Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The determinants of Norwegian exporters’ foreign exchange risk management

Abstract This paper examines foreign exchange (FX) hedging by Norwegian exporting firms to provide empirical evidence on the determinants of the hedging decision. The paper contributes to prior studies by, first, focusing on exporters to ensure that the companies in the sample have FX exposure, thereby allowing a more rigorous test of the theoretical determinants of hedging, and, secondly, in contrast to most previous studies that have focused on FX external hedging instruments, the use of both internal and external instruments is examined. Univariate, multivariate and multinominal analyses all provide evidence consistent with the firm value maximization hypotheses of underinvestment and risk aversion. Also, the following characteristics of firms—size, extent of internationalization and liquidity—are found to be related to the decision to hedge FX risk. However, the evidence on the links between the firm characteristics and the decision to hedge is not consistent across internal and external FX hedgers, and also varies for individual hedging instruments. Therefore it is argued that the empirical evidence on the theoretical determinants cannot be generalized to cover the full range of FX hedging strategies (which includes internal hedging instruments). Unlike empirical studies for other countries the evidence for Norwegian firms does not support the hypothesis that the avoidance of financial distress and the need to resort to external capital markets is a significant determinant of the hedging decision. Whilst the evidence suggests that country-specific factors may play a role in determining the use of FX hedging, it does not imply that the different policies adopted are necessarily inconsistent with the firm value maximization hypothesis.
The impact of oil price regimes on construction cost in Nigeria

Construction costs in Nigeria are often high and unpredictable. The pattern of variability is not explained by inflationary indices of common goods and services, but rather it is reactive to boom‐and‐burst shocks that are triggered by oil price regimes. Pearson’s correlation analysis is deployed to examine the relationships between the dynamics of crude oil price regimes (volume of crude oil export and price), selected indices of macrovariability—lending rate (prime), inflation rate and aggregate GDP growth, and supply deficit (demand–output gap) of local cement production. Analysis shows that construction cost is high because of high cost of finance and wild volatility that are stimulated by frictions in oil price regimes. Moreover, while the Nigerian construction industry shows positive growth and significant contribution to aggregate GDP growth in the past decade, the oil industry has persistently failed to trigger positive GDP growth. Furthermore, the variables under examination (as listed above) are also subjected to regression analysis to develop a mathematical model for predicting construction costs, relative to crude oil shock and defined macrovariability indices. Recommendations are made on how to avoid multicollinearity in similar studies and for areas of further studies.
A Grounded Theory of Balancing Alcohol Recovery and Pregnancy

The purpose of this study was to explore women's concurrent experiences of alcohol/drug recovery and transition to parenthood. The study used a qualitative design to explore and understand women 's experiences of recoveryfrom alcohol/drug dependence during pregnancy. Eleven women, who self-identifled as recovering alcoholics/addicts and either were pregnant or had infants younger than 12 months of age, participated in the study. Balancing emerged as the core concept, a process that explained how women successfully integrated the recovery and motherhood processes into their identity. The women used strategies learned in the process of alcohol/drug recovery to balance between alcohol/drug recovery and motherhood. They used the strategies in unique ways during pregnancy to incorporate the developmental and relational aspects of both advancing in motherhood and maintaining recovery.
The Evolution and Development of Entrepreneurial Marketing

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of entrepreneurial marketing (EM). First an historical perspective of the evolution of EM is offered and some central incidents are identified. Further, empirical indications of small and medium‐sized firm marketing behavior are reported and analyzed. Some distinctive differences between EM and administrative focused marketing are identified. This paper provides future scholars with a summary of how EM has evolved into a potential new school of marketing thought and offers several issues that should stimulate future research in EM.
Enhancing the employer-employee relationship through corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand how hotel managers perceive the benefits that may accrue to employees and hotels through their engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews with 23 hotel managers, representing various functional responsibilities, were undertaken across four provinces in Thailand. The sample included local and international chain hotels. Findings – Hotel managers from all functional areas and levels acknowledged that CSR substantially enhanced the employer–employee relationship. Five themes depicting the beneficial effects were identified: a relationship unifying process, having fun, feeling pride, developing skills and building teamwork. These themes reflect three core factors of emotional responses, social capital and task-related skills. Practical implications – The paper illustrates that CSR activities can be customised to elicit specific effects that will engender beneficial outcomes for both hote.
On revenue management and last minute booking dynamics

