Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Related parties transactions and firm's market value: the French case

Main shareholders, directors and managers can expropriate minority shareholders by carrying out certain transactions with the company. The objective of this article is to study the impact of these transactions on the value of the company, and to identify the ownership and governance characteristics of companies that engage in this type of transaction. The results of the regressions carried out on a sample of 85 companies listed on the Paris Stock Exchange during the period 2002-2005 show that related party transactions are mainly influenced, to various degrees, by the voting rights held by the main shareholder, the size of the board of directors, the degree of independence enjoyed by the audit committee and the board of directors, the choice of external auditor, the debt ratio and the fact of being listed in the United States. One segmentation of our sample shows that it is mainly transactions carried out directly with the main shareholders, directors and/or managers that have a negative influence on the value of the company.
Information and communication technology diffusion and skill upgrading in Korean industries

We examine the relationship between the directly observable indicator of new technology, information and communication technology (ICT) investment intensity, and skill upgrading by analyzing changes in employment and wage structure of 25 Korean industrial sectors over the 1993–1999 period. The estimation results indicate the following implications. First, although ICT expenditure and investment have increased sharply since 1993, it appears that ICT investment has begun to be complementarily combined with skilled labor only since 1996. Second, our results support the ‘limited substitution hypothesis’. ICT has substituted low-skilled non-production workers, whereas the increased demand for high-skilled workers is driven by ICT diffusion in the second sub-period. This asymmetric trend between high-skilled and low-skilled non-production workers in Korea reveals significant differences in comparison with the experiences of other OECD countries. Third, the existence of substitutability between ICT diffusion and low-skilled non-production workers in Korea may cast doubt on the appropriateness of the non-production workers' category, a category regarded as a proxy variable of high-skilled workers in most previous studies.
Equilibria in a Model with Partial Rivalry

Abstract In this paper we show that a non-cooperative game with a finite set of players and common finite strategy sets possesses a strong Nash equilibrium in pure strategies whenever individuals' preferences satisfy independence of irrelevant choices , anonymity , and partial rivalry . Moreover, if any of these assumptions is violated, then even a pure strategy Nash equilibrium may fail to exist. Further- more, we demonstrate that even with a continuum of players, the same three assumptions yield the existence of a pure strategy strong Nash equilibrium and, in addition, the equivalence of the sets of Nash and strong Nash equilibria in pure strategies. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C72, D62.
Endotoxin-induced uveitis: Kinetics and phenotype of the inflammatory cell infiltrate and the response of the resident tissue macrophages and dendritic cells in the iris and ciliary body

Purpose. Footpad injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes pronounced anterior uveitis in susceptible species and strains. Recent studies using wholemount techniques have demonstrated the presence of rich networks of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-positive dendritic cells (DC) and resident tissue macrophages in the iris and ciliary body. The aim of this investigation was to determine the immunophenotype and dynamics of the inflammatory cell infiltrate during LPS-induced anterior uveitis using the wholemount method and to examine the response of the resident tissue macrophages and DC to an acute inflammatory episode in the anterior segment. Methods. Female Lewis rats (8 to 12 weeks old, n = 49) received a single footpad injection of 100 μg of LPS and were killed at various times up to 6 weeks after injection. The iris-ciliary body complex from each eye was removed intact and subdivided into segments and immunostained using a panel of monoclonal antibodies to a variety of immune cell types. Results. The wholemount method clearly illustrates that during endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU), the earliest cellular infiltrate includes small, round ED1 + mononuclear cells marginating in the iris vasculature approximately 2 hours after injection. Marginating Ox42 + polymorphonuclear leukocytes were detectable in the iris vessels approximately 4 to 6 hours after injection and were especially numerous in the ciliary body base approximately 24 hours after injection. The overall density of resident tissue macrophages (ED2 + ) remained largely unchanged in the course of EIU. In contrast, the total number of MHC class II-bearing (Ox6 + ) cells (putative dendritic cells) increased 30% in the first 6 hours and 200% by 72 hours. During the acute phase of the inflammatory response (up to 24 hours), the proportion of these cells with a dendritiform morphology decreased (93% to 50%). The number of T cells showed a biphasic response peaking at 4 to 6 hours and again at 24 hours (290 cells/mm 2 ) ; however, their numbers had resumed normal low density (4 cells/mm 2 to 25 cells/mm 2 ) by 6 weeks. Conclusions. The results suggest that the neutrophilic infiltration in EIU occurs predominantly in the base of the ciliary body, whereas the monocytic and lymphocytic infiltrate occurs in the iris vasculature. Resident tissue macrophages do not undergo marked changes in density or morphology in the early course of the disease. Recruitment of T cells into the anterior segment in EIU may suggest a previously unsuspected role for these cells in the immunopathology of this disease. Changes in density and morphology of MHC class II + DC in the iris, which persisted for at least 6 weeks, were interpreted as an increase in recruitment and migration of these cells that may serve to enhance the efficiency of immune surveillance in the anterior segment at crucial times of bacterial infection. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995 ;36 :1949-1959.
The Price of Alignment

