Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Growth of Foreign Direct Investment in Europe

Increasing attention has been paid in Europe in recent years to the question of why firms invest abroad. This reflects both the rapid growth in foreign direct investment within Europe, along with recent improvements in the quality and availability of data. At the heart of the debate is a focus on the costs and benefits of foreign investment, such as whether inward investment affects employment and economic growth and whether outward investment is simply ‘job exporting‘, with firms moving to low-cost, labour-abundant locations. An understanding of the motives behind firms’ decisions to invest overseas is of particular importance for the UK, whose aggregate stocks of outward and inward foreign direct investment reached 30 per cent and 21 per cent of GDP respectively at the end of 1995.
Cognitive Aspects of Potential Entrepreneurs in Southern and Northern Europe : an Analysis Using GEM-Data

La funcion empresarial cobra especial relevancia en la explicacion del proceso de desarrollo economico. Desde la perspectiva cognitiva, la intencion empresarial es el elemento fundamental que lleva a la creacion de una empresa. El objetivo fundamental de este articulo es, por tanto, analizar si diferentes percepciones influyen sobre las intenciones empresariales y examinar las posibles diferencias entre los empresarios potenciales de dos areas europeas: los paises del sur (Espana, Italia, Grecia y Portugal) y los paises escandinavos (Finlandia, Suecia y Dinamarca). El analisis empirico, mediante regresion logistica con datos del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, muestra que las percepciones personales, de oportunidad y socio-culturales contribuyen a explicar la intencion emprendedora. El papel de las diferencias culturales e institucionales es considerado en las conclusiones.
Production risk, risk aversion and the determination of risk attitudes among Spanish rice producers

Agricultural production is subject to risk and the attitudes of producers toward risk will influence input choices insofar as these affect production risk. Risk attitudes in turn may be affected by certain socioeconomic characteristics of producers. Using 2004 survey data from a cross‐section of 130 Spanish rice farms, we estimate risk‐aversion coefficients of farmers and investigate the influence of a series of socioeconomic variables on their risk attitudes. Our results show that farmers exhibit risk‐averse behavior and that risk attitudes are related to a series of socioeconomic characteristics. In particular, the belief that the farm will continue after the producer retires is found to increase the degree of risk aversion, while age is found to have nonlinear effects on risk aversion. Off‐farm income, especially from nonagricultural activities, is found to reduce risk aversion. Neither the educational level of the producer nor the presence of dependents on the household is found to have an effect on risk preferences. Regarding the production technology, we find that land, labor, and fitosanitary products are risk‐reducing inputs, whereas capital, seeds, and fertilizer all increase risk.
Relevance of GASB No. 34 to Financial Reporting by Municipal Governments

SYNOPSIS: The Governmental Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 34, creating a new accrual-based financial reporting model. This study examines whether information from this model is associated with the default risk (a proxy for fiscal distress) of municipal governments and whether this information is incremental to that provided by the fund-based, modified-accrual reporting model. Ordered logistic regressions are used to analyze financial data from 2005 for a sample of 409 municipalities that participated in the Government Finance Officers Association award program. This study extends the work of Plummer et al. (2007) to municipal governments. In addition to the financial position indicator variable (total net assets/total revenues) examined by Plummer et al. (2007), this study provides evidence of the relevance of three other financial indicators (change in net assets/total net assets; total liabilities/total assets; and current assets/current liabilities). We also find that these accrual-bas.
Memory performance in multiple sclerosis patients correlates with central brain atrophy

