Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Market Timing with Security Offering Regulations: Evidence from Private Placements of Chinese Listed Firms

In the context of China's strict security-offering regulations, we examine market timing by linking firms' decisions to withdraw private placement (PP) proposals to changes in market condition during the approval process. We reveal that timing based on the strictness of the security-offering regulations is as important a dimension of market timing as timing based on the issuers' market valuations is. A firm's probability of withdrawing its PP proposal is negatively related to changes in its market-to-book ratio and changes in the strictness of regulations, measured by changes in the issue market (hot/cold) occurring between proposal announcement and outcome day. PPs for investment financing have more pronounced timing effects than PPs for asset restructuring.
Organizational structure for customer‐oriented TQM: an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the organizational structure that supports the implementation of customer‐oriented total quality management (TQM). Design/methodology/approach – Quality management has been developing through the interactive efforts of managers, academicians, and consultants. This paper surveys these groups of experts about the structure that supports the implementation of customer‐oriented TQM. A questionnaire including items related to TQM structure is developed. Respondents are asked to indicate to what extent the items support or impede the implementation of customer‐oriented TQM. Responses are analyzed to determine the dimensions of the instrument. Then, one‐sample t‐tests are used to determine which of the resulting dimensions support this implementation. Finally, ANOVA is used to determine the impact of the jobs of the experts and their nationalities on their perceptions of the role of the structural dimensions.Findings – Factor analysis resulted in seven dimensions.
Corporate Ecological Responsiveness: Antecedent Effects of Institutional Pressure and Top Management Commitment and Their Impact on Organizational Performance

Institutional theory argues that conformity to institutional pressure enhances the survival probability of organizations. Two key limitations of institutional theory have been proposed in recent literature: one, that it ignores the role of top management, and two, that it focuses only on survival as a benefit to the exclusion of more strategic benefits such as growth and profitability. In this research, we build a conceptual model that addresses both of these limitations in the context of institutional pressure on organizations to behave more responsibly vis-a-vis the natural environment. Results from a survey of 199 manufacturing firms show that the relationship between institutional pressure and corporate responsiveness to the pressure (i.e. corporate environmental responsiveness) is enhanced when top management commitment to the environment is high. Moreover, results show that organizational conformity to institutional pressure enhances the strategic benefits that organizations receive. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Corruption and the Level of Trade Protectionism

In this paper, impacts of corruption on the level of trade protectionism, trade openness, and imports are analyzed. It is argued that special interest groups who are lobbying with corrupted governments might seek more benefits in some special subgroups of imports. Possible country and time specific fixed effects, endogeneity and some other problems in the regressions are controlled to achieve results that are more robust. Corruption measures from two different sources of Worldwide Governance Indicator and Transparency International website are analyzed in two separate similar approaches. It is finally concluded that both measures of corruption implicate negative influence on only one import subgroup, while there is no significant impact on protectionism measures.
Effects of step aerobics and aerobic dancing on serum lipids and lipoproteins.

BACKGROUND To examine the effect of 8 weeks of step aerobics and aerobic dancing on blood lipids and lipoproteins. METHODS EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Comparative training. SETTING Two months of physical fitness program. PARTICIPANTS Forty-five sedentary female college student volunteers randomly assigned to one of the three groups as step aerobics (n=15), aerobic dancing (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The step aerobics and aerobic dancing groups participated in sessions of 45 min per day, 3 days per week for 8 weeks with 60-70 percent of their heart rate reserve. MEASURES Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C), the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC:HDL-C). RESULTS At the end of the 8 week period, a significant difference has been found between the step aerobics group and the control group and between the aerobic dancing group and the control group in TC levels (F[2,44]=8.38; p<0.01). A significant difference in HDL-C levels (F[2,44]=3.65; p<0.05) and TC:HDL-C ratio (F[2,44]=11.56; p<0.01) has been found only between the step aerobics group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that step aerobics training is an effective training mode for modifying lipid and lipoprotein profiles of female college-aged students.
DETERMINANTS OF ADULT MORTALITY IN INDIA

