Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organizational Structure and Performance in European Banks: A Reassessment

Abstract This paper studies the impact of ownership structure on performance in European banking both prior and during the recent crisis. We use a panel of European banks during the period 1996–2011 and utilize random effects estimations in order to identify differences in bank performance (profitability, loan quality, and cost efficiency) due to differences in ownership structure. Both stakeholder and shareholder banks have distinct advantages, shareholder banks showing better profitability before the crisis but stakeholder banks having higher loan quality before and during the crisis. Differences in profitability and loan quality between stakeholder and shareholder banks before the crisis are especially pronounced in countries that experienced a banking crisis after 2007. There is strong a heterogeneity in performance between different stakeholder ownership groups. With the exception of private savings banks, profitability and loan quality of stakeholder banks has improved relative to that of general shareholder banks during the crisis years. The paper contributes to the previous literature by comparing pre-crisis and crisis performance and includes more refined ownership classifications. The results indicate that the survival of the stakeholder model is due to its competitive advantages. Our findings provide support for those arguing that the diversity of organizational structures is worth preserving. Ownership pluralism should become a policy objective in the banking industry.
A composite score of protein-energy nutritional status predicts mortality in haemodialysis patients no better than its individual components.

BACKGROUND Protein-energy wasting is tightly associated with mortality in haemodialysis patients. An expert panel of the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM) has published a consensus on the parameters that define protein-energy nutritional status and posed the question, 'which scoring system most effectively predicts outcome? ' The aim of our study was therefore to develop a composite score of protein-energy nutritional status (cPENS) and to assess its prediction of all-cause mortality. METHODS We used the data of 560 haemodialysis patients participating in the CONvective TRAnsport STudy (CONTRAST). All participants were followed for occurrence of death. Internationally recommended nutritional targets were used as components of the cPENS, including the subjective global assessment (target score ≥ 6), albumin (≥ 4.0 g/dL), normalized protein nitrogen appearance (≥ 0.8 g/kg/day), cholesterol (≥ 100 mg/dL), creatinine (≥ 10 mg/dL) and BMI (> 23 kg/m(2)). A Cox regression model was used to analyse the relation between different cPENS variants and mortality. RESULTS The median follow-up time was 1.4 years (max 4.2). One hundred and five patients (19%) died. A cPENS variant based on albumin, BMI, creatinine and the nPNA yielded the strongest relation with mortality (hazard ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.54-0.74, P < 0.001), after adjustments for confounders. Some of the individual parameters of the cPENS, notably albumin and creatinine, were related to mortality with similar strength and magnitude. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, albumin reflects mortality risk similarly to multiple nutritional parameters combined. This questions the clinical value of the proposed diagnostic criteria for protein-energy wasting.
The 2008-09 Crisis in Turkey

Turkey is recovering from its most severe recession in several decades. The massive contraction in GDP is largely explained by the unprecedented collapse in foreign demand, which was aggravated in Turkey by negative confidence effects and structural problems with competitiveness prior to the crisis. In contrast to previous recessions, Turkey could afford counter–cyclical polices and the financial markets proved resilient. During the crisis, the authorities cut interest rates significantly and promptly and implemented fiscal stimulus. This truly novel experience was possible thanks to a better macroeconomic position, a sounder monetary and fiscal policy framework, and better financial market regulations. The immediate policy challenge is to gradually remove policy stimulus and address medium–term stability considerations in a way that does not jeopardise the recovery. This paper relates to the 2010 OECD Economic Review of Turkey (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/turkey).
Neural Suppression of Irrelevant Information Underlies Optimal Working Memory Performance

Our ability to focus attention on task-relevant information and ignore distractions is reflected by differential enhancement and suppression of neural activity in sensory cortex (i.e., top-down modulation). Such selective, goal-directed modulation of activity may be intimately related to memory, such that the focus of attention biases the likelihood of successfully maintaining relevant information by limiting interference from irrelevant stimuli. Despite recent studies elucidating the mechanistic overlap between attention and memory, the relationship between top-down modulation of visual processing during working memory (WM) encoding, and subsequent recognition performance has not yet been established. Here, we provide neurophysiological evidence in healthy, young adults that top-down modulation of early visual processing (< 200 ms from stimulus onset) is intimately related to subsequent WM performance, such that the likelihood of successfully remembering relevant information is associated with limiting interference from irrelevant stimuli. The consequences of a failure to ignore distractors on recognition performance was replicated for two types of feature-based memory, motion direction and color. Moreover, attention to irrelevant stimuli was reflected neurally during the WM maintenance period as an increased memory load. These results suggest that neural enhancement of relevant information is not the primary determinant of high-level performance, but rather optimal WM performance is dependent on effectively filtering irrelevant information through neural suppression to prevent overloading a limited memory capacity.
Gambling Severity Predicts Midbrain Response to Near-Miss Outcomes

