Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Budgeting is Broken, Let's Fix it

This paper analyzes the counterproductive effects associated with using budgets or targets in an organization's performance measurement and compensation systems. Paying people on the basis of how their performance relates to a budget or target causes people to game the system and in doing so to destroy value in two main ways: 1. both superiors and subordinates lie in the formulation of budgets and therefore gut the budgeting process of the critical unbiased information that is required to coordinate the activities of disparate parts of an organization, and 2. they game the realization of the budgets or targets and in doing so destroy value for their organizations. Although most managers and analysts understand that budget gaming is widespread, few understand the huge costs it imposes on organizations and how to lower them. My purpose in this paper is to explain exactly how this happens and how managers and firms can stop this counterproductive cycle. The key lies not in destroying the budgeting systems, but in changing the way organizations pay people. In particular to stop this highly counterproductive behavior we must stop using budgets or targets in the compensation formulas and promotion systems for employees and managers. This means taking all kinks, discontinuities and non-linearities out of the pay-for-performance profile of each employee and manager. Such purely linear compensation formulas provide no incentives to lie, or to withhold and distort information, or to game the system. While the evidence on the costs of these systems is not extensive, I believe that solving the problems could easily result in large productivity and value increases - sometimes as much as 50 to 100% improvements in productivity. I believe the less intensive reliance on such budget/target systems is an important cause of the increased productivity of entrepreneurial and LBO firms. Moreover, eliminating budget/target-induced gaming from the management system will eliminate one of the major forces leading to the general loss of integrity in organizations. People are taught to lie in these pervasive budgeting systems because if they tell the truth they often get punished and if they lie they get rewarded. Once taught to lie in this system people generally cannot help but extend that behavior to all sorts of other relationships in the organization. ----------- This paper is an executive summary of a longer paper entitled "Paying People to Lie: The Truth About the Budgeting Process" that can be downloaded at no charge from Social Science Research Network Electronic Library at: http://papers.ssrn. com/paper=267651
A Study of Corporate Philanthropic Traits among Major Malaysian Corporations

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to comprehend the whole phenomenon of corporate philanthropy in Malaysia by studying the traits of companies that make significant contributions to society. Specifically, it looks at firms' ownership structures and specific characteristics and their influence on the extent of corporate philanthropy.Design/methodology/approach – This study employs Agency theory as the basis for explaining philanthropic behaviour of Malaysian companies. A total of 100 public‐listed companies were selected from the top 200 companies based on market capitalization as listed on the Bursa Malaysia. The ownership structures and firm characteristics of the selected companies were tested against the extent of corporate philanthropy in order to see the relationship among the variables. In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.Findings – The findings of this study reveal that ownership structure does have some influence on corporate philanthropic activities. Thi.
Vancomycin Capped with Silver Nanoparticles as an Antibacterial Agent against Multi-Drug Resistance Bacteria

Purpose: Many antimicrobial medications are available to combat infections. However, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has produced antibiotic resistance in the case of many bacterial pathogens. This study focuses on the development of nanoparticles (NPs) that enhance the in vitro antibiotic activity of vancomycin against multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms. Methods: Spherical shaped thioglycolic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles (TGA-AgNPs) were prepared by using a simple chemical reduction method. Then, vancomycin was conjugated to the terminal carboxyl of TGA in the presence of N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N’-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Afterwards, the antibacterial activity of these nanoconjugates was examined by using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay against MDR bacteria. Results: The rate of vancomycin bound to the AgNPs was 19.6%. The MIC values of vancomycin (Van)-capped AgNPs against tested pathogens were in the range of (3.2, 1.6, 0.8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, and 0.025 µl/ml). The MIC was 0.1 µg/ml for VRE, MIC≤0.02 µg/ml for MRSE, and 0.05 µg/ml for S. aureus. The MIC corresponded to the MBC for all bacterial species. Conclusion: This study indicated that some antimicrobial agents like vancomycin can be conjugated with AgNPs. This can lead to increased antimicrobial activity against MDR microorganisms.
Do Auctions Induce a Winner's Curse? New Evidence from the Corporate Takeover Market