While the new Asian balance of power is increasingly divided along Sino-Indian lines, nuclear parity shifts competition to the economic sphere. The question is whether this will be another GDP ‘race to the bottom,’ marked by an even greater spread between haves and have-nots, or will democracy give Indo-globalization a Senian (‘development as freedom’) advantage over Sino-globalization? To tap that advantage India will have to rediscover its Gandhian heritage of the common good. Its success or failure in this effort could profoundly impact the global outlook on whether democracy will count as an asset or liability in 21st century development.
A criterion for the absolute continuity of the harmonic measure associated with an elliptic operator

for some A > O and for all x E Q and 4 E R n . We also assume a =a For such operators, the Dirichlet problem is solvable in Q if and only if it is solvable for the Laplace operator, according to a theorem of Littman, Stampacchia and Weinberger [1]. This means that if Q C R n is a sufficiently nice bounded region (the unit ball, B, is an example) and f is a given continuous function on the boundary of Q, then there exists a unique function u, continuous on Q, so that L(u) = 0 in Q and u = f on aQ. Let us assume, for convenience, that the origin belongs to Q. Then the mapping f C f(aQ) -* u(O) is a positive linear functional so there exists a unique nonnegative measure w on aQ such that for every f E (aQ),
Seasonal factors and outlier effects in rate of return on electricity spot prices in Australia's National Electricity Market

This article documents seasonal patterns and other characteristics of electricity spot prices in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM), over a 7-year sample period. The goal is to investigate more specifically the influence of seasonalities and outliers noted in the body of literature on electricity prices. The results confirm that electricity prices exhibit significant time-of-day and day-of-week effects and monthly and yearly effects are significant to a lesser degree. Extremely high spikes in the price series are an important characteristic of electricity prices and are shown to be a highly significant component of returns behaviour. Negative prices are unusual in financial time series data but occur in Australian electricity prices and are found to be influential on returns. The implications of these finding are that seasonal and outlier effects should not be ignored in efforts to model electricity prices.
Sustainable development extending the scope of business excellence models

This paper presents an example of how to integrate the values of sustainable development in a business excellence model. It discusses definitions and measures of sustainable development, integrating values of total quality management with global human and environmental stakeholder interests. Requirements, core values, main criteria and different concepts of measures for sustainable development are examined, discussed and defined. Existing methods and strategies for quality and business excellence are compared with definitions of sustainable development. Indicators for sustainable development in an organisational and business context are discussed and a rough framework is presented.
Does One Size Fit All? An Empirical Investigation of Board Structure on Family Firms’ Financial Performance

The current study investigates the relationship between family firm board structure and financial performance in Sri Lanka. This study uses five years (2006-2010) of data from 65 family firms listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). In order to investigate the impact of board structure on family firm financial performance, a dynamic panel generalised method of moment estimation is applied. The results show that board openness to non-family members, board diversity and insider ownership decrease family firms' financial performance. Consequently, this study suggests the corporate governance framework needs to be tailored to a family business structure as 'one size does not fit all'.
Evaluation of the anesthetic effect of nasal mucosa with tetracaine 0.5% on hemodynamic changes and postoperative pain of septoplasty: A randomized controlled trial

