Valley. Transgenic Bollgard® (Bt) cotton was planted in 3% of the cotton area in 1996 and thereafter in 80%–94% of the cotton area from 1997 to 2003. Pink bollworm moth trap catches were significantly lower from 1998 to 2003 than catches in 1995 to 1997, except for 1999. The trapping results suggested that Bt cotton had significant input on reduction of pink bollworm populations, confirming results of other investigators and providing additional documentation on the benefits of the Bt cotton culture.
Asymmetric Information in the Market for Automotive Insurance: Evidence from Germany

Asymmetric information is an important phenomenon in insurance markets, but the empirical evidence on the extent of adverse selection and moral hazard is mixed. Because of its implications for pricing, contract design, and regulation, it is crucial to test for asymmetric information in specific insurance markets. In this paper, we analyse a recent data set on automobile insurance in Germany, the largest such market in Europe. We present and compare a variety of statistical testing procedures. We find that the extent of asymmetric information depends on coverage levels and on the specific risks covered which enhances the previous literature. Within the framework of Chiappori et al. (2006), we also test whether drivers have realistic expectations concerning their loss distribution, and we analyze the market structure.
When is Society Susceptible to Manipulation?

We consider a social learning model where agents learn about an underlying state of the world from individual observations as well as from exchanging information with each other. A principal (e.g., a firm or a government) interferes with the learning process in order to manipulate the beliefs of the agents. By utilizing the same forces that give rise to the “wisdom of the crowd” phenomenon, the principal can get the agents to take an action that is not necessarily optimal for them but is in the principal’s best interest. We characterize the social norms and network structures that are susceptible to this kind of manipulation and derive conditions under which a social network is impervious and cannot be manipulated. In the process, we develop a new centrality measure and describe how our model offers insights into designing networks that are resistant to manipulation. This paper was accepted by Gabriel Weintraub, revenue management and market analytics.
Awareness of Improved Practices of Teff by Smallholder Farmers in Chaliyadistrict, West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s major staple crop is Teff (Eragrostisteff). Teff is one of the most important crops for farm income and food security in Ethiopia. Despite the importance of teff in Ethiopia, yields are remarkably low. Low yield due to low adoption of improved agricultural technologies is believed to be the main factor. Awareness is endogenous to the decision to adopt; thus, awareness and adoption are modelled jointly to allow us to interpret awareness as a potential policy variable which can be used to influence the probability of adoption. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the awareness of improved cultivation and post-harvest management practices of teff by smallholder teff farmers. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Cross sectional survey research design was employed to collect data. Among the 19 districts in the West Shoa zone, Chaliyadistrict was purposively selected because this district has 6815 ha of land under teff under cultivation, out of which only 46 ha are under improved practices. The number of respondents to be selected from each randomly selected eight villages was determined based on Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). The respondents (239) were selected from the eight villages by using random sampling technique. The data were collected using semi-structured interview schedule, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were coded, tabulated and analysed using descriptive statistical tests.In this research, it was found that the awareness on mechanical thresher, line sowing, less seed rate and transplanting was less among the respondents, which was a major constraint in adoption. The awareness about the benefits of row planting, transplanting and use of mechanical thresher was low among the respondents. Therefore, the extension agency should put forth more efforts to create awareness on these technologies and its benefits by employing effective and suitable communication methods as the awareness was low on these technologies.
Institutional details matter—more economic effects of direct democracy

This study contains further evidence on the economic effects of direct democratic institutions. A first study found that countries with national initiatives have higher government expenditure and are characterized by more rent-seeking activity, that the effects of direct democratic institutions become stronger if the frequency of their actual use is taken into account, and that effects are stronger in countries with weak democracies. This study sheds more light on these findings by drawing on a new dataset covering more countries and incorporating more institutional detail. The results of the earlier study are largely confirmed: mandatory referendums lower government expenditure and improve government efficiency, initiatives have the opposite effects. The incorporation of more institutional detail into the analysis shows that the increase in government expenditures connected with initiatives is primarily driven by citizen, as opposed to agenda, initiatives. Further, referendums held at both the constitutional and post-constitutional levels are correlated with larger debt. Finally, neither the possibility of a recall nor the degree to which referendum results are binding significantly affect our dependent variables.
Dynamic Many-to-One Matching

