Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accounting Beta as Ex Ante Uncertainty Proxy in Initial Public Offering

The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between accounting measures of total firm risk and the level f underpricing of initial public offerings (IPOs). A number of studies have shown an association between market and accounting betas. However, most of the studies are performed using a sample of large established firms for which both accounting and market betas can be computed. In case of IPO firms, market betas cannot be computed due to the data limitations associated with private firms. Due to limited information available prior to IPO dates, in particular financial reports, one has to use a proxy to measure risk in an IPO. Accounting variables have been prominently known as potential proxy for ex ante uncertainty in an IPO. Using a sample of 90 IPOs that went public during 1991-1997 at the Jakarta Stock Exchange, this study finds that the level of underpricing is determined by accounting beta, price to book value ratio and price earnings ratio. The IPO issue size has negative but insignificant association with the level of underpricing.
The Optimal Exploration and Production of Nonrenewable Resources

Most studies of nonrenewable resource production and pricing assume there is a fixed reserve base to be exploited over time, but in fact, with economic incentives reserves can be increased. Here we treat the reserve base as the basis for production and exploratory activity as the means of increasing or maintaining reserves. "Potential reserves" are unlimited, but as depletion ensues, given amounts of exploratory activity result in ever smaller discoveries. Given these constraints, resource producers must simultaneously determine their optimal rates of exploratory activity and production. We solve this problem for competitive and monopolistic markets and show that if the initial reserve endowment is small, the price profile will be U-shaped; at first production will increase as reserves are developed, and later production will decline as both exploratory activity and the discovery rate fall.
Segmenting Irish Food Consumers Using the Food-Related Lifestyle Instrument

Abstract This paper reports on the food-related lifestyle (FRL) segments identified in Ireland, based on a nationally representative sample of one thousand households. The objectives are to use the food-related lifestyle instrument developed by the Centre for research on customer relations in the food sector in Denmark (MAPP) to segment Irish food consumers based on attitudes towards the purchase, preparation and consumption of food products and to profile these segments by attitudes and socio-demographic variables. The sixty nine FRL items were scored and scale reliability tested. The structure of the FRL dimensions was tested with exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis and varimax rotation. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) using Wards method was employed for market segmentation. Profiles of the clusters (segments) were achieved by comparing the mean scores on the dimensions for each segment with the population mean scores on the same dimensions. Six distinct food-related lifestyle segments were identified. The hedonistic segment, representing 28 percent of consumers was the largest group, followed by conservative consumers (21%), extremely uninvolved consumers (16%), enthusiastic consumers (14%), moderate consumers (13%) and adventurous consumers (8%). The segments were found to have different attitudes towards food and different socio-demographic profiles.
Analysis of Android malware detection performance using machine learning classifiers

As mobile devices have supported various services and contents, much personal information such as private SMS messages, bank account information, etc. is scattered in mobile devices. Thus, attackers extend the attack range not only to the existing environment of PC and Internet, but also to the mobile device. Previous studies evaluated the malware detection performance of machine learning classifiers through collecting and analyzing event, system call, and log information generated in Android mobile devices. However, monitoring of unnecessary features without understanding Android architecture and malware characteristics generates resource consumption overhead of Android devices and low ratio of malware detection. In this paper, we propose new feature sets which solve the problem of previous studies in mobile malware detection and analyze the malware detection performance of machine learning classifiers.
Early Predictors of Anemia in Patients With Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Treated With Peginterferon Alfa-2a (40KD) Plus Ribavirin

OBJECTIVE:Adherence to ribavirin is one factor that is critically important in the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. However, ribavirin can be associated with clinically significant hemolytic anemia resulting in dose modifications in up to one-quarter of patients. Currently, baseline predictors of considerable anemia are not sufficiently discriminating for routine therapeutic intervention. The objective of this analysis was to elucidate baseline and on-treatment factors predictive of a considerable hemoglobin drop at week 4.METHODS:Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore possible predictors for considerable hemoglobin decline (≥2.5 g/dL) at week 4 among patients receiving peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) and ribavirin (1,000/1,200 mg/day). RESULTS:A total of 555 patients were included in this analysis. At week 4, 236 patients exhibited a ≥2.5 g/dL decrease in hemoglobin. By regression analysis the most important independent variables associated with a decrease in hemoglobin of ≥2.5 g/dL were baseline creatinine clearance (P= 0.0003) and a rapid decline in hemoglobin of ≥1.5 g/dL at week 2 (P < 0.0001). Considerable hemoglobin decreases at week 4 were also significantly associated with early ribavirin dose reductions and a lower cumulative daily dose of ribavirin.CONCLUSION:Patients with impaired renal function may be at an increased risk of ribavirin-related anemia and should be monitored accordingly. Furthermore, a hemoglobin drop of ≥1.5 g/dL by week 2 was an excellent early predictor for subsequent considerable hemoglobin decreases and might be used to identify candidates for early intervention against anemia in order to help maintain ribavirin dosing and avoid suboptimal exposure.
The influence of international human capital on global initiatives and financial performance

