Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Economic Approach to Influence Activities in Organizations

Members of organizations spend considerable time, effort, and ingenuity attempting to influence decision makers. Such influence activities may bring benefits to the organization, but they also involve real costs. This essay offers an economic rationale for such influence activity as representing rational, self-interested behavior in the presence of informational asymmetries and an analysis of how the design of the organization's structure and polices should respond to the incentives for attempting influence. It is posited that information valuable for the organization's decision making is directly available only to members of the organization who have some personal stake in the decisions. These individuals may then have an incentive to try to manipulate the information they develop and provide in order to influence the resulting decision to their benefits. This can be costly both in degrading the quality of decision making and in diverting the attention and effort of the organization's members from more productive activities. The organization has three different methods it can employ to discourage excessive influence activities and to encourage more directly productive uses of time and effort. It can limit access to decision makers and participation in decision making; it can alter its decision-making criteria to favor those performing well in productive activities; and it can provide direct financial incentives to encourage the desired allocation of effort. It is shown that an efficiently deisgned organization will use such financial incentives only as a last resort. Instead, it will always first alter its decision-participation polices and decision-making criteria.
The New Issues Puzzle

Companies issuing stock during 1970 to 1990, whether an initial public offering or a seasoned equity offering, have been poor long-run investments for investors. During the five years after the issue, investors have received average returns of only 5 percent per year for companies going public and only 7 percent per year for companies conducting a seasoned equity offer. Book-to-market effects account for only a modest portion of the low returns. An investor would have had to invest 44 percent more money in the issuers than in nonissuers of the same size to have the same wealth five years after the offering date. Copyright 1995 by American Finance Association.
Strategic Informed Trades, Diversification, and Expected Returns

ABSTRACT: We examine how strategic trade affects expected returns in a large economy. In our model, both a monopolist (strategic) informed trader and uninformed traders consider the impact of their demands on prices. In contrast to settings with price-taking traders, private information never eliminates a priced risk, and can lead to higher risk premiums. Also unlike settings with price-taking informed traders, risk premiums decrease in response to an increase in liquidity-motivated trades in diversified portfolios. These differing effects arise because a privately informed strategic trader conceals her trades by taking small positions relative to the magnitude of noise trades. Although prices partially reveal her information and reduce uncertainty, a concomitant decrease in her risk absorption dominates and leads to higher risk premiums. Similar to settings with price-taking traders, private information affects expected returns only via factor loadings and risk premiums on existing payoff risks—it introd.
Sexual Maturation in Thai Boys

BACKGROUND A worldwide secular trend towards earlier onset of puberty in girls has been noted during recent years. However, the data on sexual maturation of boys are relatively scarce and normative data of sexual maturation in Thai boys are still lacking. AIM To determine the age of secondary sexual maturation in normal Thai boys. METHODS Three hundred healthy urban boys aged 9-18 years were recruited during January 1997 to December 1999. Genital and pubic hair maturity staging was determined using the method of Marshall and Tanner. Testicular size was assessed by Prader orchidometer. Probit analysis was used to analyze the onset of puberty (gonadarche) and pubarche. RESULTS Median (range) ages of the onset of puberty and pubarche were 10.8 (9.5-12) and 12.4 (10.9-13.9) years, respectively. CONCLUSION The age of onset of genital development in boys living in Bangkok seems to be slightly earlier than that of boys in other countries. However, the onset of pubic hair development is comparable.
Low-grade sebaceous carcinoma presenting on the leg.

We present herein the case of an 80-year-old woman with a keratotic plaque measuring 1.4x1. 3 cm on the left popliteal fossa. The plaque was resected and diagnosed on microscopic examination as low-grade sebaceous carcinoma. Sebaceous carcinoma on the leg seems extremely rare.
Estimating the Demand for the Characteristics of Housing

A hstract-Estimates of the demand for the characteristics contained in a differentiated product such as housing can be based on hedonic regressions. However, previous studies have not dealt with several potential problems in such estimation. A more appropriate framework for the estimation is provided in this paper. Also data from a number of cities are used to eliminate the identification problem, and the endogeneity of the marginal prices derived from non-linear hedonic equations is considered in the estimation. The results on own and cross price elasticities, expenditure elasticities, and the effects of socio-economic vafiables accord well with expectations.
EFFECTS OF BUTACHLOR ON MICROBIAL POPULATIONS AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN PADDY SOIL

