Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essays on the Indian Economy: Competitive Pressure, Productivity and Performance.

India undertook a drastic economic reform program in 1991, with the significant objectives of removing existing inefficiencies and enhancing global competitiveness. A competitive environment is a prerequisite condition for gaining higher productivity. The main desired role of economic liberalization is to enhance the efficient utilization of inputs with relaxing constraints input use and technology choices and gains from international trade by bringing global competitive pressure to the economy. The dissertation proposes a macro productivity-efficiency analysis while taking care of the inter-linkages in the economy. This is extended to address to a few important issues of the Indian economy, viz. income distribution, poverty, wage inequality between skilled and unskilled labour, returns to education and performance of formal and informal sectors. These above-mentioned issues are captured with the help of three independent essays. The analytical tool is based on a general equilibrium-activity analysis where welfare maximization subject to input and trade constraints results in competitive equilibrium. Competitive input prices reflect factor productivity. Incorporation of input-output framework captures the inter-sectoral linkages. The social accounting matrix (SAM), which plays an important role in establishing inter-linkages in the economy by combining input-output analysis and household income distribution, provides the basic data set for our model.
Team-Level Antecedents of Individuals' Knowledge Networks

Individuals' knowledge networks are widely considered to contribute substantially to the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations. While the positive effects of knowledge networks as a primary driver of social capital have recently received considerable research attention, potential determinants of individuals' network building have not yet been adequately addressed. In this study, we investigate how certain team-level properties affect team members' development of knowledge networks through the course of a team project. Using data from 430 team leaders and team members pertaining to 145 software development projects, we test cross-level hypotheses using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The results indicate that the team's perception of the organizational knowledge-sharing climate, the team's networking preference, and the team's perceived importance of networking for project success positively affect individuals' network building. Furthermore, a team's perception of the adequacy of its technical competency and a team's perception of the adequacy of its material resources inhibit team members' individual network development. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Platelet membrane glycoprotein Ibα gene −5T/C Kozak sequence polymorphism as an independent risk factor for the occurrence of coronary thrombosis

Objective: To explore the potential of the GPIbα gene variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) and −5T/C Kozak polymorphisms to act as independent risk factors for myocardial infarction. Methods: 256 patients aged 33–80 years (180 caucasian, 76 Indian Asian) were recruited at cardiac catheterisation for any diagnostic indication, and divided into two groups: group A, with confirmed previous myocardial infarction evident on ECG or ventriculogram (88 patients, 79 men, 9 women) and group B, with no evidence of myocardial infarction (168 patients, 101 men, 67 women). Results: There was no significant difference in race, age, hypertension, smoking status, or family history between the infarct and non-infarct groups, though there was a significant difference in sex (89.8% male in group A, 60.1% male in group B, p < 0.001). Genotype analysis showed a strong association between the GPIbα Kozak homozygous TT genotype and the occurrence of myocardial infarction (group A: TT 85.2%, TC 12.5%, CC 2.3%; group B: TT 67.3%, TC 32.7%, p = 0.001). No significant association was found between myocardial infarction and the GPIbα VNTR, although analysis of the CC VNTR genotype against all other GPIbα VNTR genotypes showed a marginal association with myocardial infarction (p = 0.059). There was no association between the Kozak sequence polymorphism (p = 0.797) or GPIbα VNTR (p = 0.714) and the degree of vessel disease. Conclusions: The homozygous TT Kozak genotype may be a significant factor in the outcome of coronary artery disease completed by myocardial infarction. Conversely, the Kozak C allele in the heterozygous state TC may confer some protection against myocardial infarction.
The LF/HF ratio does not accurately measure cardiac sympatho-vagal balance

