Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Financial Analysts Add Value by Facilitating More Effective Monitoring of Firms’ Activities?

Researchers argue that analysts’ information acquisition efforts increase firm value by facilitating monitoring of firms’ activities and, thereby, reducing agency costs. However, prior research provides limited and inconclusive empirical evidence to support this argument. This article extends the literature by examining (a) the relationship between analyst following and the value of firms’ equity securities and (b) given a positive relationship, whether that relationship reflects effectively enhanced monitoring of firms’ activities as a result of analysts’ information acquisition efforts. The authors document a positive relationship between analyst following and firms’ asset values, and they find support for two hypotheses regarding the source of the increased asset values. First, the cash component drives the positive relationship between analyst following and asset values. The authors interpret this evidence to imply a stronger monitoring effect for assets that are subject to higher agency costs or information asymmetry. Second, consistent with analyst following constraining asset mismanagement or motivating more efficient asset use, operating performance and total cash payout increase with analyst following. Overall, the results suggest that financial analysts facilitate more effective monitoring of firms’ activities and, thereby, reduce agency costs and increase shareholder value.
An Empirical Examination of the Relationships between the Dimensions of Culture and E-service Quality Perceptions

E-services are diffusing rapidly in the developing economies. E-service quality plays an important role in determining the customers’ satisfaction and usage behaviour. Culture, in turn, has been found to influence customers’ perceptions of service quality. However, the current understanding of the influence of culture on e-service perceptions is limited. This study presents a review of prior e-service quality literature and position ease of use, responsiveness, system availability and reliability as the predictors of overall e-service quality. Furthermore, we examine Hofstede’s dimensions of culture as moderators between the dimensions of dimensions of e-service quality and overall e-service quality. Our research model is empirically tested with data collected from 453 Chinese e-service customers and analyzed using PLS. The results show that all the four dimensions of culture values influence on some, but not all, dimensions of e-service quality. Finally, directions for further research are suggested.
Demand‐Side Challenges to Poverty Monitoring and Assessment Systems: Illustrations from Tanzania

Over the past decade, considerable attention and resources have been directed at Poverty Monitoring and Assessment Systems (PMASs), a core problem being the limited demand for, and use of, the data they generate. This article discusses the sources of these demand‐side problems and explores the difficulties in trying to address them via PMAS‐related processes, arguing that both institutional factors and design features have contributed to the disappointing performance of these systems. Incentive structures within the public sector in particular have made for an extremely unfavourable environment, and institutional problems have been compounded by questionable design features resulting from faulty analysis, flawed assumptions and conflicting views as to the objectives of ‘poverty monitoring’. Tanzania's PMAS experience is used to illustrate the argument.
Tumors of the marmoset produced by Rous sarcoma virus.

Twenty-five newborn marmosets were injected with Rous sarcoma virus. Eight animals died within one month of the injection. Forty-five percent of the remaining animals developed tumors at the site of inoculation. The tumors were rhabdomyosarcomas, fibrosarcomas, and osteosarcomas. The type of tumor produced was dependent on the site of virus injection. Metastatic lesions were found in animals bearing rhabdomyosarcomas and fibrosarcomas, but not in animals with osteosarcomas.
PWM Plus Secondary-Side Phase-Shift Controlled Soft-Switching Full-Bridge Three-Port Converter for Renewable Power Systems

In this paper, a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) plus secondary-side phase-shift (SSPS) controlled full-bridge three-port converter (FB-TPC) is proposed for a renewable power system, which is derived by integrating two interleaved buck/boost circuits (IBBC) and a SSPS full-bridge converter (FBC), to interface the energy source, energy storage element, and output load simultaneously. The two switching legs are shared by the IBBC and FBC, which improves the active devices sharing ratio and power density. With PWM plus SSPS control scheme, decoupled power control can be realized and the converter can achieve wide input voltage range power conversion. In addition, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of both the primary and secondary switches are achieved in a wide range. Furthermore, the circulating current can be greatly eliminated, which helps to reduce conduction losses. Moreover, the voltage stresses on the secondary rectifier are effectively suppressed since the power switches and diodes are clamped to output voltage. The operation principles, output characteristics, ZVS performances, and control strategy are analyzed in detail. Experimental results of a 600-W prototype are provided to verify the effectiveness and the advantages of the proposed converter.
Wealth, Income, and Optimal Insurance