Gambling is a common recreational activity that becomes dysfunctional in a subset of individuals, with DSM “pathological gambling” regarded as the most severe form. During gambling, players experience a range of cognitive distortions that promote an overestimation of the chances of winning. Near-miss outcomes are thought to fuel these distortions. We observed previously that near misses recruited overlapping circuitry to monetary wins in a study in healthy volunteers (Clark et al., 2009). The present study sought to extend these observations in regular gamblers and relate brain responses to an index of gambling severity. Twenty regular gamblers, who varied in their involvement from recreational playing to probable pathological gambling, were scanned while performing a simplified slot machine task that delivered occasional monetary wins, as well as near-miss and full-miss nonwin outcomes. In the overall group, near-miss outcomes were associated with a significant response in the ventral striatum, which was also recruited by monetary wins. Gambling severity, measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen, predicted a greater response in the dopaminergic midbrain to near-miss outcomes. This effect survived controlling for clinical comorbidities that were present in the regular gamblers. Gambling severity did not predict win-related responses in the midbrain or elsewhere. These results demonstrate that near-miss events during gambling recruit reward-related brain circuitry in regular players. An association with gambling severity in the midbrain suggests that near-miss outcomes may enhance dopamine transmission in disordered gambling, which extends neurobiological similarities between pathological gambling and drug addiction.
Discovery of a Ringlike Dark Matter Structure in the Core of the Galaxy Cluster Cl 0024+17

We present a comprehensive mass reconstruction of the rich galaxy cluster Cl 0024+17 at z ≃ 0.4 from ACS data, unifying both strong- and weak-lensing constraints. The weak-lensing signal from a dense distribution of background galaxies (~120 arcmin-2) across the cluster enables the derivation of a high-resolution parameter-free mass map. The strongly lensed objects tightly constrain the mass structure of the cluster inner region on an absolute scale, breaking the mass-sheet degeneracy. The mass reconstruction of Cl 0024+17 obtained in such a way is remarkable. It reveals a ringlike dark matter substructure at r ~ 75′′ surrounding a soft, dense core at r ≲ 50′′. We interpret this peculiar substructure as the result of a high-speed line-of-sight collision of two massive clusters ~1-2 Gyr ago. Such an event is also indicated by the cluster velocity distribution. Our numerical simulation with purely collisionless particles demonstrates that such density ripples can arise by radially expanding, decelerating particles that originally comprised the precollision cores. Cl 0024+17 can be likened to the bullet cluster 1E 0657-56, but viewed along the collision axis at a much later epoch. In addition, we show that the long-standing mass discrepancy for Cl 0024+17 between X-ray and lensing can be resolved by treating the cluster X-ray emission as coming from a superposition of two X-ray systems. The cluster's unusual X-ray surface brightness profile that requires a two isothermal sphere description supports this hypothesis.
Leaderless mRNAs Bind 70S Ribosomes More Strongly than 30S Ribosomal Subunits in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT By primer extension inhibition assays, 70S ribosomes bound with higher affinity, or stability, than did 30S subunits to leaderless mRNAs containing AUG or GUG start codons. Addition of translation initiation factors affected ribosome binding to leaderless mRNAs. Our results suggest that translation of leaderless mRNAs might initiate through a pathway involving 70S ribosomes or 30S subunits lacking IF3.
Human Factors Studies of Database Query Languages: A Survey and Assessment

Empirical studies have been undertaken to measure the ease-of-use of a query language, compare two or more such languages for ease-of-use, study controversial issues in query language design, and provide feedback to designers for improving a language. Some primitive at tempts at constructing abstract models related to query languages also exist. This paper discusses some of the techniques that have been used and results obtained. A primary goal is to show the reader unfamiliar with behavioral research what the results do and do not mean.
Abstract: The Effect of Limited Information and Estimation Risk on Optimal Portfolio Diversification

This paper analyzes the effect of limited information and estimation risk on optimal portfolio choice when the joint probability distribution of security returns is multivariate normal and the underlying parameters (means and variance-covariance matrix) are unknown. We first consider the case of limited, but sufficient information (the number of observations per security exceeds the number of securities or the prior distribution of the underlying parameters is “sufficiently” informative). We show that for a general family of conjugate priors, the admissible set of portfolios, taking estimation risk into account, may be obtained by the traditional mean-variance analysis. As a result of estimation risk the optimal portfolio choice differs from that obtained by traditional analysis.
Business Cycle Models with Endogenous Technology

This paper compares real and monetary business cycle models with and without endogenous technical change. If technology is endogenous, the properties of these models change significantly. In particular, both real and monetary models yield very similar output processes if growth is endogenous, and changes in aggregate demand can result in permanent changes in productivity, employment, and output. The effect of depreciation of technology is examined, and the pattern of real wage movements over the cycle when money wages are fixed, but technology is changing, is briefly considered. Copyright 1990 by American Economic Association.
Encephalitis and AMPA receptor antibodies