We study many-to-one matching markets in a dynamic framework with the following features: Matching is irreversible, participants exogenously join the market over time, each agent is restricted by a quota, and agents are perfectly patient. A form of strategic behavior in such markets emerges: The side with many slots can manipulate the subsequent matching market in their favor via earlier matchings. In such a setting, a natural question arises: Can we analyze a dynamic many-to-one matching market as if it were either a static many-to-one or a dynamic one-to-one market? First, we provide sufficient conditions under which the answer is yes. Second, we show that if these conditions are not met, then the early matchings are “inferior” to the subsequent matchings. Lastly, we extend the model to allow agents on one side to endogenously decide when to join the market. Using this extension, we provide a rationale for the small amount of unraveling observed in the US medical residency matching market compared to the US college-admissions system.
Exporting Raises Productivity in Sub-Saharan African Manufacturing Plants

Proponents of trade liberalization argue that it will force firms to produce closer to the production possibility frontier and that the frontier will move out faster. In particular, plants that export will achieve a higher productivity level. However intuitive the argument, empirical evidence is meager. This hypothesis is examined by calculating the effect of export status on productivity for a panel of manufacturing plants in nine African countries. The results indicate that exporters in these countries are more productive, replicating a similar finding for developed countries. More importantly, exporters increase their productivity advantage after entry into the export market. While the first finding can be explained by selection---only the most productive firms engage in exporting---the latter cannot. The results are robust when unobserved productivity differences and self-selection into the export market are controlled for using different econometric methods. Scale economies are shown to be an important channel for the productivity advance. Credit constraints and contract enforcement problems prevent plants that only produce for the domestic market to fully exploit scale economies.
Input Suppliers, Differential Pricing and Information Sharing Agreements

It is common for firms to systematically share financial and productivity data with their input suppliers, as well as their rivals. However, there has been a systematic change in the US policy towards vertical relationships in the past decades: both FTC inaction and courts rulings have curtailed the effect of Robinson-Patman, a law meant to prevent differential pricing by upstream suppliers. The implication of this change on information agreements is examined. It is found that the use of differential pricing by the upstream supplier changes the downstream firm's value from sharing information as well as producer surplus and welfare.
Corporate Governance and Sustainability Disclosure: Evidence from Listed Industrial Goods Firms in Nigeria

The study examined the effect of corporate governance on sustainability disclosures. The data regarding corporate governance and sustainability reporting were gathered from annual report and accounts of 12 listed industrial goods companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the period 2010-2017. Sustainability disclosure index was developed using the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) guidelines to score the information content of annual reports relating to sustainability performance. The study used descriptive and inferential (ordinary least square regression) statistical techniques to analyse the data gathered. The study concludes that large board size with independence is able to monitor and control management decisions on sustainability matter to bring about better sustainability reporting. Similarly, the presence of CSR committee was found to result in improved sustainability disclosure. The findings of the study imply that corporate governance elements are important factors affecting the level of sustainability disclosure among listed Nigerian industrial goods companies.
Stock Price Response to New CEO Earnings News

New-CEO earnings news exhibits asymmetric effects on stock prices. Stock prices rise more on good earnings news announced by firms with new CEOs compared with those with established CEOs. By contrast, stock prices tend to fall by a smaller amount on bad earnings news for new CEOs. Both the new-CEO quality effect and the new-CEO honeymoon effect are more pronounced for CEOs appointed during challenging situations. The new-CEO quality effect is stronger for firms followed by fewer analysts, while the honeymoon effect is stronger for firms followed by more analysts – illustrating the importance of a transparent information environment.
Local Banking Market Structure, External Financial Dependence and Economic Activity: A New Assessment of the Benefits of Relationship Banking

This paper provides new evidence on the benefits of relationship banking. Using a unique bank branch-level dataset covering 96 French counties (departments) from 2005 to 2013, we show that higher market share of regional banks and a stronger presence of geographically-focused banks significantly impact local employment, foster firm creation and stimulate SMEs performance, even after controlling for times, county level and industry level effects. Further exploring the link between local banking market structure and real economic activity, we find that these benefits are altered by differences in sectors’ external financial dependence. Stronger presence of regional banks or of geographically-focused banks positively impact SMEs performance in sectors which are highly-dependent on external finance.
The Impact of Speculation on Commodity Futures – A Review of the Findings of 100 Empirical Studies