This paper reports the influences of the herbicide butachlor (n-butoxymethl-chloro -2′,6′ -diethylacetnilide) on microbial populations, respiration, nitrogen fixation andnitrification, and on the activities of dehydrogenase and hydrogen peroxidase in paddy soil. The results showed that the number of actinomycetes declined significantly after the application of butachlor at different concentrations ranging from 5. 5μg g−1 to 22. 0μg g−1 dried soil, while that of bacteria and fungi increased. Fungi were easily affected by butachlor compared to the bacteria. The growth of fungi was retarded by butachlor at higher concentrations. Butachlor however, stimulated the growth of anaerobic hydrolytic fermentative bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and denitrifying bacteria. The increased concentration of butachlor applied resulted in the higher number of SRB. Butachlor inhibited the growth of hydrogen-producing acetogenic bacteria. The effect of butachlor varied on methane-producing bacteria (MPB) at different concentrations. Butachlor at the concentration of 11. 0μg g−1 dried soil or less than this concentration accelerated the growth of MPB, while at 22. 0μg g−1 dried soil showed an inhibition. Butachlor enhanced the activity of dehydrogenase at increasing concentrations. The soil dehydrogenase showed the highest activity on the 16th day after application of 22. 0μg g−1 dried soil of butachlor. The hydrogen peroxidase could be stimulated by butachlor. The soil respiration was depressed during the period from several days to more than 20 days, depending on concentrations of butachlor applied. Both the nitrogen fixation and nitrification were stimulated in the beginning but reduced greatly afterwards in paddy soil.
The Invisibility of Wage Employment in Statistics on the Informal Economy in Africa: Causes and Consequences

Abstract This article challenges the claim, along with the statistics that support it, that self-employment is by far the dominant employment status in the informal economy. The article begins by reviewing key insights from relevant literature on the informal economy to argue that conventional notions of ‘wage employment’ and ‘self-employment’, while unfit for capturing the nature and variety of employment relations in developing countries, remain central to the design of surveys on the workforce therein. After putting statistics on Tanzania’s informal economy and labour force into context, the analysis reviews the type of wage employment relationships that can be found in one instance of the informal economy in urban Tanzania. The categories and terms used by workers to describe their employment situation are then contrasted with those used by the latest labour force survey in Tanzania. The article scrutinises how key employment categories have been translated from English into Swahili, how the translation biases respondents’ answers towards the term ‘self-employment’, and how this, in turn, leads to the statistical invisibility of wage labour in the informal economy. The article also looks at the consequences of this ‘statistical tragedy’ and at the dangers of conflating varied forms of employment, including wage labour, that differ markedly in their modes of operation and growth potential. Attention is also paid to the trade-offs faced by policy-makers in designing better labour force surveys.
FE Inc.—business orientation in further education and the introduction of human resource management

Abstract A major consequence of the increasing business orientation of the British further education (FE) system has been the introduction of human resource management (HRM) strategies. HRM is a concept formerly used almost exclusively in a business context. FE, of all educational sectors, has always been closely tied in, strategically and operationally, to the needs of business and industry. Incorporation can be seen both as a consequence and a development of this increasingly close relationship, and it is argued that whilst HRM strategies help college managers meet the system demands of incorporation, they at the same time underline and help to bring about the marginalisation of pedagogic orientations at both strategic and operational levels.
Seed plant genera endemic to the Caribbean Island biodiversity hotspot: A review and a molecular phylogenetic perspective

The Caribbean Island Biodiversity Hotspot is composed primarily of the Bahamas and Greater and Lesser Antilles. A total of 180 genera (727 spp., ca. 9% of the species endemic to the Antilles) are restricted to this hotspot. Most of these genera are unispecific (51%), a pattern that is also found on other islands of the world. The majority of the endemic genera belong to the “Core Eudicot” clade, and they were published in two time periods (1854–1878 and 1904–1928). There are molecular phylogenies available for 63 of the endemic genera. However, phylogenetic reconstructions of only 21 genera are based on more than one independent DNA region and have well-supported clades and good taxonomic sampling. Six of the endemic genera form part of early-branching groups. We could not infer biogeographical conclusions from the molecular phylogenies of most of the endemic genera (43: 68%). There is an urgent need for (1) additional field studies to learn the conservation status of these genera, (2) effective protection of the habitats where the most endangered genera occur, and (3) additional biological and systematic studies of the least understood genera.
Community Agency Voice and Benefit in Service-Learning

Supervisors from 40 community agencies working with a university-based service-learning program were interviewed regarding the extent of their input in service-learning program planning and implementation (Agency Voice), Interpersonal Relations with service-learning students, Perceived Benefit of the servicelearning program to the agency, and their Perceptions of the University. Issues of diversity in the context of service-learning were considered. Support was found for two hypotheses: First, agency members’ indicating more voice in program planning saw more benefits to their agency from taking part in the servicelearning program. Secondly, the perception of benefits predicted agency members’ positive perceptions of the university as a whole. Representatives of agencies with a longer history of participation in the service-learning program and from agencies involving larger numbers of service-learning students were more positive about some aspects of the relationship.
Antiangiogenic drugs in ovarian cancer

