Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early talk about the past: the origins of conversational stories of personal experience

ABSTRACT This paper explores children's early talk about specific distant past events and its development into conversational stories of personal experience, with special focus on its evaluative function. The data consist of longitudinal home observations of five working-class children and their mothers from ages 2; 0 to 2; 6. Results indicate that during this period the children talked primarily about negative past events, especially events of physical harm; the rate of talk about specific past events doubled; temporally-ordered sequences increased dramatically; and the children became better able to accomplish such talk independently. In addition, one of the most striking findings is the extent to which these 2–year-olds were able to communicate their attitude toward the past event, with speech about the past containing five times more evaluative devices than other speech. These results suggest that (1) by age 2; 6 stories of personal experience emerged in incipient form, and (2) the roots of this genre lie not only in cognitive skills and social interactional support but in the emotional significance of the depicted event.
Contract Farming in India

Contract Farming is operational in India for the last couple of years and an increase in the number of corporates entering the field has been witnessed. This has generated a debate over the effectiveness of the agribusiness model in enhancing farm income and employment, potential impact on small farmers, degree of technology transfer to the farmers, social responsibility of the corporates in terms of adoption of environment-friendly production process, effective management of ex post-opportunistic behaviour of the corporates, etc. It is observed from the literature that barring minor exceptions, contract farming has broadly been a successful affair. A better outcome could be expected if a number of systemic reform measures are undertaken at the earliest. On one hand, the infrastructure level ought to be massively augmented and on the other, contract farming should be formalised in all states, so as to make it binding on both concerned parties.
Effect of Bio Fertilization on Growth and Constituents of Moringa oleifera Lam . Plants

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of biofertilizers (control, Phosphorine, Rhizobactrine , Microbine and Nitrobine), and the effect on growth and chemical constituents of Moringa oleifera in the greenhouse during two successive seasons 2006 and 2007, at the Nubaria Research and Production Station. Effect of biofertilization on vegetative growth and chemical constituents of Moringa oleifera plants: The plants treated with Phosphorine and Nitrobine gave the highest values of plant height, stem diameter, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots, but branch number, leaf number and fresh and dry weight of shoots increased with application of Microbine in the two seasons. The chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid increased with Phosphorine, Nitrobine and Microbine as well as total carbohydrates; all biofertilizers treatments increased nutrients contents compared with the control.
Study of share repurchases and cash holdings: Nordic evidence

This Master’s Thesis attempts to expand on the existing research regarding the determination of share repurchases using Northern European evidence. The paper examines the popular theory of excess cash on share repurchases by testing the significance of previously applied variables measuring excess cash holdings of companies. In the research three new cash holding models are applied in addition to a model previously applied by Oswald and Young (2007) and the cash-to-total-assets famously applied by Jensen (1986), to define the independent variable excess cash. In my research I find that while previous definitions of excess cash have resulted in the recognition of the correct, positive, relationship between share repurchases and excess cash, the large volume of research that measure excess cash through a cash-to-total-assets ratio has likely downplayed the significance of the relationship.
Between Atomistic and Participatory Democracy

Although a great deal of research on civic engagement has been based on individual survey responses, there is emerging consensus for the need to better understand the civic opportunities provided by a given organizational context. This article develops a conceptual model to examine the different reasons why organizations would choose to invest in a membership-recruiting strategy despite the significant investment this strategy requires. The case study analysis of interest group associations in Israel confirms the hypothesis of an increased use of membership as an organizational strategy for building policy influence. The organizations are shown to be more interested over time in developing political leverage for influencing policy-making processes. Membership is viewed primarily as a strategy for rhetorical or symbolic legitimation for one organization, but even this organization uses membership as a tool for gaining greater leverage resources. Yet the findings are not optimistic regarding the focus on developing civic leadership.
The Influence of Executive Selection Factors on the Performance of Public Sector Organizations in Korea

This research explores the determinants of organizational performance, focusing on executive selection factors. Despite the growth of public sector organizations in various policy fields, there have been few empirical studies of the relationship between executive selection and performance. Using the panel data from 1999 to 2007 of 13 quasi-governmental Korean organizations classified as government corporations, this research examines how politicization of boards, chief executive succession, and insider/outsider origin of chief executives affect organizational performance as measured by two indicators, the Performance Evaluation Index (PEI) and the Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI). The results demonstrate that board politicization and chief executive succession have a significantly positive effect on the PEI, whereas the CSI is largely determined by contextual factors, such as presidential change and unemployment rate. Financial support from the government shows consistent influence on both performance indicators.
Identifiable Intangible Asset Disclosures, Stock Prices and Future Earnings