The nasal septum repair surgery is the dangerous operations that any stimulation of this area causes a large change in the rhythm of the heartbeat and blood pressure. This study aimed to determine the effects of tetracaine 0.5% on changes in heartbeat and heart rhythm, hemodynamic changes during surgery, intraoperative bleeding, and pain after septoplasty surgery. The irregular double-blind clinical trial registry of clinical trials Iran with the code number (IRCT: 20150526625N8) in the first half of 2013 on 86 patients in Kashani hospital of Shahrekord. Having selected and matched the patients were divided into two groups. Case group was dropped tetracaine 0.5% in each of the nasal cavity 15 min before the beginning of the operation. The control group was dropped distilled water 15 min preoperation in each of the nasal cavity. The surgery lasted about 30–60 min. Clinical symptoms were evaluated after anesthetic induction as well as pain using the visual analog scale after the operation, in the recovery room. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version software 17 through independent t-test, Chi-square, and repeated measures variance analysis. Postoperative pain intensity in the experimental group compared to the control group was significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05); however, blood pressure and heart rate during anesthesia, there was no difference between groups (P > 0.05). Based on the findings, intake of tetracaine drop 0.5% has no impact on some hemodynamic changes during septoplasty operation. However, compared with the control group, pain was significantly reduced.
Exploring the Relationship of Task Performance and Physical and Cognitive Fatigue During a Daylong Light Precision Task

Objective: Our aim was to explore the relationship between fatigue and operation system performance during a simulated light precision task over an 8-hr period using a battery of physical (central and peripheral) and cognitive measures. Background: Fatigue may play an important role in the relationship between poor ergonomics and deficits in quality and productivity. However, well-controlled laboratory studies in this area have several limitations, including the lack of work relevance of fatigue exposures and lack of both physical and cognitive measures. There remains a need to understand the relationship between physical and cognitive fatigue and task performance at exposure levels relevant to realistic production or light precision work. Method: Errors and fatigue measures were tracked over the course of a micropipetting task. Fatigue responses from 10 measures and errors in pipetting technique, precision, and targeting were submitted to principal component analysis to descriptively analyze features and patterns. Results: Fatigue responses and error rates contributed to three principal components (PCs), accounting for 50.9% of total variance. Fatigue responses grouped within the three PCs reflected central and peripheral upper extremity fatigue, postural sway, and changes in oculomotor behavior. Conclusion: In an 8-hr light precision task, error rates shared similar patterns to both physical and cognitive fatigue responses, and/or increases in arousal level. Application: The findings provide insight toward the relationship between fatigue and operation system performance (e.g., errors). This study contributes to a body of literature documenting task errors and fatigue, reflecting physical (both central and peripheral) and cognitive processes.
Physical inactivity as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy? A review

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour have been identified as modifiable risk factors for diabetes. However, little is known of the associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diabetic retinopathy. The development of diabetic retinopathy is associated with longer duration of diabetes, elevated blood pressure and poor glycaemic control. However these factors only explain a proportion of the risk of retinopathy in individuals with diabetes. Several studies have suggested a protective role for physical activity in diabetic retinopathy. Other work has shown that the time spent watching television is independently associated with abnormal retinal vascular signs. Limitations of the existing studies, such as the absence of objective measures of physical activity, a lack of sedentary behaviour measures, the inclusion of only those with type 1 diabetes and a lack of longitudinal data, make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the strength of these associations.
Will Harmonizing Accounting Standards Really Harmonize Accounting? Evidence from Non-U.S. Firms Adopting U.S. GAAP

International harmonization of accounting standards appears to be inevitable. However, little evidence exists regarding whether harmonizing accounting standards will result in actual harmonization of accounting practices. Using a sample of non-U.S. firms that adopt U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to provide evidence on this issue, we find that most firms that adopt U.S. GAAP adjust their accounting methods to those required by U.S. GAAP. Properties of the firms' accounting numbers also change significantly after adopting U.S. GAAP, but they do not fully converge toward that of U.S. firms. In the cross-section, regulatory oversight is associated with more successful implementation of U.S. GAAP; firm-specific capital market incentives are not. These results suggest that harmonizing accounting standards may result in more comparable accounting methods and numbers, but that effective regulatory oversight will be important in reaching this outcome.
Product Market Effects of Real Estate Collateral

This paper exploits shocks to the value of real estate collateral to study how exogenous changes in firms' external financing capacity affect their competitive performance and industry dynamics. Firms with appreciating collateral tend to gain market share relative to their product market rivals. Shocks to collateral lead to less competitive product markets. The effects of collateral are stronger in markets where firms compete in strategic substitutes or face competitors with restricted access to external financing, and when real estate prices are instrumented with the interaction between housing supply constraints and mortgage rates. These results highlight the strategic importance of collateral.
Disclosure of Shariah compliance by Malaysian takaful companies

