Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SMALL OPEN ECONOMY

The interest in empirical studies of monetary policy has increased in the last decade. The deregulation of financial markets and the increased use of explicit policy rules and targets have made monetary policy more transparent and interesting for economic analysis. This paper demonstrates how a VAR model with long run restrictions justified by economic theory can be usefully applied in analyses of issues central to monetary policy: the effects of innovations in interest rates and other shocks; the short and long run relationships between prices and nominal and real exchange rates; the properties of an index of monetary conditions; dynamic forecasts of inflation; and the relation between inflation and the output gap.
Audit Partner Rotation, Earnings Quality and Earnings Conservatism

We provide evidence of an association between audit partner rotation and the quality of earnings. It is a requirement for Australian firms that the engagement partner be identified by name in the annual report. Using a sample of 3,621 firm-years between 1998 and 2003, we show that audit partner changes most likely reflecting partner rotation (i.e., they are not due to a switch of audit firm) are associated with lower signed unexpected accruals, and that for Big 5 clients this relation is driven by smaller positive unexpected accruals following partner changes. This result is consistent with more conservative reporting following a rotation of audit partner, and this interpretation is further supported by evidence suggesting a significant increase in the asymmetrically timely recognition of economic losses when firms have a change of audit partner. Our tests also show that these effects occur predominantly among clients of Big 5 audit firms, and that any effect is concentrated in the latter part of our sample period, when partner rotation was a professional requirement. We therefore conclude that audit partner rotation is associated with incrementally greater conservatism in financial reporting, but only in circumstances where the ability of client firms to resist partner rotation is reduced by mandatory partner rotation requirements.
Revisiting a story of two countries in East Asia after Abenomics

This article provides empirical evidence of the relationship between currency depreciation and stock market return using Korean and Japanese nonfinancial firms’ data. Although the recent FX market circumstances have changed compared to Choi et al. (2010), we can still confirm the beggar-thy-neighbour using the extended sample period. Beggar country may change depending on the sample period, but Eichengreen and Sachs (1985) hypothesis can hold across the different macroeconomic circumstances. Currency depreciation is positively related to stock market return controlling for the firm-specific variables. The result shows that Japanese exporting firms would be advantageous due to the Japanese Yen (JPY) depreciation, and this situation is expected to continue under the Abenomics policy regime.
Review of Interventions to Reduce Stress Among Mothers of Infants in the NICU

Nearly half a million preterm infants are born each year in the United States. Preterm delivery has significant psychosocial implications for mothers, particularly when their baby spends time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The decrease in length of gestation causes mothers to have to parent prematurely, without the less time for emotional preparation than mothers of full-term infants. Parents of NICU infants experience stress related to feelings of helplessness, exclusion and alienation, and lack sufficient knowledge regarding parenting and interacting with their infants in the NICU. There are a number of interventions that nurses can do that help reduce the stress of mothers of infants in the NICU.
Hemodynamic consequences of spontaneous splenorenal shunts in deceased donor liver transplantation

The presence of large spontaneous splenorenal shunts (SSRSs) is a risk factor for poor portal vein flow and liver dysfunction. The disconnection of splenorenal shunts by left renal vein (LRV) ligation has been suggested as a potential solution for improving portal flow. We reviewed the hemodynamic consequences of splenorenal shunts in deceased donor liver transplantation and investigated the role of LRV ligation. In 10 patients who underwent liver transplantation at our institution between January 2006 and April 2010, an SSRS was diagnosed preoperatively. Intraoperative portal and hepatic artery flows were measured with a transit time flowmeter. The shunt was disconnected in 6 patients for whom the portal flow after reperfusion was less than or equal to 1200 mL/minute. LRV ligation resulted in significant increases in the portal flow. There were no differences in renal function for the patients who underwent renal vein ligation and the patients who did not undergo ligation. In conclusion, LRV ligation disconnects splenorenal shunts and modulates the portal inflow without any detrimental effects on renal function. Liver Transpl 17:891–895, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
How corruption affects economic growth in Nigeria