We contrast the winner's curse hypothesis and the competitive market hypothesis as potential explanations for the observed returns to bidders in corporate takeovers. The winner's curse hypothesis posits suboptimal behavior in which winning bidders fail to adapt their strategies to the level of competition and the amount of uncertainty in the takeover environment and predicts that bidder returns are inversely related to the level of competition in a given deal and to the uncertainty in the value of the target. Our measure of takeover competition comes from a unique data set on the auction process that occurs prior to the announcement of a takeover. In our empirical estimation, we control for the endogeneity between bidder returns and the level of competition in takeover deals. Controlling for endogeneity, we find that the returns to bidders are not significantly related to takeover competition. We also find that uncertainty in the value of the target does not reduce bidder returns. Related analysis indicates that prestigious investment banks do not promote overbidding. Analysis of post-takeover operating performance also fails to find any negative effects of takeover competition. As a whole, the results indicate that the breakeven returns to bidders in corporate takeovers stem not from the winner's curse but from the competitive market for targets that occurs predominantly prior to the public announcement of bids.
Patient- and Family-Centered Care and the Pediatrician’s Role

Drawing on several decades of work with families, pediatricians, other health care professionals, and policy makers, the American Academy of Pediatrics provides a definition of patientand family-centered care. In pediatrics, patientand family-centered care is based on the understanding that the family is the child’s primary source of strength and support. Further, this approach to care recognizes that the perspectives and information provided by families, children, and young adults are essential components of high-quality clinical decision-making, and that patients and family are integral partners with the health care team. This policy statement outlines the core principles of patientand familycentered care, summarizes some of the recent literature linking patientand family-centered care to improved health outcomes, and lists various other benefits to be expected when engaging in patientand family-centered pediatric practice. The statement concludes with specific recommendations for how pediatricians can integrate patientand family-centered care in hospitals, clinics, and community settings, and in broader systems of care, as well. Pediatrics 2012;129:394–404
So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids

Eventually, you will unconditionally discover a additional experience and realization by spending more cash. yet when? reach you give a positive response that you require to acquire those all needs next having significantly cash? Why don't you attempt to acquire something basic in the beginning? That's something that will lead you to comprehend even more regarding the globe, experience, some places, taking into consideration history, amusement, and a lot more?
Molecular analysis of chromosome 1, 10 and 19 abnormalities in human oligodendroglial tumors: relationship between frequency of LOH grade, age and gender.

BACKGROUND Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 1p and 19q is observed in most oligodendroglial tumors. LOH on 10q appears to be less common in these tumors as compared to other gliomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed 14 patients with oligodendroglial tumors (10 low-grade and 4 anaplastic oligodendroglioma) to evaluate the frequency of LOH on 1p, 10q and 19q and correlate it with tumor grade and patients' age and gender; 5 loci on 1p and 5 on 19q as well as 4 on 10q were analyzed for LOH using PCR techniques. RESULTS LOH on 1p together with 19q was detected in 6 tumors, 1 tumor showed deletion of 19q accompanied with deletion on 10q. Deletion on 1p was associated with deletion of 19q (p < 0.005) and mutual associations among deletions at loci on 19q (p < 0.05) were found. Patients with LOH on 1p were younger on average than patients with retained heterozygosity (p = 0.05). Grade II oligodendrogliomas predominated among younger patients (p < 0.01) while grade III oligodendrogliomas predominated among women (p < 0.005). No association between LOH on 1p nor 19q and tumor grade or patients' gender was found. CONCLUSION Our study provides several clinically interesting findings and further supports the hypothesis of chromosome 1p and 19q involvement in the oligodendroglial cancerogenesis.
Geographical Space and Effective Demand Under Stagnation

This paper investigates the adjustment mechanism between geographical space and effective demand under stagnation by constructing a spatial model with stagnation included. The model takes the idea of stagnation in Ono (2001) and combines it with the spatial model of Perera-Tallo (2003). The spatial model features local monopolists that import intermediate goods from other monopolists at a cost that can be decreased through investment. Using the integrated model, we reach the following conclusion: the wider the geographical space, the lower the effective demand under stagnation. This mechanism is explained as follows. Under stagnation, where demand has reached an upper bound, a decrease in the marginal cost of reaching distant intermediate suppliers reduces employment. The reason is 'love of variety' in production: for given final output, more variety of available intermediate inputs crowds out per-variety demand of intermediates and thus employment. Decreases in employment then lead to a decrease in the rate of time preference through a rise in the deflation rate, and thereby decrease the desire for consumption, consequently cutting effective demand. Copyright 2006 The Authors Journal compilation 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/University of Adelaide and Flinders University .
School Facilities Funding and Capital-Outlay Distribution in the States

Traditionally, financing the construction of school facilities has been a local responsibility. In the past several decades, states have increased their support for school facilities. Using data collected from various sources, this study first classifies the design of capital aid programs in all the 50 states into various categories based on the scope of state aid, the selection of capital projects, the method of grant distribution, and the formula components of the grant. The condition of school facilities has increasingly become a concern of school finance litigation in recent years. The equitable distribution of capital outlay funds is likely to receive additional notice in the future. Using NCES finance data from 1998 to 2002, we examine the relationship between the type of facilities aid program and the level of inequality in capital outlay distribution in the states.
Flow Cytometric Evaluation of Early Invasive Cervical Cancer

