Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the contribution of unconscious processes to recognition memory

Abstract Voss et al. review work showing unconscious contributions to recognition memory. An electrophysiological effect, the N300, appears to signify an unconscious recognition process. Whether such unconscious recognition requires highly specific experimental circumstances or can occur in typical types of recognition testing situations has remained a question. The fact that the N300 has also been shown to be the sole electrophysiological correlate of the recognition-without-identification effect that occurs with visual word fragments suggests that unconscious processes may contribute to a wider range of recognition testing situations than those originally investigated by Voss and colleagues. Some implications of this possibility are discussed.
Options et tendances dans le financement des universités en Europe

Options and Trends in the Funding of European Universities T he analysis contained in this article is based on empirical data for about 100 universities in eight European countries. The findings show that it is erroneous to speak of state withdrawal, widespread recourse to the private sector funding as a primary source (with the partial exception of the United Kingdom), or of an overall decrease in available resources. However, a trend can be noted toward a more market-based and competitive allocation of public resources. But most countries except for the UK seem to be seeking trade-offs that, while introducing competitive and selective elements, essentially preserve most of the continental model of higher education. The latter is characterized by an active state role in institutional management, largely free access to higher education and limited specialization of institutions as regards their mission (education vs. research) and their reputation (international vs. regional).
Tensile Bond Strength of So-called Universal Primers and Universal Multimode Adhesives to Zirconia and Lithium Disilicate Ceramics.

PURPOSE To test the bond strength and durability after artificial aging of so-called universal primers and universal multimode adhesives to lithium disilicate or zirconia ceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 240 ceramic plates, divided into two groups, were produced and conditioned: 120 acid-etched lithium disilicate plates (IPS e.max CAD) and 120 air-abraded zirconia plates (Zenostar T). Each group was divided into five subgroups (n = 24), and a universal restorative primer or multimode universal adhesive was used for each subgroup to bond plexiglas tubes filled with a composite resin to the ceramic plate. The specimens were stored in water at 37°C for 3 days without thermal cycling, or for 30 or 150 days with 7500 or 37,500 thermal cycles between 5°C and 55°C, respectively. All specimens then underwent tensile bond strength testing. RESULTS Initially, all bonding systems exhibited high TBS, but some showed a significant reduction after 30 and 150 days of storage. After 3, 30, and 150 days, Monobond Plus, which contains silane and phosphate monomer, showed significantly higher bond strengths than the other universal primer and adhesive systems. CONCLUSIONS The bond strength to lithium disilicate and zirconia ceramic is significantly affected by the bonding system used. Using a separate primer containg silane and phosphate monomer provides more durable bonding than do silanes incorporated in universal multimode adhesives. Only one of five so-called universal primers and adhesives provided durable bonding to lithium disilicate and zirconia ceramic.
Compressibility of sodalite and scapolite

Equation-of-state parameters of sodalite (NaoAlrSi.O,rCl) and a meionitic scapolite (approximately CaoAluSiuOroCOr) have been calculated from pressure-volume data obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Linear compressibility of cubic sodalite is 6.4 x ll-a kbar-', corresponding to a bulk modulus of 0.52 + 0.08 Mbar (assuming K : 4). The pressure response of tetragonal scapolite is almost isotropic with compressibilities parallel and perpendicular to the c axis of3.5 x lO-a and 3.7 x l0-4 kbar-l, respectively; the bulk modulus is 0.90 + 0.12 Mbar. Sodalite and scapolite compress principally by deformation of the Al-Si tetrahedral framework coupled with Na-O and Ca-O bond compression, respectively. The greater compressibility of sodalite compared to scapolite is primarily a Coulombic effect, arising from the difference in bond strength of Na*-O versus Ca2*-O bonds.
Investor relations meetings: Evidence from the top 500 UK companies

Abstract Meetings with analysts and investors are an important part of the investor relations process. I develop a two‐dimensional dynamic model of investor relations and derive five research questions about investor relations with particular emphasis on investor relations meetings. To answer the questions I obtain data in 2002 from company managers using a questionnaire survey of top UK companies. Comparative data from 1991 is used to establish whether company‐ or market‐side change drivers have led to changes over time. A key research question seeks an explanation for the differences in level of IR activity between companies. I develop a cross‐sectional model and test the model using survey data. Key findings are that one‐to‐one meetings were ranked as the most important communication channel with analysts and investors both in 2002 and 1991. Companies were positive about their relationship with analysts and investors with similar perceptions to those held in 1991. An explanation of recent results, the creation of shareholder value and discussion of company strategy were rated as the most important issues discussed at IR meetings. The level of investor relations activity, as measured by the number of one‐to‐one meetings and audience size, had increased over the period. Agreater number of one‐to‐one meetings were held by companies with a higher number of institutional investors, greater analyst following, foreign listings, extreme market‐to‐book values and recently issued share capital. The size of the audience for investor relations meetings of all types was largely driven by company size and analyst following in respect of sell‐side analysts. The existence of foreign listings was the most important explanatory variable for the size of the audience of buy‐side analysts and fund managers.
Delay-Dependent Robust Stability Criteria for Two Classes of Uncertain Singular Time-Delay Systems