As a consequence of regulatory reforms currently being initiated as part of international convergence, it is likely that the recognition and disclosure of identifiable intangible assets by Australian firms will cease. This study provides empirical evidence on how this will impact financial reports. First, evidence is provided of a positive association between stock prices and voluntarily recognized and disclosed identifiable intangible assets. Second, evidence is provided of a positive association between identifiable intangible assets and realized future period income. This provides insights into the nature of the information provided by intangible assets, and identifies a basis for the association between stock prices and identifiable intangible assets. This leads to the conclusion that identifiable intangible assets disclosures are value relevant, and that with the application of the restrictive recognition rules in AASB138 these disclosures in financial reports will be greatly diminished.
Within-pod variation in the sound production of a pod of killer whales, Orcinus orca


Pod-specific calling behaviour of resident killer whales has been shown to include: discrete call types not shared among pods, different production rates of shared call types, and differences in the detailed structure of shared call types. To investigate the mechanisms leading to pod-specific calling, we compared the repertoire and structure of calls produced by three different matrilineal units within the same pod, and described call features encoding matrilineal-unit distinctiveness. The three matrilineal units had different production rates of shared calls, including one call type used almost exclusively by one matrilineal unit. Cross-validated discriminant function analyses revealed matrilineal-unit distinctive structure in five of the six shared call types examined, with duration of the terminal component being the most distinctive feature for all call types containing a terminal component. Calls generally consist of low- and high-frequency components that may follow different time-frequency contours. In our sample, a particular high-frequency contour was consistently paired with a particular low-frequency contour, both contours had roughly equal overall variability, and each contained independent matrilineal-unit distinctive information. The only call type that did not differ structurally between matrilineal units is reportedly used more in interpod meetings than in intrapod contexts. The differences in calling behaviour between matrilineal units were similar in form to previously described differences between pods, although more subtle. These results suggest that pod-specific calling behaviour in resident killer whales arises primarily as a consequence of accumulated drift or divergence between highly cohesive matrilineal units as they gradually separate into different pods. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Adherence to Perinatal Group B Streptococcal Prevention Guidelines

OBJECTIVE: To estimate compliance with the 2002 revised perinatal group B streptococci (GBS) prevention guidelines in Tennessee, which recommend universal GBS screening of pregnant women at 35–37 weeks of gestation and, when indicated, administration of intrapartum chemoprophylaxis. METHODS: Active Bacterial Core surveillance conducts active, population-based surveillance for invasive GBS disease in 11 Tennessee counties. A retrospective case–cohort study was conducted using a stratified random sample of all live births in surveillance hospitals during 2003–2004, including all early-onset GBS cases. Factors associated with GBS screening and lack of optimal GBS chemoprophylaxis were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Screening was performed for 84.7% of pregnant women, but 26.3% of prenatal tests with documented test dates were performed before 35 weeks of gestation. Among women with an indication for GBS prophylaxis, 61.2% received optimal chemoprophylaxis, defined as initiation of a recommended antibiotic 4 hours or more before delivery. When the analysis was restricted to women who were admitted 4 hours or more before delivery, 70.9% received optimal chemoprophylaxis. Women not receiving optimal chemoprophylaxis were more likely to have penicillin allergy (11.7% compared with 2.5%, adjusted odds ratio [OR] 8.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.57–47.04) or preterm delivery (45.5% compared with 13.2%, adjusted OR 5.52, 95% CI 2.29–13.30) and were less likely to have received the recommended prenatal serologic testing for other infectious diseases (77.9% compared with 91.1%, adjusted OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.09–0.98). Forty cases of early-onset GBS were identified (0.36 per 1,000 live births); 25% of these neonates were born to women who received screening at 35 weeks of gestation or later and, when indicated, optimal chemoprophylaxis. CONCLUSION: Universal prenatal GBS screening was implemented widely in Tennessee, although the timing of screening and administration of chemoprophylaxis often were not optimal. A substantial burden of early-onset GBS disease occurs despite optimal prenatal screening and chemoprophylaxis, suggesting that alternative strategies, such as vaccination, are needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Risk factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Association between metformin use and reduced cancer risk