Power spectral analysis of the beat-to-beat variations of heart rate or the heart period (R–R interval) has become widely used to quantify cardiac autonomic regulation (Appel et al., 1989; Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology, 1996; Berntson et al., 1997; Denver et al., 2007; Thayler et al., 2010; Billman, 2011). This technique partitions the total variance (the “power”) of a continuous series of beats into its frequency components, typically identifying two or three main peaks: Very Low Frequency (VLF) <0.04 Hz, Low Frequency (LF), 0.04–0.15 Hz, and High Frequency (HF) 0.15–0.4 Hz. It should be noted that the HF peak is shifted to a higher range (typically 0.24–1.04 Hz) in infants and during exercise (Berntson et al., 1997). The HF peak is widely believed to reflect cardiac parasympathetic nerve activity while the LF, although more complex, is often assumed to have a dominant sympathetic component (Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology, 1996; Berntson et al., 1997; Billman, 2011). Based upon these assumptions, Pagani and co-workers proposed that the ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF) could be used to quantify the changing relationship between sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activities (i.e., the sympatho-vagal balance) (Pagani et al., 1984, 1986; Malliani et al., 1991) in both health and disease. However, this concept has been challenged (Kingwell et al., 1994; Koh et al., 1994; Hopf et al., 1995; Eckberg, 1997; Houle and Billman, 1999; Billman, 2011). Despite serious and largely under-appreciated limitations, the LF/HF ratio has gained wide acceptance as a tool to assess cardiovascular autonomic regulation where increases in LF/HF are assumed to reflect a shift to “sympathetic dominance” and decreases in this index correspond to a “parasympathetic dominance. ” Therefore, it is vital to provide a critical assessment of the assumptions upon which this concept is based.
The Impact Of Information Technology On Performance: The Mediating Role Of Management Accounting Systems

This paper reports the results of a study which offers an explanation for the relationship between Information Technology (IT) sophistication and performance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), by incorporating into the model of the capability of management accounting systems to generate management accounting information (MAS capacity). To assess the relationship, data were collected from 310 (25% response rate) SMEs by way of questionnaire surveys. The results indicate that IT sophistication is a determinant of MAS capacity, which, in turn, is a determinant of firm performance. In other words, MAS capacity plays a mediating role in the relationship between IT sophistication and firm performance. An interpretation of the results is that those firms that employed sophisticated IT can generate sufficient management accounting information and thereby improve performance.
Innovation and Growth : A Technical or Entrepreneurial Residual?

Innovation is increasingly viewed as the key to elevate prosperity and secure sustainable long-run growth. The last decades have witnessed a refinement of previous growth models to include also investments in education by individuals and R&D by firms. Better educated individuals and increased expenditure on R&D is then shown to result in innovations and accelerated growth. The issues discussed in this chapter refer to how innovative opportunities arise and are exploited, whether the normative conclusions of contemporary growth models are derived from a realistic micro-economic setting, and suggestions as to how these models can be improved in order to provide appropriate guidance for policy-makers. More precisely, there seems to be a missing link between the production of knowledge and its conversion to societal economic value. Whereas the neoclassical growth model attributed knowledge production to an exogenous 'technical residual', current knowledge based growth models assume the diffusion of to take place exogenously or can be attributed an 'entrepreneurial residual'.
Interpersonal Conflict and Its Management in Information System Development

Researchers from a wide range of management areas agree that conflicts are an important part of organizational life and that their study is important. Yet, interpersonal conflict is a neglected topic in information system development (ISD). Based on definitional properties of interpersonal conflict identified in the management and organizational behavior literatures, this paper tests a model of how individuals participating in ISD projects perceive interpersonal conflict and examines the relationships between interpersonal conflict, management of the conflict, and ISD outcomes. Questionnaire data was obtained from 265 IS staff and 272 users working on 162 ISD projects. Results indicated that the construct of interpersonal conflict was reflected by three key dimensions: disagreement, interference, and negative emotion. While conflict management was found to have positive effects on ISD outcomes, it did not substantially mitigate the negative effects of interpersonal conflict on these outcomes. In other words, the impact of interpersonal conflict was perceived to be negative, regardless of how it was managed or resolved.
Prevalence and Seroprevalence of Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus in Korean Women

Little is known about the prevalence and seroprevalence of low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and the risk factors for HPV infection in Korean women. We determined the prevalence of low-risk HPV among 902 women aged 20-59 yr and the seroprevalence of low-risk HPV subtypes 6 and 11 among 1,094 women aged 9-59 yr in the general population. Genital low-risk HPV DNA was assessed by liquid hybridization and polymerase chain reaction. Antibody titers against HPV 6 and 11 were measured by a multiplexed competitive luminex technique. The prevalence of genital low-risk HPV was 4.9%. It reached its highest peak of 10.3% at 20-29 yr of age and a second peak of 3.2% at 50-59 yr of age. The seroprevalence of HPV 6 or 11 was 9.4%. It reached its highest peak of 12.7% at 25-29 yr of age and a second peak of 12.3% at 50-59 yr of age. In multivariable analysis, the number of lifetime sexual partners and past history of sexually transmitted diseases were associated with the seroprevalence but not prevalence of HPV. It is suggested that younger women should receive prophylactic HPV vaccination before they become sexually active and exposed to HPV in their 20s. This study provides baseline data for developing HPV vaccination programs and monitoring vaccine efficacy in Korea.
Studies on the function of the riboregulator 6S RNA from E. coli: RNA polymerase binding, inhibition of in vitro transcription and synthesis of RNA-directed de novo transcripts

