Country output and financial black holes: public–private partnerships and the Laffer curve, fiscal corruption risk, and bailout rate of non-performing loans

This study develops the link between output and fiscal corruption risk in public–private partnership (PPP) schemes and the government bailout rate of non-performing loans (NPLs). The model assumes that corruption is widespread in such public investment programs. The objective functions of the government and PPP firms include fiscal corruption risk, given that the PPP firm and tax inspector can ‘effectively’ negotiate bribes. The model solves for the optimal country output (i.e., aggregate productivity) according to the Lagrange method. Long-term prospects are introduced to solve the problem with commercial banks, as most PPPs borrow from commercial banks. The results reaffirm that tax policy can exacerbate the country’s output loss. Although the equilibria between aggregate productivity and the Laffer curve lack a direct link to fiscal corruption risk, their magnitude does and depends on the number of PPPs. The PPP transfer from the government in period 2 and the number of PPPs rather than government expenditure in period 1 and the Laffer curve (tax revenues) mainly determines the bailout rate of PPPs’ NPLs. The article concludes with suggestions to prevent tax evasion and fiscal corruption risk in PPP schemes by using a cluster of cooperation, and recommends further research into cultural aspects

Determining optimal meeting frequency: a bargaining solution to improve a poorly functioning PPP industry under budget constraints

This study uniquely addresses declining business profitability because of a lack of coordinated meetings between the public and private sectors. We determine optimal meeting frequency (i.e., the highest number of regularly scheduled meetings of the Standing Committee of the inter-agency coordination per year at which profit can be maximised) for poorly functioning public–private partnership (PPP) industries (i.e., their average return on assets or ROA<0). The tourism industry in emerging countries such as Laos provides an example of a PPP. Using two-person Nash bargaining theory and given budget constraints, we find that the government should conduct bimonthly meetings to improve PPP industry competitiveness. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because few emerging studies use mathematical models to address the problem of public and private sector meeting frequency and collaboration

Deep sequencing of the microRNA expression in fall dormant and non-dormant alfalfa

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation that down-regulates target genes by mRNA degradation or translational repression. Evidence is increasing for their crucial roles during plant development. Identification of miRNAs at the global genome-level by high-throughput sequencing is essential to functionally characterize miRNAs in plants. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most widely cultivated perennial forage legumes worldwide. Fall dormancy is an adaptive character related to the biomass production and winter survival in alfalfa. However, little is known about miRNA-mediated developmental regulation of fall dormancy in alfalfa. Here, we provide detailed experimental methods and analysis pipeline in our study to identify miRNAs that were responsive to fall dormancy (Fan W et al., Genome-wide identification of different dormant Medicago sativa L. microRNAs in response to fall dormancy, submitted for publication) for reproducible research. The data generated in our work provide meaningful information for understanding the roles of miRNAs in response to seasonal change and growth regulation in alfalfa

Spatial Correlation Analysis on the Resource Allocation Efficiency of Regional Higher Education in China

This analysis may promote the regional development of higher education, resolve problems associated with inadequate resources, and improve efficiency of resource allocation. In this study, we examined the efficiency of resource allocation for higher education in 31 Chinese provinces using data envelopment analysis (DEA); spatial correlation was used concurrently for analytical purposes. Our aims through this study are to promote the optimal allocation of resources and healthy development of higher education

Physiological Characterization of Cut-to-Cut Yield Variations of Alfalfa Genotypes under Controlled Greenhouse Conditions

In a temperate region, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) crops are usually harvested 3-6 times per annum. The biomass yields of first and second cuts in the spring are generally the high-est. However, in subsequent cuts the biomass yields decline, with the final 1 or 2 cuts producing the lowest yields (Wang et al. 2009). This seasonal reduction in alfalfa biomass yields could be associated with prevailing changes in environmental factors such as rainfall and heat stress or due to biological characteristics of alfalfa crop itself. In this study, alfalfa was grown under controlled greenhouse conditions with suitable temperature, light, water and nutrient supply to determine the driving force in cut-to-cut biomass yield variations among alfalfa genotypes

Roughage quality determines the production performance of post-weaned Hu sheep via altering ruminal fermentation, morphology, microbiota, and the global methylome landscape of the rumen wall

