Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Historical Consensual Norms in the High Court

There is a substantial political-science literature that discusses the notion of consensual norms in the US Supreme Court. Most of this literature assumes that consensual norms exist, rather than proving their existence. Caldeira and Zorn ( American Journal of Political Science 42: 874-902, 1998) use the method of cointegration developed in econometric time-series analysis to prove the existence of a single consensual norm in the US Supreme Court. This study applies cointegration analysis to historical time-series data on dissenting and single judgments to examine whether there is a single consensual norm in the High Court of Australia. The study finds that a single consensual norm does not underlie decision making in the High Court. This result is explained on the basis that the institutions underpinning decision making and the approach to decision making are different between the Australian High Court and the US Supreme Court.
IT readiness in small firms

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to explore conceptually and empirically the application of the concept of IT readiness to small firms. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken was a questionnaire administered to small manufacturing business owners in the Liguria region of Italy. Data were analysed using factor and cluster analysis. Findings – IT readiness concept appears valid with the emergence of three constructs: strategic vision; project management capability; and IT application infrastructure. The date analysis yielded four distinctive and varying profiles of small business owners. Research limitations/implications – This quantitative study exploring a cross section of small firms suggests antecedents to change have been ignored relative to IT adoption decisions. Practical implications – Provision of policy and support services requires a much more nuanced approach to small businesses. Originality/value – There are very few studies of IT readiness in the literature, making the paper origina.
Subjective and objective assessments of the effect of orthokeratology – A cross-sectional study

Purpose. To determine which clinical tests are useful in orthokeratology aftercare examination, and to examine the objective and subjective characteristics of a group of orthokeratology lens wearers. Methods. Thirty orthokeratology subjects (8–19 years) who had been wearing orthokeratology lenses for over 12 months were recruited. Autorefraction, corneal topography, retinoscopy, subjective refraction and biomicroscopy were performed. Only left eyes results were analysed. Subjective ratings of symptoms and problems experienced by subjects were obtained using a questionnaire. Results. Autorefraction yielded higher residual sphere and residual cylinder by –0.54 D and –0.39 D respectively while retinoscopy yielded higher residual sphere and residual cylinder by –0.20D and –0.03 D respectively. Corneal toricity measured by autokeratometry and corneal topography overpredicted the residual cylinder by –2.02D and –2.08D respectively. The mean ± SD residual spherical equivalent refractive error was –0.11 ± 0.57 D and the mean ± SD unaided postorthokeratology visual acuity was 0.08 ± 0.14 logMAR. The unaided visual acuity was significantly related to the residual cylinder. Pigmented arc was present in 16 corneas (53%). The most common problems/symptoms experienced by the subjects were lens binding (73%), ocular discharge in the morning (69%) and blur distance vision (47%). Over 80% of the subjects found lens handling troublesome in varying degree. All, except two subjects (who disliked the lens handling), wanted to continue the treatment. Conclusions. History taking, subjective refraction, biomicroscopy and corneal topography are important in a routine orthokeratology aftercare examination. Corneal pigmented arc, ocular discharge in the morning and lens binding were the most common sign, symptom and problem respectively observed/ reported. Most orthokeratology lens wearers with low to moderate myopia and low astigmatism enjoyed reasonably good unaided post-orthokeratology vision in the daytime.
Analysts' Cash Flow Forecasts, Audit Effort, and Audit Opinions on Internal Control

We examine the economic impact of analysts’ cash flow forecasts by looking at how external auditors respond to financial analysts’ issuance of cash flow forecasts. Using a differences-in-differences approach, we find that financial analysts’ initiation of cash flow forecasts leads to reduced auditor fees and audit report lags. Moreover, after cash flow forecast initiation, firms report fewer Section 404(b) internal control weakness disclosures. These findings suggest that cash flow forecasts constrain earnings manipulation and improve management accounting behavior, thereby reducing inherent and control risk and strengthening firms’ internal control over financial reporting.
Consumer Durables and the Real Interest Rate

One important channel through which real interest rates affect aggregate demand is consumer expenditure on durable goods. This paper examines empirically the link between interest rates and consumer durables. Solving for the decision rule relating income and interest rates to consumer demand is an intractable task. This paper avoids this problem by examining the first-order conditions necessary for maximization by the representative consumer. Structural parameters of there presentative utility function are thus recovered. The estimated model suggests that expenditure on consumer durables is far more sensitive to changes in the interest rate than is expenditure on nondurables and services.
How Relational Dimensions Affect Knowledge Redundancy in Industrial Clusters