The major aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among international human capital (input-based international human capital, transformational, output-based, and competency of top management team), global initiatives (global learning and global marketing) and financial performance. The open systems view is introduced to develop a comprehensive measurement of international human capital, the human capital that enables a firm to compete globally. The structural equation modelling technique is then employed to investigate the proposed relationships. The results support our expectation that international human capital is positively associated with a firm's global initiatives and financial performance. The importance of the role of top management team competency is identified because it is positively associated with the other three international human capital components. It also indirectly fosters a firm's financial performance and global initiatives through its positive association with input-based, transformational, and output-based international human capital.
Authoritarian Party Systems: Patterns of Emergence, Sustainability and Survival

Abstract This article compares competitive authoritarian, one-party authoritarian, and democratic party systems on three parameters: likelihood to emerge, sustainability and durability. By applying a variety of statistical techniques to a comprehensive dataset on post-World War II elections, this study shows that under competitive authoritarianism, elections are less likely to be party-structured than in democracies, and that competitive authoritarian party systems are markedly less sustainable and durable than systems in the other categories, especially in democracies. These findings are in accordance with the theory according to which competitive authoritarian institutions are epiphenomena, reflecting the distribution of power in the polity but not shaping it. Their emergence and survival are consequences rather than causes of the stability and success of contemporary autocracies.
The application of balanced scorecard in the performance evaluation of higher education

Purpose – The Taiwanese higher education sector is presently facing a significant challenge with regard to supply and demand. The purpose of this paper is to examine how, in this scenario, the balanced scorecard (BSC) can be used for performance evaluation as a strategic management tool.Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a case study that should carry appropriate mission and vision. With the existing resources and targets, five major strategic themes are constructed, including an adequate financial structure, an accord with customer expectations, an excellent learning environment, organisational learning and management, and high quality staff.Findings – To achieve strategic themes it is necessary to propose specific and effective strategic targets. To evaluate progress and performance towards these strategic themes and targets, quantified performance measure indicators (PMIs) must be established in a specific and simple manner that allows all staff members to understand the orientation o.
Does pay for performance diminish intrinsic interest?

One concern with pay for individual performance (PFIP) is that it may undermine intrinsic interest, thus having little or no positive net influence on performance. A major basis for this concern is cognitive evaluation theory [CET; Deci and Ryan (1985), Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior, New York: Plenum Press]. Most evidence on CET, however, comes from non-work settings and, even in that arena, there is debate regarding the undermining effect of PFIP. There is little workplace-based evidence on the validity of the undermining hypothesis and none that makes use of data on between-employer differences in PFIP. Also, a close reading of CET, reinforced by recent developments, suggests that PFIP plans could, under common workplace conditions, have a positive, rather than negative, influence on intrinsic interest. To our knowledge, there is no research that examines between-organization differences in PFIP and how they relate to employee intrinsic interest. There is also no research on whether employees having a preference for PFIP plans are likely to gravitate to organizations using such plans. To the extent such attraction–selection–attrition or sorting processes take place, the likelihood of detrimental consequences (e.g. diminished intrinsic interest) of PFIP plans due to mismatches between how the organization pays and how the employees are motivated should be less likely. We find no evidence of a detrimental effect of PFIP plans on intrinsic interest. Instead, intrinsic interest is actually higher under PFIP. We also find that organizations placing greater emphasis on PFIP plans tend to have employees with motivation orientations matching their PFIP plans, which may reduce the probability of a detrimental effect of PFIP.
Recession and Tax Impacts On the U.S. Restaurant Industry

Recent sales of the U. S. eating and drinking place industry have been lackluster. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for this sluggishness, but the recent U. S. recession as well as 1986 modifications to U. S. tax law have to be considered factors. This studyattempts to identify the mostimportant factors associated with changes overtime in demand for sales of the eating and drinking place industry. The intent was to measure the extent to which recent eating and drinking place industry sales were due to a structural decline in demand for foodservice or due to the decline in prices and income due to the recession, changes in tax law affecting the industry, or other causes. Findings indicated the latter; that is, the decline in demand could be largely explained by changes in prices, income, and the drop in deductibility of restaurant meals as a business expense.
Defining Canadian ecotourists.

