Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Religious Giving, Non-religious Giving, and After-life Consumption

Abstract Religious giving has been argued to be different compared to non-religious giving, because it influences after-life consumption while contributions to non-religious organizations are irrelevant to after-life consumption. The study herein examines this theoretical argument by investigating the relationships between age and religious and non-religious giving using the data of the Survey of Social Development Trends from Taiwan. From categorized contributions, this study estimates the effects of age, income, and price of giving on religious, charitable, academic, medical, and political contributions, as well as on the probability of providing volunteer work and the frequency of religious participation. The findings suggest that the positive relationships between age and the level of giving are stronger for religious and charitable giving while the positive effects of age on academic and medical giving are much weaker, and there is no significant relationship between age and political giving. That is, religious giving and charitable giving are closely related to after-life consumption, but the effects of age on academic giving and medical giving are considerably different. Moreover, older people are more likely to provide volunteer work and attend more religious activities than younger individuals. Contributions to religious and charitable groups are positively related to contributions to academic, medical, and political organizations.
ANALISIS FRAUD DI SEKTOR PEMERINTAHAN KOTA SALATIGA

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggali persepsi para pegawai pemerintah di instansi pemerintahan mengenai pengaruh gaya kepemimpinan,keefektifan sistem pengendalian internal, komitmen organisasi, kesesuaian kompensasi, budaya etis organisasi, dan penegakan hukum terhadap kecenderungan terjadinya fraud di sektor pemerintahan. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan convenience sampling. Sampel penelitian ini sejumlah 111 pegawai dinas Kota Salatiga. Pengumpulan data dengan menggunakan kuesioner. Analisis data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan analisis full model Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) dengan alat analisis smart PLS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh negatif antara gaya kepemimpinan dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan, terdapat pengaruh negatif antara keefektifan pengendalian internal dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan, tidak terdapat pengaruh antara komitmen organisasi dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan, terdapat pengaruh negatif antara kesesuaian kompensasi dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan, terdapat pengaruh negatif antara budaya etis organisasi dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan, tidak terdapat pengaruh antara penegakan hukum dengan fraud di sektor pemerintahan. Abstract This study aims to explore the perceptions of government employees in government agencies on the effects of leadership style, the effectiveness of internal control systems, organizational commitment, compliance compensation, organizational ethical culture, and law enforcement on the likelihood of fraud in the government sector. The sampling technique used convenience sampling. Samples are some 111 civil service Salatiga. Data collection using questionnaires. Data analysis in this study using a model full analysis Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a smart analysis of PLS. The results showed that there is a negative effect between leadership styles with fraud in the government sector, there is a negative effect of the effectiveness of internal controls and fraud in the government sector, there is no influence of the organization's commitment to fraud in the government sector, there is a negative effect of the appropriateness of compensation by fraud in government sector, there is a negative effect between organizational ethical culture with fraud in the government sector, there is no effect between law enforcement with fraud in the government sector.
Improving the quality of information security management systems with ISO27000

Purpose – The ISO27001 standard provides a model for “establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS)”. This paper seeks to consider the global adoption of the ISO27000 series of standards, and to compare them with the adoption rates for ISO9000 and ISO14000. The paper aims to compare the barriers to adoption for the different standards.Design/methodology/approach – Previous studies suggest that ISO27001 adoption is slower than for the other standards. The uptake of ISO27001 has been slower than the related management system standards ISO9001 and ISO14001, with approximately half the certifications compared with ISO14001. In response to the issues raised in this analysis, the paper considers how an approach based on a maturity model can be used to help overcome these barriers, especially in smaller companies.Findings – The 2008 survey of ISO27001‐certificated companies found that 50 per cent of the certificated organi.
Abnormality of the Left Ventricular Sympathetic Nervous Function Assessed by I‐123 Metaiodobenzylguanidine Imaging in Pediatric Patients with Neurocardiogenic Syncope

The purpose of this study was to assess the left ventricular sympathetic nervous system function in the patients with neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) using I‐123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging of the heart, and to compare the plasma noradrenaline (NA) and MIBG results of tilt positive and tilt negative patients following a head‐up tilt test (HUT). The study included 30 patients. Their physical and laboratory examinations did not show a pathology that may be the cause of their syncope. HUT test was positive in 13 patients and negative in 17 patients. Plasma NA concentrations were higher in the HUT positive than the HUT negative group at the beginning and at the 10th minute of the test. Specific I‐123 MIBG uptake assessed as the cardiac to mediastinal activity ratio in the delayed image was significantly higher in HUT positive group. The higher levels of MIBG uptake and plasma NA observed in HUT positive patients may reflect the greater capacity of NA storage in cardiac adrenergic neuronal tissue in patients with NCS. The results of this study support the critical role of autonomic nervous system in the pathophysiology of NCS and the excessive sympathetic nervous stimulation as the trigger of paradox reflex. (PACE 2003; 26:1926–1930)
Subjective Well-being Poverty of the Elderly Population in China