This study attempts to evaluate the factors affecting adult mortality with special emphasis on the lifestyle factors using the 1998–1999 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The sample size, N, in this analysis is 330,267. It includes those aged 15–59 of which 2.6 per cent died during adulthood. In the Poisson regression model, the independent variables used are age, sex, place of residence, lifestyle factors of other members of the family, standard of living, literacy composition, caste, religion, mass media exposure, household type, fuel for cooking and region of residence. This analysis has been adjusted for the clustering of deaths at the family level. The findings suggest that there is a strong positive relationship between lifestyle factors and premature mortality, even after controlling for other background characteristics of the deceased person. Further, age, standard of living index (SLI), literacy composition, religion, household type and region of residence are some important determinants of adult mortality in India.
"Blood Oil," Ethnicity, and Conflict in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

This essay examines the causes of the agitation and militancy in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The conflict shows a dynamic that falls into three historical eras: the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial. An interplay of three significant factors currently contributes to conditions that are fueling the conflict: foreign administrative control (slave trade and colonialism) of the Niger Delta, which is alien to the indigenous people; the presence of lucrative commodities (oil, palm oil, and timber); and the Niger Delta people's resistance to exploitation and assertion of their rights. The authors conclude that any attempts at finding solutions to the conflict must address issues of program and policy. They posit that policies founded on rights and environmental justice are imperative to help to resolve the differences between the fighting stakeholders.
Employee turnover intentions

Most empirical studies testing models of turnover intentions have relied on samples of specific organizations or occupational groups, raising reservations as to the generalizability of their results for broader and more comprehensive populations. To begin to fill this gap, a nearly national sample of employed urban males was utilized and sub–populations were examined in terms of their turnover intentions. A set of biodemographic, organizational, perceptional and job satisfaction variables were incorporated into a multivariate analysis to determine factors best explaining turnover intent. At a second stage, the overall measure of job satisfaction was substituted by four component factors: intrinsic, extrinsic, hygienic and social, which were obtained by a factor analysis of thirteen job satisfaction items. The results of the bivariate and multivariate analysis strongly suggest that specific case findings are congruent with this study's national level of turnover intent. Older age, longer periods of service.
Pontentiometric cyanine dyes are sensitive probes for mitochondria in intact plant cells : kinetin enhances mitochondrial fluorescence.

Selected fluorescent dyes were tested for uptake by mitochrondria in intact cells of barley, maize, and onion. The cationic cyanine dye 3,3'-diheptyloxacarbocyanine iodide [DiOC(7)(3)] accumulated in mitochondria within 15 to 30 minutes without appreciable staining of other protoplasmic constituents. The number, shape, and movement of the fluorescent mitochondria could be seen readily, and the fluorescence intensity of the mitochondria could be monitored with a microscope photometer. Fluorescence was eliminated in 1 to 5 minutes by the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) indicating that maintenance of dye concentration was dependent on the inside-negative transmembrane potential maintained by functional mitochondria. Fluorescence of prestained mitochondria was enhanced within 5 to 10 minutes after addition of 0.1 millimolar kinetin to cells. The fluorescence in kinetintreated cells was dissipated by CCCP. These results suggest that kinetin interacted with respiratory processes resulting in higher potential across the mitochondrial membrane.
National Association of State Directors of Special Education

Erickson, R.N. , Thurlow, M.L. , & Ysseldyke, J.E. (1996). Neglected numerators, drifting denominators, and fractured fractions: Determining participation rates for students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs (Synthesis Report No. 23). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. Retrieved [today's date], from the World Wide Web: http://education.umn. edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis23.html
A RESEARCHER AND A PRACTITIONER'S PERCEPTION OF GENERATION 1.5 VS. INTERNATIONAL ESOL STUDENTS IN COLLEGE WRITING COURSES -SAME VIEW, DIFFERENT LENS

Many might assume that English language learners who are originally from other countries, but are raised in the United States and graduate from American high schools (Generation 1.5) would fare better academically than English learners who graduate from high schools abroad and then migrate to the United States after graduation. However, as we demonstrate, this is not always the case. Through the perspectives of an ESOL teacher who interacts with students, and a quantitative researcher who measures students' performance, this paper discusses success in college-level ESOL writing courses, the influence of acculturation through living in the US, and the quality and significance of prior secondary academic preparation in the home language. The ESOL classroom teachers' years of practical experience complement and clarify the findings of researchers, and present a more accurate picture of English learners and their authentic production of written English.
Disaggregated Accounting Data as Explanatory Variables for Returns

