Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CEO Ownership , External Governance , and Risk-taking

This paper shows the relation between CEO ownership and firm valuation hinges critically on the strength of external governance (EG). The relation is hump shaped when EG is weak, but is insignificant when EG is strong. The results imply that CEO ownership and EG are substitutes in mitigating agency problems when ownership is low. However, very high levels of ownership can reduce firm value by entrenching the CEO and discouraging him from taking risk, unless mitigated by strong EG. We identify channels through which CEO ownership affects firm value by examining R&D, which is discretionary and risky. We find CEO ownership similarly exhibits a hump shaped relation with R&D when EG is weak, but no relation when EG is strong. Our results are robust to endogeneity issues concerning CEO ownership and EG. Forthcoming in Journal of Financial Economics February 10, 2011 JEL Classification: G34, G32, D86, L22.
Evaluating Flowchart Recognition for Patent Retrieval

A set of measures for assessing the effectiveness of flowchart recognition methods in the context of patent-related use cases are presented. Two perspectives on the task are envisaged: a traditional, re-use of bitmap flowcharts use-case and a search-related use-case. A graph topology-based measure is analyzed for the first and a particular version of precision/recall for the second. We find that the graph-based measure has a higher discriminating power, but comes at higher computational costs than the search-based measures. The evaluation of the runs in the absence of ground truth is also investigated and found to provide comparable results if runs from the same group are not allowed to unbalance the synthetically generated truth sets.
Competition and Integration among Stock Exchanges in Europe: Network Effects, Implicit Mergers and Remote Access

The economic theory of network externalities and a simple game theoretical framework are used to explore the issue of competition among stock exchanges and the possibility of consolidation in the European stock-exchange industry, among the different exchanges. The main features of this paper are the following: the treatment of exchanges as firms; the application of network externalities to study competition among exchanges; the extension of network externalities, through implementing "cross-network" effects; the existence of equilibria where exchanges may decide, even unilaterally, to achieve full com-patibility through implicit mergers and remote access, "specializing" only in trading or listing services. One implication is that consolidation of European exchanges into one may occur with a welfare efficient outcome or with a lock-in to a Pareto-inferior equilibrium. This is due to the network externalities and the different starting points of the various exchanges. "Implicit mergers" among exchanges together with remote access are always weakly (in half of the cases, strictly) more efficient than the actual competition, provided that the fixed cost of compatibility are sufficiently low. This finding sheds light also on the existence and efficacy, especially in the USA, of automated trading systems, which can be seen as exchanges specialized in trading services.
The Inf�?T Test for a Unit Root Against Asymmetric Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive Models

This paper proposes a new test for a unit root against an alternative of asymmetric exponential smooth transition autoregressive models, by extending the infimum test developed by Park and Shintani. Simulation results suggest that the test performs reasonably well in finite samples. The proposed test is also applied to real exchange rates to examine their asymmetric and nonlinear mean-reverting properties.
Effects of a school based intervention to promote healthy habits in children 8-11 years old, living in the lowland area of Bologna Local Health Unit.

BACKGROUND A school based health promotion intervention was performed with the aim of increasing physical activity and improving the dietary habits of primary school pupils, using integrated educational strategies involving schools, families, public bodies, sports associations and public health operators. METHODS The intervention concerned 11 classes during 3 school years from 2009-10 (231 third-year school children) to 2011-12 (234 fifth-year school children). Information was collected both before and after the intervention about the dietary habits and the physical activities practised by the children, using the questionnaires of the project ! OKkio alla Salute! which were administered to both children and parents. At the same time anthropometric measurements were taken (height, weight, BMI) and motor skills were assessed using standardized tests: Sit & Reach, medicine-ball forward throw, standing long jump, 20 m running speed, and forward roll. At the end of the intervention 12 different expected outcomes were assessed (5 about dietary habits, 5 about motor habits, 1 about anthropometric characteristics, 1 about motor skills). RESULTS At baseline, 35.8% of the children show excess weight (23.4% overweight; 12.4% obese); this percentage falls to 29.3% (25.3% overweight; 4% obese) after the intervention (p <0.05). The dietary habits improve from the pre- to the post-intervention: there is a rise in the percentage of children who receive an adequate mid-morning snack (p <0.0001), a fall in the percentage of children who consume snacks and drinks after the dinner (p <0.01), and an increase in the percentage of those who take five or more portions of fruits and vegetables daily. The motor habits do not improve in the same way, since there is the increasing tendency with age to skip from a regular daily practice of physical exercise to favour of the occasional practice of a sport. The motor performances, compared after normalization for modifications due to the process of growth, improve between the third and fifth years of primary school, but with no significant differences. To achieve this objective more focused measures are necessary in the administration of moderate to intense physical exercise. CONCLUSIONS The results point to a positive assessment of the intervention, thus highlighting the importance of planning integrated and multisectorial actions in school-based programmes to promote correct dietary and motor habits and for the control of body weight, also involving non scholastic areas.
Relationships of Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Consumption to Metabolic Syndrome in Japanese Men