The World Bank (2010) asserts that corruption is the single greatest impediment to economic growth in third world countries. This paper investigated the impact of corruption on economic growth in Nigeria from 1986 to 2007. An endogenous economic growth model developed by Barro (1991) was modified and applied to the Nigerian case using a time series data on some critical variables in the Nigerian economy. The model was estimated using Engle and Granger's (1987) co-integration and error correction technique. Empirical findings partly overturn the view in the literature that corruption is a beneficial 'grease' that lubricates the engine of economic growth. Meaning, corruption decelerates economic growth in Nigeria. The paper recommends shortening of labyrinthine structure in general administration of government and quick dispensation of justice in order to stem corruption and promote economic growth in Nigeria.
Hot Market Issue Vs. Hot Political Issue: A Politically Induced Cycle in the Chinese IPO Market

It is evidenced that there is a cycle of hot and cold in Chinese IPO market. However, business cycle, information asymmetry and investor sentiment hypotheses provide no explanation to these cyclical fluctuations. With socialist law origin, the Chinese IPO market was strongly influenced by government intervention. This paper argues that policy manipulation is the primary reason for the cyclical fluctuations in Chinese IPO market. Results indicate that changes of IPO quotas from political hot seasons to cold seasons lead to the cycles of hot issue markets in China. It shows that an initial sharp decline in the volume of IPOs over 9 quarters directly after the National Congress of the Communist Party (CCP hereafter), followed by a relatively flat period in the next 4 quarters and a gradual increase in successive quarters where the volume of IPOs peaks in the quarter of National Congress of CCP. The paper also finds that the reason for central government officials manipulate economic policy is to cater to the local government officials, from whom the central government officials gain political support.
Topics in Multinational Banking and International Industrial Organization

The ongoing globalisation has not stopped short of the banking sector. From a political point of view wide voiced concerns about the effect of such banking globalisation have arisen. From a scientific perspective, one of the open points left for dicussion, is the question which factors shape banks' internationalisation strategies. Additionally, a large literature has recently started to discuss optimal entry modes into international markets in general. This thesis offers four chapters for insight on each of these topics. A case study on Bank Austria in Eastern Europe is presented, yielding insights on bank internationalisation strategies. One key finding is, that the optimal entry mode for banks seems to be closely tied to the banking segment (retail versus wholesale banking) the respective bank operates in. Additionally the thesis offers a theoretical chapter on the optimal entry mode of firms into foreign markets in a world of sequential entry. The primary result of the model is, that Greenfield Investment is an undervalued mode of entry, because it reduces the likelihood of further sequential entry. An open question on when banks follow their customers abroad is also discussed with the help of a theoretical model. I find that whether banks follow their customers abroad or not depends on the riskiness of respective customer loans, both from a customer cash flow point of view as well as a political risk of blocked repayment transfers by local governments abroad. A wide-voiced concern that smaller enterprises suffer in their ability to source finance from banks as the banking sector consolidates is finally discussed. Such a threat is indeed found in a theoretical analysis, as increased layers of hierarchy in consolidated institutions lead to a likely stop of loan provision to smaller companies within the bank, while due to the relationship-based lending nature of small firm bank finance, the likelihood that another bank acts as a new lender to the small firm set free is low.
Examining structure and process in ESOP firms

Purpose – To examine the role of three employee‐owner attributes (i.e. the level of employee influence in decision making, the amount of Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) information given to employee‐owners, and the extent to which the ESOP design provides employee‐owners with equity possession) in predicting variance in managerial perceptions of ESOP firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – Survey responses from management at 61 ESOP firms in the United States are analyzed. Based upon the ESOP literature, “ownership” is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of rights to influence, information, and equity. This framework is the foundation for several hypotheses linking ownership attributes and firm performance.Findings – Utilizing hierarchical regression analysis, we found that employee influence in operational decisions and information sharing with employee‐owners has a positive impact on managerial perceptions of firm performance. Equity possession appears to be only signif.
Research on Application of BP Neural Network Based on Genetic Algorithm in Multi-objective Optimization

Multi-objective optimization orientates from design, modeling and programming of complicate systems including industrial manufacture, budget, network communication and road layout. In this paper, the two aspects of artificial intelligence, genetic algorithm and artificial neural network were resolved by analyzing the shortcomings of BP neural network, the key technologies and algorithm of BP neural network is conducted, and an improved method is proposed. We try to combine the two technologies were combined and applied into the solving process of multi-objective optimization.
Converging evidence implicates the dopamine D3 receptor gene in vulnerability to schizophrenia