Objective To assess whole brain and central brain atrophy as well as their differential relation to memory, cognitive performance, fatigue, depression and quality of life in patients with relapsingremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Methods A 3D flow compensated gradient recalled T1-weighted MRI was acquired in 45 RRMS patients. An automated analysis tool was used to calculate brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) and ventricular brain fraction (VF). All patients were assessed with neuropsychological tests focusing on memory and self-rating scales for depression, fatigue and quality of life. Age corrected partial correlations between brain atrophy, motor performance, psychological scales and test scores were calculated. Results BPF correlated moderately (0.35≤r<0.5) with duration of symptoms and disease, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the upper extremity motor performance, and with mental aspects of quality of life. VF correlated moderately with EDSS, upper and lower extremity motor performance and memory functions. Neither BPF nor VF correlated with fatigue and depression. Results of several cognitive tests correlated moderately with depression and fatigue, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) showing the largest correlation. Conclusions Memory performance shows a correlation with relative ventricular size in RRMS patients, indicating the strategic location of the ventricle system along the structures of the limbic system and its vulnerability in MS. The PASAT and several other cognitive tests show moderate correlations with depression and fatigue, arguing for an inter relation between the cognitive functioning and the emotional state of patients. However, this relation is independent of measurable brain atrophy.
Accounting-Based Probabilistic Prediction of ROE, the Residual Income Valuation Model and the Assessment of Mispricing in the Swedish Stock Market

Using Swedish stock market data, this study investigates whether an investment strategy based on publicly available accounting information can generate abnormal investment returns. The strategy involves two steps. First, an accounting-based probabilistic prediction model of changes in the medium‐term book return on owners' equity (ROE) is estimated. Second, market expectations of changes in medium‐term ROE are assessed through observed stock prices and the residual income valuation model. Stock market positions over 36‐month holding periods are taken when the accounting‐based predictions of ROE and the market expectations differ. Over the period 1983–2003, the investment strategy generated values of Jensen's alpha corresponding to an average monthly excess return for a hedge position of up to 0.8% for a sample of manufacturing companies. In the main this hedge return was caused by strong positive returns to the long positions, and additional analyses show that the returns appear to have been affected by a positive market sentiment bias (i.e., positive ROE surprises being associated with stronger price reactions than negative ROE surprises) making out‐of‐sample inferences somewhat dubious. Furthermore, most of the investment returns accrued over holding periods up to around 1995, with no indications of market mispricing over the last third (1995–2003) of the investment period. The empirical results are consistent with market investors having become more sophisticated in their use of publicly available accounting information over time.
Simulation of left ventricle flow dynamics with dilated cardiomyopathy during the filling phase

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cardiac disease which leads to the deterioration in cardiac performance. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach can be used to enhance our understanding of the disease, by providing us with a detailed map of the intraventricular flow and pressure distributions. In the present work, effect of ventricular size on the intraventricular flow dynamics and intraventricular pressure gradients (IVPGs) was studied using two different implementation methods, i.e. the geometry-prescribed and the fluid structure interaction (FSI) methods. Results showed that vortex strength and IVPGs are significantly reduced in a dilated heart, leading to an increased risk of thrombus formation and impaired ventricular filling. We suggest FSI method as the ultimate method in studying ventricular dysfunction as it provides additional cardiac disease prognostic factors and more realistic model implementation.
An Empirical Analysis of the Risk-Taking Channel of Monetary Policy in Turkey

Abstract This article investigates the bank-specific characteristics of risk-taking behavior of the Turkish banking sector as well as the existence of risk-taking channel of monetary policy in Turkey. Using bank-level quarterly data over the period 2002–2012 a dynamic panel model is estimated. We find evidence that low short-term interest rates reduce the risk of outstanding loans; however short-term interest rates below a theoretical benchmark increase risk-taking of banks. This result holds for macroeconomic controls and external factors as well. Furthermore, in terms of bank-specific characteristics, our analysis suggests that large, liquid, and well-capitalized banks are less prone to risk-taking.
Emotional Processing in PTSD: Heightened Negative Emotionality to Unpleasant Photographic Stimuli

This study evaluated evidence for 2 forms of emotional abnormality in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): numbing and heightened negative emotionality. Forty-nine male veterans with PTSD and 75 without the disorder rated their emotional responses to photographs that depicted scenes of Vietnam combat or were drawn from the International Affective Picture System (Lang et al., 2005). Images varied in their trauma-relatedness and affective qualities. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD responded to unpleasant images with greater negative emotionality (i.e., enhanced arousal and lower valence ratings) than those without the disorder and this effect was modified by the trauma-relatedness of the image with stronger effects for trauma-related images. In contrast, the 2 groups showed equivalent patterns of responses to pleasant images. Findings raise questions about the sensitivity of the International Affective Picture System rating protocol for the assessment of PTSD-related emotional numbing.
Nominal Wage Inertia in General Equilibrium Models