Escherichia coli 6S RNA represents a non-coding RNA (ncRNA), which, based on the conserved secondary structure and previous functional studies, had been suggested to interfere with transcription. Selective inhibition of sigma-70 holoenzymes, preferentially at extended -10 promoters, but not stationary-phase-specific transcription was described, suggesting a direct role of 6S RNA in the transition from exponential to stationary phase. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, we have analysed 6S RNA interactions with different forms of RNA polymerase by gel retardation and crosslinking. Preferred binding of 6S RNA to Esigma(70) was confirmed, however weaker binding to Esigma(38) was also observed. The crosslinking analysis revealed direct contact between a central 6S RNA sequence element and the beta/beta' and sigma subunits. Promoter complex formation and in vitro transcription analysis with exponential- and stationary-phase-specific promoters and the corresponding holoenzymes demonstrated that 6S RNA interferes with transcription initiation but does not generally distinguish between exponential- and stationary-phase-specific promoters. Moreover, we show for the first time that 6S RNA acts as a template for the transcription of defined RNA molecules in the absence of DNA. In conclusion, this study reveals new aspects of 6S RNA function.
WELFARE COSTS OF U.S. QUOTAS IN TEXTILES, STEEL AND AUTOS

This paper deals with the problems of partial equlibrium analysis by presenting estimates from a static ten sector computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the U.S. economy calibrated to the year 1984. Following the introduction, the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 outlines the model. Section 3 details the sources of estimates of premia on preexisting QRs (quota rents) in 1984 and the sources for the parameters describing demand and supply elasticities. Welfare and employment estimates of QR removal are presented by industry and in the aggregate in Section 4. Conclusions follow in Section 5.
An IUE Atlas of Pre-Main-Sequence Stars. III. Co-added Final Archive Spectra from the Long-Wavelength Cameras

We identified 137 T Tauri stars (TTS) and 97 Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE) stars observed by IUE in the wavelength interval 1900-3200 Å. Each low-resolution (R ~ 6 Å) spectrum was visually inspected for source contamination and data quality, and then all usable spectra were combined to form a single time averaged spectrum for each star. For sources with multiple observations, we characterized variability and compared with previously published amplitudes at shorter wavelengths. We combined several co-added spectra of diskless TTS to produce a pair of intrinsic stellar spectra unaffected by accretion. We then fitted spectra of TTS with the reddened sum of an intrinsic spectrum and a schematic veiling continuum, measuring emission line fluxes from the residuals. We used extinction and distance estimates from the literature to convert measured Mg II line fluxes into intrinsic line luminosities, noting that the IUE detection limit introduces a sample bias such that intrinsic line luminosity is correlated with extinction. This sample bias complicates any physical interpretation of TTS intrinsic luminosities. We measured extinction toward HAEBE stars by fitting our co-added IUE spectra with reddened spectra of main-sequence stars and also from V band minus 3000 Å color excess. We measured excess line emission and absorption in spectra of HAEBE stars divided by fitted spectra of main-sequence stars, noting that HAEBE stars with an infrared excess indicating circumstellar material typically also have anomalous UV line strengths. In the latter situation, Mg II is usually shallower than in a main-sequence star of the same spectral class, whereas Fe II lines are equally likely to be deeper or shallower. Our co-added spectra of TTS, HAEBE stars, and main-sequence templates are available electronically.
How far do They Reach? The Localization of Industrial and Academic Knowledge Spillovers in the Netherlands

R&D is good for economic growth.There is now compelling evidence that R&D is in particular good for local economic growth, since knowledge spillovers tend to be bounded by distance.But how local is local? This paper studies the role of proximity in innovation in the Netherlands, a small country.We find that proximity does not promote industrial knowledge spillovers within the Netherlands, nor spillovers from all-discipline universities.But we do find that distance limits spillovers from universities of technology.
Selection And/ Peer-review under Responsibility of Academic World Research and Education Center the Influence of the Integrated Marketing Communication on the Consumer Buying Behaviour