This article considers the decision to purchase insurance against possible losses of a property or wealth. The decision involves a standard economic trade-off between the benefit of protection against loss and the cost of insurance premium. The premium is paid out of the income and decreases the consumption of other goods and services, rather than out of wealth and decreases the property or wealth. The demand for insurance depends mainly on the income and preferences. As a result, unlike in the standard model, a fair premium is neither necessary nor sufficient for the optimality of full coverage insurance. Rather, the individuals with higher incomes purchase full coverage insurance even at unfair prices of insurance while the individuals with lower income purchase partial coverage insurance at a fair price.
Brain region‐specific immunolocalization of the lipolysis‐stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) and altered cholesterol distribution in aged LSR+/− mice

Brain lipid homeostasis is important for maintenance of brain cell function and synaptic communications, and is intimately linked to age‐related cognitive decline. Because of the blood–brain barrier's limiting nature, this tissue relies on a complex system for the synthesis and receptor‐mediated uptake of lipids between the different networks of neurons and glial cells. Using immunofluorescence, we describe the region‐specific expression of the lipolysis‐stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), in the mouse hippocampus, cerebellum Purkinje cells, the ependymal cell interface between brain parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid, and the choroid plexus. Colocalization with cell‐specific markers revealed that LSR was expressed in neurons, but not astrocytes. Latency in arms of the Y‐maze exhibited by young heterozygote LSR+/− mice was significantly different as compared to control LSR+/+, and increased in older LSR+/− mice. Filipin and Nile red staining revealed membrane cholesterol content accumulation accompanied by significantly altered distribution of LSR in the membrane, and decreased intracellular lipid droplets in the cerebellum and hippocampus of old LSR+/− mice, as compared to control littermates as well as young LSR+/− animals. These data therefore suggest a potential role of LSR in brain cholesterol distribution, which is particularly important in preserving neuronal integrity and thereby cognitive functions during aging.
Strategic HRM in China: Configurations and competitive advantage.

The strategic HR literature suggests that a firm will perform better through internal appropriate fit among HRM practices (the configuration fit) and through external appropriate fit between a firm's HRM practices and business strategy. The present study adopts a configuration approach to identify unique patterns of HR practices and business strategy that are posited to be maximally effective. The proposed relationships were empirically tested by surveying with a sample of 241 business firms in Guangzhou, South China, to find out the extent that four HR configurations could be successfully adopted in the Chinese context. The results revealed that HR configurations are significantly related to effect in predicting overall outcome performance and turnover, but not significantly related to effect on sales growth and profit growth rates. Research findings showed not only competitive strategies are significantly related to effect on HR configurations. The results also showed significant interaction effects between HR configurations and business strategy in their effect on profit and sales growth. These results further extended support for a contingency perspective in strategic HRM to the Chinese context, with significant practical implications for managing HRM in China. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Shifting rights, property and authority in the forest frontier: ‘stakes’ for local land users and citizens

Customary land and forests are more embedded in the global economy than ever. With globally significant supplies of land and raw materials and favorable terms for foreign investors, developing countries – particularly in Africa – have become increasingly attractive trade partners and destinations for investors. Increasing competition over land is placing new pressures on vast tracts of forest and woodland, areas often considered ‘under-utilized’ by national governments despite their critical role in supporting local livelihoods. While increased demand for primary agricultural, forest and mining commodities in the context of forest tenure reforms and decentralized decision-making could create unprecedented economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities, increased ‘stakes’ over forest resources and land will undoubtedly heighten governance challenges. This is in no small part due to the political dynamics of property, and to the role of the ‘recursive constitution of property rights and authority’ in the evolution of the modern nation-state. By identifying the social ‘stakes’ associated with different pathways through which sectoral and extra-sectoral commodities shape forests, this paper provides a conceptual framework for analyzing how shifting contours of rights, property and authority in the context of forest-related trade and investment shape human well-being for affected communities and the wider citizenry of host countries. It then illustrates the use of the framework through its application to two brief case studies from southern Africa: tobacco production in Malawi and copper mining in Zambia. It is hoped that this framework will provide a meaningful contribution to growing scholarship on the political dynamics of property, and implications for rights-based approaches to agricultural investment and large-scale land acquisitions.
Cerebral blood‐flow velocities in predicting outcome of asphyxiated newborn infants