Background Cigarette smoking is an important, aggravating factor in metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition, some studies have reported that MetS is related to alcohol consumption irrespective of the amount consumed. However, the relationship of the combination of the 2 habits to MetS has not been fully described. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, a questionnaire was used to collect information on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption from 3904 Japanese men aged 20 years or older. MetS was defined according to Japanese criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze relationships of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption with MetS, after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Results Among the subjects, 581 (14.9%) had MetS. Daily cigarette and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with the prevalence of MetS (P < 0.0001, P = 0.030 for trend). The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for the prevalence of MetS was 1.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.34–2.65) for subjects who smoked ≥30 cigarettes/day, as compared with nonsmokers; 1.54 (1.06–2.23) for those who consumed ≥69 grams of ethanol/day, as compared with nondrinkers; and 3.63 (1.91–6.90) for those who smoked ≥30 cigarettes/day and consumed ≥69 grams of ethanol/day, as compared with those who neither smoked nor drank. The interaction of smoking ≥30 cigarettes/day with drinking ≥69 grams/day was 2.03 (1.02–4.01, P = 0.043). Conclusions Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking had independent relations to the prevalence of MetS. In addition, the prevalence of MetS was higher among Japanese men who smoked and drank heavily.
Global Financial Crisis and Government Intervention: A Case for Effective Regulatory Governance

The recent financial and economic crisis in the United States and the rest of the world, as well as the interventionist efforts of respective governments to stabilize their economies, have generated a lot of controversy about the virtues of the free-market system and the wisdom of state intervention. The objective of this article is to put the debate on the relative efficiency of the free-market and government intervention in a larger theoretical perspective and make the case for the importance of efficient regulatory governance of financial institutions in ensuring economic stability. Drawing on the theories of laissez faire and market failure, the Keynesian and Marxian theories and the theory of regulation, I argue that mutual co-existence of the market and the government is beneficial to society, and that periodic global financial crisis occur because of the failure to learn from history and ineffective regulatory governance. Governments need to put in place proactive regulatory framework to guard against regulatory capture, arbitrage and forbearance in order to control financial market excesses.
Understanding R&D value creation with organizational simulation

Research and development functions are fundamental drivers of value creation in technology‐based enterprises. Successful R&D is a function of invention and R&D management. This paper studies R&D management issues from the perspective of their effect on value creation. The particular issues studied are: (i) How does one attach a value to a particular proposed R&D activity, and (ii) how does one allocate funding over the various stages comprising an R&D value stream? Organizational simulation is used in an experiment to determine the value creation effectiveness of alternative investment policies. Experimental results indicate the superiority of valuation methods (options pricing vs. traditional net present value approaches) and budget allocation strategies under differing conditions and differing value‐oriented performance measures. An application of the model to R&D in the forest products industry is presented. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 10: 64–82, 2007
Analysis of Credit Card Fraud Detection Techniques: based on Certain Design Criteria

Financial fraud is increasing significantly with the development of modern technology and the global superhighways of communication, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars worldwide each year. The companies and financial institution loose huge amounts due to fraud and fraudsters continuously try to find new rules and tactics to commit illegal actions. Thus, fraud detection systems have become essential for all credit card issuing banks to minimize their losses. The most commonly used fraud detection methods are Neural Network (NN), rule-induction techniques, fuzzy system, decision trees, Support Vector Machines (SVM), Artificial Immune System (AIS), genetic algorithms, K-Nearest Neighbor algorithms. These techniques can be used alone or in collaboration using ensemble or meta-learning techniques to build classifiers. This paper presents a survey of various techniques used in credit card fraud detection and evaluates each methodology based on certain design criteria.
Identification of Amino Acid Latent Periodicity within 94 Protein Families