Objective: We report the clinical features, comorbidities, and outcome of 22 newly identified patients with antibodies to the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR). Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients diagnosed between May 2009 and March 2014. Immunologic techniques have been reported previously. Results: Patients' median age was 62 years (range 23–81; 14 female). Four syndromes were identified: 12 (55%) patients presented with distinctive limbic encephalitis (LE), 8 (36%) with limbic dysfunction along with multifocal/diffuse encephalopathy, one with LE preceded by motor deficits, and one with psychosis with bipolar features. Fourteen patients (64%) had a tumor demonstrated pathologically (5 lung, 4 thymoma, 2 breast, 2 ovarian teratoma) or radiologically (1 lung). Additional antibodies occurred in 7 patients (3 onconeuronal, 1 tumor-related, 2 cell surface, and 1 tumor-related and cell surface), all with neurologic symptoms or tumor reflecting the concurrent autoimmunity. Treatment and outcome were available from 21 patients (median follow-up 72 weeks, range 5–266): 5 had good response to immunotherapy and tumor therapy, 10 partial response, and 6 did not improve. Eventually 5 patients died; all had a tumor or additional paraneoplastic symptoms related to onconeuronal antibodies. Coexistence of onconeuronal antibodies predicted a poor outcome (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Anti-AMPAR encephalitis usually manifests as LE, can present with other symptoms or psychosis, and is paraneoplastic in 64% of cases. Complete and impressive neurologic improvement can occur, but most patients have partial recovery. Screening for a tumor and onconeuronal antibodies is important because their detection influences outcome.
What Is the Value of Terroir

We examine the value of terroir--the set of special characteristics of a location that impart unique qualities to the wine produced. We conduct a hedonic analysis of vineyard sales in the Willamette Valley of Oregon to ascertain whether site attributes--such as slope, aspect, elevation, and soil types—or designated appellations are more important determinants of price. We find that prices are strongly determined by appellation designations, but not by specific site attributes. These results indicate that the concept of terroir matters economically, but that the reality of terroir--as proxied by locational attributes--is not significant.
A METHOD FOR INDICATING ECONOMIC TRANSITION WITH AN APPLICATION TO ALBANIA

We offer a method for assessing the progress of transition economies towards becoming market economies. A simple macroeconomic model is used which incorporates certain microeconomic features relevant to a transition economy that is introducing market-driven resource allocation. According to our model, mean reversion in the real exchange rate suggests that early economic reforms from 1992 to 1996 in Albania were promoting economic transition. Our findings for this period are supportive of the analysis of others including the IMF.
REVISITING THE LANGUAGE-WAGE RELATIONSHIP: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW IMMIGRANT SURVEY

The language-wage relationship has been extensively studied. Empirical evidence concludes that English ability has a positive, statistically significant correlation with wages, but endogeneity present in immigration data prevents many from making that causal link. Using the New Immigrant Survey, a survey focusing only on new lawful permanent residents, this analysis finds this same relationship between English language ability and wages as well as the importance of education and experience among different groups of immigrants. In addition, ordinary least squares, two-stage least squares and multiple imputation were utilized to reduce measurement error and random variation present among covariates, the dependent variable and the self-reported variable of interest. Despite the presence of endogeneity and unobservable characteristics, policymakers have created legislation allowing employers to require English as a requirement for obtaining work. As the analysis shows, though there is a strong link between English language ability and wages, focusing primarily on English as a determinant of labor market success may be to the detriment of the United States labor market. The countless unobservable characteristics present still obfuscate the true relationship between wages and English language ability. In the end, controlling for observable characteristics and utilizing instruments still leaves us unable to establish this causal link, but brings up one step closer to possible finding the true determinant of labor market success of immigrants in the United States. iv The research and writing of this thesis is dedicated to everyone who helped along the way, emotionally and professionally. This thesis would not have occurred with out you all. Many thanks, Erica H. Ogoe
Employer Associations in the Contemporary Employment Relations Landscape: Where to Now?

