Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficiency and Scale Economies in Transition Economies : Evidence from Poland and the Czech Republic

This paper examines the cost efficiency and scale economies of banks operating in Poland and the Czech Republic during the period from 1995 to 2000. A common cost frontier with country-specific environmental variables is estimated for a panel of fifty-four banks. A stochastic frontier model is used to estimate the cost efficiency and economies of scale. The results show the importance of environmental variables in the definition and specification of the common frontier. It is found that Polish banks are, on average, more efficient than Czech banks. The results further suggest that foreign banks operating in the Czech banking sector have significantly higher efficiency levels than those of domestic banks. Finally, there is evidence of significant economies of scale for small and medium-sized banks, but diseconomies of scale for large-sized banks.
Community–Led Social Venture Creation

The addition of new enterprises to the economy has long been considered essential to economic growth. The process of venture creation in the private sector has been heavily researched and frequently modeled, although few models explain the process of nonprofit enterprise creation. Nonprofit social ventures pursue economic, social, or environmental aims, generating at least part of their income from trading. They fill market gaps between private enterprise and public sector provision, and, increasingly, policy makers consider them to be valuable agents in social, economic, and environmental regeneration and renewal. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of the inception of five community–led nonprofit social ventures, producing a model of the stages of venture creation: (1) opportunity identification, (2) idea articulation, (3) idea ownership, (4) stakeholder mobilization, (5) opportunity exploitation, and (6) stakeholder reflection. A formal support network and a tailor–made support network are also part of the model, contributing resources to the new venture and assisting progression through the stages. The model highlights the resource acquisition and network creation that precede formal venture creation. In the nonprofit sector, these activities are undertaken by volunteers who do not have a controlling interest in the new venture. For practitioners, the model identifies critical stages in the process of community–led social venture creation and two areas where assistance is most needed: pre–venture business support and postcreating effective networks.
Justice for All? A Cross-Time Analysis of Toxics Release Inventory Facility Location

This paper contributes to the environmental justice literature by addressing several outstanding issues in a single study. Using a cross‐time data set that allows us to control for the prevalent “chicken‐and‐egg” or “which‐came‐first” problem, we analyze the relative importance of poverty and race/ethnicity in an analysis that includes economic costs, potential legal costs, and potential collective action. Because the most appropriate functional form is not obvious, we use several methods, including Tobit, Poisson, and ordinary least squares, on different forms of the dependent variable. In every case, controlling for the population present at the time of disamenity location and controlling the other factors mentioned, we find evidence of disproportionate collocation based on race/ethnicity, but not on poverty alone. We also find that the potential for collective action decreases the likelihood of receipt of the studied disamenities.
A Contribution to the Theory of Taxation

TILE problem I propose to tackle is this: a given revenue is to be raised by proportionate taxes on some or all uses of income, the taxes on different uses being possibly at different rates; how should these rates be adjusted in order that the decrement of utility may be a minimum? I propose to neglect altogether questions of distribution and considerations arising from the differences in the marginal utility of money to different people; and I shall deal only with a purely competitive system with no foreign trade. Further I shall suppose that, in Professor Pigou's terminology, private and social net products are always equal or have been made so by State interference not included in the taxation we are considering. I thus exclude the case discussed in Marshall's Principles in which a bounty on increasing-return commodities is advisable. Nevertheless we shall find that the obvious solution that there should be no differentiation is entirely erroneous. The effect of taxation is to transfer income in the first place from individuals to the State and then, in part, back again to rentiers and pensioners. These transfers will slightly alter the demand schedules in a way depending on the incidence of the taxes and the manner of their expenditure. I neglect these alterations; 1 and I also suppose that " a given revenue " means a given money revenue, " money " being so adjusted that its marginal utility is constant. This problem was suggested to me by Professor Pigou, to whom I am also indebted for help and encouragement in its solution. In the first part I deal with the perfectly general utility function and establish a result which is valid for a sufficiently small revenue, and takes a peculiarly simple form if we can treat the revenue as an infinitesimal. I prove, in fact, that in raising an infinitesimal revenue by proportionate taxes on given commodities the taxes should be such as to diminish in the same proportion the production of each commodity taxed. In the second part I assume that the utility function is quadratic, which means roughly that the supply and demand
Micro-differential evolution with local search for high dimensional problems