This paper argues that nominal wage inertia is a structural feature in low-inflation economies. Using a quarterly data set for six G7 countries we show that, unlike price inflation, nominal wage inflation responds sluggishly to both monetary and technology shocks. Accounting for this inertial behavior of nominal wages is a necessary condition for a model to capture the business cycle properties of nominal variables. We present several variants of the Calvo wage model that are able to mimic those properties in a general equilibrium framework. In contrast, models that focus on real wage rigidities or sticky prices fail to match the data.
Ethical considerations of last chance tourism

Global environmental change is altering natural and built systems in many regions of the world and such changes play a significant role in an emerging travel trend that has been labelled ‘last chance tourism’ (LCT). In LCT, tourism demand is based on the desire to see these vulnerable places and features before they disappear or are essentially and irrevocably changed. The paradox in this new form of travel lies in the fact that the tourists often travel long distances and, thus, are disproportionately responsible per capita for increased greenhouse gas emissions and various other stressors that have the potential to alter further the very attractions being visited. The emergence of LCT requires careful ethical consideration and adds a new twist to the debate about ‘loving a destination to death’. In this case, the relationship is indirect and intangible, and is complicated by spatial and temporal lags, as well as the complex system of biophysical interactions at the heart of climate change. LCT presents a situation that is considerably more difficult to manage and mitigate than those where tourism involves only direct and local impacts. Through a praxis/reflective approach, we discuss this complexity and the various ethical issues associated with marketing and managing LCT. In order to provide context and clarification of the LCT concept, we use one of the most evocative symbols of climate change, the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, as a source of empirical evidence and a foundation for exploring ethical considerations.
“Committee Power, Structure-Induced Equilibria, and Roll Call Voting,

Using the concept of structure-induced equilibrium, this essay develops a simple behavioral model of roll call voting. The main results are (1) If some committees are "preference outliers" relative to the legislature as a whole-that is, if the median ideal point of the committee members is different from the median ideal point of the whole legislature-then roll call data are likely to be "artificially unidimensional. " This is because outlier committees will often exercise their gatekeeping power, so that the set of bills on which roll calls are taken will not be a random sample of all possible bills, but instead there will be important selection bias. (2) The unidimensional bias generally persists even as the dimensionality of the policy space becomes large; in fact, when the number of outlier committees is large, the bias may actually increase as the number of policy dimensions increases, both in absolute and relative terms. (3) Even if committees are preference outliers, it may be impossible to discover this fact by looking only at roll call votes. That is, the roll call data might indicate that committees are "representative samples" of the full legislature even when they are not. This is again the result of a selection bias: the roll calls that would distinguish certain committee members from other legislators never occur.
Predictable Uncertainty: The Relation between Unrecognized Tax Benefits and Future Income Tax Cash Outflows

We estimate the extent to which the reserve for unrecognized tax benefits (UTBs) accrued under Financial Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48) provides information about the realizability of future income tax cash outflows. Proponents argue that FIN 48 facilitates the ability of UTBs to predict future income tax cash outflows, while critics believe FIN 48 allows for too much discretion in accruing UTBs. We find that UTBs are predictive of future income tax cash outflows and that this empirical relation converges to one over a five-year horizon. This finding is inconsistent with claims of systematic over- or under-reserving of the UTB. We also find no change in the informativeness of income tax reserves under FIN 48 compared to prior guidance under Statement on Financial Accounting Standards No. 5. However, supporting arguments made by FIN 48 critics, we find that the relation between UTBs and future income tax cash flows is stronger for firms that (1) retain a tax and audit specialist accounting firm or (2) engage in less tax avoidance.
Conditioning of self-assembled monolayers at two static immersion test sites along the east coast of Florida and its effect on early fouling development