The increasing acceptance of enterprise bargaining by both employers and trade unions in Australia calls into question not only the ongoing role of industrial tribunals, but also that of employer associations and their traditional role in the collective representation of individual employers in both award-making and in matters arising out of awards. This article reports on the findings of three surveys of approximately twenty employer associations based in Sydney. The associations represent a cross section of both large and semi-autonomous industry associations and umbrella associations. All have had a major ongoing industrial relations role. The surveys, conducted over a five year period, ascertained changes in the industrial and other activities of the associations, their attitudes and responses to the development of enterprise bargaining, and their assessment of the future role of employer bodies. Comparisons are drawn between the findings of the surveys. Two follow up case studies of employer associations are then used to further examine the potential role for employer associations in industries with a large proportion of small businesses.
The asymmetric relationship between corporate environmental responsibility and earnings management: Evidence from the United States

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between earnings management (EM) and subsamples of corporate environmental responsibility (CER). Design/methodology/approach - KLD data are used to generate subsamples of environmental “strengths” and “concerns”. Differences in EM are studied across subsamples, using discretionary accruals to proxy for EM. The samples consist of 2,171 US firms. Findings - Firms with at least one environmental strength do not exhibit statistically different levels of EM, relative to environmentally neutral firms, while firms with at least one environmental concern do exhibit statistically greater EM (greater income-increasing discretionary accruals), relative to other sample firms. Further, firms with multiple environmental concerns exhibit greater EM than firms with a single environmental concern. These findings do not support the political cost hypothesis per the CER/EM literature, but they do support the institutional hypothesis (in the case of environmental strengths) and myopia avoidance hypothesis (in the case of environmental concerns) per the broader corporate social responsibility (CSR)/EM literature. Research limitations/implications - The findings are limited to US firms; results may not be transferable to other countries. KLD data are binary, and thus may not capture the full array of CER. Practical implications - The findings may aid interested parties in detecting EM. Originality/value - The paper provides a new testing environment for theoretical frameworks established in the CER/EM and CSR/EM literatures. Additionally, the findings differ across subsamples, suggesting that the relationship between CER and EM is asymmetric.
Automatic Neutral Face Detection Using Location and Shape Features

This paper describes an automatic system to find neutral faces in images for facial expression analysis, face recognition and other applications. The system is based on an existing face detection and facial feature extraction system. Using these features, a window is placed in the detected region and normalized. In that fashion, zones in this window correspond to facial regions that are loosely invariant from subject to subject. Within these zones, shape features in the form of histograms and ellipses are extracted. These features, in addition to more global distance measures, are input to a classifier to arrive at a neutral/ non-neutral decision. The system has achieved an average detection rate of 97.2%. Tests on an independent image database achieved an average classification rate of 95.3%, giving some indication of the robustness of the system.
Evidence for a Novel Mechanism of Antimicrobial Action of a Cyclic R-,W-Rich Hexapeptide

The development of antimicrobial peptides as new class of antibiotic agents requires structural characterisation and understanding of their diverse mechanisms of action. As the cyclic hexapeptide cWFW (cyclo(RRRWFW)) does not exert its rapid cell killing activity by membrane permeabilisation, in this study we investigated alternative mechanisms of action, such as peptide translocation into the cytoplasm and peptide interaction with components of the phospholipid matrix of the bacterial membrane. Using fluorescence microscopy and an HPLC-based strategy to analyse peptide uptake into the cells we could confirm the cytoplasmic membrane as the major peptide target. However, unexpectedly we observed accumulation of cWFW at distinct sites of the membrane. Further characterisation of peptide-membrane interaction involved live cell imaging to visualise the distribution of the lipid cardiolipin (CL) and isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the binding affinity to model membranes with different bacterial lipid compositions. Our results demonstrate a distribution of the cyclic peptide similar to that of cardiolipin within the membrane and highly preferred affinity of cWFW for CL-rich phosphatidylethanolamine (POPE) matrices. These observations point to a novel mechanism of antimicrobial killing for the cyclic hexapeptide cWFW which is neither based on membrane permeabilisation nor translocation into the cytoplasm but rather on preferred partitioning into particular lipid domains. As the phospholipids POPE/CL play a key role in the dynamic organisation of bacterial membranes we discuss the consequences of this peptide-lipid-interaction and outline the impact on antimicrobial peptide research.
Some Results on Normal Homogeneous Ideals

Abstract In this article we investigate when a homogeneous ideal in a graded ring is normal, that is, when all positive powers of the ideal are integrally closed. We are particularly interested in homogeneous ideals in an ℕ-graded ring Aof the form A ≥m ≔ ⊕ℓ≥m A ℓand monomial ideals in a polynomial ring over a field. For ideals of the form A ≥m we generalize a recent result of Faridi. We prove that a monomial ideal in a polynomial ring in nindeterminates over a field is normal if and only if the first n − 1 positive powers of the ideal are integrally closed. We then specialize to the case of ideals of the form I( λ ) ≔ , where J( λ ) = ( ,…, ) ⊆ K[x 1,…, x n ]. To state our main result in this setting, we let ℓ = lcm(λ1,…, ,…λ n ), for 1 ≤ i ≤ n, and set λ ′ = (λ1,…, λ i−1, λ i + ℓ, λ i+1,…, λ n ). We prove that if I( λ ′) is normal then I( λ ) is normal and that the converse holds with a small additional assumption.