Objective: To define the role of flow cytometry as a prognostic indicator in early cancers of the uterine cervix. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to determine ploidy, DNA index, and S‐phase fraction on 141 samples from the tumors of 53 women with stage IB cancers of the cervix treated by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy as primary therapy. Multiple samples of the same tumor were analyzable for 47 (89%) of the subjects. One‐way analysis of variance for the multiple samples was used to compare the heterogeneity of flow cytometry data, both within each tumor and between patients. Flow cytometry results, as well as previously described clinical and pathologic prognostic factors, were correlated to recurrence and survival using Cox regression hazard ratios and Kaplan‐Meier estimates. Results: We found DNA aneuploidy in 25 (47%) of the cancers, with a mean (± standard error) DNA index of 1.52 ± 0.07. The mean S‐phase fraction was 7.6 ± 0.4% for diploid tumors and 9.2 ± 0.4% for aneuploid tumors. The cancers from 24 women (45%) were homogeneously diploid, 18 (34%) were consistently aneuploid, and five (9%) had mixed diploid/aneuploid samples. Analysis of variance of the multiple samples for each woman revealed a greater standard deviation (SD) between patients than within any individual tumor for both DNA index (ratio of between SD to within SD 2.1; P < .0001) and S‐phase fraction (ratio 1.6; P < .0001). Of the previously described clinical and pathologic prognostic factors, only depth of invasion, expressed as either percent of cervical wall thickness or as thirds, was correlated with recurrence or survival. Neither the DNA index nor S‐phase fraction correlated significantly with recurrence or survival.
Evolving Global Manufacturing Strategies: Projections into the 1990s

Large manufacturers in Western Europe, North America and Japan show similarities and differences in their manufacturing strategies. A survey of nearly 1,500 large manufacturers in these areas shows that they all place major emphasis on new products, quality and the use of computer power in manufacturing. The differences in the pattern of strategic directions and priorities for manufacturers in each area are observed, and the implementation of manufacturing strategies discussed. Vulnerable elements in the pattern of dominant manufacturing strategies are observed. In the 1990s Japanese manufacturing management is likely to be focused on balancing the need for change with the need to preserve existing capabilities and strengths. The Americans will focus on fundamental approaches to quality control and sophisticated computer‐based information systems. European manufacturers will focus on the need for structural changes in the organisation, workforce and technology. All regions will be faced with a shortage of people with the various skills required to implement new technologies.
How valuable is a piece of the spectrum? Determination of value in external resource acquisition

Based on an in-depth study of third generation mobile telephony licenses in the UK, we discuss what makes externally acquired resources more or less valuable for their owners. We find that value is influenced by competitive dynamics, the discourse that surrounds a particular resource, and the development of collaborative networks around the resource. We also find that the value of a resource is determined during the process that leads up to its acquisition and continues to vary in the post acquisition dynamics. Our analysis furthers existing understanding of value within the resource-based view, and bears important implications for firm-level capabilities.
An Examination of Post-Secondary Education Access, Retention, and Success of Foster Care Youth.

Promoting voices of youth aging out of foster care in the policy debate is a promising strategy for addressing educational disparities. Most studies on this population use secondary data methods including analysis of administrative data, and primary data techniques that do not involve direct interaction with youth. These methods including surveys, case record reviews or data drawn from interactions with child welfare professionals such as caseworkers and court professionals that serve the population. This study examines the educational issues faced by foster care youth who are transitioning from high school to college from the perspective of the youth themselves. This study also offers youth-guided solutions to address these educational disparities. Two Kidspeak® events provided opportunities for 43 foster care youth from around the state of Michigan to testify in front of two separate and distinguished listening panels of policymakers. Qualitative data analysis involved an empowerment theory-driven, action research approach. The themes that emerged from the students' testimony fell within eight major categories and included several sub themes. These themes included the desire to have and maintain both school and non-school related permanent and stable caring adults and programs in their lives; having access to flexible teachers with the ability to teach the
Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 testing in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a comparison between murine and rabbit antibodies

The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) expression level in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) may predict survival in gemcitabine‐treated patients after resection. These results have been obtained with a murine anti‐hENT1 antibody (10D7G2) that is not commercially available. Another antibody, which is rabbit‐derived (SP120), appears to have no predictive value in local, advanced or metastatic PDAC. We aimed to study whether the two antibodies are equivalent.
An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Interpretation within Dartmoor National Park in Reaching the Goals of Sustainable Tourism Development