There are numerous empirical studies on the impact of speculation on commodity futures prices. The papers strongly differ in terms of the focus variable (e.g. price, volatility, spillover effects) of speculative effects, the speculation measure used, and their methodological sophistication and quality. We review and evaluate the methodology and results of 100 papers which have been published (or are at least frequently quoted) on this subject over the past decade. While the overall picture indicates that the number of studies which report reinforcing and weakening effects is about the same, the results shift in favor of finding (clear or mixed) weakening effects if studies use direct measures of speculation.
Freshwater Snails Of Africa And Their Medical Importance

Systematic synopsis - introduction, glossary, identification keys systematic synopsis - prosbranchs and pulmonates snails and schistosomes other snail-transmitted parasitic infections the biology of bulinus snail control local snail faunas chemical and physical factors life cycles and populations regions, lakes and rivers - biography.
Optimal Inspection Time in Foraging Strategies: a Model for Superparasitism in Insect Parasitoids

Many average rate maximization models predicting zero-one rules are based on the assumption that the behavioural decision is to accept or to reject a prey of a given quality, usually assuming perfect recognition of the prey type. Observed "partial preferences" that deviate from zero-one rules are classically explained by stochasticity, incomplete or erroneous information, or several kinds of heterogeneity. Such partial preferences usually occur at the population level, but each individual decision is still dichotomic. Here, we approach the problem of partial preference differently, as the outcome of an optimization strategy. Considering the case of parasitoids searching for hosts and attempting to avoid superparasitism, we propose that the decision variable is the time allocated to host inspection and that the recognition probability is related to inspection time. The decision process itself predicts partial preference at the individual level: upon each encounter with a parasitized host, a foraging female has a probability 0p1 of accepting it. The accuracy of host recognition can be increased at will by increasing the inspection time. However, this involves a time cost that must be balanced against other time consuming activities like searching and oviposition. Assuming average rate maximization, we calculate the optimal inspection time and we show that this generates some degree of non-recognition at the individual level. Partial preference is therefore a component of the optimal strategy. The model depends on several parameters including the availability of healthy hosts, the time cost of oviposition, the time cost of searching and the payoff of a supernumerary egg. For some values of these parameters, the optimal strategy is not to inspect (i.e., not to avoid superparasitism) as, for example, in the case where the payoff of superparasitism equals the payoff of single parasitism. Only few examples were found in the literature that support the model's hypothesis directly. However, partial acceptance as well as varying handling times, which are both predicted by the model, are common observations. We discuss several possibilities for testing the model experimentally.
Biochemical Characteristics of Two Spanish Traditional Dry-cured Sausage Varieties: Androlla and Botillo

The chemical composition, the most relevant physico-chemical parameters, the nitrogen fractions and some fat characteristics were determined in 10 units each of Androlla and Botillo, two dry-cured sausages made traditionally in the northwest region of Spain. Androlla showed significantly (P<0.05) more fat and hydroxyproline content than Botillo, whereas Botillo contained significantly more moisture (P<0.01), ash (P<0.05) and sodium chloride (P<0.05). With some minor exceptions the values of the chemical parameters found for these two sausage varieties are within the range of those observed for other dry-fermented sausages. pH values also agree with those observed in other similar products; however, higher Awvalues were observed in Androlla and Botillo. The values of the different nitrogen fractions and those of the acidity of the fat show that these sausages undergo, during their ripening, moderate proteolytic and lipolytic processes. However, the peroxide and TBA values show that the autooxidation phenomena are more intense than those reported for most dry-cured sausage varieties.
Budburst in Sultana grapevine as influenced by salinity and rootstock

The time to budburst in Sultana grapevine growing on its own root system, or else grafted to Dogridge, 161 3, Harmony, Ramsey (often incorrectly referred to as Salt Creek) rootstocks, was studied in plants that had been irrigated with 0, 12.5, 25, 50 or 75 mM solutions of chloride salts under glasshouse conditions during the previous growing season. Budburst was delayed on scions grafted to Ramsey and Dogridge rootstocks. Increased chloride concentration within canes was negatively correlated with time to budburst for all of the rootstock combinations. Accounting for temperature variation during the period of budburst did not affect the relation between time to budburst and chloride concentration within canes. Correlation of mean time to budburst (both on a day basis and a temperature summation basis) with mean chloride content for each rootstock at each level of salt treatment yielded a linear relation (P < 0.001), in which 64-68% of the variability in time to budburst was accounted for by chloride concentration in canes. An increase of 0.1% in cane chloride advanced budburst by 4.2 days and reduced temperature summation to budburst by 327 degree-hours.