Background: There is a critical need to develop effective new strategies for the management of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Objective: The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss the rationale for, and initial clinical results of, attempts to interfere with the process of tumor angiogenesis as a novel treatment paradigm in ovarian cancer. Results/ conclusion: Phase II clinical trial data provide strong support for the suggestion that antiangiogenic agents have the potential to play a major therapeutic role in this difficult malignancy. It is reasonable to acknowledge that the pending results of several ongoing evidence-based randomized Phase III trials that directly explore the clinical utility of this strategy may substantially alter the current standard management approaches in advanced ovarian cancer.
Extended Deterrence in the Middle East: American Strategy Reconsidered

WHEN leaders extend deterrence, they attempt to prevent a military attack against an ally by threatening retaliation should force be used against their protégé. At present, most analysts locate extended deterrence at the intersection of nuclear and conventional force in Europe; the United States relies heavily on this strategy to protect its allies. The extension of deterrence to Europe, however, is only one among several possible applications of the strategy. It has been widely used by the United States, for example, to manage conflict in the Middle East. We propose to examine this wider extension of deterrence.
Model Investigations of Caries Inhibition by Fluoride-Releasing Dental Materials

Fluoride-releasing dental materials are generally believed to reduce or prevent secondary caries. The evidence for this is largely anecdotal and centers on clinical experience with silicate cements and, more recently, with glass-ionomer cements. Unfortunately, corroborating evidence from controlled clinical trials is inadequate to establish precisely how effective these materials are or under what conditions they might be effective. Even less is known about the clinical effectiveness of newer materials that, often, release less fluoride. In vitro model systems have been used to study the effects of dental materials on de/remineralization of surrounding tooth structure. Fluoride-releasing materials have been shown in these models to reduce demineralization of both enamel and dentin compared with a material that does not release fluoride. This is useful from a mechanistic standpoint, but without clinical "standards" to guide model results, it is not possible to define an acceptable level of fluoride release or the length of time such release is required. A limited number of in situ model studies has been conducted, and some fluoride dose-response information has been obtained. These models are closer to the real situation and perhaps provide the best means to define required levels of fluoride release from materials in the absence of adequate clinical information.
Gating-enhanced Accessibility of Hydrophobic Sites within the Transmembrane Region of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor's δ-Subunit

General anesthetics often interact more strongly with sites on open than on closed states of ligand-gated ion channels. To seek such sites, Torpedo membranes enriched in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) were preincubated with the hydrophobic probe 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-iodophenyl) diazirine ([125I]TID) and exposed to agonist for either 0 ms (closed state), 1.5 and 10 ms (activated states), 1 s (fast desensitized state), or ≥1 h (equilibrium or slow desensitized state) and then rapidly frozen (<1 ms) and photolabeled. Within 1.5 ms, the fractional change in photoincorporation relative to the closed state decreased to 0.7 in the β- and γ-subunits, whereas in the α-subunit, it changed little. The most dramatic change occurred in the δ-subunit, where it increased to 1.6 within 10 ms but fell to 0.7 during fast desensitization. Four residues in the δ-subunit's transmembrane domain accounted for the enhanced photoincorporation induced by a 10-ms agonist exposure both when TID was added simultaneously with agonist and when it was preincubated with membranes. In the published closed state structure, two residues (δThr274 and δLeu278) are situated toward the extracellular end of helix M2, both contralateral to the ion channel and adjacent to the third residue (δPhe232) on M1. The fourth labeled residue (δIle288) is toward the end of the M2-M3 loop. Contact with these residues occurs on the time scale of a rapid phase of TID inhibition in Torpedo nAChRs, suggesting the formation of a transient hydrophobic pocket between M1, M2, and M3 in the δ-subunit during gating.
The first years in an L2-speaking environment: A comparison of Japanese children and adults learning American English

Abstract This study examined Japanese speakers' learning of American English during their first years of immersion in the United States (U.S.). Native Japanese-speaking (NJ) children (n=16) and adults (n=16) were tested on two occasions, averaging 0.5 (T1) and 1.6 years (T2) after arrival in the U.S. Age-matched groups of native English-speaking children (n=16) and adults (n=16) also participated. The NJ adults' scores for segmental perception and production were higher than the NJ children's at T1. The NJ children's foreign accent scores and pronunciation of English fricatives improved significantly between T1 and T2, whereas the NJ adults' scores did not. These findings suggest that adults may have an advantage over children initially but that children may improve in production more quickly than adults when immersed in an L2-speaking environment.
Ownership Structure and Collateral Requirements: Evidence from China's Listed Firms