Modem market-based accounting research rarely refers to the elaborate concepts dictating the preparation of financial reports. The research does not explicate the reasons for the relevance of accounting data in valuation, and it depends only on the broad notion of “accounting data facilitates investors’ assessments of firms’ future cash flows. ” The popular construct of unexpected earnings, which researchers employ to explain returns, by contrast, is irrelevant to the practicing accountant who implements accounting principles. A more traditional way of looking at accounting recognizes the process as one of measurement. That is, the analysis of transactions leads to line items in the financial statements, which in turn aggregate into the “bottom line” numbers: (net) earnings and book value (net worth). These two summary measures achieve preeminent status by serving as primary indicators of a firm’s value. However, the disclosures of the line items clearly suggest that the accountant is aware of the insufficiency of earnings and book values as determinants of values. This paper incorporates a measurement perspective in addition to an information perspective to understand how accounting data relate to security returns. ’ Earnings (and book values) derive from line items, and these line items may have differential valuation implications because investors perceive differential measurement errors. Hence, aggregation is not generally satisfied unless the measurement errors in the line items are relatively insignificant. The latter could occur for long reporting periods, as is suggested by the notion that a firm’s lifetime earnings are measured without error. In any event, the language of accounting provides some straightforward hypotheses concerning the realizations of line items and returns. Revenues are ‘‘good,’’ whereas expenses are “bad,” and returns should respond accordingly. More-
Monetary Policy Approaches and Implementation in Asia: The Philippines and Indonesia

Section II describes recent trends in monetary policy. Section III addresses the five issues listed above. We describe for the Philippines and Indonesia the evolution of the monetary policy of the monetary policy transmission process as financial development progressed and external conditions changed over time. We also discuss the effects of these factors on the monetary policy implementation strategy. Section IV concludes.
Measuring R&D in Small Firms: How Much Are We Missing?

The OECD surveys on R & D are considerably biased towards underestimating R & D in small firms. This conclusion is derived from the author's comparison between the official Dutch R & D survey and the findings of his own survey among 3000 firms. Although being based on Dutch observations only, the author's considerations have an impact on other OECD countries, since the official Dutch R & D survey is fully compatible with those in other countries. The findings call into question the results from a number of empirical studies, bearing on subjects such as market structure and R & D, firm size and R & D or R & D and growth.
Efficient Pricing of Ratchet Equity-Indexed Annuities in a Variance-Gamma Economy

Abstract In this paper we propose a new method for approximating the price of arithmetic Asian options in a Variance-Gamma (VG) economy, which is then applied to the problem of pricing equityindexed annuity contracts. The proposed procedure is an extension to the case of a VG-based model of the moment-matching method developed by Turnbull and Wakeman and Levy for the pricing of this class of path-dependent options in the traditional Black-Scholes setting. The accuracy of the approximation is analyzed against RQMC estimates for the case of ratchet equityindexed annuities with index averaging.
Serum Procalcitonin Level and SOFA Score at Discharge from the Intensive Care Unit Predict Post-Intensive Care Unit Mortality: A Prospective Study

Purpose The final decision for discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) is uncertain because it is made according to various patient parameters; however, it should be made on an objective evaluation. Previous reports have been inconsistent and unreliable in predicting post-ICU mortality. To identify predictive factors associated with post-ICU mortality, we analyzed physiological and laboratory data at ICU discharge. Methods Patients admitted to our ICU between September 2012 and August 2013 and staying for critical care>2 days were included. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score; systemic inflammatory response syndrome score; white blood cell count; and serum C reactive protein, procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), lactate, albumin, and hemoglobin levels were recorded. The primary end point was 90-day mortality after ICU discharge. Two hundred eighteen patients were enrolled (195 survivors, 23 non-survivors). Results Non-survivors presented a higher SOFA score and serum PCT, and IL-6 levels, as well as lower serum albumin and hemoglobin levels. Serum PCT, albumin, and SOFA score were associated with 90-day mortality in multiple logistic regression analysis. Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed chi-square value of 6.96, and P value of 0.54. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval) was 0.830 (0.771–0.890) for PCT, 0.688 (0.566–0.810) for albumin, 0.861 (0.796–0.927) for SOFA score, and increased to 0.913 (0.858–0.969) when these were combined. Serum PCT level at 0.57 ng/mL, serum albumin at 2.5 g/dL and SOFA score at 5.5 predict 90-day mortality, and high PCT, low albumin and high SOFA groups had significantly higher mortality. Serum PCT and SOFA score were significantly associated with survival days after ICU discharge in Cox regression analysis. Conclusions Serum PCT level and SOFA score at ICU discharge predict post-ICU mortality and survival days after ICU discharge. The combination of these two and albumin level might enable accurate prediction.
IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT ISSUES AT A LARGE CORPORATE BRAZILIAN BANK

