Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impacts of International Economic Crises on the Succession of Incumbents in 55 Countries (1960-2011)

This paper compares national general elections in 55 countries from 1960-2012 to examine the effects of international economic crises on the electoral performance of incumbents. We investigate whether, and how much, a handful of economic and institutional variables have been shifting electoral support. Our main attention is, on the one hand, on economic factors such as the moments of global crises, the international economic indices of GNP, countries inner GNP and inflation indices, the unemployment rates, monetary reserves, government consumption expenditure, among others. On the other hand, we include control political variables such as the electoral systems, government type, party system fragmentation, the age of democracies, among others, in order to verify if the significance of economic crises is and remain relevant, and when and how they are important to understand political changes in who is or is not elected. Do crises equally affect this dimension in developed and in non-developed democracies, or depending on monetary reserves? In a word, can crises commonly affect what citizens choose? We will show that yes they can, but we should be aware of how, when and where it happens. As data covers elections with results made public up to April 2012, we thus include in the dataset the present world crisis.
Perspectives de gouvernance environnementale durable dans la région de Lwiro (Sud Kivu, République Démocratique du Congo)

Ce chapitre se focalise sur la comprehension d’un processus d’evaluation environnementale de la region de Lwiro recensee parmi les zones agricoles majeures de la province du Sud-Kivu en Republique Democratique du Congo. Ce site (agroecosysteme) est localise entre le parc national de Kahuzi-Biega (ecosysteme forestier et aire protegee) et le lac Kivu (ecosysteme lacustre) et est domine par une population rurale pauvre et dense. Cette etude vise ainsi a susciter un processus integre de conservation communautaire des ressources naturelles existantes en lien avec le developpement durable et axe sur une citoyennete responsable pour la reduction de la pauvrete et de la faim. Il decrit d’une part les perceptions environnementales des populations rurales en proie avec la civilisation « moderne » et d’autre part montre les parametres d’evaluation environnementale tels que la qualite des sols, de l’eau, les zoonoses, la gestion de la periode de soudure et la pression humaine sur les ressources naturelles, la physionomie generale et le niveau de prise en charge communautaire du destin de l’environnement humain, l’etat des initiatives locales pour la gestion de l’environnement, l’etat des forets. L’existence d’un comite de conservation communautaire semble etre un moteur de rehabilitation ou de conservation environnementale.
Control Changes and Firm Performance in Banking

Abstract This paper examines the effect of control changes on efficiency and productivity in the banking industry of Argentina. This industry represents an interesting case study as banks underwent corporate changes of different types including privatization, foreign acquisition of domestic banks and mergers and acquisitions among local institutions. Bank productivity is measured and decomposed into the effects due to returns to scale, technical progress and efficiency, while bank efficiency is related to a set of variables controlling for changes in bank ownership. The evidence suggests that control changes due to privatization had a positive short‐term effect on productivity in part as a result of efficiency gains, which were then gradually lost over time. Results also indicate that foreign acquisitions led to stronger productivity performance of acquired banks, though they did not have any significant effect on efficiency. Finally, mergers and acquisitions had a negative impact on productivity as a result of scale effects despite the long‐term efficiency improvements.
Arbitrage pricing theory as a restricted nonlinear multivariate regression model: Iterated nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression estimates

By replacing the unknown random factors of factor analysis with observed macroeconomic variables, the arbitrage pricing theory (APT) is recast as a multivariate nonlinear regression model with across-equation restrictions. An explicit theoretical justification for the inclusion of an arbitrary, well-diversified market index is given. Using monthly returns on 70 stocks, iterated nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression techniques are employed to obtain joint estimates of asset sensitivities and their associated APT risk “prices. ” Without the assumption of normally distributed errors, these estimators are strongly consistent and asymptotically normal. With the additional assumption of normal errors, they are also full-information maximum likelihood estimators. Classical asymptotic nonlinear nested hypothesis tests are supportive of the APT with measured macroeconomic factors.
Dorsal Fronto‐Parietal Connections of the Human Brain: A Fiber Dissection Study of Their Composition and Anatomical Relationships

