Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign Direct Investment and Inflation

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are able to shift investments between home and host countries to minimize the negative effects of changes in the macroeconomic environment. This article formalizes a model that allows studying this investment-smoothing behavior of MNEs facing inflation taxes in both the home and the host country. The MNE is allowed to invest in two economies, home and host, and to finance its foreign direct investment (FDI) either through domestic or foreign sources. The investment smoothing by the MNE is studied for cases of both vertical and horizontal FDI. The results suggest FDI is used as a hedging tool, mitigating the effects of inflation taxes even if there are no formal hedging mechanisms. The investment-smoothing reaction of MNEs depends on the reason for investment, the financing sources of FDI, and the substitutability between factors of production. Finally, this investmentsmoothing possibility (FDI) reduces the real negative effects of inflation.
Comparisons Between Bacterial Communities in Mucosa in Patients With Gastric Antrum Ulcer and a Duodenal Ulcer

Objective: To identify and compare the bacterial community profile of mucosal tissues from a gastric antrum ulcer and a duodenal ulcer in Helicobacter pylori (Hp) positive dyspeptic patients. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from the mucosal tissues obtained from 18 patients diagnosed with gastric antrum or duodenal ulcers. A library was constructed using 16S rRNA gene amplification, and Miseq high-throughput sequencing was used to analyse the amplified products. Bioinformatics methods, including operational taxonomic units (OTUs), hierarchical clustering, and a diversity analysis, were performed to investigate and characterize the community composition. Results: The proportion of Helicobacter in the mucosa of patients with a gastric antrum ulcer was significantly higher than that of patients with a duodenal ulcer. However, the diversity of the bacterial community in the gastric antrum ulcer mucosa was significantly lower compared with the mucosa of the duodenal ulcer. There were significant differences in microbial community structure between the gastric antrum ulcer and the duodenal ulcer. Notably, Helicobacter, Prevotella, Neisseria, and Streptococcus were also predominant genera in the bacterial community of the duodenal ulcer mucosa, and they outnumbered those species in gastric antrum ulcer mucosa. Conclusion: The bacterial community composition and the corresponding abundance differ between the mucosal tissues of Hp positive gastric antrum ulcer and duodenal ulcer patients. Additionally, the bacterial community diversity in the mucosal tissues from gastric duodenal ulcer patients is higher than that from gastric antrum ulcer patients, and Helicobacter is not the absolutely predominant genus.
Some New Anti-Trust Models

This article introduces and analyzes critical economic and public policy issues pertaining to antitrust, which are either not raised or not analyzed fully in current academic and practitioner literature. More specifically, the article introduces new models for detecting antitrust violations in all industries - these models incorporate many decision elements hitherto omitted in existing models. While its generally accepted in the existing literature that the primary purpose of US antitrust laws is deterrence, the ineffectiveness of these laws as manifested in the case of Encompass Services Inc.
Rising demand for livestock products in India: nature, patterns and implications

With a large population and recent growth in consumer income, India’s demand for food has increased. However, research continues to emphasise basic foods, and the demand for livestock products remains poorly understood. This study examines the demand for livestock products by Indian consumers using national sample survey data. The study shows that there has been a rapid rise in the demand for livestock products in India. Within the livestock products group, milk and milk products hold the dominant share. Our analysis further suggests that India’s rapid rise in the demand for livestock products may far outpace its domestic supply. Implications are discussed.
Understanding ethical dilemmas in the military workplace factors that influence the decision to take action

Abstract : This study examines ethical dilemmas in the workplace and how organizational members move to resolve these challenges. Existing research was reviewed to gain insight and determine current views of ethical dilemmas experienced at work. A study was then conducted with Supply Corps Officers in the U.S. Navy to better understand the dilemmas they face in their daily work life. Officers were asked to think of a critical incident when they faced a moral challenge and how they responded. Data procured from critical incident interviews is suggestive of how officers describe ethical dilemmas. how they identify options for action. and finally how they select a course of action. The dilemmas generally involved issues with financial accountability, fairness in performance evaluations, fraternization. homosexuality in the service, employee drug and alcohol abuse, fraudulent use of government property and funds, conflict between personal and military values, and managing important relationships. This initiative, supported by the Chief of the Supply Corps, is designed to be a promising start toward creating and informed strategy, one that will ultimately lead to the design of enhanced educational programming regarding moral behavior in the military.
The Effects of Stock Repurchases on Rival Firms

This paper investigates the stock price behavior of rival firms in the same industry as firms announcing stock repurchase tender offers. Using a sample of 134 repurchase announcements, the author finds that rival firms on average realize insignificant announcement-period abnormal returns. Negative rival stock price performance is detected over longer intervals surrounding the announcement period and for a subset of announcements which ex ante were identified as most likely to affect rivals. This evidence, however, is statistically weak and does little to alter the overall conclusion that the information in repurchase announcements is primarily firm-specific. Copyright 1991 by American Finance Association.
Establishing amide...amide reliability and synthon transferability in the supramolecular assembly of metal-containing one-dimensional architectures.