Purpose – This study aims to explore booking behavior in an online experiment where the time before the date of stay was controlled for and where action and perceptions were recorded.Design/methodology/approach – An initial pool of 302 students enrolled in various undergraduate and graduate courses in a Midwestern university were asked to participate in the study. Participants were assigned randomly to one of five groups. The treatments differed in the number of days participants had to complete the task of booking a room.Findings – The findings suggest that a sharp increase in the participants' propensity to book occurs during the last week before the date of stay. In addition, the results of the binomial logistic regression provide strong support for the notion that time and the two assessed perceptions are strongly associated with the booking decisions of last minute deal seekers. Participants were more likely to book the closer it was to the date of stay if they thought the hotel was likely to sell ou.
Dried Fluid Spots for HIV Type-1 Viral Load and Resistance Genotyping: A Systematic Review

Background Dried spots on filter paper made of whole blood (dried blood spots; DBS), plasma (dried plasma spots; DPS) or serum (dried serum spots) hold promise as an affordable and practical alternative specimen source to liquid plasma for HIV type-1 (HIV-1) viral load determination and drug resistance genotyping in the context of the rapidly expanding access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-1-infected individuals in low- and middle-income countries. This report reviews the current evidence for their utility. Methods We systematically searched the English language literature published before 2009 on Medline, the websites of the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abstracts presented at relevant international conferences and references from relevant articles. Results Data indicate that HIV-1 viral load determination and resistance genotyping from DBS and DPS is feasible, yielding comparable test performances, even after storage. Limitations include reduced analytical sensitivity resulting from small analyte volumes (approximately 3.5 log10 copies/ ml at 50 ml sample volume), nucleic acid degradation under extreme environmental conditions, impaired efficiency of nucleic acid extraction, potential interference of archived proviral DNA in genotypes obtained from DBS and the excision of spots from the filters in high-volume testing. Conclusions This technology offers the advantages of a stable specimen matrix, ease of sample collection and shipment. The current sensitivity in drug resistance testing is appropriate for public health surveillance among pretreatment populations. However, consistently improved analytical sensitivity is needed for their routine application in the therapeutic monitoring of individuals receiving ART, particularly at the onset of treatment failure.
Physiological risk factors for severe high-altitude illness: a prospective cohort study.

RATIONALE An increasing number of persons, exposed to high altitude for leisure, sport, or work, may suffer from severe high-altitude illness. OBJECTIVES To assess, in a large cohort of subjects, the association between physiological parameters and the risk of altitude illness and their discrimination ability in a risk prediction model. METHODS A total of 1,326 persons went through a hypoxic exercise test before a sojourn above 4,000 m. They were then monitored up at high altitude and classified as suffering from severe high-altitude illness (SHAI) or not. Analysis was stratified according to acetazolamide use. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Severe acute mountain sickness occurred in 314 (23.7%), high-altitude pulmonary edema in 22 (1.7%), and high-altitude cerebral edema in 13 (0.98%) patients. Among nonacetazolamide users (n = 917), main factors independently associated with SHAI were previous history of SHAI (adjusted odds ratios [aOR], 12.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.95-23.66; P < 0.001), ascent greater than 400 m/day (aOR, 5.89; 95% CI, 3.78-9.16; P < 0.001), history of migraine (aOR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.28-4.07; P = 0.005), ventilatory response to hypoxia at exercise less than 0.78 L/minute/kg (aOR, 6.68; 95% CI, 3.83-11.63; P < 0.001), and desaturation at exercise in hypoxia equal to or greater than 22% (aOR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.52-4.11; P < 0.001). The last two parameters improved substantially the discrimination ability of the multivariate prediction model (C-statistic rose from 0.81 to 0.88; P < 0.001). Preventive use of acetazolamide reduced the relative risk of SHAI by 44%. CONCLUSIONS In a large population of altitude visitors, chemosensitivity parameters (high desaturation and low ventilatory response to hypoxia at exercise) were independent predictors of severe high-altitude illness. They improved the discrimination ability of a risk prediction model.
Plasma equilibrium response modelling and validation on JT-60U

A systematic procedure to identify the plasma equilibrium response to the poloidal field coil voltages has been applied to the JT-60U tokamak. The required response was predicted with a high accuracy by a state-space model derived from first principles. The ab initio derivation of linearized plasma equilibrium response models is re-examined using an approach standard in analytical mechanics. A symmetric formulation is naturally obtained, removing a previous weakness in such models. RZIP, a rigid current distribution model, is re-derived using this approach and is compared with the new experimental plasma equilibrium response data obtained from Ohmic and neutral beam injection discharges in the JT-60U tokamak. In order to remove any bias from the comparison between modelled and measured plasma responses, the electromagnetic response model without plasma was first carefully tuned against experimental data, using a parametric approach, for which different cost functions for quantifying model agreement were explored. This approach additionally provides new indications of the accuracy to which various plasma parameters are known, and to the ordering of physical effects. Having taken these precautions when tuning the plasmaless model, an empirical estimate of the plasma self-inductance, the plasma resistance and its radial derivative could be established and compared with initial assumptions. Off-line tuning of the JT-60U controller is presented as an example of the improvements which might be obtained by using such a model of the plasma equilibrium response.
Indicators of Job Satisfaction of Home Healthcare Nurses in the San Francisco Bay Area of California