This paper focuses on the effects of social capital on industrial clusters. Close networks with strong ties provide benefits for the companies involved in terms of knowledge flow; however, they can also have some negative effects such as knowledge redundancy and obsolescence. We propose an explanatory model to study factors and mediators affecting the redundancy of transmitted knowledge. The model has been applied to a sample of 152 companies in two Spanish industrial clusters. Findings suggest that although strength of ties was associated with redundancy, structural dispersion and local institutions have a negative effect on knowledge redundancy. The findings have a number of relevant implications for individual firms and their policies.
The decline of schooling productivity in OECD countries

Based on Baumol's cost-disease model, we develop two alternative measures of the change in the productivity of schooling. Both productivity measures are based on changes in the relative price of schooling. We find that in most OECD countries the price of schooling has increased faster in 1970-94 than would be compatible with constant schooling productivity. In addition, we show that the average performance of pupils has remained constant at best in most OECD countries. Our results imply a larger decline in the productivity of schooling in many OECD countries than in the United States.
Percutaneous Radiofrequency Lesioning of Sensory Branches of the Obturator and Femoral Nerves for the Treatment of Hip Joint Pain

Background and Objectives The sensory innervation of the hip joint includes the sensory articular branches of the obturator and femoral nerves. In this report, we retrospectively evaluated 14 cases in which hip joint pain was treated by percutaneous radiofrequency lesioning of sensory branches of obturator and/or femoral nerves. Methods Fourteen patients who had hip joint pain and underwent percutaneous radiofrequency lesioning of sensory branches of obturator and/or femoral nerves were studied. In all cases, intra-articular hip joint block or articular branch block of obturator nerve with local anesthesia was transiently effective. Radiofrequency lesioning was performed at 75[deg] C to 80[deg] C for 90 seconds using an RFG-3B generator and Sluijter-Mehta cannulae kit (Radionics, Burlington, MA) for the obturator nerve in 9 patients and for both the obturator and femoral nerves in 5 patients. To assess pain intensity, a visual analog scale (VAS) was used. Results The VAS scores before and after the radiofrequency lesioning were 6.8 [plusmn] 0.9 and 2.7 [plusmn] 1.3, respectively. Twelve patients (86%) reported at least 50% relief of pain for 1 to 11 months. There were no side effects or motor weakness observed. Conclusions Percutaneous radiofrequency lesioning of sensory branches of the obturator and femoral nerves is an alternative treatment in patients with hip joint pain, especially in those where operation is not applicable.
Lost in transition: determinants of post-socialist cropland abandonment in Romania

The transition from command to market-oriented economies drastically affected land ownership and land management in Eastern Europe and resulted in widespread cropland abandonment. To examine these phenomena, we analysed the causes of post-socialist cropland abandonment in Argeş County in southern Romania between 1990 and 2005. Based on Landsat-derived maps of cropland use and a suite of environmental and socioeconomic variables hypothesized to drive cropland abandonment, we estimated spatially explicit logistic regression models for two periods (1990–1995 and 1995–2005) and three elevation groups. Our results showed that isolated cropland patches were more likely to become abandoned than more homogenous cropland areas. Unfavorable topography was an important determinant of abandonment in the plain and, to a lesser extent, hilly areas, but not in the mountains where locations with adverse market access and higher farm fragmentation exhibited higher likelihoods of cropland abandonment.
Strategic Management of the Family Business: Past Research and Future Challenges

This article reviews the literature on family business from a strategic management perspective. In general, this literature is dominated by descriptive articles that typically focus on family relationships. However, the literature does not usually address how these relationships affect the performance of a family business. Taking a strategic management perspective, we outline a new set of objectives for family-business research. We also identify some of the key issues and gaps that should be explored in future studies if research is to contribute to improving the management practices and performance of family firms.
Are contract teachers and para-teachers a cost-effective intervention to address teacher shortage and improve learning outcomes?