Aim: To evaluate the role of early (up to 12h) changes in cerebral blood‐flow (CBF) velocity in predicting the severity of hypoxic‐ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and long‐term outcome in asphyxiated term infants. Methods: CBF velocities were investigated by colour Doppler ultrasonography in 81 healthy and 60 asphyxiated term infants at least three times during the first 5 d of life. The psychomotor development of infants was followed up to 18 mo. Results: No differences in CBF velocities were found at the age of 2–6 h between infants with severe and mild‐moderate HIE, mean CBF velocity [mean (95% CI of mean CBF velocity)] in anterior cerebral artery [14.9 (1.4–28.4) cm/s] and [13.9 (11.1–16.7) cm/s], respectively, and between infants with poor outcome (death or severe disability) and with normal development/mild impairments. By the age of 12 h infants with mild‐moderate HIE and infants with normal development/mild impairments had decreased CBF velocity in the anterior cerebral artery, and infants with severe HIE or poor outcome had increased mean CBF velocity in anterior, medial cerebral and basilar artery compared to the control group.
Genetic and Biochemical Properties of a Hemolysin (Pyolysin) Produced by a Swine Isolate of Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) pyogenes

Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) pyogenes, a causative agent of various pyogenic diseases in domestic animals, produces a hemolysin which is thought to be an important virulence factor. This hemolysin was purified from the culture supernatant of A. pyogenes swine isolate. The purified hemolysin showed a single band with a molecular mass of 56 kDa on SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and its isoelectric point was 9.2. The activity of this hemolysin was not enhanced by the addition of L‐cysteine or sodium thioglycolate, but it was inhibited by cholesterol. The gene encoding the hemolysin was cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli by means of ZAP Express vector. Analysis by SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with immunoblotting showed that the molecular weight of the hemolysin expressed in E. coli is the same as that of the hemolysin purified from A. pyogenes. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 1,605 bp encoding a 534 amino acid protein of 57,989 Da. The nucleotide sequence of the hemolysin gene from A. pyogenes swine isolate differed only slightly (97.6% identity) from the sequence of plo gene from A. pyogenes strain BBR1 reported by Billington et al (J. Bacteriol. 179: 6100–6106, 1997). The cysteine residue existed in the undecapeptide region of the hemolysin, which is highly conserved in thiol‐activated cytolysins (cholesterol‐binding cytolysins), and is replaced with alanine. Therefore, the hemolysin of A. pyogenes seems to be a novel member of the thiol‐activated cytolysin family.
Rotor position estimation in a switched reluctance drive using recursive least squares

This paper describes a new algorithm for the estimation of rotor position in a switched reluctance motor. It is based on a recursive least-squares estimator deducing both position and speed. A particular advantage of the algorithm is its ability to extract information about rotor position at very low speeds (one electrical cycle per minute) from voltage and current waveforms sampled only at the converter switching frequency. Experimental results for a 12/8 motor demonstrate that estimation is possible over the full range of operating conditions, including the field-weakening region, with a typical accuracy of better than two mechanical degrees. The paper also illustrates the performance of the algorithm by showing it operating within a sensorless position controller.
The Equivalance of Dividend, Cash Flows and Residual Earnings Approaches to Equity Valuation Employing Ideal Terminal Value Expressions

Recently, Penman and Sougiannis (1998) and Francis, Olsson and Oswald (1999) compared the bias and accuracy of the dividend discount model (DDM), discounted cash flow model (DCF), and Edwards-Bell-Ohlson residual income model (RIM) in explaining the relation between value estimates and observed stock prices. Both studies report that, with non price-based terminal values, RIM outperforms DCF and DDM. Our primary research objective is to explore whether, over a five-year valuation horizon, DDM, DCF and RIM are empirically equivalent when Penman's (1998) theoretically "ideal" terminal value expressions are employed in each model. Using Value Line terminal stock price forecasts at the horizon to proxy for such values, we find empirical support for the prediction of equivalence between these three price-based valuation models. Our secondary research objective is to demonstrate that, within each class of the DCF and RIM valuation models, the model that employs Value Line forecasted price in the terminal value expression will generate the lowest pricing errors, compared to models that employ non price-based terminal value under an arbitrary growth assumption. Results indicate that, for both DCF and RIM, price-based valuation models outperform the corresponding non price-based models by a wide margin. We also revisit the issue of the apparent superiority of RIM, and find that this result does not hold in a level playing field where an approximation of ideal terminal values is employed. In fact, the price-based RIM model is marginally outperformed by the price-based DCF and DDM models, in terms of pricing errors as well as its ability to explain current market price.
Characteristics of falls in hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND The high incidence of patient falls in a hospital setting is a major concern in any health system. Research findings have reported the risk factors for these falls as age, gender, certain medications, mental status, chronic diseases and environmental factors. Falls may lead to fear, pain, slight or severe injuries, increase the duration of hospital stay, cause patient discomfort and affect quality of life. AIM The aim of this paper is to report a study of the characteristics of patient falls during hospitalization in 1998 and compare them with those in the period 1978-1981. METHODS A retrospective study was performed in a large, 2000-bed medical center in Israel. Reports of 711 fall incidents in 1998 were compared with 328 reports in 1978-1981. Information gathered included age, gender, department, shift, reasons, severity of injury, tests and treatment after injury. RESULTS The rates of falls per 1000 admissions in psychiatric, elder care and rehabilitation departments in 1998 were statistically significantly higher than in the earlier period. Rates of 115, 91, 85, respectively, per 1000 admissions were reported in 1998 compared with 34, 9, 19, respectively, in the period 1978-1981. The percentage of reported falls in the younger age group (under 50) was higher in the later survey (1998), and a higher proportion occurred outside the patient's room. Most of the reported falls in 1998 occurred during the morning shift (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The increased number of falls could be an outcome of increased awareness. Nevertheless, the causes and place of falls differ for the two periods. Some of the reasons may be related to an intervention programme carried out after the first survey. The latest survey results will serve as an important basis for a further intervention programme in specific departments to ensure patient safety.
The Japanization of Fordism