The goal of this study was to detail the composition of dorsal fronto‐parietal connections in the human brain, focusing on the dorsal component of superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), short association fibers, their three‐dimensional organization, and relationships with adjacent projection and commissural fibers. Ten human cerebral hemispheres (five left and five right) were obtained from necropsy specimens. The technique for specimen preparation was adapted from that previously described by Ludwig and Klingler for spreading groups of white matter fibers, rendering tracts visible and dissectible. Near the superior border of the hemisphere, we observed an overall organization consisting of a succession of “U” fibers in both sides of a narrow and irregular intermediary layer of white matter. Dissection of the core fibers leads to the corona radiata (intermingled with the callosal radiations) on the lateral aspect and to the callosal radiations at the medial aspect of the hemisphere. Based on our findings, the fiber dissection technique does not provide evidence of the presence of long horizontal association fibers in such location, as suggested by brain imaging techniques. The results of this study lead us to hypothesize that dorsal regions of the frontal and parietal lobes superior to the level of the cingulate sulcus are connected by a succession of short association pathways. Dissectible long association fibers are only encountered in a zone restricted to a lower and deeper portion of the superior parietal lobule. These fibers are clearly integrated in the lower portions of the SLF/arcuate fasciculus complex. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ownership Structure and the Cost of Debt

This paper examines the impact on the cost of debt by ownership concentration and shareholder identity; that is, whether the shareholders are banks, non-financial firms, the state, institutional investors or the board of directors. Our analysis suggests that directors who own shares tend to be aligned with external shareholders, that firms with government ownership enjoy lower cost of debt and that banks effectively monitor management, so reducing the agency costs of debt.
MEDIASI DALAM PENYELESAIAN PERKARA PIDANA DI INDONESIA

Mediation is generally known as a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution in the civil law, but in the development of mediation in criminal cases can be made known to the Penal Mediation. Penal mediation can be used in some special category of criminal acts. Application of mediation in the settlement of the criminal case does not extend a purpose other than the conflict between the offender and the victim but to help law enforcement agencies in reducing the accumulation of case files. The purpose of this paper is to understand and know about how a mediation mechanism can be used to solve a criminal case in Indonesia. In this study, using descriptive normative method. Normative approach to the legal research using secondary data sources, while the descriptive approach is the method of research that seeks to describe and interpret objects in accordance with what it is.
Building Value at the Top and the Bottom of the Global Supply Chain: MNC-NGO Partnerships

The rise of social movements targeting multinational companies on issues of social and environmental responsibility has generated new global supply chain standards. Tied to the wide range of sustainability standards is the growth of partnerships between multinationals (MNCs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, these standards may unintentionally impose conditions that may exclude small-scale firms in developing countries from global supply chains, thus negatively affecting the poorest developing country producers, from what is known as the "bottom of the pyramid. " This article examines how standard making and implementation resulting from MNC-NGO alliances can create conditions that foster inclusion and upgrading of small-scale producers in a supply chain. It demonstrates that including poorer producers from developing economies requires an active assistance approach to address the complex challenges of creating more responsible supply chains.
Towards a holistic model in investigating the effects of intranet usage on managerial performance: a study on Malaysian port industry

Using the extended task-technology fit (TTF) model, this paper investigates how certain factors (e.g. task characteristics, technology (i.e. intranet) characteristics, middle managers’ demographic characteristics, task-technology fit, and perceived usefulness and usage) affect the port middle managers’ job performance. Numerous organizations in the port industry constitute the population of interest. The preliminary results suggest that the majority of middle managers believe that intranet could improve their job performance. The results from the structural equation modelling (SEM) indicate that task characteristics and intranet characteristics significantly justify their variance on task-technology fit. However, demographic variables do not predict task-technology fit. Perceived usefulness is found to be a predictor of intranet usage. Task technology fit, on the other hand, significantly predicts usage and explains the variance on middle managers’ job performance. This study is the first study to investigate the effects of intranet usage and managerial performances in an integrative perspective, taking into account various user acceptance models and users’ demographic characteristics.
A Bayesian response-adaptive trial in tuberculosis: The endTB trial

Purpose: To evaluate the use of Bayesian adaptive randomization for clinical trials of new treatments for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Methods: We built a response-adaptive randomization procedure, adapting on two preliminary outcomes for tuberculosis patients in a trial with five experimental regimens and a control arm. The primary study outcome is treatment success after 73 weeks from randomization; preliminary responses are culture conversion at 8 weeks and treatment success at 39 weeks. We compared the adaptive randomization design with balanced randomization using hypothetical scenarios. Results: When we compare the statistical power under adaptive randomization and non-adaptive designs, under several hypothetical scenarios we observe that adaptive randomization requires fewer patients than non-adaptive designs. Moreover, adaptive randomization consistently allocates more participants to effective arm(s). We also show that these advantages are limited to scenarios consistent with the assumptions used to develop the adaptive randomization algorithm. Conclusion: Given the objective of evaluating several new therapeutic regimens in a timely fashion, Bayesian response-adaptive designs are attractive for tuberculosis trials. This approach tends to increase allocation to the effective regimens.
Strategic Management in Legislative Public Management: A Comparative Perspective