On the basis of a combination of new structural data (eleven single-crystal structure determinations are presented) and information from the Cambridge Structural Database, it has been shown that self-complementary hydrogen-bond based amide.amide dimers can be relied upon as effective supramolecular synthons for the assembly and organization of acac- and paddle-wheel complexes of a variety of metal(II) ions. The targeted molecular recognition event and intended extended one-dimensional motif appear with a supramolecular yield of 78% (a total of 28 structures were examined). Despite the fact that the hydrogen bonds that give rise to the R2(2)(8) motif can be disrupted by both carboxylate- and acac-ligands, as well as by solvent molecules, they remain remarkably resilient and therefore represent useful synthetic tools in inorganic crystal engineering.
The value of electrocardiography in prognosticating clinical deterioration and mortality in acute pulmonary embolism: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The role of electrocardiography (ECG) in prognosticating pulmonary embolism (PE) is increasingly recognized. ECG is quickly interpretable, noninvasive, inexpensive, and available in remote areas. We hypothesized that ECG can provide useful information about PE prognostication. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, abstracts, conference proceedings, and reference lists through February 2017. Eligible studies used ECG to prognosticate for the main outcomes of death and clinical deterioration or escalation of therapy. Two authors independently selected studies; disagreement was resolved by consensus. Ad hoc piloted forms were used to extract data and assess risk of bias. We used a random‐effects model to pool relevant data in meta‐analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs); all other data were synthesized qualitatively. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 value. We included 39 studies (9198 patients) in the systematic review. There was agreement in study selection (κ: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86‐0.96). Most studies were retrospective; some did not appropriately control for confounders. ECG signs that were good predictors of a negative outcome included S1Q3T3 (OR: 3.38, 95% CI: 2.46‐4.66, P < 0.001), complete right bundle branch block (OR: 3.90, 95% CI: 2.46‐6.20, P < 0.001), T‐wave inversion (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.19‐2.21, P = 0.002), right axis deviation (OR: 3.24, 95% CI: 1.86‐5.64, P < 0.001), and atrial fibrillation (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.45‐2.67, P < 0.001) for in‐hospital mortality. Several ischemic patterns also were significantly predictive. Our conclusion is that ECG is potentially valuable in prognostication of acute PE.
Organisational culture, job satisfaction and higher education service quality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of organisational culture and job satisfaction on the quality of services provided in higher education and to raise questions about the successful implementation of quality assurance and evaluation systems recently launched in Greece.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on a sample of faculty and administration members at the Technological Educational Institution of Larissa, a structured questionnaire was developed to measure institute's culture, job satisfaction and the quality in services and internal processes. The Competing Values Framework was adopted to operationalise organisational culture, while higher education service quality was operationalised by adopting both the quality dimensions emphasising teaching aspects proposed by Owlia and Aspinwall and Waugh's measures of administration quality.Findings – Results indicate that specific culture archetypes are linked with different dimensions of higher education service quality. Hierarch.
CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA

Any attempt to understand the developmental and democratic predicament of Nigeria should take into consideration the problem of endemic corruption in the country. Political and bureaucratic corruption is so widespread that it has engulfed the Nigerian political system at all levels of government. However, it will be wrong and indeed unfair to assume that successive governments have done nothing about the problem of pandemic corruption. Virtually all the regimes since independence in 1960 to date have tried one way or another to solve the problem of political corruption with little success. There is also evidence to show that almost all the Nigerian leaders who came into power promising to end corruption themselves became corrupt. What then are the factors precipitating political corruption and why has corruption become so pervasive and the problem seemingly unsolvable in Nigeria? This paper analyzes corruption in Nigeria from an institutionalized or systemic point of view as against focusing so much on the actions of individual players. It is further postulated that corruption in the formal institution has reduced Nigeria to a soft state and that the informal institution is equally as corrupt because of its strong emphasis on kinship, loyalty and reciprocity. The paper concludes by acknowledging the fact that political and bureaucratic corruption has assumed alarming proportions but rejects the stigma of ‘culture of corruption’ often used to describe Nigeria among the International community when viewed against the recent successes the country had recorded in her fight against corruption.
On-farm biological control of the pearl millet head miner: realization of 35 years of unsteady progress in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger

The pearl millet head miner became a major pest in the West African Sahel during the droughts of 1972–1974, and has since remained a threat to food security. Pesticide control is unrealistic for subsistence farmers. Furthermore, there are no cultural control methods or genetic sources of resistance. Biological control was a possibility, but the required ecological knowledge did not exist in the 1970s. A biological control programme could have been rapidly developed through sustained and coordinated funding using existing knowledge. Instead, it took 25 years to lay the scientific groundwork through occasional bursts of uncoordinated short-term activity using international scientists funded by large donors. There was little funding and few prominent roles for national scientists until 2000, when they were empowered by a different approach taken by the McKnight Foundation. An operational system was quickly developed and deployed in which trained farmers rear and release the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor to effectively eliminate the head miner. The national programme scientists demonstrated admirably that, when trusted and adequately supported and empowered, African researchers can deliver real and effective solutions that are scientifically sound, meet the needs of smallholder farmers, and contribute significantly to improved food security, community resilience and reduced poverty.
A Novel Dual-Band Decoupling and Matching Technique for Asymmetric Antenna Arrays

A novel dual-band decoupling and matching technique for asymmetric two-element antenna arrays is proposed. Decoupling and matching at two widely separated frequencies is accomplished by using a two-layer (level) network approach. Unlike previous works, analytical solution is readily available and prematching of the radiating elements is no longer required. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method can offer improved port isolation and input return loss, enhanced efficiency, and increased radiation pattern diversity in both frequency bands.
The Volatility of the Norwegian Currency Basket

The Norwegian currency basket and the NOK/USD exchange rate observed at two different times of the day are modeled as ARCH or GARCH processes. The analysis yields four main conclusions. First, the conditional variance of the basket index is smaller than the conditional variance of the NOK/USD exchange rate. Second, the estimated conditional variances depend on which hour of the day the daily observations were collected. Third, the GARCH model fits the data better than the ARCH model for three of the four series analyzed. Further, neither model accounts for much of the large kurtosis found in the Norwegian currency basket. Copyright 1991 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Foreign Direct Investment and Electricity Consumption on Economic Growth: Evidence from South Africa

This paper specifies a model in which we investigate the interrelationship of economic growth, electricity consumption and foreign direct investment. We find that foreign direct investment and electricity consumption are only cointegrated when GDP is the dependent variable. With respect to causality, the null hypothesis that electricity consumption (kWh) and foreign direct investment (FDI) do not ‘Granger cause’ GDP is rejected. Similarly, the null hypothesis that GDP and electricity consumption do not ‘Granger cause’ FDI is rejected at the same 5% level of significance. We find that electricity consumption and foreign direct investment Granger cause economic growth.
The assessment of adherence to infection control in oral radiology using newly developed and validated questionnaire (QICOR).

OBJECTIVES: To assess the infection control in oral radiology among radiologists and dentists of diverse dentistry clinical specialties and among dentistry students. METHODS: A Questionnaire on Infection Control in Oral Radiology was applied to 1006 dentists and 1203 dentistry students. For assessment of infection control, the scores of the questionnaire were dichotomized in high and low through the median. Simple logistic regression models were set for adherence to infection control and independent variables, estimating the crude odds ratios with the respective 95% confidence intervals. The variables with p < 0.20 in the individual analyses were tested in multiple logistic regression models, remaining in the final model the variables with p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Individual and adjusted association analysis showed that female dentists have 1.41 ([95% CI: 1.08-1.84)] more adherence odds to infection control when compared with males (p < 0.05). There was no significant association in regarding age, time of education in dentistry, an undergraduate degree from a public or private school, and work in public and/or private clinics. There were also no differences among radiologists and dentists of other clinical specialties. The students from the last year of the dental schools had 1.7 [95% CI (1.13-2.57)] more chances of less adherence to infection control (p = 0.0001). There was no significant association with respect to sex, age and public or private schools. CONCLUSIONS: Educational procedures should be conducted in relation to infection control protocols in oral radiology, especially among male dentists, regardless clinic specialty, and among the students of the last year of the dental school.
Surface proteins of typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae

Six proteins, previously established as major constituents of intact organisms, were identified in cell envelopes obtained from intrinsically radiolabeled Rickettsia prowazekii. Extrinsic radioiodination of intact organisms conducted at 0.5 micronM iodide indicated that protein 4 was the most peripheral, although protein 1 also had reactive groups exposed on the surface of the organisms. A 10-fold increase in iodide concentration resulted in labeling of protein 2, and at 50 micronM iodide, all six major proteins were radiolabeled. Similar selective labeling was not achieved with R. conorii. Analysis of both typhus and spotted fever group organisms radiolabeled with galactose suggested that carbohydrate was associated with proteins 1, 3, and 4. Typhus soluble antigen included all major proteins except protein 2, which remained attached to particulate rickettsiae after ether extraction. Protein 4 appeared to be prominent in the surface topography of R. prowazekii, was a component of soluble antigen and may have an important role in rickettsiae-host interactions.
Survey of angle-based forwarding methods in VANET communications

The location information for a forwarding scheme for Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) communications serves several purposes based on specific network characteristics. The concept of the angle-based forwarding scheme takes into account the relative-angle calculation to support an optimal forwarding decision. This survey summarizes angle-based forwarding schemes in VANET by reviewing their characteristics, purposes, advantages, and drawbacks. Additionally, this work determines which angle-based forwarding scheme fits best VANET communications of an intermittent connectivity, environment, and frequent topology changes.
The developmental, dimensional and diagnostic interview (3di): a novel computerized assessment for autism spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE Autism is a diagnostic spectrum of variable severity, with significant comorbidity. No existing standardized interview measures autistic features dimensionally. The authors aimed to develop a parental autism interview that could be administered to unselected clinical and general population samples that measures both symptom intensity and comorbidity across the full range of the autistic spectrum. METHOD A computerized procedure was devised for administration by trained interviewers that generates symptom and diagnostic profiles for both autism and non-autistic conditions. Test-retest reliability and interrater reliability were assessed in unselected clinical (n = 50) and nonclinical (n = 30) populations. Concurrent validity (n = 120), discriminant validity (n = 120), and criterion validity (n = 29) were evaluated in autistic spectrum and non-autistic patients. RESULTS Test-retest and interrater reliabilities were excellent (most intraclass correlation coefficients > 0.9). Concurrent validity (agreement with independent clinician formulation) was very good (mean kappa = 0.74). Criterion validity, a comparison with the Autism Diagnostic Interview, was excellent. Discrimination between autistic spectrum versus non-autistic subjects was almost perfect (sensitivity 1.0; specificity > 0.97). CONCLUSIONS The Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview (3di) provides an efficient and accurate means of assessing, in dimensional terms, the presence of autistic symptoms in both clinical and normal populations. It offers novel opportunities for those engaged in research and clinical practice.
Switching between the Banking and Metals and Mining Sectors of Australia

Using the Australian banking and metals and mining industries as the categories in the Barberis and Shleifer model, this study demonstrates switching in the Australian stock market. Switching occurs when investors move into an industry by selling off stocks of an alternate industry, thus causing negative lagged cross-correlation between those industries. Our results, based on daily returns, suggest that category-level investor sentiment may drive observed switching patterns in the Australian stock market and not fundamental risk factors. Our results also show that switching does not necessarily only occur between value and growth stocks or large-cap and small-cap stocks.
The Canadian Hedge Fund Industry: Performance and Market Timing

We analyze the risk and return characteristics of Canadian hedge funds based on a comprehensive database we compiled. We find that Canadian hedge funds have higher risk-adjusted performance and different distributional characteristics relative to the global hedge fund indices. We investigate market timing by Canadian hedge funds and find that they do not time the Canadian or global stock and bond markets, but hedge funds in the Managed Futures strategy group time the commodity market. These results are robust to parameter instability and structural changes in the model. We also illustrate the impact of using local and global risk factors to analyze the performance of local investment firms.
Developing a Preference Assessment Tool for Use among Minority and Low Literacy Primary Care Patients

Incorporating patients’ preferences into healthcare decisions has been identified as one mechanism for reducing health disparities. Some research suggests that providers need to tailor medical recommendations to the preferences of their patients. Yet there are few tools to facilitate clarification of preferences for health services. This paper reports the process of testing an innovative preference elicitation technique—conjoint analysis—among minorities and low literacy patients using the example of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. CRC screening exemplifies preference-sensitive healthcare as there exist several screening options. However, screening rates among minorities are low. Better methods for preference assessment could improve patient-provider communication and increase patient adherence. This study used qualitative methods and piloting to refine and finalize a conjoint analysis preference assessment instrument. We conclude that conjoint analysis is a viable preference assessment methodology for use in vulnerable populations with appropriate tailoring of materials. Future work will evaluate integrating this method into clinical decision tools.