1 Executive summary 2 1. Background 6 1.1 Aims and rationale for current review 6 1.2 Definitional and conceptual issues 8 1.3 Theoretical framework 10 1.4 Authors, funders and other users of the review 15 2. Methods used in the review 16 2.1 User involvement 16 2.2 Identifying and describing studies 16 2.3 In-depth review 23 3. In-depth review: describing the studies and results 27 3.1 Studies included from searching and screening 27 3.2 Describing the studies according to research question 33 3.3 Key findings of studies included in the in-depth review 55 3.4 In-depth review: quality assurance results 65 3.5 Summary of results of synthesis 70 4. Implications 71 4.1 Strengths and limitations of this systematic review 71 4.2 Policy 72 4.3 Research 74 5. References 76
Minimal models for text production and Zipf's law

Mathematical models used to explain the power-law distribution of word frequencies observed in natural languages - Zipf's law - generally assume that symbols and words occur independently, i.e., they do not interact. Here we show that when interaction is taken into account by allowing the words to compete amongst themselves for space in the memory of the users, the resulting word frequency distribution is best described by an exponential, rather than by a power-law. The implications of the failure to derive Zipf's law under more realistic assumptions are discussed.
Examining the effect of different components of customer value on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral intentions

Purpose – The aim of the research is to determine the effects of the four dimensions of customer values that the study identifies, namely, emotional value, social value, functional value and monetary value, on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral intentions. The concept of perceived value is increasingly becoming a subject of interest for authors and researchers in the field of services marketing. Perceived value is considered to be a significant predictor of behavioral intentions. The manner in which consumers perceive the value of a product or service that is offered affects the level of their loyalty. In this context, an analysis of perceived value represents a very important activity in terms of customer-orientated management. Quite frequently, customer value is seen as a multidimensional construct that includes several components. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was conducted via a sample of 246 respondents – users of mobile telecommunication operators. Each construct of the suggested model wa.
The use of internal audit by Australian companies

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the voluntary use of internal audit by Australian publicly listed companies and to identify factors that lead listed companies to have an internal audit function.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the Institute of Internal Auditors' definition of internal auditing, the paper predicts that internal audit use is associated with factors related to risk management, strong internal controls and strong corporate governance. To test the predictions, the study combines data from a survey of listed companies with information from corporate annual reports. The paper also provides descriptive information on the use of internal audit.Findings – The results indicate that only one‐third of the sample companies use internal audit. While size appears to be the dominant driver, there is also a strong association between internal audit and the level of commitment to risk management. However, the study finds only weak support for an association between the use of inter.
Temporal Variations among Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Serotypes in Children and Adults in Germany (1992–2008)

Nationwide surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease has been conducted in Germany since 1992. From 1992 to 2008, a total of 12,137 isolates from invasive pneumococcal disease were collected. Data on serotypes were available for 9,394 invasive isolates. The leading serotypes were serotypes 14 (16.5%), 3 (8.0%), 7F (7.6%), 1 (7.3%), and 23F (6.0%). Variations in serotype distribution over the years are particularly extensive, especially concerning serotype 14 (min 7.4%, max 33.5%) with the highest percentages among the isolates serotyped from around 1997 to 2006. Serotypes 1 and 7F increased over the last decade. No increase was observed concerning serotype 19A. Higher pneumococcal conjugate vaccine coverages were observed among children (7v, 57.3%; 10v, 72.8%; 13v, 83.5%) than among adults (7v, 39.9%; 10v, 55.5%; 13v, 73.5%). The temporal variations in serotype distribution have to be kept in mind when interpreting vaccine coverages reported in epidemiological studies.
Importance of membrane‐bound catechol‐O‐methyltransferase in L‐DOPA metabolism: a pharmacokinetic study in two types of Comt gene modified mice

Background and purpose: Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) metabolizes compounds containing catechol structures and has two forms: soluble (S‐COMT) and membrane‐bound (MB‐COMT). Here we report the generation of a mouse line that expresses MB‐COMT but not S‐COMT. We compared the effects of deleting S‐COMT only or both COMT forms on the pharmacokinetics of oral L‐DOPA.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, EVA, AND SHAREHOLDER VALUE

Together with corporate governance expert Stuart Gillan, the managing partner of Stern Stewart discusses important issues of corporate financial management, including the fundamental objective of the public corporation and how boards of directors can achieve it. Whereas financial economists have long argued that the corporate goal is the maximization of firm value, Stern advocates a variation of the concept known as "Market Value Added"-one that is designed to discourage corporate growth and capital raising that does not end up adding value for shareholders. To accomplish this goal, he emphasizes the importance of incentive compensation systems tied not to accounting earnings, but to a measure of economic profit like EVA. And, as Stern argues in closing, EVA-based incentive systems are likely to be effective not only in the private sector, but in increasing the efficiency and value of state-owned enterprises. Indeed, such systems could bring about a new kind of employee capitalism that ESOPs promised, but have largely failed, to deliver. 2004 Morgan Stanley.
Global Markets and National Regulation: The Protection of Shareholder Interests in Germany and Italy