This article consists of a comparative study, on an international level, among the organizational structures of legislative houses and the strategic management practices adopted by these institutions. This comparative research is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Different maturity levels of management practices and large heterogeneity among organizational structures were identified. Limitations for generalizing the results are due to the accidental sampling approach used. The practical results presented come from a proposed model for evaluation of institutional maturity level concerning management practices. This model is supposed to be helpful for parliaments’ management improvement.
T‐cell homeostasis in chronic HCV‐infected patients treated with interferon and ribavirin or an interferon‐free regimen

Direct‐acting antiviral has replaced pegylated interferon‐α and ribavirin‐based treatment in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. While interferon‐α is immune modulating and causes lymphopenia, interferon‐free regimens seem to be well‐tolerated. This study aimed to compare T‐cell homeostasis before, during, and after HCV treatment with or without interferon‐α in patients with chronic HCV infection. A total of 20 patients with chronic HCV infection were treated with pegylated interferon‐α and ribavirin, and six patients were treated with an interferon‐free regimen. All patients were treated for a minimum of 12 weeks. Interferon‐α treatment caused an increase in the density of the receptor for IL‐7 (IL‐7Rα) during treatment, while interferon‐free regimens caused a decrease in IL‐7Rα density. After a sustained viral response, proportions of IL‐7Rα+ T cells and IL‐7Rα density decreased compared to prior treatment values. Finally, a proportion of CD8+ effector memory was lower while proportion of apoptotic T cells was higher after sustained virologic response compared to prior treatment. Despite lymphopenia during interferon, alterations in T‐cell homeostasis during treatment were relatively similar in patients receiving interferon‐based treatment and in patients receiving interferon‐free treatment, and alterations during and after treatment seem to illustrate a reduced need for high levels of T cells aimed at controlling infection.
Causes of and Remedies for the People’s Republic of China’s External Imbalances: The Role of Factor Market Distortion

The current account surplus of the Peopleâ€™s Republic of China (PRC) has drawn much foreign and domestic attention. This paper focuses on the reasons and remedies for the PRCâ€™s current account surpluses. Rather than deploying the standard explanations, we argue that asymmetric market liberalization and the related factor market distortion is the root reason for the PRCâ€™s external imbalances. These cost distortions have artificially lowered PRC production costs, raised profits, and improved their productsâ€™ international competitiveness which has not only stimulated the economy, but also brought about severe structural risks. We completed a crude estimation for factor cost distortions in the PRC during 2000â€“2009 which matched its current account surpluses quite well. In order to rebalance the economy, we recommend that the PRC should adopt a comprehensive reform package focusing on removing the factor market distortions.
Inventories, Stock-Outs, and Production Smoothing

If stock-outs are ignored and if demand shocks are additive, then optimal behaviour requires that the marginal cost of production (MC) be equated with the expected marginal revenue of increasing expected sales by one unit (EMR). However, with more general demand shocks (and still ignoring stock-outs), the excess of MC over EMR has the same sign as the covariance of the slope of the demand curve and the marginal valuation of inventory. The equality of EMR and MC is also broken by taking account of stock-outs, even if demand shocks are additive. If there is a production lag, then taking account of stock-outs implies that optimal behaviour will be characterized by production smoothing even if the cost of production is linear. Two alternative definitions of production smoothing are presented and optimal behaviour in the presence of stock-outs displays each type of smoothing.
Loss of Trop 2 Promotes Carcinogenesis and Features of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Jianbo Wang, Kaihua Zhang, Dorota Grabowska, Aimin Li, Yiyu Dong, Ryan Day, Peter Humphrey, James Lewis, Raleigh D. Kladney, Jeffrey M. Arbeit, Jason D. Weber, Christine H. Chung, and Loren S. Michel Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Pathology, Division of Urology and The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis Missouri 63110, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
The Economics of Biofuel Policies: Impacts on Price Volatility in Grain and Oilseed Markets

1. How Biofuel Policies Ushered in the New Era of High and Volatile Grain and Oilseed Prices 2. The Economics of Biofuel Policies: The Theory of Corn-Ethanol and Ethanol-Gasoline Price Links 3. Measures of Biofuel Policy Impact on Food Commodity Prices 4. A Forensic Analysis of the Food Commodity Price Boom of 2008 5. A Critique of the Literature analyzing Biofuel Policy and the 2008 Food Commodity Price Boom 6. The Economics of Developing Country Policy Responses and Biofuel Policies 7. An Enhanced Exposition of the Corn-Ethanol-Energy Price Linkages and Implications for Time Series Analysis of Biofuel Policy Impacts 8. The Impact of Biofuel Policies on Food Commodity Price Volatility 9. The Economics of Biodiesel and the Central Role of European Union's Policies 10. The Complex Structure of the US Biofuel Mandate: A Handbook 11. The Economics of Brazil's Sugarcane-Ethanol/Sugar Complex and Policies 12. The Interaction Effects Among Biofuels, Policies, and Countries 13. The Impact of Biofuel Policies in the Future: Some Concluding Remarks
Trade Protection in India: Economics vs. Politics?