The definition of an ecotourist is an issue of much debate. Many define an ecotourist based on a list of specific requirements that the tourist must meet, such as age, education level, or income level. We propose that while these characteristics may be useful in forming a general description of an ecotourist, they do not necessarily serve as a basis for a prescriptive definition. For the purposes of this study, a set of three criteria is developed based on knowledge gained from studies on known ecotourist groups. A group of Canadian tourists to Kenya is evaluated against these criteria and found to qualify as ecotourists. We propose that such criteria; a social motive (travelling to learn about nature), a site attraction motive (visiting wilderness or undisturbed areas) and time commitment (33% of trip), can be used to define ecotourists.
On the Relationship Between State-Dependent Action Costs and Conditional Effects in Planning

When planning for tasks that feature both state-dependent action costs and conditional effects using relaxation heuristics, the following problem appears: handling costs and effects separately leads to worse-than-necessary heuristic values, since we may get the more useful effect at the lower cost by choosing different values of a relaxed variable when determining relaxed costs and relaxed active effects. In this paper, we show how this issue can be avoided by representing state-dependent costs and conditional effects uniformly, both as edge-valued multi-valued decision diagrams (EVMDDs) over different sets of edge values, and then working with their product diagram. We develop a theory of EVMDDs that is general enough to encompass state-dependent action costs, conditional effects, and even their combination.We define relaxed effect semantics in the presence of state-dependent action costs and conditional effects, and describe how this semantics can be efficiently computed using product EVMDDs. This will form the foundation for informative relaxation heuristics in the setting with state-dependent costs and conditional effects combined.
Explaining Differences in Civic Knowledge: Multi-Level Regression Analysis of Student Data from 27 Countries.

Differences in student knowledge about democracy, institutions, and citizenship and students skills in interpreting political communication were studied through multilevel regression analysis of results from the second International Education Association (IEA) Study. This study provides data on 14-year-old students from 28 countries in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and the Pacific. Item response theory estimates for Civic Knowledge were used as independent variables in the multilevel regression models presented in this paper. To facilitate the interpretation of the results, countries were grouped tentatively into nine groups that should reflect common characteristics related to geography, history, culture, or educational systems. Looking at the whole international database and estimating the proportions of the overall variance between students and schools, and between countries, it can be shown that approximately 66% of the total variance exists between students, 25% between schools, and only 9% between countries. These results demonstrate that most of the variance is found on the student level. These analyses confirm some earlier findings from single-level analyses of Civic Knowledge. Gender does have an effect in a considerable number of countries when controlling for other factors. Expected Education and Home Literacy are consistent predictors. Classroom Climate appears to have considerable effects in most countries, and reported participation in school council or parliaments does have positive effects on Civic Knowledge in a number of countries. (Contains 3 tables and 14 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
A New Business Excellence Model with Business Integrity from Ancient Confucian Thinking

Abstract In this fast-paced world, companies are always trying to find quick solutions, and will focus almost entirely on financial results. However, such undue emphasis on profits makes companies pursue profits with no regard for the means employed. Although this is not necessarily bad, an equally important ingredient to business excellence is seemingly taking the back seat – business integrity. Instilling Confucian thinking into a company can correct the problem because employees will know how to behave appropriately in every situation. A successful company is much like a marathon runner – quite different from a short-distance sprinter – in which integrity is valued. This study has demonstrated the importance of business integrity and turned to Confucius thinking for concrete steps. We also developed a conceptual Confucian business excellence (BE) model and compared it with Kanji's BE model. Confucian thinking is parallel to Kanji's BE model, yet still maintains its uniqueness. These findings can provide concrete principles for companies striving for business excellence.
Gender Differences in Promotions and Wages

Results using an original data set indicate women receive more promotions than men. The frequency of promotions is linked to whether the woman had previously quit a job because of her husband's job move. Promotions significantly increase wages for men but not for women. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that joint job search constrains women to starting jobs at lower levels, providing more scope for promotions.
Food Price Variability and Economic Reform: An Arch Approach for Ghana