Roughage quality is a crucial factor influencing the growth performance and feeding cost of ruminants; however, a systematic investigation of the mechanisms underlying this is still lacking. In this study, we examined the growth performance, meat quality, ruminal fermentation parameters, rumen microbiome, and tissue methylomes of post-weaned Hu sheep fed low- or high-quality forage-based diets. Our results showed that sheep in the alfalfa hay (AG) and peanut vine (PG) groups exhibited better growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality than sheep in the wheat straw group (WG). The sheep in the AG possessed relatively higher contents of serum immunoglobins (IgA, IgG, and IgM) and lower contents of serum inflammation factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8) than those in the WG and the PG did. In addition, the levels of blood T lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+) and the CD4-to-CD8 ratio were significantly higher in the AG sheep than in the WG sheep and PG sheep. The concentration of ruminal NH3-N was highest in WG sheep, whereas the concentrations of individual and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were highest in the PG sheep. The length, width, and surface area of ruminal papillae were markedly different among the three groups, with the sheep in the PG being the most morphologically developed. The main ruminal microbes at the genus level include Prevotella 1, Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, norank f F082, Ruminococcus 1, and Ruminococcus 2. The relative abundances of certain species are positively or negatively associated with fermentation parameters and growth index. For example, the fibrolytic bacteria Ruminococcaceae UGG-001 showed positive relationships with the concentration of SCFAs, except propionate. In addition, the relative abundances of fibrolytic bacteria (e.g., Ruminoccus 1) showed a negative relationship with starch-degrading bacteria (e.g., Prevotellaceae). The genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed that rumen tissues in the PG sheep and WG sheep occupied different global DNA methylomes. The genes with differentially methylated promoters were involved in known pathways (e.g., the FoxO signaling pathway) and the Gene Ontology (GO) terms (e.g., anatomical structure morphogenesis) pertaining to rumen development. Two candidate genes (ACADL and ENSOARG00020014533) with hyper- and hypo-methylated promoters were screened as potential regulators of rumen development. In conclusion, roughage quality determines sheep growth performance via directly influencing rumen fermentation and microbiome composition, and indirectly affecting rumen development at the epigenetic level

Response of Gut Microbiota to Dietary Fiber and Metabolic Interaction With SCFAs in Piglets

Dietary fiber (DF) is increasingly thought to regulate diversity of piglet gut microbiota to alleviate weaning stress in piglets. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of DF on growth performance of piglets and composition of their gut microbiota, as well as the interaction between gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in piglets. A total of 840 piglets were allocated to three dietary treatments consisting of a control group (CG), an alfalfa meal group (AG), and a commodity concentrated fiber group (OG) in a 30-day feeding trial. Gut mucosa and feces samples were used to determine bacterial community diversity by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Fiber treatment had a positive effect on growth performance and metabolism of SCFAs in piglets, in particular, compared with CG, the diarrhea rate was significantly decreased, and the content of propionic acid (PA) in the cecum was markedly increased in AG. The Shannon indices of the jejunum microbiota in AG were higher than CG. At the genus level, compared to CG, in the duodenum, the relative abundance of Paenibacillus in AG and OG was higher; in the jejunum, the relative abundances of Bacillus, Oceanobacillus, Paenibacillus, Lactococcus, Enterococcus, and Exiguobacterium were higher, whereas the relative abundance of Mycoplasma was lower in AG; in the cecum, there was also lower relative abundance of Helicobacter in AG and OG, and furthermore, the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium in OG was higher than in CG and AG. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Pseudobutyrivibrio was positively correlated with acetic acid, PA, and butyric acid (BA), while Bacteroides and Anaerotruncus were negatively correlated with PA and BA. In addition, microbiota analyses among different intestine segments showed distinct differences in microbiota between the proximal and distal intestines. Bacteria in the proximal segments were mainly Firmicutes, while bacteria in the distal segments were mainly Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Overall, these findings suggested that DF treatment could reduce the diarrhea rate of piglets and had beneficial effects on gut health, which might be attributed to the alteration in gut microbiota induced by DF and the interaction of the gut microbiota with SCFAs