This paper examines the effect of ownership structure on collateral requirements using a sample of China's listed firms from 2007 to 2009. We find that compared to privately controlled companies, state-controlled companies are less likely to be required to pledge collateral, and such a difference is more pronounced for firms in troubled industries. The empirical results also show that the effect of state control on collateral requirements is weaker in companies with more foreign ownership. Moreover, the effect of state control on collateral requirements is weaker in companies with more third party guarantees. Finally, we find that the effect of state control on collateral requirements is more pronounced for firms operating in regions with more government intervention.
Institutional Commitments, Individual Compromises: Identity‐related responses to compromise in an Australian university

This study explores compromises by individual academic staff, which reflect their multiple understandings of academic work. I offer a brief overview of the changing Australian tertiary sector environment and the ways in which this has had an impact on the academic role. The discussion centres around the need for investigations of academia to be premised on an understanding of the heterogeneous nature of the academic workforce. A study of the ways in which staff differently integrate the corporate‐driven activities into their conceptualizations of academia is the focus of this paper, with particular reference to the compromises described by interviewees. The multiple meta‐narratives and academic identities, which were identified from the research data, reveal diverse attempts by academic staff to reconcile preconceptions of academia with experiences of working in a corporatized university, resulting in differences in the levels and nature of compromise. Interviewees in this study indicated that the need to compromise their understandings of academic work led to a degree of role strain. Finally, the interviewees' perceptions of the presence of their narratives in the wider organizational conversations are examined.
Which Agency and Which Period is The Best? Analyzing National and International Fiscal Forecasts in Italy

Economic forecasts taken into account during the European Semester are getting an increasing role in macroeconomic policy decisions. The main motivation for this paper is to analyse the performance of national, international and private agencies in forecasting the government deficit as a ratio to GDP for Italy from 1992 to 2012. Extending the existing methodology and using an innovative database, this paper finds that the accuracy of the forecasts depend on the month in which the forecasts are realized and on the nature of the institution making the economic forecasts (i.e. public or private).
Omitted Debt Risk, Financial Distress and the Cross-Section of Expected Equity Returns

The study of Ferguson and Shockley (2003) shows that, if the Merton (1974) model can reflect reality, the omission of debt claims from the market portfolio proxy may explain the poor pricing ability of the CAPM in empirical tests. We critically re-assess this argument by first reviewing existing, but also new avenues through which the Merton (1974) model can point to a systematic bias in market beta estimates. However, we also show that some avenues are diversifiable, and that they all rely on excessive economy-wide default risk to create a non-negligible bias. We then use the Merton (1974) model to proxy for the total debt portfolio, but find that its application in empirical tests cannot improve pricing performance. We conclude that there are (so far) no valid theoretical reasons to believe that omitted debt claims undermine CAPM tests.
Role of Cytokines in Behcets Disease

Behcets disease (BD) is considered a chronic relapsing multisystem inflammatory disorder. It has a worldwide distribution, but it is more prevalent in Mediterranean countries. Although its etiopathogenesis remains elusive, Immunological investigations have demonstrated the presence of immune dysregulation among the patients with BD. The disease is characterized by infiltration of lymphocytes and neutrophils into the affected organs.the Th1 type cytokine profile is predominant in. The serum concentrations of mainly Th1 type cytokines were reported to be increased in BD and probably contribute to neutrophil and endothelial cell activation.
A Theory of Conservatism

A free‐rider problem arises when a group choice between two alternatives has to be made on the basis of privately collected evidence, leading to insufficient effort in gathering evidence and an ex ante welfare loss for the group. To alleviate the free‐rider problem, the group can commit to a “conservative” rule, whereby the decision is made against the alternative favored by the group’s preference or prior when evidence supports it but is not preponderant. Optimal conservatism increases private incentives to gather evidence and improves the quality of the group decision. My result explains why sometimes groups appear overly cautious toward favored alternatives.
Why do firms issue global bonds

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the motivations of firms that issue global bonds. Specifically, it seeks to test whether firms are motivated to offer bonds in multi‐markets to raise more capital, take advantage of being well‐known in foreign markets and/or owing to poor domestic economic conditions.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of global bond offerings of US industrial firms during the period 1995 to 2001 was studied. Logistic regressions were used to examine the determinants of the choice between global and domestic debt offerings. The factors that explain the stock price reaction of global bond issues were also analyzed.Findings – The authors find evidence suggesting that firms with a good reputation abroad and firms that want to raise large amounts of funds choose to issue global bonds instead of domestic bonds. Firms also tend to issue global bonds when the domestic economy is weak. In addition, the stock markets do not react more positively to global bond issues than domestic bond issue.