Reduced population algorithms have proven to be efficient for solving optimization problems in the past. In this paper, we incorporate a local search procedure into a micro differential evolution algorithm (DE) with the aim of tackling high dimensional problems. Our main purpose is to find out if our proposal is more competitive in these problems than a canonical differential evolution algorithm. In relation to the state of the art techniques, the results our micro-DELS are comparable (or better) with the reference algorithms DECC-G and MLCC. This empirical analysis supports our conjecture that a reduced population DE hybridized with local search (our microDELS) is a key combination in dealing with functions having high dimensionality at a low computational cost.
The bacteriophage λ Q antiterminator protein contacts the β-flap domain of RNA polymerase

The multisubunit RNA polymerase (RNAP) in bacteria consists of a catalytically active core enzyme (α2ββ′ω) complexed with a σ factor that is required for promoter-specific transcription initiation. During early elongation the stability of interactions between σ and core decreases, in part because of the nascent RNA-mediated destabilization of an interaction between region 4 of σ and the flap domain of the β-subunit (β-flap). The nascent RNA-mediated destabilization of the σ region 4/β-flap interaction is required for the bacteriophage λ Q antiterminator protein (λQ) to engage the RNAP holoenzyme. Here, we provide an explanation for this requirement by showing that λQ establishes direct contact with the β-flap during the engagement process, thus competing with σ70 region 4 for access to the β-flap. We also show that λQ's affinity for the β-flap is calibrated to ensure that λQ activity is restricted to the λ late promoter PR′. Specifically, we find that strengthening the λQ/β-flap interaction allows λQ to bypass the requirement for specific cis-acting sequence elements, a λQ-DNA binding site and a RNAP pause-inducing element, that normally ensure λQ is recruited exclusively to transcription complexes associated with PR′. Our findings demonstrate that the β-flap can serve as a direct target for regulators of elongation.
FUNDAÇÃO GETULIO VARGAS ESCOLA DE ECONOMIA DE SÃO PAULO NATALIA CRISTINA LOPES SPEED OF ADJUSTMENT OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE EMPIRICAL STUDY

We analyze the impact of firm-specific characteristics as well as economic factors on the speed of adjustment to the target debt ratio. Using different methods, we document speeds of adjustment ranging from 14.4% to 37%. The results indicate that the speed of adjustment is affected by business-cycle variables: The interaction term related to term spread reveals, as expected, faster adjustment in booms than in recessions and a negative relationship between short term spread and adjustment speed. We also show that the speed of adjustment becomes stationary when the increasing fractions of zero-debt firms are considered. Key-words: corporate finance, capital structure, adjustment speed, macroeconomic variables.
Do Employees Behave Differently In Public- Vs Private-Sector Organizations?

Abstract Governmental, public-sector organizations are known to operate differently than private, for-profit organizations. But do sector differences exist at the individual level as well? In this article we review twenty-eight hypothesis-driven empirical studies on this question. Most of the single studies found significant individual-level differences between the two sectors, although not always in the expected direction. After showing the limited available evidence, we criticize this line of inquiry and recommend to: (1) test broader models in which sector is only one of a range of variables; (2) enhance refinement in the use of research methods; and (3) improve the theoretical underpinning.
Sex, Schemas, and Success: What's Keeping Women Back?.

way of referring to women's lack of representation at the top levels of organizations. The term suggests that invisible factors as much as or more so than overt discrimination keep women from rising to the top. It also suggests that those hidden factors will probably not simply disappear with time. And it implies, moreover, that women's performance is at least equal to that of their male peers, for a ceiling keeps people down despite their competence.
Epistemic Communities and the Diffusion of Ideas: Central Bank Reform in the United Kingdom

In May 1997 the incoming Labour government gave the Bank of England operational independence in the setting of interest rates. This reform is puzzling as it was introduced by a party whose roots lie with the trade union movement, and resisted by the Conservatives whose political support comes largely from business, the financial sector and homeowners who stand to benefit most from price stability. Economic ideas are central to explaining the outcome. The Labour Chancellor was convinced by an epistemic community of monetary experts that central bank independence would achieve New Labour's electoral goals. These political incentives were absent for the Conservatives, who preferred to set interest rates strategically to increase their popularity with voters.
Screening coronary angiography prior to surgery in rheumatic valvular heart disease: a study of 2,188 patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY The role of screening coronary angiography in Asian Indian patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) due to undergo valve replacement surgery is unclear. Hence, the study aim was to determine the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), and to monitor its correlation with demographic variables and valvular lesion type, in this patient group. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 2,188 consecutive patients (1,319 men, 869 women; mean age 48 +/- 7 years) with rheumatic valvular heart disease was conducted. The patients underwent preoperative coronary angiography in a tertiary care hospital between 1991 and 2004. RESULTS The overall prevalence of CAD was 11% (12% in men, 8% in women). The prevalence of CAD in the age groups of 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 and > 60 years was 4%, 5%, 9%, 15% and 20% in men, and 2%, 2%, 3%, 7% and 10% in women, respectively. Both, age and male gender were independently associated with the occurrence of CAD (p < 0.01). The unadjusted odds ratio of having CAD was highest in patients with aortic stenosis (2.08; p < 0.01), and lowest in those with aortic regurgitation (AR) (0.58; p = 0.018). Those patients with AR also showed an independent inverse association with the occurrence of CAD (p = 0.006). CONCLUSION The overall prevalence of CAD among Asian Indian patients with RHD was lower than that in patients from western countries. The cut-off age to perform coronary angiographic screening should be maintained at 40 years for men, and 55 years for women. The prevalence of CAD may be lower in those patients with AR.
Motor performance in very preterm infants before and after implementation of the newborn individualized developmental care and assessment programme in a neonatal intensive care unit