In this note, the delay-dependent robust stability criteria for two classes of singular time-delay systems with norm-bounded uncertainties are investigated. First, without using model transformation and bounding technique for cross terms, an improved delay-dependent stability criterion for the nominal singular time-delay system is established in terms of strict linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Then, based on this criterion, the delay-dependent robust stability criteria for two classes of uncertain singular time-delay systems are proposed, which ensure that the systems are regular, impulse free and asymptotically stable for all admissible uncertainties. Numerical examples are proposed to illustrate the less conservatism of the obtained results
A longitudinal study of online non-relationship intentions

In their eagerness to develop relationships with customers, some marketers often overlook the fact that not all consumers may be interested in maintaining a relationship with the firm. In this research, the authors develop a theoretical model as to why many customers do not wish to maintain a relationship with e-businesses and test the model over time. The results show that consumer-relationship value perceptions affect non-relationship intentions. Moreover, even though non-relationship intentions in a certain time period do not directly affect non-relationship intentions in the immediate future time period, promotion events may play a mediating role in this relationship.
Information Disclosure and Stock Liquidity: Evidence from Borsa Italiana

This article examines the effect of increased corporate information disclosure on stock liquidity. Using the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Italy as a natural experiment we extend previous work examining the effect on one measure of liquidity - bid‐ask spreads - to others, specifically depth and the price impact of transactions (or effective bid‐ask spreads). Consistent with previous research we find that bid‐ask spreads of stocks decline following the introduction of IFRS, which implies that stock liquidity increases for small traders. However, we also provide evidence that depth at the best quotes declines, which challenges the proposition that liquidity increases for large trades following an increase in disclosure. In additional tests, we find that effective bid‐ask spreads of block trades also decline following the introduction of IFRS. Overall, this evidence confirms that stock liquidity for both small and large trades increases following an increase in corporate information disclosure.
The challenge of low physical activity during the school day: at recess, lunch and in physical education

Purpose To describe physical activity (PA) intensity across a school day and assess the percentage of girls and boys achieving recommended guidelines. Methods The authors measured PA via accelerometry in 380 children (8–11 years) and examined data representing (1) the whole school day, (2) regular class time, (3) recess, (4) lunch and (5) scheduled physical education (PE). Activity was categorised as sedentary (SED), light physical activity (LPA) or moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using age-specific thresholds. They examined sex differences across PA intensities during each time period and compliance with recommended guidelines. Results Girls accumulated less MVPA and more SED than boys throughout the school day (MVPA −10.6 min; SED +13.9 min) recess (MVPA −1.6 min; SED +1.7 min) and lunch (MVPA −3.1 min; SED +2.9 min). Girls accumulated less MVPA (−6.2 min), less LPA (−2.5 min) and more SED (+9.4 min) than boys during regular class time. Fewer girls than boys achieved PA guidelines during school (90.9% vs 96.2%), recess (15.7% vs 34.1%) and lunch (16.7% vs 37.4%). During PE, only 1.8% of girls and 2.9% of boys achieved the PA guidelines. Girls and boys accumulated similar amounts of MVPA, LPA and SED. Conclusion The MVPA deficit in girls was due to their sedentary behaviour as opposed to LPA. Physical activity strategies that target girls are essential to overcome this deficit. Only a very small percentage of children met physical activity guidelines during PE. There is a great need for additional training and emphasis on PA during PE. In addition schools should complement PE with PA models that increase PA opportunities across the school day.
Brickmaking and the Collinear Arts: A Cautionary Tale

In their model of induced unemployment and unemployment insurance benefits Grubel, Maki, and Sax (1975) break the collinearity between two subsets of regressors by replacing one subset with the residuals from the regression of that subset on the other. This note works out the statistical implications of this orthogonalization procedure in the general linear model. It is shown that a subset of estimators is always biased and inconsistent and that conventional inference is thereby invalidated. Furthermore, we demonstrate that orthogonalization can actually worsen collinearity if measured by its effect on estimated variances. The implications of these results for the model simplification procedure used recently in Baba, Hendry, and Starr (1992) are also discussed.
Somatostatin Levels in Plasma in Nonsmoking and Smoking Breast‐Feeding Women