Changes in maize price levels and variability in Ghana are investigated. A model of wholesale price determination is reviewed in which grain stocks are held for speculative storage as well as export to neighboring countries in the Sahel. To test the model, an Autoregressive Conditionally Heteroskedastic (ARCH) regression is applied to monthly maize data for two markets over the period 1978–93. The regression is used to measure changes in maize price volatility in Ghana, and to infer the importance of past prices, domestic and regional production, and commodity storage and trade in explaining these changes. Copyright 1996, Oxford University Press.
Cholesteryl ester flux from HDL to VLDL-1 is preferentially enhanced in type IIB hyperlipidemia in the postprandial state DOI 10.1194/jlr.M200135-JLR200

Postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL) exert proatherogenic effects at the arterial wall, including lipid deposition. Following consumption of a mixed meal (1,200 kcal), plasma-mediated cellular free cholesterol (FC) efflux, lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activities were determined in subjects (n = 12) displaying type IIB hyperlipidemia and compared with those in a normolipidemic control group (n = 14). The relative capacity of plasma to induce FC efflux from Fu5AH cells via the SR-BI receptor was significantly increased 4 h postprandially (+23%; P < 0.005) in the type IIB group, whereas it remained unchanged for postprandial plasma from normolipidemic subjects. LCAT activity was significantly elevated 2 h postprandially in both the IIB and control groups, (+46% and +36%, respectively; P < 0.005 vs. respective baseline value). In type IIB subjects, total cholesteryl ester (CE) mass transfer from HDL to total TRL [chylomicrons (CMs) + VLDL-1 + VLDL-2 + IDL] increased progressively from 15 ± 2 μg CE/h/ml at baseline to 28 ± 2 μg CE transferred/h/ml (+87%; P = 0.0004) at 4 h postprandially. CE transfer to CMs and VLDL-1 was preferentially stimulated (2.6-fold and 2.3-fold respectively) at 4 h in IIB subjects and occurred concomitantly with elevation in mass and particle number of both CMs (2.3-fold) and VLDL-1 (1.3-fold). Furthermore, in type IIB subjects, CETP-mediated total CE flux over the 8 h postprandial period from HDL to potentially atherogenic TRL was significantly enhanced, and notably to VLDL-1 (32-fold elevation; P < 0.005), relative to control subjects. Such CE transfer flux was reflected in a significant postprandial increase in CE-TG ratio in both CMs and VLDL-1 in type IIB plasmas. In conclusion, HDL-CE is preferentially targeted to VLDL-1 via the action of CETP during alimentary lipemia, thereby favoring formation and accumulation of atherogenic CE-rich remnant particles.
Coronary risk in a British Punjabi population: comparative profile of non-biochemical factors.

OBJECTIVES To develop a profile of non-biochemical coronary risks for the South Asian population (predominantly Punjabi with origins in the Indian subcontinent) and the general population in Glasgow, with a focus on dietary patterns, and potential causes of stress. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey of South Asian men and women of 30-40 years (mean 35), compared with a general population sample aged 35 years. MEASUREMENTS Data were collected on socioeconomic circumstances, smoking, diet, alcohol, exercise, past health, perceptions of stress and other psychological morbidity, blood pressure, height, weight and waist and hip girth. RESULTS The socioeconomic circumstances of the South Asian group were worse than the general population. The prevalence of several circumstances potentially associated with stress, such as length of working day, low income, crowded housing, liability to attack and perceived lack of social support (women), was greater in South Asians. Smoking was less common in South Asians, particularly among women and non-Muslims. Amongst South Asians, alcohol use was uncommon in women and Muslims. South Asians ate meat, and fruit, salad and raw vegetables more frequently than the general population though there were large variations by religion. South Asian men were less likely to take vigorous exercise than the general population. Diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure was higher in South Asian males than general population males, but there were no differences among women. Men were shorter and weighed less than general population men, with no difference in body mass index. South Asian women were shorter but had higher mean body mass index than the general population. Waist and hip circumference in both South Asian men and women were higher although waist/hip ratios were not different. Self-reported diabetes was commoner in Asian men than in general population men, and angina symptoms commoner in South Asian women. CONCLUSIONS Among established risk factors studied here or reported in an earlier paper the only one to which South Asians had less exposure was smoking. In either men or women (or both) there was a relative excess of the other known risk factors. There was evidence in support of three newer hypotheses for the high incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), namely, insulin resistance, stress, and socioeconomic deprivation. The high CHD rates in South Asians are likely to result from a complex interaction of risk factors.