Aim: To compare motor performance in supine position at the age of 4‐months corrected age (CA) in very preterm (VPT) infants cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before and after the implementation of the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP).
Growth and Inequality: A Meta-Analysis

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the impact of inequality on economic growth. Both theoretical and empirical approaches have produced ambiguous results on sign and size of this relationship. Although there is a considerable part of the literature that considers inequality detrimental to growth, more recent studies have challenged this result and found a positive effect of inequality on growth. This paper contributes to the debate by using meta-analytical techniques to describe variation in observed outcomes of the empirical studies and to identify sources of variation.
Aid Allocation by German NGOs: Does the Degree of Official Financing Matter?

Using a new data set for 41 German non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), we analyse the allocation of NGO aid across recipient countries in a Tobit regression framework. By identifying for each NGO the degree of official financing, we address the largely unresolved issue of whether financial dependence on the government impairs the targeting of NGO aid. It turns out that German NGOs are more active in poorer countries, while they do not complement official aid by working under difficult local conditions. Beyond a certain threshold, rising financial dependence weakens their poverty orientation and provides an incentive to engage in ‘easier’ environments. In addition, we find that the NGOs follow the state as well as NGO peers when allocating aid. This herding behaviour is, however, hardly affected by the degree of official financing.
Modeling, Identification, and Compensation of Channel Mismatch Errors in Time-Interleaved Analog-to-

Modern signal processing applications emerging in telecommunication and instrumentation industries need high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), which can be achieved by employing a time-interleaved parallel array of ADCs (time-interleaved ADCs). The time interleaving of the channels allows to increase the sampling rate by the number of channels compared to a single channel. Unfortunately, time-interleaved ADCs suffer from channel mismatches that limit their performance, wherefore this thesis deals with the identification and compensation of channel mismatches in time-interleaved ADCs. By using nonlinear hybrid filter banks, we have modeled and analyzed channel mismatches in detail. The model covers linear and nonlinear channel mismatches, unifies, and extends the channel models found in the literature. A novel foreground channel mismatch identification method has been developed, which can be used to fully characterize dynamic linear mismatches. A background identification method provides accurate timing mismatch estimates. Finally, power-efficient channel mismatch compensation methods, which significantly reduce the impact of channel mismatches on the time-interleaved ADC performance, are presented in this work. Thanks to the presented methods, it will be possible to use high-rate timeinterleaved ADCs for power-critical as well as for high-precision applications.
Prediction of Intraoperative CSF Gusher and Postoperative Facial Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Cochleovestibular Malformations Undergoing Cochlear Implantation Surgery.

OBJECTIVE To determine parameters in computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone that would be useful for prediction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) gusher during cochlear implantation (CI) surgery and postoperative facial nerve stimulation (FNS) in patients with inner ear malformations. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Three hundred seventy-five cases who had undergone CI surgery including 54 inner ear malformation cases were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The diameters of the cochlea modiolar base and porus of the internal auditory canal (IAC), length of IAC, diameter of the vestibular aqueduct (VA) at the operculum, and presence or absence of the modiolus of the cochlea were evaluated by using CT. RESULTS CSF gusher occurred in 12 (22%) cases, in whom the diameters of the cochlea modiolar base (2.7 ± 0.6 mm, p < 0.01) and widths of VA (1.5 ± 1.0 mm, p < 0.05) were significantly greater compared with those without gusher. The modiolus was significantly less formed (8%) in cases with gusher compared with those without gusher (p < 0.01). FNS occurred in 10 (19%) cases, and the widths of VA and lengths of IAC were significantly shorter in these cases compared with those without FNS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The absence of the modiolus, larger cochlea modiolar base, and wider VA in CT images were important predictors of CSF gusher during CI surgery. The width of VA was also an important factor in predicting FNS.
Blurring the Dividing Line: The Convergence of Internal and External Security in Western Europe