Among the first events after immersion of surfaces in the ocean is surface ‘conditioning’. Here, the accumulation and composition of the conditioning films formed after immersion in the ocean are analyzed. In order to account for different surface chemistries, five self-assembled monolayers that differ in resistance to microfouling and wettability were used. Water samples from two static immersion test sites along the east coast of Florida were collected at two different times of the year and used for experiments. Spectral ellipsometry revealed that conditioning films were formed within the first 24 h and contact angle goniometry showed that these films changed the wettability and rendered hydrophobic surfaces more hydrophilic and vice versa. Infrared reflection adsorption spectroscopy showed that the composition of the conditioning film depended on both the wettability and immersion site. Laboratory and field assays showed that the presence of a conditioning film did not markedly influence settlement of microorganisms.
Ideals versus Dollars: Donors, Charity Managers, and Government Grants

This paper demonstrates how changes in untied, lump-sum government grants or income from unrestricted endowments will affect the behavior of charities operated by managers with s trong philosophical or professional commitments. An increase in such funds will reduce the charity's accountability to private donors and lower its fund-raising activities. The grant will not be spent entire ly on raising the quantity of output. Instead, it will permit the cha rity manager to reduce his or her dependence on the costly solicitati on of donors who do not completely share the manager's preferences. Copyright 1987 by University of Chicago Press.
Job‐related skill heterogeneity and action team performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on job‐related skill heterogeneity and action team performance by considering that team members may differ in the levels of their job‐related skill, as well as in the way their job‐related skill is spread over the different dimensions of the task.Design/methodology/approach – Data were used from 30 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams collected over 21 seasons (1986/1987 through 2006/2007). The total number of team‐seasons analyzed was 584.Findings – A positive relationship was found between job‐skill level heterogeneity and action team performance that declines as average job‐skill level in the team grows. Furthermore, action teams showed poorer performance when their members with a low job‐related skill level have a high specialization.Practical implications – From the practical perspective, it is of special interest to an action team manager to know that job‐related skill heterogeneity has a positive influence on team performance – mainly when the .
The Effects of Right-to-Work Laws: A Review of the Literature

This paper reviews the several studies that have assessed the impact of right-to-work (RTW) laws on union membership, wages, and industry location. The authors show that the considerable difference in findings among these studies results largely from whether a study treats the presence or absence of an RTW law as an exogenous variable or one jointly endogenous with the extent of unionism in a state. Studies using the latter approach, which the authors believe preferable, have primarily concluded that the effects of RTW laws are more symbolic than substantive.
Corporate governance, complementarities and the value of a firm in an emerging market: the effect of market imperfections

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the role of corporate governance instruments in affecting the value of a firm (CGVF) in isolation and in combination of each other in a developing financial market characterized by the existence of additional imperfections in this market.Design/methodology/approach – Multiple regression analysis is performed on the data which are collected by using stratified random sampling technique for the companies listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange for the years 2000‐2003.Findings – The results for the study suggest that majority shareholders expropriate minority shareholders in this market. On the contrary, a bigger board, market liquidity, efficient utilization of assets and informational efficiency in the financial system have a value adding impact on the firms' performance. The results on the role of corporate governance instruments (board size and CEO duality) in affecting the value of a firm in combination with each other suggest that the additional imperfec.
Tunable Wavelength Conversion by XPM in a Silicon Nanowire, and the Potential for XPM-Multicasting

Tunable wavelength conversion of a 10-Gb/s, return-to-zero on-off-keyed (RZ-OOK) signal has been carried out in a silicon (Si) nanowire waveguide (Si nanowire) using a pump-probe configuration and cross-phase modulation (XPM), followed by a tunable filter. This filter spectrally emulated the pass-band of a commercial 50-GHz DWDM arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). The tunability of the wavelength conversion process was demonstrated over a range of 20 nm, limited only by the amplifiers and the filter, while keeping the 10-9-BER receiver sensitivity penalty of the converted signal to a 0.5-dB maximum. A comprehensive model of wavelength conversion by XPM (XPM-WC) was developed, which took into account two-photon absorption, the Kerr effect, and free-carrier generation. The results of the model demonstrate good agreement with the experiment, especially with respect to the observed spectral broadening. The numerical model was also used to assess the dominant contribution among the various mechanisms within the context of XPM-WC, and to investigate the potential of multicasting by XPM in the nanowire.