The purpose of this paper is to highlight, using documenting studies on the specialty literature, the influence that one has the integrated marketing communication on consumer buying behaviour. The research methodology involves the following steps: 1) Establish the main objectives of the research, namely: a) analyze the relationship between integrated marketing communication and consumer behaviour; b) determining those factors that may influence buying behaviour of consumers through the integrated marketing communication. 2) Identify tools used for the collection, processing and analysis of the findings obtained from research, as follows: a) were selected and analyzed a number of scientific articles published in the most known international databases; b) were consulted titles of books published in the domain of research theme; c) were identified items of interest that contributed to achieving the research objectives above-mentioned. 3) Interpretation of obtained theoretical results that contribute to the fulfilment of the main research objectives. Today, consumers use many sources of information, and the value of the integrated marketing communication has grown considerably. Highly targeted, the integrated marketing communication campaigns are based on the strengths of existing communication tools, for to a favourably influence the behaviour of the target audience. Improving the demarches of communicational nature can be achieved by changing the mode of thinking the organizations involving increasingly more the final consumer in the communicational process. Integrated marketing communication is a circular process (not one linear) that starts with the potential consumer and returns to identify the most effective ways by which should be developed the communications programs. The principle after which operates this process is based on the fact that any communication approach must start from the consumer. The method of informational management used for the implementation of this principle is "outside-in", which means that the communication process starts from outside the company to the inside of her, with order to determine the tools that best serve to the communication needs of the consumers potential and actual. Through the information obtained from the outside seeks to determine those weaknesses that need to be redressed, and the best ways to formulate the messages so that their impact to be maxim. The specialists in the integrated marketing communication must consider when designing a communicational message a number of factors that play an important role in consumers' decision of choosing a product, because in this way can be influenced in a favourable sense the attitude * Oancea …
Symmetric or Asymmetric Interest Rate Adjustments? Evidence from Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia

The purpose of this paper is to examine how effectively the wholesale interest rates are transmitted to the retail rates, and whether the interest rate pass-through is symmetric or asymmetric in Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia. The disaggregated general-to-specific methodology is applied for testing the symmetry hypothesis in these economies. It is evident from our results that across the countries examined there exist variations regarding the monetary transmission process and the symmetry hypothesis alike. This can be interpreted as an indication of a different level of competition, development and liberalization among the banking systems in these South Eastern European economies.
Impacts of climate change on Blue Nile flows using bias-corrected GCM scenarios

Abstract. This study analyses the output of 17 general circulation models (GCMs) included in the 4th IPCC assessment report. Downscaled precipitation and potential (reference crop) evapotranspiration (PET) scenarios for the 2081–2098 period were constructed for the upper Blue Nile basin. These were used to drive a fine-scale hydrological model of the Nile Basin to assess their impacts on the flows of the upper Blue Nile at Diem, which accounts for about 60% of the mean annual discharge of the Nile at Dongola. There is no consensus among the GCMs on the direction of precipitation change. Changes in total annual precipitation range between −15% to +14% but more models report reductions (10) than those reporting increases (7). Several models (6) report small changes within 5%. The ensemble mean of all models shows almost no change in the annual total rainfall. All models predict the temperature to increase between 2°C and 5°C and consequently PET to increase by 2–14%. Changes to the water balance are assessed using the Budyko framework. The basin is shown to belong to a moisture constrained regime. However, during the wet season the basin is largely energy constrained. For no change in rainfall, increasing PET thus leads to a reduced wet season runoff coefficient. The ensemble mean runoff coefficient (about 20% for baseline simulations) is reduced by about 3.5%. Assuming no change or moderate changes in rainfall, the simulations presented here indicate that the water balance of the upper Blue Nile basin may become more moisture constrained in the future.
Becoming a Coach in Developmental Adaptive Sailing: A Lifelong Learning Perspective

Life-story methodology and innovative methods were used to explore the process of becoming a developmental adaptive sailing coach. Jarvis's (2009) lifelong learning theory framed the thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the coach, Jenny, was exposed from a young age to collaborative environments. Social interactions with others such as mentors, colleagues, and athletes made major contributions to her coaching knowledge. As Jenny was exposed to a mixture of challenges and learning situations, she advanced from recreational para-swimming instructor to developmental adaptive sailing coach. The conclusions inform future research in disability sport coaching, coach education, and applied sport psychology.
Nonparametric k-sample tests with panel count data

We study the nonparametric k-sample test problem with panel count data. The asymptotic normality of a smooth functional of the nonparametric maximum pseudo-likelihood estimator (Wellner & Zhang, 2000) is established under some mild conditions. We construct a class of easy-to-implement nonparametric tests for comparing mean functions of k populations based on this asymptotic normality. We conduct various simulations to validate and compare the tests. The simulations show that the tests perform quite well and generally have good power to detect differences among the mean functions. The method is illustrated with a real-life example. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.