The world financial segment is that which has most invested in products and services ground on Information Technology (IT). Brazilian banks follow this standard and have resorted to IT in an intense manner so as to foster competitiveness. Within this context, IT project management has become fundamental. In this study, the objective is to identify the impairments IT project management faces at a large Brazilian bank as of the perception of managers from both the IT and business-related areas. To this extent, a case study was undertaken and a semi-structured questionnaire was applied to 10 individuals that occupy leadership positions in the mentioned fields. Results indicate a lack of project management culture giving rise to: issues concerning IT project scope definition; communication setbacks between and within areas; absence of strategic alignment amongst involved areas; difficulty in perceiving an overall picture of projects; mismatch between project prioritization and delivery deadlines. Key-words: Project Management. Information Technology. Banking.
Trade Openness and Growth: An Analysis of Transmission Mechanism in Pakistan

This paper investigates the linkages between trade policy openness and economic growth for Pakistan for the period 1973 to 2008. The paper tests the hypothesis that trade policy does not affect economic growth directly rather it affects through some growth determining economic variables, which then effect economic growth. For this purpose a simultaneous system of equations is estimated through the Three Stage Least Squares. The results suggest a positive impact of trade policy openness on Black Market Premium, Domestic Investment and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and negative impact on Macro Policy Index. However, Black Market Premium and FDI show negative and Domestic Investment shows positive impact on economic growth.
Seven-year clinical follow-up of premanifest carriers of Huntington's disease

Detecting subtle clinical abnormalities in the ‘premanifest’ phase of Huntington’s disease (HD) is of importance in the development of instruments to monitor early therapeutic intervention trials. The current study examined changes in motor function, cognition and behaviour over a period of seven years in premanifest carriers of the HD gene mutation. Twenty-nine carriers without unequivocal motor signs of HD and 43 non-carrier controls were prospectively examined four times. The assessments consisted of the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and an extensive neuropsychological test battery addressing global cognitive function, memory, language and executive function. Rate of Change (RoC) analysis was performed to measure longitudinal differences between carriers and non-carriers. Carriers performed consistently worse on executive function (Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Stroop, Trail Making Test (TMT) and WAIS-R arithmetic). Over the years, carriers showed a decline in memory and concentration function (Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)) and in motor function (UHDRS motor scale). Changes over time could be particularly ascribed to carriers converting to manifest HD. These results demonstrate that standardized motor assessments and objective memory and concentration tasks are sensitive to change over a period of 7 years, specifically in carriers converting to manifest HD. Executive tasks also showed subtle cognitive abnormalities in premanifest HD, but a decline over time could not be demonstrated.
Global variation in grip strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis of normative data

Background: weak grip strength is a key component of sarcopenia and is associated with subsequent disability and mortality. We have recently established life course normative data for grip strength in Great Britain, but it is unclear whether the cut points we derived for weak grip strength are suitable for use in other settings. Our objective was to investigate differences in grip strength by world region using our data as a reference standard. Methods: we searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for reporting age- and gender-stratified normative data for grip strength. We extracted each item of normative data and converted it on to a Z-score scale relative to our British centiles. We performed meta-regression to pool the Z-scores and compare them by world region. Findings: our search returned 806 abstracts. Sixty papers met inclusion criteria and reported on 63 different samples. Seven UN regions were represented, although most samples (n = 44) were based in developed regions. We extracted 726 normative data items relating to 96,537 grip strength observations. Normative data from developed regions were broadly similar to our British centiles, with a pooled Z-score 0.12 SDs (95% CI: 0.07, 0.17) above the corresponding British centiles. By comparison, normative data from developing regions were clearly lower, with a pooled Z-score of −0.85 SDs (95% CI: −0.94, −0.76). Interpretation: our findings support the use of our British grip strength centiles and their associated cut points in consensus definitions for sarcopenia and frailty across developed regions, but highlight the need for different cut points in developing regions.