Abstract Global market integration is widely perceived as presenting a major challenge to the sustainability of many national economic regulatory systems. There is far less agreement, however, about precisely how these pressures feed into the politics of reform and reshape national public policy. This article will seek to cast light on this relationship by identifying four influential ‘models of linkage’ between global pressures and regulatory change. It will then comparatively assess their capacity to elucidate the progress of shareholder protection reform in Germany and Italy. While no single model proves fully satisfactory, it will be argued that the weaknesses of two of them can be largely overcome through a process of refinement and integration.
The Relationships of Selected Curriculum Program Areas on Credential Attainment of African American Males Enrolled in the North Carolina Community College System

This study explores the differences in credential attainment for African American male students enrolled in selected programs of study in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). In addition, this study describes the relationship between the credential attainment rates of African American males and students not identified as African American males. The results of this study indicate that African American males who began their enrollment in fall 2005 are most likely to earn a credential in a CIP code areas in Business and least likely to earn a credential in a program of study from the Arts/Sciences CIP code area. When compared to other students in the sample, African American males are less likely to earn a credential from North Carolina community colleges than African American females, white males, or white females. The study also identifies implications for academic advisors, faculty, and college policy, and suggests that colleges develop customized programs and encourage faculty from CIP code areas to share practices and to work collaboratively to increase credential attainment for African American males. The study ends with suggestions for future research that further explores African American male credential attainment by CIP code area.
The role of training and empowerment in environmental performance

Purpose – The purpose of this study to propose a model that links the following human resource (HR) factors: employee environmental empowerment, employee environmental training, employee environmental teamwork, managerial environmental empowerment and managerial environmental training, to environmental performance as perceived by managers.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to 220 manufacturing organizations in Mexico. The survey instrument was self‐report format with attitudinal variables. Items were adopted from previously published scales. A hypothesized model of the variable relationships with structural equation modelling analysis was tested.Findings – The results suggest that managers perceive that both environmental training and environmental empowerment are important to themselves and employees. In this study, overall environmental training had a stronger relationship with the dependent variables than environmental empowerment. In the case of the employee level, the effects wer.
PENGARUH FAMILY CONTROL TERHADAP PROFITABILITAS DAN NILAI PERUSAHAAN PADA SEKTOR PERTANIAN

1024x768 Family firms are still dominating in Indonesia, where previous studies on the influence of the family companies to profitability and value of the company showed different results that refer to inconsistencies . This study aimed to examine the affect of family control on the profitability and value of the company . Profitability measured by using ROA and firm’s value by using Tobin 's Q. Control variables used were firm size , sales growth , and leverage . The sample used in this study was the agricultural industry companies that meet certain criteria and were analyzed by using multiple linear regression . The results of this study proved that the family control and leverage negatively affected profitability , sales growth positively affected on profitability , and firm size had no affected on profitability. On the other hand family control and sales growth had no affect on firm’s value , only firm size and leverage negatively affected the value of the company. Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
Talent management in Spanish medium-sized organisations

Although the literature on talent management (TM) has grown considerably in the last decade, with the bulk of previous research concentrating on large MNCs, there has been little development on how it applies to small- and medium-sized enterprises and particularly to medium-sized organisations (MSOs), nor to many countries outside Anglo-Saxon management traditions. This study aims to contribute by studying the concept and practices of TM in MSOs in Spain. A multiple case study methodology was used in order to analyse TM perceptions, definitions and practices. The results show very little awareness of the term and rhetoric of TM even when TM principles and practices are applied. We conclude that TM must go beyond specific practices in order to represent a truly strategic approach to effectively deploying human talent, especially as some typical human resource policies associated with TM in large companies do not necessarily apply to MSOs.
Sex determination from partial segments and maximum femur lengths in Koreans using computed tomography.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to establish standards for determining sex from fragmentary and complete femurs in a Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS The statistical analysis of 12 variables (6 about breadth and 6 about length) based on 100 Korean femurs (from 50 males and 50 females) showed that all variables have significant sex differences. RESULTS The most accurate discriminant variable was the condylar breadth parallel with epicondylar breadth (87.6% accuracy). In contrast, the transverse shaft diameter was not a discriminant variable for sex determination (67.0% accuracy). Breadth-related variables were generally more accurate than length-related variables. Three variables (vertical diameter of the neck [VDN], medial epicondylarlength [MCL], and condylar breadth [CB]) were selected from stepwise analysis fordiscriminating sex (93.5% accuracy). The discriminating equation was as follows: 0.171 × VDN + 0.172 × MCL + 0.128 × CB2 - 21.471. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are helpful for determining sex, even if a femur is found in a fragmented condition in the field.