Here, we have applied information decomposition, cyclic profile alignment, and noise decomposition techniques to search for latent repeats within protein families of various functions. We have identified 94 protein families with a family-specific periodicity. In each case, the periodic element was found in greater than 70% of family members. Latent periodicity profiles with specific length and signature were obtained in each case. The possible relationship between the periodic elements thus identified and the evolutionary development of the protein families are discussed with specific reference to the possibility that there is a correlation between the periodic elements and protein function.
Unequal impact of Conservatism on Accrual Measures and Drivers: implications for the specification of accrual models

This study makes two main contributions to the literature. Firstly, it tests empirically the relative timeliness of accrual measures and earnings components used as explanatory variables in accrual models (“accrual drivers”) regarding the impact of conservatism. Secondly, taking into account the empirical evidence on such a timeliness, it discusses intuitively potential implications for the specification of (traditional) accrual models and the quality of discretionary accrual estimates. It concludes that common accrual models, as Jones (1991), are misspecified. They have a dependent variable (accruals) asymmetrically affected by conservatism, and one or more explanatory variables that are not affected, inducing a non-systematic measurement error in estimating discretionary accruals.
Performance assessment of portuguese secondary schools: the society and educational authorities perspectives

This paper describes a performance assessment of Portuguese secondary schools using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The assessment adopts two perspectives: a society perspective where schools are viewed as promoting students achievement given student characteristics in terms of academic abilities and socio-economic background; and an educational authorities perspective where schools are viewed as transforming a set of resources (including student academic abilities, socio-economic background, and also school resources, such as teachers) into students' achievement. Two types of DEA analysis are performed for each perspective: one using an output oriented model allowing factor weights to vary freely from school to school and another using a model that restricts factor weights to be equal for all schools. The first model is well suited for identifying inefficient schools, whereas the latter is best suited for improving discrimination between efficient schools when pursuing the identification of benchmarks. Our sample comprised a small number of schools and therefore the results obtained are mainly illustrative of the potential of the method. Future research will explore the use of this method for the assessment of schools at a national level
The Planning Polity: Planning, Government and the Policy Process

1. Introduction. Part I: Political Ideology, Policy Relations and the Planning Process. 2. A Theoretical Context of Planning Policy. 3. The Politics of Planning Policy: The Major Era. 3. The Politics of Planning Policy: The Blair Era. 5. National, Regional and Local Planning Policy Relationships. Part Two: Planning Policy Conflicts in Government Relationships. 6. National Consistency in the Planning Policy Process. 7. Regional Certainty and Compatibility in the Planning Policy Process. 8. Local Discretion in the Planning Policy Process. 9. National Agendas and Planning Policy Variation: Wales vs. England. Part Three: Devolution, Distinctiveness and Planning Policy Development. 10. National Planning Policy and Devolution in Wales After 1999. 11. Devolution and Planning Policy Development in Scotland After 1999. 12. Planning Policy Within New Forms of Governance. 13. Conclusions.
Understanding the role of nutrition in the brain and behavioral development of toddlers and preschool children: identifying and addressing methodological barriers

Abstract The preschool years (i.e. 1–5 years of age) is a time of rapid and dramatic postnatal brain development (i.e. neural plasticity), and of fundamental acquisition of cognitive development (i.e. working memory, attention and inhibitory control). Also, it is a time of transition from a direct maternal mediation/selection of diet-based nutrition to food selection that is more based on self-selection and self-gratification. However, there have been fewer published studies in preschool children than in infants or school-aged children that examined the role of nutrition in brain/mental development (125 studies versus 232 and 303 studies, respectively during the last 28 years). This may arise because of age-related variability, in terms of individual differences in temperament, linguistic ability, and patterns of neural activity that may affect assessment of neural and cognitive development in pre-school children. In this review, we suggest several approaches for assessing brain function in children that can be refined. It would be desirable if the discipline developed some common elements to be included in future studies of diet and brain function, with the idea that they would complement more targeted measures based on time of exposure and understanding of data from animal models. Underlining this approach is the concept of 'window of sensitivity' during which nutrients may affect postnatal neural development: investigators and expert panels need to look specifically for region-specific changes and do so with understanding of the likely time window during which the nutrient was, or was not available.
Pain Catastrophizing as Repetitive Negative Thinking: A Development of the Conceptualization