In the face of growing pressure placed on the natural environment from increased tourism, this study considers the role of interpretation in achieving sustainable tourism development in natural areas used for tourism. Knowledge gain, attitude change and behaviour modification were used as key indicators in the assessment of the interpretive effectiveness of the High Moorland Visitor Centre in Dartmoor National Park, UK. Through comparing responses to questionnaires from pre- and post-visit samples, this study found that interpretation added to visitor's knowledge of the site. This increase in knowledge encouraged visitors to see how they could change their behaviour to be more respectful of the natural environment. This indicates that there is indeed scope for interpretation, to help modify the behaviour of tourists through increased knowledge and awareness. Attitude change did occur as a result of interpretation in the centre, but only to a limited extent. Participant observation carried out at the centre revealed that interactive material played a vital part in the effectiveness of interpretive messages. Overall results from this study suggest that interpretation, if carefully designed, is capable of contributing to the goals of sustainable tourism development by achieving knowledge restructuring and resulting behavioural intentions of visitors.
An economic analysis of Ireland's first public private partnership

In 1999, the Irish Government launched a programme of public private partnerships (PPPs). The programme has expanded rapidly as policy makers seek to address the country's acute deficit of physical infrastructure. The first PPP to reach the stage of operation is the contract for five secondary schools. The early evidence from this case demonstrates that the market for education projects is competitive. The contract was designed on the basis of securing an appropriate distribution of risk and limiting private sector rents from re‐financing. However, the evidence indicates that this PPP has not resulted in significant innovations and the public sector has failed to provide any evidence of value for money.
The UspA1 Protein and a Second Type of UspA2 Protein Mediate Adherence of Moraxella catarrhalis to Human Epithelial Cells In Vitro

ABSTRACT The UspA1 and UspA2 proteins of Moraxella catarrhalisare structurally related, are exposed on the bacterial cell surface, and migrate as very high-molecular-weight complexes in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Previous analysis ofuspA1 and uspA2 mutants of M. catarrhalis strain 035E indicated that UspA1 was involved in adherence of this organism to Chang conjunctival epithelial cells in vitro and that expression of UspA2 was essential for resistance of this strain to killing by normal human serum (C. Aebi, E. R. Lafontaine, L. D. Cope, J. L. Latimer, S. R. Lumbley, G. H. McCracken, Jr., and E. J. Hansen, Infect. Immun. 66:3113–3119, 1998). In the present study, isogenic uspA1,uspA2, and uspA1 uspA2 mutations were constructed in three additional M. catarrhalis strains: 012E, TTA37, and 046E. The uspA1 mutant of strain 012E had a decreased ability to attach to Chang cells. However, inactivation of the uspA1 gene in both strain TTA37 and strain 046E did not cause a significant decrease in attachment ability. Inactivation of theuspA2 gene of strain TTA37 did result in a loss of attachment ability. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the predicted protein encoded by the uspA2 genes of both strains TTA37 and 046E had a N-terminal half that resembled the N-terminal half of UspA1 proteins, whereas the C-terminal half of this protein was nearly identical to those of previously characterized UspA2 proteins. The gene encoding this “hybrid” protein was designateduspA2H. PCR-based analysis revealed that approximately 20% of M. catarrhalis strains apparently possess auspA2H gene instead of a uspA2 gene. TheM. catarrhalis uspA1, uspA2, anduspA2H genes were cloned and expressed in Haemophilus influenzae cells, which were used to prove that both the UspA1 and UspA2H proteins can function as adhesins in vitro.
Is the Mussel Test a good Indicator of Antifouling Activity? A Comparison Between Laboratory and Field Assays

Current antifouling technologies rely on metal-based paints, but due to their toxicity, an expected worldwide ban of organotin-containing paints is now prompting the quest for safe and effective alternatives. One of these is antifouling coatings whose active components are naturally occurring compounds in marine organisms. A number of laboratory bioassays has been designed to search for antifouling compounds. However, there is no evidence to date that these assays provide results reproducible through ecologically realistic field experiments. Natural concentrations of the extracts from the Brazilian seaweeds Laurencia obtusa and Stypopodium zonale were tested in the laboratory through the 'mussel test' and in the field through the 'phytagel method' in order to compare the efficiency of these methods in assessing antifouling activity. L. obtusa extract significantly inhibited fouling in both the laboratory and field assays, while S. zonale stimulated fouling in both assays. Major compounds from the extracts were identified. The findings suggest that the 'mussel test' is a reliable time and cost-saving screening method for antifouling substances, although field assays are more sensitive for detection of their activity spectrum.