The associations between diabetes, smoking, obesity, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) risk remain inconclusive. Metformin is purportedly associated with a reduced risk for various cancers. This case‐control study evaluated risk factors for ICC and explored the effects of metformin on ICC risk in a clinic/hospital‐based cohort. ICC patients observed at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) between January 2000 and May 2010 were identified. Age, sex, ethnicity, and residential area‐matched controls were selected from among Mayo Clinic Biobank participants. The associations between potential factors and ICC risk were determined. Six hundred and twelve cases and 594 controls were identified. Factors associated with increased ICC risk included biliary tract diseases (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 81.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.2‐598.8; P < 0.001), cirrhosis (AOR, 8.0; 95% CI: 1.8‐36.5; P = 0.007), diabetes (AOR, 3.6; 95% CI: 2.3‐5.5; P < 0.001), and smoking (AOR, 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3‐2.1; P < 0.001). Compared to diabetic patients not treated with metformin, the odds ratio (OR) for ICC for diabetic patients treated with metformin was significantly decreased (OR, 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2‐0.9; P = 0.04). Obesity and metabolic syndrome were not associated with ICC. Conclusion: This study confirmed diabetes and smoking as independent risk factors for ICC. A novel finding was that treatment with metformin was significantly associated with a 60% reduction in ICC risk in diabetic patients. (HEPATOLOGY 2013)
Linkage disequilibrium and association analysis of alpha-synuclein and alcohol and drug dependence in two American Indian populations.

BACKGROUND Alpha-synuclein is involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission and has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Recent studies, in humans and in rat and monkey models, have suggested that alpha-synuclein may play a role in the development and maintenance of certain addictive disorders. METHODS Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) and 1 upstream microsatellite repeat (NACP-REP1) were assayed in Southwest (SW; n=514) and Plains (n=420) American Indian populations. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) at SNCA were determined for the 2 populations and compared with Caucasian, African, and Asian populations in the HapMap database (http://www.hapmap.org). Assayed alleles and constructed haplotypes in the study populations were tested for association with 4 clinical phenotypes [alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorders, drug dependence, and drug use disorders (lifetime diagnoses)] as well as with 2 symptom count phenotypes (all 18 questions and the 8 questions diagnostic for alcohol dependence). RESULTS Patterns of LD at SNCA were similar in both Indian populations and were consistent with the LD structure in other populations as reflected in the HapMap database. Single allele tests revealed significant associations between 4 SNPs and drug dependence in the SW population and between 2 of those SNPs plus 2 other SNPs and drug dependence in SW males only. In the Plains population, a significant association was detected only in males between 2 SNPs and alcohol use disorders and between 1 SNP and alcohol dependence. In the SW population, 1 SNP was marginally significant with the total symptom count. However, in all cases, the support was modest and disappeared with correction for multiple comparisons. No association was found between constructed haplotypes and any of the phenotypes in either population. CONCLUSIONS Despite modest support for association between multiple SNCA SNPs and several of the addictive disorders tested in this study, statistical significance disappeared after correction for multiple testing. Thus, our data do not support a role for a variant in the SNCA gene that contributes to alcohol or drug addiction in the 2 studied American Indian populations. Future research may focus on variants in the promoter region that could cause the changes in mRNA and protein levels observed in previous studies.
Clinical features and prognosis of a sample of patients with trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) from Brazil

Trisomy 13 or Patau syndrome (PS) is a chromosomal disorder characterized by a well known presentation of multiple congenital anomalies. Our objective was to determine the clinical features and prognosis observed in a sample of patients with PS. The series was composed of patients with diagnosis of PS consecutively evaluated by a Clinical Genetics Service from a reference hospital of southern Brazil, in the period between 1975 and 2012. Statistical analysis was performed using PEPI program (version 4.0), with two‐tailed Fisher's exact test for comparison of frequencies (P < 0.05). The sample consisted of 30 patients, 60% male, median age at first evaluation of 9 days. Full trisomy of chromosome 13 was the main cytogenetic alteration (73%). The major clinical findings included: cryptorchidism (78%), abnormal auricles (77%), congenital heart defects (76%), polydactyly (63%), microphthalmia (60%) and micrognathia (50%). Four patients (13%) simultaneously had micro/anophthalmia, oral clefts and polydactyly. Some findings were only observed in our sample and included, among others, preauricular tags (10%), duplication of the hallux (3%) and spots following the lines of Blaschko (3%). Mosaicism (20% of cases) had a statistically significant association only with absence of cryptorchidism. The median of survival was 26 days. Patients with and without mosaicism had similar median of survival. Our findings, in agreement with the literature, show that the anomalies in patients with PS can be quite variable, sometimes even atypical. There is no pathognomonic finding, which may make the early identification of these patients challenging. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Talent management, talent mindset competency and job performance: the mediating role of job satisfaction