This paper investigates economic and political determinants of protection across the secondary (manufacturing) sector. Economic factors can be summarized by the infant industry argument and we expect industries which are relatively efficient compared to the rest-of-the-world to have low levels of protection. Moreover, the degree of protection should change as the relative efficiency of an industry changes over time. Political factors reflect pressure group politics: relatively inefficient industries may enjoy a great deal of protection because of political lobbying.
Evaluation of culture‐based techniques and 454 pyrosequencing for the analysis of fungal diversity in potting media and organic fertilizers

Potting media and organic fertilizers (OFs) are commonly used in agricultural systems. However, there is a lack of studies on the efficiency of culture‐based techniques in assessing the level of fungal diversity in these products. A study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of seven culture‐based techniques and pyrosequencing for characterizing fungal diversity in potting media and OFs.
Radiographic changes of the patellar ligament in dogs after tibial tuberosity advancement

Patellar desmopathy in dogs after tibial plateau levelling osteotomy has been described in many studies. Tibial tuberosity advancement is a biomechanically different technique. It is assumed that the patellar ligament is loaded with little force similarly as after tibial plateau levelling osteotomy. Various aspects related to secondary patellar desmopathy are not completely understood. This study deals with computed radiography measurement of patellar ligament thickness after tibial tuberosity advancement in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture. The thickness of the patellar ligament in exactly predetermined locations was measured from mediolateral radiographs of stifle joints. A total of 18 dogs (20 knee joints) with cranial cruciate ligament (ligamentum cruciatum craniale) rupture underwent three radiographic examinations of the knee (preoperative examination and control examination 7 and 15 weeks after the surgery). Significant difference was found between the thickness of the patellar ligament in the first and second examinations. Some of the demographic factors possibly related to patellar ligament thickness (age, sex, body weight, type of cranial cruciate ligament rupture, arthrotomy, cage size, meniscal injury, time between surgery and radiographic examination) were analyzed. However, statistical analyses did not show any effect of these factors on the thickness of the patellar ligament, except for the time between surgery and radiographic examination. These findings can extend the surgeons’ knowledge of biomechanical aspects of tibial tuberosity advancement.
Economic Cost, Scale Efficiency, and Competitive Viability in Banking

This paper addresses the issue of the competitive viability of banks of different scales and scopes of operation and the implications that this may have for the evolving structure of the banking and financial services industry. Unlike previous papers, this paper is the first to include both production and opportunity costs in an empirical evaluation of bank efficiency. No consistent evidence is reported to suggest that banking organizations can achieve further gains in either production or economic efficiency by expanding beyond $2 billion dollars of total assets. Thus it is likely that smaller, less diversified banking organizations will remain competitively viable. Copyright 1996 by Ohio State University Press.
Investor Protection and Corporate Governance: Firm-level Evidence Across Latin America

This book holds that the crucial failure of corporate governance is the expropriation of outside investors, be they shareholders or creditors, by those who are in control of firms. The problem of expropriation, also known as tunneling, often takes on enormous proportions. Billions of dollars of wealth are siphoned away from outside investors to controlling shareholders and their private company allies. The expropriation prevents investors from devoting funds in the corporate sector, thus leading to low valuations of corporate assets, stunted capital markets, and slowed economic growth. Low valuations and underdeveloped financial markets are only two of the symptoms of investor expropriation. Other symptoms include concentrated corporate ownership, large spreads between cash flow ownership and the voting rights of dominant shareholders, pyramids, and low dividend payments. When financial markets exhibit these symptoms, the likely underlying problem is investor expropriation. The essays collected in this volume put together a compelling picture showing that many of the symptoms of investor expropriation and poor corporate governance are present in Latin America. The evidence is loud and clear in every chapter of this book. But there are also benefits to collecting this detailed proof. The evidence suggests recipes for improvement as well. The message of this book is as unambiguous as is its analysis: a critical goal in the agenda of financial reform in Latin America must be improvement in corporate governance through legal reform.