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the disclosure of Shariah compliance as reported by the Shariah Committee (SC) in the annual reports of takaful companies in Malaysia. Disclosure of Shariah compliance is important in enhancing and protecting the Islamic identity of takaful operators, thereby providing Muslims with an alternative insurance system. The paper also aims to discuss whether the advisory role constrains the SC members to improve disclosure which can boost consumers' confidence and companies' accountability. Both confidence and accountability on Shariah compliance would also help promote Malaysia as an Islamic financial centre.Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of the SCs' reports in the 2008/2009 annual reports of seven takaful operators in Malaysia were conducted and the findings discussed with three officers from Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia). Subsequent to the discussion, the findings were further clarified and confirmed with a former member of the SC throug.
Sex differences in the effect of social status on the growth of subordinates in a co‐operatively breeding cichlid

Social influences on the growth of the co-operatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher were studied by examining the size structure of existing laboratory groups and the responses of males and females to removals of higher-ranked fish, which created larger size differences with more dominant fish. The size differences between adjacently ranked group members were predicted to differ from expected based on random size distributions of group members. Both males and females were predicted to respond to removals by increasing growth rate. In previously established groups, the size difference between dominant and highest-ranked subordinate males was greater than expected based on random group-assembly rules. The size difference between dominant and subordinate females did not differ from the null expectation. Third-ranked subordinate males increased their growth rate upon moving up one place in the dominance hierarchy (after the removal of higher-ranking fish) relative to fish that did not change rank. Contrary to predictions, however, females did not increase growth upon increasing rank.
Uses and Gratification Theory – Why Adolescents Use Facebook?

Due to a dynamic development of the Web 2.0 and new trends in the social media field that change on a daily basis, contemporary media research is shifting its focus to a greater extent on media users, their motivation and behavior in using social network sites in order to explain the extreme popularity of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other similar SNSs and mobile chat applications among the young. In this paper we wanted to explore the benefits of Facebook use among adolescents as well as which of their needs are gratified thereat. As the theoretical background we used the uses and gratification theory due to its user oriented approach. Furthermore, we wanted to test whether the uses and gratification concept is adequate for analyzing the motivation and behavior of SNSs users as suggested by some previous research. The survey comprising 431 adolescent Facebook users was conducted from October to December 2013 in the City of Zagreb. The results have shown that most adolescents use Facebook for socializing and communicating with their friends, discussing school activities, setting up meetings and dates with friends as well as
Automatic Online Motor Control Is Intact in Parkinson’s Disease With and Without Perceptual Awareness

Abstract In the double-step paradigm, healthy human participants automatically correct reaching movements when targets are displaced. Motor deficits are prominent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. In the lone investigation of online motor correction in PD using the double-step task, a recent study found that PD patients performed unconscious adjustments appropriately but seemed impaired for consciously-perceived modifications. Conscious perception of target movement was achieved by linking displacement to movement onset. PD-related bradykinesia disproportionately prolonged preparatory phases for movements to original target locations for patients, potentially accounting for deficits. Eliminating this confound in a double-step task, we evaluated the effect of conscious awareness of trajectory change on online motor corrections in PD. On and off dopaminergic therapy, PD patients (n = 14) and healthy controls (n = 14) reached to peripheral visual targets that remained stationary or unexpectedly moved during an initial saccade. Saccade latencies in PD are comparable to controls’. Hence, target displacements occurred at equal times across groups. Target jump size affected conscious awareness, confirmed in an independent target displacement judgment task. Small jumps were subliminal, but large target displacements were consciously perceived. Contrary to the previous result, PD patients performed online motor corrections normally and automatically, irrespective of conscious perception. Patients evidenced equivalent movement durations for jump and stay trials, and trajectories for patients and controls were identical, irrespective of conscious perception. Dopaminergic therapy had no effect on performance. In summary, online motor control is intact in PD, unaffected by conscious perceptual awareness. The basal ganglia are not implicated in online corrective responses.
A Theory of Collective Reputations (with applications to the persistence of corruption and to firm quality)

The paper is a first attempt at modelling the idea of group reputation as an aggregate of individual reputations. A member's current incentives are affected by his past behaviour and, because his track record is observed only with noise, by the group's past behaviour as well. The paper thus studies the joint dynamics of individual and collective reputations and derives the existence of stereotypes from history dependence rather than from a multiplicity of equilibria or from the existence of a common trait as is usually done in the literature. It shows that new members of an organization may suffer from an original sin of their elders long after the latter are gone, and it derives necessary and sufficient conditions under which group reputations can be rebuilt. Last, the paper applies the theory to analyse when a large firm can maintain a reputation for quality.