Abstract A distinctive feature of the security landscape in western Europe of the post-Cold War era is that the dividing line between internal and external security has become increasingly obsolete—mainly as a consequence of the growing importance of transnational as well as other challenges to security which defy the distinction between domestic and international security. This article examines this convergence of internal and external security agendas from the perspective of the coercive apparatus of western European countries, pointing to a militarisation and externalisation of policing, and an internalisation and ‘policisation’ of soldiering: while police forces are taking on military characteristics, and are extending their activities beyond the borders of the state, military forces are turning to internal security missions, and are adopting certain police features. Moreover, agencies which have traditionally been located at the interface between police and military forces, i.e. gendarmerie-type or paramilitary forces, are assuming an increasingly important role.
Assisted Reproductive Technology and Placenta-Mediated Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether the use of specific types of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is associated with an increased risk of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications, which include preeclampsia, stillbirth, small for gestational age at birth, and placental abruption. METHODS: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted on singleton pregnancies conceived by different types of ART based on the 2004–2007 Ontario Niday Perinatal Database. Patients with fetal anomalies and maternal health problems were excluded as important confounders. Three exposed groups were created by the subtype of ART, including in vitro fertilization with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection, intrauterine insemination, and ovulation induction. The nonexposed groups were the singleton pregnancies conceived naturally. For each exposed woman, four women from the nonexposed group were randomly matched by maternal age and parity. RESULTS: There were 2,118 exposed participants and 8,420 matched nonexposed participants in the study. The sample size provided 80% power for a relative risk of 2.0 of placenta-mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes with ART. After adjustment of potential confounders, including smoking, delivery hospital level, initiating time of prenatal care, average neighborhood income, fetal sex, and previous cesarean delivery, there was no association observed between different types of ART groups and the composite of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. Intrauterine insemination was associated with a significantly increased risk of preeclampsia (12 [2.67%] odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.04–5.04) compared with the corresponding control group (23 [1.29%]). CONCLUSION: Assisted reproductive technology is not associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications among singleton pregnancies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Day Of The Week And Its Effect On Stock Market Volatility: Evidence From An Emerging Market

This paper investigates the day of the week effect in the volatility of the Saudi Stock Exchange during the period between January 7, 2007 and April 1, 2013. Using a conditional variance framework, we find that the day of the week effect is present in the volatility. Our results show that the lowest volatility occurs on Saturdays and Sundays. We argue that due to the closure of international markets on Saturdays and Sundays, there is not enough activity in the Saudi Stock Exchange. As a result, the volatility is the lowest on these days. Our results also show that the highest volatility occurs on Wednesdays. We argue Wednesday, being the last trading day of the week, corresponds with the start of four non-trading days (Thursday through Sunday) for foreign investors. Fearing that they will be stuck up with stocks in case some unfavorable information enters the market, foreign investors tend to exit the market on Wednesdays. As a result of excessive trading, there is high volatility on Wednesdays.
Association of pancreatic MRI R2* with blood glucose and cardiac MRI R2* among thalassemia major patients in Indonesia

Amit Shemesh: performed research, wrote the paper, approved the final version of the paper Ron Hoffman: performed research, approved the final version of the paper Yona Nadir: performed research, approved the final version of the paper Anat Keren-Politansky: performed research, approved the final version of the paper Manuel Monreal: wrote the paper, approved the final version of the paper Benjamin Brenner: wrote the paper, approved the final version of the paper Inna Tzoran: designed and performed research, wrote the paper, approved the final version of the paper
Vietnam: Political Economy, Marketing System

Vietnam is an evolving political economy and marketing system. Since the implementation of Doi Moi, the 1986 policy to invoke a shift from central economic planning to a more market-oriented system, the country has made extraordinary progress on several socioeconomic indicators. Some observers contend Vietnam is a development model; others suggest the country still has numerous challenges to overcome before it can reach its development goals. This article provides an overview of Vietnam’s socioeconomic development; it introduces eight refereed articles and four commentaries that comprise the scholarly contributions to the first special issue of the Journal of Macromarketing to feature research on a single country. Vietnam is that country. Contributors provide detailed research, analysis, and reflection on the interplay of markets, marketing, and society. Topics studied include system complexity and entrepreneurship, retailing evolution, consumption dynamics and societal wellness, family policy and consump.