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that provide job satisfaction for home healthcare nurses and to determine if the nurses' educational level makes a difference in job satisfaction. Data were collected using Ellenbecker's (2004) 21-item Home Healthcare Nurses Job Satisfaction Scale. The study results indicated the majority of this population of home healthcare nurses was satisfied on all items, except in having the power to change agency policy. Educational level made no significant difference in job satisfaction. Recommendations include encouraging agencies to include clinicians in policy decision-making and management of patient care. Nursing education programs should ensure nurses graduate with the skills necessary for policy development and to make decisions that positively impact patient care.
The Flexibility of Manufacturing Systems

Many of the new pressures from today's manufacturing environment are turning manufacturing managers' attention to the virtues of developing a flexible manufacturing function. Flexibility, however, has different meanings for different managers and several perfectly legitimate alternative paths exist towards flexible manufacturing. How managers in ten companies view manufacturing flexibility in terms of how they see the contribution of manufacturing flexibility to overall company performance; what types of flexibility they regard as important; and what their desired degree of flexibility is. The results of the investigations in these ten companies are summarised in the form of ten empirical “observations”. Based on these “observations” a check‐list of prescriptions is presented and a hierarchical framework developed into which the various issues raised by the “observations” can be incorporated.
Pension Plan Risk-Taking: Does It Matter If the Sponsor is Publicly-Traded?

We use a large sample of private sponsors’ defined benefit pension plans to document economically significant differences in the magnitude of plan return volatility for private versus publicly-traded sponsors. The main drivers of pension plan risk taking are different for public and private firms. The impact of the funded status of pension liabilities on volatility for publicly-traded sponsors is more than two times higher than for private sponsors. The impact of sponsor contributions for private sponsors is more than four times higher than for public sponsors. The results suggest that the alignment of the incentives of owners and plan beneficiaries is different for private versus publicly-traded sponsors.
Effect of ergotamine and ergonovine on plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones and cortisol in cattle.

Plasma samples from two experiments were processed to determine whether ergot alkaloids associated with endophyte-infected tall fescue altered peripheral thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), or cortisol concentrations in cattle. In Exp. 1, seven Angus steers (294 kg) received i.v. bolus injections of saline (SAL), ergonovine maleate (7 mg; EM), or ergotamine tartrate (7 mg; ET) at weekly intervals, and they received all treatments during the study. Blood was sampled every 15 min for 5 h, and treatments were given after h 1. Mean ambient temperature was 34 degrees C. Treatment x time affected plasma concentrations of T3 (P < .05) and of cortisol (P < .001) but not that of T4 (P > .2). Plasma T3 concentrations were not affected by SAL, whereas concentrations increased (P < .01) after either EM or ET treatment. Plasma cortisol concentrations were not altered by SAL or EM, but they were increased (P < .001) by ET treatment. In Exp. 2, six Holstein cows (499 kg) nursing calves received a bolus i.v. injection of SAL, EM (9.5 mg), or ET (9.5 mg) per estrous cycle, and all treatments were given over three cycles. Blood was sampled every 20 min for 5 h; treatments were given after h 1. Mean ambient temperature was 26 degrees C. Treatment x time affected T3 (P = .08) and cortisol (P < .001) and tended to influence (P = .16) T4 concentrations. Plasma T3, T4, and cortisol concentrations were not influenced by SAL treatment. Plasma T3 was higher (P < or = .01) after EM or ET treatment compared with pretreatment concentrations. Concentrations of T4 during the 4 h after EM and ET were increased (P < .001) compared with pretreatment. Plasma cortisol concentrations were not altered by EM but were increased (P < .001) by ET. Ergot alkaloids implicated as contributing agents to fescue toxicosis alter plasma concentrations of hormones important to metabolic and thermoregulatory functions in cattle.
A European macro‐region in the making? The Balkan trade relations of Greece

Abstract This paper analyzes the post‐1989 trade relations of Greece in the Balkans, a region with a poor performance in both integration and transition processes. On the basis of aggregate trends, a strong expansion of trade is found, while sectoral analysis with the use of Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Intra‐Industry Trade (IIT) measures, indicates that Greece appears to have comparative advantages in more and different sectors and a relatively higher share of intra‐industry trade when trading with its Balkan neighbours than when trading with the EU countries. It is concluded that the new economic environment in the Balkans provides Greece with a new opportunity to deal effectively with the difficulties of the European integration process and allows the Balkan countries to interact and cooperate without systemic barriers, leaving the level and type of their relations to be an affair of markets, preferences and geography.
The Impact of Economic Integration on Cross–Border Venture Capital Investments: Evidence from the European Union