Japan, or more specifically its management methods, has increasingly entered debates about work organization in the 1980s. In so doing it also began to play an important role in the wider Post-Fordist debates about transformations in production regimes and even societies in general. At one extreme Post-Fordists see the Japanese management model as prototypical of the new flexible era they are heralding. At the other extreme Williams et al. have begun to see the Japanese experience as providing significant fuel to their more general questioning of the whole Fordist conceptual edifice which underlies Post-Fordist theses. The argument of this paper suggests that the Japanese model does expose problems of certain concepts of Fordism, particularly the blanket association of Fordist mass production with inflexibility. However, at the labour process level, the Japanese model rests on the fundamental bedrock of Fordism work study, assembly lines, and mass production and marketing. It nevertheless reverses certain features of Fordism particularly by involving workers more in conception than did conventional Taylorism. As such it represents an evolution within Fordism rather than transformation of it, i.e. neo- Fordism not Post-Fordism. Though it is common to incorrectly identify Fordism with rigidity, this alone is not necessary justification for either abandoning it as a useful concept or dismissing its relevance in the context of Japanese management. The author concludes we should settle for a fairly exclusive definition of Fordism, see the issue as one of developing new concepts of it, and above all else not expect Fordism to carry a bigger theoretical burden than it can.
Six Sigma and management theory: Processes, content and effectiveness

Abstract In this paper an analysis is made of the relation between the general and specific topics of management and the Six Sigma approach. This study has led us to suggest that there is a great deal of similarity in the prescriptions of Six Sigma and management theory. Furthermore, we analyze various processes and practices of Six Sigma that help towards an improvement in organizational effectiveness. The conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that, in order to reach its goals, the implementation of a Six Sigma program needs to change the way in which employees behave at work. Six Sigma must alter how people actually behave at work and, to this end, various behavioral and work processes are key to achieving these aspirations. Implications are discussed with regard to performance management processes in organizations.
‘Southern‐style’ National Health Services? Recent Reforms and Trends in Spain and Greece

This article analyses recent changes in the Greek and Spanish national health services. The aim is to assess how the period of austerity and further recovery during the 1990 s and early 2000 s impacted on them in terms of equity and efficiency. This is of interest because of the closeness in time between the universalizing reform laws and the arrival of the conditions for economic convergence established in the Maastricht Treaty. The analysis is also attractive because it deals with the transformation of already mature health insurance systems into national health services, a transformation that is novel in European welfare history. The article addresses the questions of whether austerity has hindered full implementation of the reform laws enacted in the early to mid- 1980 s, examining reform trajectories and financing and expenditure trends. Furthermore, it considers the impact on access, understood in terms of population coverage, the array of services provided, waiting lists, and territorial inequalities. Finally, it discusses the introduction of new managerial formulas and attempts at enhancing efficiency. The concluding section states that divergent trajectories have occurred, thus rendering the definition of a ‘Southern model of health care’ difficult. It also provides explanations of the trajectories followed in both national cases and informs on prospects for the future.
Deletion analyses of SMN1 and NAIP genes in Malaysian spinal muscular atrophy patients

Background: The survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene has been recognized to be responsible for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) because it is homozygously deleted in more than 90% of SMA patients, irrespective of their clinical severity, whereas the neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) gene is now considered to be a modifying factor of the severity of SMA. In Malaysia, it remains to be elucidated whether deletion of the SMN1 gene is also a main cause of SMA or whether deletion of the NAIP gene is found in the SMA patients.