Poverty is represented not only by objective well-being indicators which include income and consumption levels, but also by subjective indicators which reflect what a person feels. It is estimated in this article that the incidence of subjective well-being poverty (SWP) among the Chinese rural elderly population in 2006 was 9.7 per cent, about 4.2 times as much as that of the country's total rural population in the same year, which was 2.3 per cent. Over 16 per cent of the rural elderly population and 11.5 per cent of the urban elderly population rated their life satisfaction as poor or very poor. In terms of SWP, senior citizens, especially those who live in rural areas or who are women or very aged, have become a special group among the poor in China. This article suggests that China's social policies for the new stage take into account the issue of absolute poverty and also that of SWP. A multi-dimensional strategy system targeting the issue of poverty needs to be established, and a policy system to address poverty reduction as well as old age security and care should be implemented.
Do so-called multivariate filters have better revision properties? An empirical analysis

The output gap plays a crucial role in thinking and actions of many central banks but real time measurements undergo substantial revisions as more data become available (Orphanides (2001), Orphanides and van Norden (forthcoming)). Some central banks augment, such as the Bank of Canada and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the Hodrick and Prescott (1997) filter with conditioning structural information to mitigate the impact of revisions to the output gap estimates. In this paper, we use a state space Kalman filter framework to examine whether the augmented (so-called â€œmultivariate filtersâ€ ) achieve this objective. We find that the multivariate filters are no better than the Hodrick-Prescott filter for real-time NZ data. The addition of structural equations increase the number of signal equations, but at the same time adds more unobserved trend/equilibrium variables to the system. We find that how these additional trends/equilibrium values are treated matters a lot, and they increase the uncertainty around the estimates. In addition, the revisions from these models can be as large as a univariate Hodrick-Prescott filter.
The Theft of History

Introduction Part I: 1. Who stole what? Time and space 2. Antiquity: no markets, but did they invent politics, freedom and the alphabet? 3. Feudalism: transition to capitalism or the collapse of Europe and the domination of Asia 4. Asiatic despots, in Turkey and elsewhere? Part II: 5. Science and civilization in Renaissance Europe 6. The theft of 'civilization': Elias and Absolutist Europe 7. The theft of 'capitalism': Braudel and global comparison Part III: 8. The theft of institutions, towns and universities 9. The appropriation of values: humanism, democracy and individualism 10. Stolen love: European claims to the emotions 11. Last words Bibliography.
Medium-Size Macroeconomic Model for the Brazilian Economy

This paper presents a medium-scale structural model for the Brazilian economy with more than 30 equations. The potential output is derived from a Cobb-Douglas production function and the demand side is divided in estimated equation for: consumption of the families, investment in machinery and construction, government spending and net exports. The estimated Phillips curve has two interesting features: dummies for the structural break in the pass-through and also a term that includes labor productivity on the Phillips equation. An algorithm to run the model with a model consistent forward-looking term in the Phillips curve is implemented. There are long-run equilibrium conditions for the external and fiscal debts and also for the real interest rate. External and supply shocks hit the medium-size model to generate impulse responses in order to compare with small-scale structural models.
Purification and characterization of Mycoplasma penetrans Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease

The major nuclease from Mycoplasma penetrans has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme seems to be present as a membrane-associated precursor of 50 kDa and as a peripheral membrane monomeric polypeptide of 40 kDa that is easily removed by washing of cells with isotonic buffers and in the aqueous phase upon Triton partitioning of Triton X-114-solubilized protein. The 40-kDa nuclease was extracted from M. penetrans cells by Triton X-114 and phase fractionation and was further purified by chromatography on Superdex 75 and chelating Sepharose (Zn2+ form) columns. By gel filtration, the apparent molecular mass was 40 kDa. The purified enzyme exhibits both a nicking activity on superhelical and linear double-stranded DNA and a nuclease activity on RNA and single-stranded DNA. No exonuclease activity was found for this enzyme. This nuclease required both Mg2+ (optimum, 5 mM) and Ca2+ (optimum, 2 mM) for activity and exhibited a pH optimum between pH 7 and 8 for DNase activity. It was inhibited by Zn2+, Mn2+, heparin, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and chelator agents such EDTA and EGTA, but no effect was observed with ATP, 2-mercaptoethanol, N-ethylmaleimide, dithiothreitol, nonionic detergents, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and iodoacetamide. Nuclease activity was inhibited by diethylpyrocarbonate at both pH 6 and 8 and by pepstatin, suggesting the involvement of a histidine and an aspartate in the active site. When added to human lymphoblast nuclei, the purified M. penetrans endonuclease induced internucleosomal fragmentation of the chomatin into oligonucleosomal fragments. On the basis of this result, and taking into account the fact that M. penetrans has the capacity to invade eucaryotic cells, one can suggest, but not assert, that produced Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease may alter the nucleic acid metabolism of host cells by DNA and/or RNA degradation and may act as a potential pathogenic determinant.
Optimizing spectrum sensing parameters for local and cooperative cognitive radios