ABSTRACT. The objective of the study was to record how somatostatin levels in plasma are altered in response to breast‐feeding during the lactation period and to relate somatostatin levels to the success of the lactational performance and to smoking habits. Fifty‐two women were investigated 4 days post partum and 3‐4 months later. Blood samples were collected and the levels of somatostatin‐like immunoreactivity (below referred to as SLI) were measured with radioimmunoassay. The periods of exclusive breast‐feeding and of mixed feeding were assessed as well as the milk yield. Smoking habits were noted. SLI levels were found to be significantly lower on day 4 after delivery, compared to 3‐4 months later. Also the type of response to breast‐feeding was different. Thus, a significant fall of SLI was seen during breast‐feeding at the maternity unit, but not 3–4 months later. Smoking women breast‐fed fully for a significantly shorter time than nonsmokers and had significantly higher SLI levels at onset of breast‐feeding day 4 post partum. Whether the high somatostatin levels recorded in connection with breast‐feeding in smokers are related to the shorter period of breast‐feeding seen in this group remains to be established. In addition, the highest levels of somatostatin were seen the day after the very last breast‐feeding and a possible role for somatostatin in the weaning process should be explored.
The Theory of Incentives: The Principal-Agent Model

Economics has much to do with incentives--not least, incentives to work hard, to produce quality products, to study, to invest, and to save. Although Adam Smith amply confirmed this more than two hundred years ago in his analysis of sharecropping contracts, only in recent decades has a theory begun to emerge to place the topic at the heart of economic thinking. In this book, Jean-Jacques Laffont and David Martimort present the most thorough yet accessible introduction to incentives theory to date. Central to this theory is a simple question as pivotal to modern-day management as it is to economics research: What makes people act in a particular way in an economic or business situation? In seeking an answer, the authors provide the methodological tools to design institutions that can ensure good incentives for economic agents. This book focuses on the principal-agent model, the "simple" situation where a principal, or company, delegates a task to a single agent through a contract--the essence of management and contract theory. How does the owner or manager of a firm align the objectives of its various members to maximize profits? Following a brief historical overview showing how the problem of incentives has come to the fore in the past two centuries, the authors devote the bulk of their work to exploring principal-agent models and various extensions thereof in light of three types of information problems: adverse selection, moral hazard, and non-verifiability. Offering an unprecedented look at a subject vital to industrial organization, labor economics, and behavioral economics, this book is set to become the definitive resource for students, researchers, and others who might find themselves pondering what contracts, and the incentives they embody, are really all about.
Long-term changes in childhood malnutrition are associated with long-term changes in maternal BMI: evidence from Bangladesh, 1996-2011.

BACKGROUND Nutritional transition (from under- to overnutrition) among women of reproductive age (15-49 y) is becoming increasingly common in many developing countries, including Bangladesh. However, the influence of this transition on the nutritional status of children <5 y of age (U5s) is unknown. OBJECTIVES The aim was to determine whether a nutritional transition has taken place in the past 15 y (1996-2011) among U5s and their mothers in Bangladesh and to examine how the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and malnutrition in U5s has changed over time. DESIGN We analyzed data assembled from 5 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1996 and 2011 in Bangladesh to describe the nutritional status of 28,941 U5s and their mothers. A Poisson regression model was used to examine the associations between maternal BMI and stunting, underweight, and wasting in U5s over time. RESULTS A nutritional transition among mothers of U5s was observed between 1996 and 2011. The height- or length-for-age and weight-for-age z score distributions of U5s showed consistent improvement; however, there was no indication of a nutritional transition. An interaction was found between maternal BMI categorized as underweight [BMI (kg/m2) <18.5], healthy BMI (BMI: 18.5-24.9), and overweight or obese (BMI ≥25) and year of survey on the risks of stunting and underweight in children. In 1996, children of underweight mothers had a 5% higher risk of being stunted than those born to healthy-BMI mothers (RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.10); in 2011, children of underweight mothers had a 21% higher risk of being stunted (RR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.30). Maternal overweight or obesity was associated with a reduced risk of malnutrition in children. CONCLUSIONS A nutritional transition among U5s has yet to occur in Bangladesh. However, our results indicate that improvement in maternal BMI in the past 15 y was accompanied by a reduction in malnutrition in U5s.
Liquidity, Volume and Dividend Yields in Stock Return Data: Evidence from London Stock Exchange