This study advances and tests four interlinked hypotheses explicating the relationship between talent mindset competency, job satisfaction and job performance. Talent mindset competency is dimensionalised as: (a) value and goal alignment with the organisation, (b) manager's talent mindset, (c) talent application in everyday behaviours, (d) autonomy using talent and (e) development of talent in organisation. Results generated from a series of path analyses from a data set of 198 public and private sector employees suggest that strategies centred on talent management impact job performance, but through job satisfaction which acts as a mediator. Thus, it is not postulated that we have to pursue job satisfaction as a main underlying contributor to job performance, but rather that if we develop and institutionalise a comprehensive talent system, this can affect both job satisfaction (directly) and job performance (indirectly).
Using Fuzzy Real Options Valuation for Assessing Investments in NGCC and CCS Energy Conversion Technology

In this paper we study the relative advantage of investing in a natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plant versus a coal-fired power plant with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. For the investment analysis under uncertainty, we apply fuzzy real options theory. Three different price scenarios for fuel input and CO2 emission permits are taken into consideration. For the assumptions made, we find evidence that the NGCC and (to a lesser degree) the conventional hard coal-fired power plant are the most cost-effective options, followed by the two CCS technologies ‘Oxyfuel’ and ‘Pre-combustion’. In contrast, due to high specific investment costs and significant losses in conversion efficiency, the third CCS option ‘Post-combustion’ remains uneconomical. The sensitivity analysis reveals that already at moderate cost reductions, ‘Pre-combustion’ and ‘Oxyfuel’ both become economically viable and, at sufficiently low CO2 permit prices or interest rates, even the preferred options.
How Off‐Farm Employment Affects Technical Efficiency of China's Farms: The Case of Jiangsu

Using three-wave survey data for four villages of Jiangsu Province in China, the present paper examines whether and to what extent off-farm employment affects the technical efficiency of agricultural production. The level of technical efficiency is measured using a stochastic frontier production function approach. Based on estimation results from instrumental variable panel quantile regressions we find that there is a positive significant effect of off-farm employment on the level of farm technical efficiency. We also find that fragmentation of farmland is a barrier to the improvement of technical efficiency. In addition, we find a downward trend in the level of agricultural technical efficiency among our sample. Therefore, the Chinese Government should stimulate agricultural mechanization and the development of farming techniques to improve technical efficiency in the context of increasing off-farm employment.
An integrated approach for main path analysis: Development of the Hirsch index as an example

This study enhances main path analysis by proposing several variants to the original approach. Main path analysis is a bibliometric method capable of tracing the most significant paths in a citation network and is commonly used to trace the development trajectory of a research field. We highlight several limitations of the original main path analysis and suggest new, complementary approaches to overcome these limitations. In contrast to the original local main path, the new approaches generate the global main path, the backward local main path, multiple main paths, and key-route main paths. Each of them is obtained via a perspective different from the original approach. By simultaneously conducting the new, complementary approaches, one uncovers the key development of the target discipline from a broader view. To demonstrate the value of these new approaches, we simultaneously apply them to a set of academic articles related to the Hirsch index. The results show that the integrated approach discovers several paths that are not captured by the original approach. Among these new approaches, the key-route approach is especially useful and hints at a divergence–convergence–divergence structure in the development of the Hirsch index. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
E‐CRM: customer relationship marketing in the hotel industry

Explores the degree to which UK based hotel groups had exploited the medium of electronic customer relationship marketing (E‐CRM). Research is incorporated that investigated their use of the Internet to verify whether customer relationship marketing was being implemented within online operations or whether their Internet presence merely revolved around the basic functions of “providing information” and “hotel reservations”. The findings and subsequent discussion showed that on the Internet, hotel groups used their relationship with customers to provide rather than gather information. The majority of the hotel groups had only embraced a few elements of E‐CRM and even indicated that they had no intention of being led online by the concept. Although the findings of the questionnaire indicated that hotel groups were generally aware of the potential of Web technologies and strategies, they also showed that companies were not putting this knowledge into practice when it came to implementing E‐CRM. Primary research concluded that hotel groups based in the UK were failing to take advantage of the many opportunities identified through the secondary research.