Despite major policies surrounding economic integration among countries (e.g., the European Union [EU], North Atlantic Free Trade Area, and Mercosur), the theoretical and empirical research addressing the impact of such policies on various countries’ entrepreneurial activities has yet to fully emerge. To address this issue, this paper draws on institutional, economic, and entrepreneurship literatures to examine if two specific economic integration mechanisms, namely market and currency commonality, increase cross–border venture capital flows made by participating nations in the EU. Findings suggest that broad scale economic integration policies do influence the extent of foreign venture capital investments made into other member countries.
Comparison of the clinical characteristics and survival between Uyghur patients with hepatitis virus-related and non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma in Xinjiang, China.

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis between hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (viral HCC) and non-B, non-C HCC (NBC-HCC) among Uyghur patients in Xinjiang province, China. METHODS Between 01/01/2000 and 31/12/2012, 319 Uyghur HCC patients were treated at the Cancer Centre of The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. The data for the patients were obtained from a retrospective review of the patients' medical records. A total of 18 patients were excluded from the study because of incomplete information. The patients were classified into two groups: viral HCC and NBC-HCC. The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors were statistically analysed. RESULTS For all 301 patients, gender (P=0.000), area of residence (P=0.002), diabetes mellitus (P=0.009), BMI (P=0.000), cirrhosis (P=0.000), tumour stage (P=0.004), Child-Pugh class (P=0.000), the TBIL level (P=0.000), and the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (P=0.000) were significantly different between the NBC-HCC and viral HCC groups. The NBC-HCC patients tended to be diagnosed at advanced stages; however, the NBC-HCC patients exhibited lower Child-Pugh scores than the viral HCC patients. In all patients examined, the 0.5-, 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 35.6%, 20.3%, 12.6% and 4.5%, respectively. No significant difference in OS was observed between the two groups (P=0.124). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that age (RR =1.539, P=0.001), TNM stage (RR =12.708, P=0.000), portal vein tumour thrombus (PVTT) (RR =2.003, P=0.000), Child-Pugh class (RR =1.715, P=0.000), and TACE + radiotherapy/RFA (RR =0.567, P=0.000) were significant independent prognostic factors for HCC patients. CONCLUSIONS The clinical characteristics differ between Uyghur patients with NBC-HCC and viral HCC. HCC in the Xinjiang region displays specific regional characteristics. Age, TNM stage, PVTT, Child-Pugh class and TACE + radiotherapy/RFA are significant risk factors that influence patient survival.
Mental disorders among college students in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Background—Although mental disorders are significant predictors of educational attainment throughout the entire educational career, most research on mental disorders among students has focused on the primary and secondary school years. Methods—The World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys were used to examine the associations of mental disorders with college entry and attrition by comparing college students (n = 1,572) and nonstudents in the same age range (18–22; n = 4,178), including nonstudents who recently left college without graduating (n = 702) based on surveys in 21 countries (4 low/lowermiddle income, 5 upper middle-income, 1 lower-middle or upper-middle at the times of two different surveys, and 11 high income). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence and age-of-onset of DSM-IV anxiety, mood, behavioural and substance disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results—One-fifth (20.3%) of college students had 12-month DSM-IV/CIDI disorders. 83.1% of these cases had pre-matriculation onsets. Disorders with pre-matriculation onsets were more important than those with post-matriculation onsets in predicting subsequent college attrition, with substance disorders and, among women, major depression the most important such disorders. Only Auerbach et al. Page 2 Psychol Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 April 01. A uhor M anscript
Digital competence in the Norwegian teacher education and schools

The purpose of this article is to examine how policy documents in Norway the last ten years have interpreted ICT and digital competence in teacher education and in school. Norway implemented in 2006 a new national curriculum which increased the status of digital competence to be the fifth basic skill in the Norwegian elementary school (stage 1-13). This was a historic event and never before has digital competence achieved such status in curricula, neither nationally nor internationally. The same has newly happened with the new General Plan for Teacher Education where digital competence has become the fifth basic skill in all subjects. However, both teacher educators and teachers lack sufficient digital competence to fulfil these ambiguous policy goals and therefore the article suggest how a model of digital competence can bridge some of the gap between the intentions in the policy documents and the teachers/teacher educators’ practise. At the same time the article attempts to elaborate our perception of the concept digital competence in an educational discourse and how one can define digital competence in light of a Scandinavian educational perspective. The research question in this article is: how can digital competence be defined and what are the foundations of digital competence in teacher education and schools in light of the policy documents in Norway?