This paper investigates monthly liquidity in FTSE 100 equity index in London Stock Exchange over the period 1986 to 2005. The relationship between excess returns, order flow, dividend yields and earning-price ratio was examined using GARCH(1,1). The variables found insignificant, but the unexpected shocks were significant. This research also examined financial crises in October 1987 and in August 1998 as dummy variables in excess returns. These dummies found to have great impact in excess returns and seemed to be very significant. The results of our analysis appear to be in contrast with the existing literature.
Political Advocacy By Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organizations serve as a voice for their constituent publics in the political arena, even though advocacy practices remain outside their core mission. Some nonprofits embrace their advocacy roles and engage in these activities frequently, while others choose to avoid these activities altogether. What organizational capacities enable nonprofits to pursue an advocacy agenda? Drawing on theoretical perspectives in organizational behavior, public management, and political science, we propose a strategic management explanation of nonprofit advocacy. Using survey data from nonprofit organizations in Michigan, we test an empirical model in which factors of organizational learning, structure, resource dependence, and resource competitiveness contribute to nonprofits' advocacy activities. Findings suggest that experience with collaborative networking, productive exchange relations with funding principals, representation of lobbying skills at the managerial level, dependence on government resources, and competition in the resource environment all shape nonprofits' advocacy practices in important ways. These findings have important implications for both theory and practice of nonprofit management.
Wales Says Yes: Devolution and the 2011 Welsh Referendum

Chapter One: The Road to the Referendum Chapter Two: The Unlikely Survival of the Platypus: Constitution Building in Wales Chapter Three: The Evolution of Public Attitudes Chapter Four: From Coalition Agreement to Polling Day Chapter Five: The Referendum Result Chapter Six: The People's Choice: Explaining Voting in the Referendum Chapter Seven: The Implications
Public Support for National Health Insurance: The Roles of Attitudes and Beliefs

The U.S. is the only developed country without some form of national health insurance. Yet, public opinion polls have consistently reported solid majorities in favor of such a system. In this paper, we examine whether attitudes toward different roles of government and beliefs that may be related to those attitudes are consistent with widespread support for national health insurance. Our analysis is based on the premise that a system of national health insurance would require government redistribution and government intervention in health care markets. We find that people who have favorable attitudes toward government economic intervention are 27 percentage points more likely and those with favorable attitudes toward government economic intervention are 18 percentage points more likely to favor national health insurance than those with unfavorable attitudes. The most intense support for national health insurance, strongly favoring as opposed favoring it, is among people with favorable attitudes toward both roles of government. Consistent with research from other social programs, we find that the beliefs regarding racial minorities, as well as beliefs regarding individual control over life, limit support for national health insurance in the U.S. On the other hand, negative beliefs regarding businesses are an important source of support for national health insurance. We conclude that significant changes in either attitudes and beliefs or their relationship with support for national health insurance are probably necessary to create a strong majority in support of such legislation.
Determinants of vacation travel among Israeli seniors: theory and evidence

This study investigates determinants of vacation travel among seniors. A consumer choice model is developed that incorporates effects of retirement and health on available leisure time, and effects of age and education on disposable income. The empirical implications of the model depend on leisure and income patterns, that in turn determine if time and budget constraints are binding. The model is illustrated using data collected from Israeli seniors. Results confirm theoretical predictions regarding the changing effectiveness of constraints as seniors grow older.
A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Firm Performance in SMEs in Zambia

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility on firm performance using a longitudinal design in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The reported study was conducted in a Sub-Saharan African developing country, Zambia. Data were collected from 153 entrepreneurs in two surveys and changes in CSR and firm performance measures were analysed over a 12-month period using SmartPLS structural equation modelling. The findings show that the relationship between CSR and financial performance is significant. Further, the association between CSR and the two measures of firm performance (corporate reputation and employee commitment) was only partially significant over time. We discuss the relevance of these results for entrepreneurs, researchers and policy makers in understanding the outcomes of sustainability practices in SMEs in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Reforming the Financial Incentives of the Welfare System

This paper summarizes the findings from the Self Sufficiency Project: a large scale social experiment that is being conducted in Canada to evaluate the effect of high-powered financial incentives for full time work among former welfare recipients. The experimental results confirm the importance of financial incentives in the welfare participation and work decisions of low-income single mothers. Enhanced incentives induce a significant fraction of welfare recipients to leave the program and enter work. They also have a relatively large anti-poverty effect. Moreover, when incentives are offered to relatively short-term recipients, they can actually save the government money.