In spectrum-sensing cognitive radio, a local radio might fail to reliably and efficiently monitor the available spectrum holes. To combat the channel fading suffered by such a radio, a cognitive network of cooperative spectrum sensing users is employed. The spectrum sensing time duration should be minimized to maximize the capacity of cognitive radio network. In this paper, the twin effects of varying the entire frame duration and sensing time duration is studied. The simulation results show that the cognitive radio network capacity can be maximized by an appropriate selection of total frame duration and an optimized corresponding sensing time.
Stock Repurchases and Excess Returns: An Empirical Examination

The excess returns associated with repurchase announcements are viewed largely as a reaction to management's statement that the firm's shares are underpriced; management's signal provides new information that enhances the firm's market value. Although earlier studies have found the excess return to be closely related to the premium set by management, other factors play a part in determining both the market reaction and the premium level set by management. Among these factors are relative market capitalization, holding by institutions, immediate alternative uses for cash, the level of insider control, recent stock price performance, the relative size of the tender offer, and the resultant change in the firm's capital structure. Copyright 1990 by MIT Press.
How managers in the financial services industry ensure financial performance

With the wide prevalence of the balanced scorecard, this study develops and empirically tests a model examining the relations between the customer perspective (relationship bonding tactics, perceived relationship investment, customer satisfaction, trust, commitment and customer behavioural loyalty) and the financial perspective (financial performance). A cross-departmental study in the financial services industry was conducted based on three consumer samples (department of Loans, Deposits, and Credit Cards) drawn from XYZ bank, one of the most famous banks providing merchant banking services in Taiwan. The results show that the customer perspective does have positively significant effects on financial performance, as proposed by the BSC (Balanced Scorecard) and SPC (Service Profit Chain). In addition, the findings suggest that customers purchase financial services according to their perceived relationship to investment retailers, with corresponding bonding tactics, which results in different levels of customer satisfaction and behavioural sequences, and is important in reinforcing customers' trust, commitment, repurchase intentions and corporate financial performance.
Midfacial Growth in a Consecutive Series of Preadolescent Children with Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate following a One-Stage Simultaneous Repair

Objective: To evaluate midfacial growth in prepubertal children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate following one-stage simultaneous repair. Subjects: A series of 28 consecutively treated subjects with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate were compared with age- and gender-matched controls with normal midfacial structure. Methods: On the lateral cephalograms taken at the age of approximately 10 years, size and position of the maxilla and upper dental arch were evaluated in vertical and horizontal planes. Statistical analysis included independent t tests and nonparametric Mann-Whitney tests. Results: The maxilla was found to be retruded (sella-nasion-point A angle decreased by 4.5° and nasion to point A distance increased by 4.2 mm) and rotated posteriorly (sella-nasion/palatal plane angle decreased by 4.5°) in the cleft group. Maxillary length (pterygomaxillare-point A distance) was diminished by approximately 2 mm. Upper incisors were found retroclined in comparison to controls (both upper incisor axis/sella-nasion and upper incisor axis/palatal plane angles were decreased by 10.7° and 6.1°, respectively). Conclusion: Maxillary prominence, as measured with the sella-nasion-point A angle and the condylion-point A and articulare-point A distances, was decreased. Shortened length and posterior position of the maxillary body were responsible at a ratio of 60% to 40% for a decreased prominence of the maxillary complex. The palatal plane demonstrated a larger inclination to the sella-nasion plane by 4.5° due to a decreased sella-posterior nasal spine distance.
Neighborhood and Economic spillovers: four essays on the role of culture, institutions and geography