Pain catastrophizing is a well-known concept in the pain literature and has been recognized as one of the most powerful psychological determinants of negative outcomes for pain problems. However, relatively little effort has been put into developing its theoretical underpinnings. More specifically, the intrinsic function of catastrophizing is not explicitly dealt with in contemporary theoretical models. The aim of this article is to add to existing models by proposing a development of the conceptualization of catastrophizing that stresses its function as an emotion regulator. We argue that catastrophizing can be conceptualized as a form of negative repetitive thinking, which is abstract, intrusive, and difficult to disengage from. It has been argued that repetitive negative thinking is a form of ineffective problem solving that functions to downregulate negative affect and that it can be regarded as an avoidant coping strategy because it impedes processing of emotional and somatic responses. Thus, in our conceptualization, catastrophizing is proposed to be a form of problem-solving behavior that functions to reduce negative emotion triggered by pain, and other related stimuli. Furthermore, we argue that catastrophizing is preferably regarded as a process where cognitions, emotions, and overt behavior are intertwined and not viewed as separate entities. To underscore the latter, we suggest the term catastrophic worry. Our intention with this development of the conceptualization is to give rise to new ideas for research and clinical practice and to revitalize discussions about the theoretical framework around pain-related catastrophizing.
Escape from Terror: Violence and Migration in Post-Revolutionary Guatemala

Violence has permeated the Central American landscape for much of its history. Of the Central American republics, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have suffered most from violence in recent decades, and they are also the countries that have received the most scholarly attention. Recent analyses of violence have emerged from an array of disciplines ranging from ethnohistory to political economy and have focused on subjects as divergent as cold war politics and the problems of land tenure.
AEGIS: Enhancement of Dust-enshrouded Star Formation in Close Galaxy Pairs and Merging Galaxies up to z ~ 1

Using data from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey and HST/ACS imaging in the Extended Groth Strip, we select nearly 100 interacting galaxy systems, including kinematic close pairs and morphologically identified merging galaxies. Spitzer MIPS 24 μm fluxes of these systems reflect the current dusty star formation activity, and at a fixed stellar mass (M*) the median infrared luminosity (LIR) among merging galaxies and close pairs of blue galaxies is twice (1.9 ± 0.4) that of control pairs drawn from isolated blue galaxies. Enhancement declines with galaxy separation, being strongest in close pairs and mergers and weaker in wide pairs compared to the control sample. At ~ 0.9, 7.1% ± 4.3% of massive interacting galaxies (M* > 2 × 1010 M☉) are found to be ULIRGs, compared to 2.6% ± 0.7% in the control sample. The large spread of LIR/M* among interacting galaxies suggests that this enhancement may depend on the merger stage as well as other as yet unidentified factors (e.g., galaxy structure, mass ratio, orbital characteristics, presence of AGN or bar). The contribution of interacting systems to the total IR luminosity density is moderate (≲36%).
Dual tapered meander slot antenna for radar applications

A dual tapered meander slot antenna (TMSA) is designed for use as an element in a phased array antenna system for RF and microwave sensors and radar applications. The novel design of dual TMSA element, excited by a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed, provides a wide band and high efficiency characteristics with 50 /spl Omega/ input impedance at 10 GHz operating frequency.
An analysis of supervised tree based classifiers for intrusion detection system

Due to increase in intrusion incidents over internet, many network intrusion detection systems are developed to prevent network attacks. Data mining, pattern recognition and classification methods are used to classify network events as a normal or anomalous one. This paper is aimed at evaluating different tree based classification algorithms that classify network events in intrusion detection systems. Experiments are conducted on NSL-KDD 99 dataset. Dimensionality of the attribute of the dataset is reduced. The results show that RandomTree model holds the highest degree of accuracy and reduced false alarm rate. RandomTree model is evaluated with other leading intrusion detection models to determine its better predictive accuracy.
Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives: Learning Business Informatics at Higher Educational Level

Background: The term digital natives refer to those born since the 1980s and have been growing up surrounded by technology. On the other hand, digital immigrants are born before 1980s and learned how to use technology later in life. Objectives: Goal of the paper is to explore attitudes of digital native students on the course of Business Informatics at higher educational institutions (HEIs), and to compare them with attitudes of digital immigrants. Methods/Approach: The survey was conducted in 2014 using the sample of first-year Business Informatics students from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb, Croatia. Results were compared with a research conducted in 1998. Results: In comparison to an earlier research, digital natives perceive their level of competency in the subject of Business Informatics before teaching practices much higher compared to digital immigrants. However, there is still an increase in digital native students’ level of competency in the subject before and after teaching practices. Conclusions: The research confirms a shift from digital immigrants to digital natives who show high level of interest for Business Informatics course topics and find its utility very high. However, constant improvement of delivering knowledge is needed in order to keep these high levels.