The dissertation suggests that geographical, institutional, religious and cultural links may be determinants of growth. We address a number of issues in this thesis. The starting point is naturally a study on growth, while the main focus is on the analysis of inequalities between countries with respect to their environment, and also on inequalities within countries. The very first step of the study, presented in Chapter one, is to build such non-physical relations between countries. In this chapter, we present both the choices and methods used to model the institutional and cultural weights matrices. Chapter 1 also presents a comparative study between the different matrices built. The final aim of this chapter is to identify the differences between the geographical, institutional and cultural environment. The following chapter incorporates these innovative new types of matrices in a study on growth. An externality growth model is therefore developed that takes proximities between entities into account, whether geographical, institutional or cultural. The purpose of the chapter is threefold. First, it compares the results obtained from spatial econometrics methods with classical regression, where observations of growth are considered as independent. Second, it examines whether the development of an externality model improves the quality of the estimation. Third, it investigates whether the institutional and cultural types of proximity make sense compared to the geographical one. Chapter 3 narrows the analysis of countries’ dependency with regard to their neighborhood, whether geographical, institutional or religious, and a quintile regression approach allows us to check whether the countries' wealth level matters. Do the poorest countries react in the same way as richer ones regarding the wealth of their geographical, institutional and religious neighbors? The gross impact of neighboring wealth on a country’s wealth is then estimated, and some relative effects of the three matrices combined are also shown, as well as the robustness of the estimates. Finally, Chapter 4 analyzes the dependence of poverty regarding neighborhood. The relative wealth and poverty of the neighborhood are examined as factors that can influence a country’s poverty level. The poverty index used is the proportion of people living on less than one or two dollars a day. The study only considers the developing countries as data for the developed countries on the proportion of this variable is near zero. Once again, the final aim is to check whether a country’s poverty is exacerbated by its geographical, institutional and religious neighborhood poverty or if it takes advantage of neighborhood wealth to manage its own poverty issues.
Some Simple Analytics of Peak-Load Pricing

Consider a public utility that offers its service at two different times. We study the effects of a change from uniform pricing throughout the day to peak-load pricing. We show that for a utility constrained to operate with a fixed rate of return on capital, the introduction of peak-load pricing can plausibly reduce the price of the service both in peak and off-peak times. We also find that peak-load pricing can lead to either greater or smaller capacity than uniform pricing. We find a simple criterion for determining whether a particular individual gains or loses from peak-load pricing.
Adverse reactions associated with therapeutic antibiotic use after penicillin skin testing.

BACKGROUND There is little prospective data on the antibiotics prescribed and the adverse reactions associated with their use after penicillin skin testing. OBJECTIVE Provide data on antibiotic use and new antibiotic "allergy" incidence after penicillin skin testing. METHODS All patients who had penicillin skin testing at our Medical Center between 1-1-2000 and 12-31-2004 were followed through 12-31-2009. All therapeutic antibiotic use and all new "allergies" listed in their electronic medical records were reviewed. RESULTS There were 1684 study subjects of whom 1191 (70.7%) were female. There were 118 (7.0%) positive to at least one penicillin skin test reagent and 3 (0.2%) were positive only to amoxicillin. The mean follow-up period was 4.5 ± 2.9 years. Subjects were exposed to a mean of 8.2 ± 10.5 therapeutic antibiotic courses during follow-up. The highest new antibiotic "allergy" incidence rates in skin test-negative subjects were noted for penicillins, 2.9%, and sulfonamides, 2.7%, p = 0.9097. Females had higher overall incidences of new antibiotic "allergy," independent of skin test result. Penicillin skin test-negative females treated with penicillin had a nonsignificantly higher new penicillin "allergy" incidence, 3.3% per course versus 1.9% for males, p = 0.0644. Cephalosporins had new antibiotic "allergy" incidence rates not significantly different from tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides, clindamycin, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin, and other antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Females had higher new antibiotic "allergy" incidence rates. New "allergy" to cephalosporins occurred no more frequently than with non-beta-lactam-antibiotics, independent of skin test result. Sulfonamide antibiotics were associated with the higher rates of new antibiotic "allergy" than cephalosporins.
An analysis on eddy current flowmeter — a review

Measurement of flow in liquid metal systems exhibit unusual problems because of the severe operating environments like high operating temperatures and the chemical reactivity of most liquid metals. The liquid metal flowmeters should have the capacity to withstand high gamma radiation levels and rapid thermal transients. The commonly used flowmeters in liquid metal systems are permanent magnet Flowmeter, direct current electromagnet Flowmeter and alternating current electromagnet flowmeter. In Alternating current electromagnet Flowmeter there are three types namely transverse field Flowmeter, Eddy Current Flowmeter and E-Core Flowmeter. The subject of analysis is the Eddy current Flowmeter. Eddy currents are generated when a moving conductor experiences changes in the magnetic field generated by a stationary object, as well as when a stationary conductor encounters a varying magnetic field. A flowmeter which works on this principle is the Eddy Current Flowmeter. This paper gives a thorough survey on eddy current flowmeter, its construction, simulation results and its performance under various test conditions in different organization
Drivers and Processes of Creative Industries in Cities and Regions

Abstract The current debate on drivers and processes of creative industries in cities and regions oscillates between two approaches: one that focuses on individuals' creative talent drawing on Florida's work, and one that looks at firms and systems of firms, i.e., creative clusters. In this introductory note, we critically review the main contributions on both sides, argue that that there a need to reconcile them especially in order to shape the current policy discourse.