The dopamine D3 receptor has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). A glycine‐to‐serine polymorphism at codon 9 of the dopamine D3 receptor gene (DRD3), rs6280, has been widely studied for its association with SZ, but with conflicting results. Altered levels of DRD3 mRNA have also been reported in SZ compared with normal controls. Moreover, it has been suggested that DRD3 is subject to recent positive selection in European populations. To explore the potential role of DRD3 in SZ from these various aspects, we conducted a threefold study. First, we tested the genetic association of rs6280 with SZ in 685 SZ patients and 768 normal controls. Second, we examined DRD3 mRNA levels in peripheral leukocytes in a subset of 37 patients and 37 controls. Finally, we investigated the possible recent positive selection on DRD3 in an East Asian population. Consequently, we observed that the genotypic distribution of rs6280 was nominally associated with SZ (P = 0.045), with the ancestral CC genotype being significantly over‐represented in SZ patients. DRD3 mRNA levels were significantly lower in patients than in controls (P = 5.91E−5). The derived C‐allele of rs6280 might have been subject to recent positive selection (P < 0.001) in the East Asian population. Taken together, our results suggest that DRD3, a gene possibly under natural selection, might be involved in vulnerability to SZ in the Han Chinese population. These findings may further add to the body of data implicating DRD3 as a schizophrenia risk gene. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
THE POLITICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSES TO CONFLICTING INSTITUTIONAL DEMANDS

Organizational scholars are increasingly focusing on the phenomenon of conflicting institutional demands and their impact on organizations. Drawing on an inductive comparative case study of eight social integration enterprises in France, I explore the extent to which intraorganizational dynamics influence organizational responses to conflicting institutional demands. In line with the hypotheses developed by Pache and Santos (2010b), I confirm the relationship between the degree of internal representation by organizational leaders of the conflicting institutional demands and the corresponding strategic responses mobilized. I then extend the model by highlighting the positive consequences (in terms of resource mobilization), as well as the negative consequences (in terms of internal conflict) of the responses mobilized by organizations. In particular, I highlight the value and limitations of co-optation as a response strategy for dealing with competing institutional demands.
A Review of Studies of Ionizing Radiation-Induced Double-Strand Break Clustering

Abstract Prise, K. M. , Pinto, M. , Newman, H. C. and Michael, B. D. A Review of Studies of Ionizing Radiation-Induced Double-Strand Break Clustering. Radiat. Res. 156, 572–576 (2001). Underpinning current models of the mechanisms of the action of radiation is a central role for DNA damage and in particular double-strand breaks (DSBs). For radiations of different LET, there is a need to know the exact yields and distributions of DSBs in human cells. Most measurements of DSB yields within cells now rely on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as the technique of choice. Previous measurements of DSB yields have suggested that the yields are remarkably similar for different types of radiation with RBE values ≤1.0. More recent studies in mammalian cells, however, have suggested that both the yield and the spatial distribution of DSBs are influenced by radiation quality. RBE values for DSBs induced by high-LET radiations are greater than 1.0, and the distributions are nonrandom. Underlying this is the interaction of particle tracks with the higher-order chromosomal structures within cell nuclei. Further studies are needed to relate nonrandom distributions of DSBs to their rejoining kinetics. At the molecular level, we need to determine the involvement of clustering of damaged bases with strand breakage, and the relationship between higher-order clustering over sizes of kilobase pairs and above to localized clustering at the DNA level. Overall, these studies will allow us to elucidate whether the nonrandom distributions of breaks produced by high-LET particle tracks have any consequences for their repair and biological effectiveness.
Erratum: Noradrenergic control of error perseveration in medial prefrontal cortex

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a key role in behavioral variability, action monitoring, and inhibitory control. The functional role of mPFC may change over the lifespan due to a number of aging-related issues, including dendritic regression, increased cAMP signaling, and reductions in the efficacy of neuromodulators to influence mPFC processing. A key neurotransmitter in mPFC is norepinephrine. Previous studies have reported aging-related changes in the sensitivity of mPFC-dependent tasks to noradrenergic agonist drugs, such as guanfacine. Here, we assessed the effects of yohimbine, an alpha-2 noradrenergic antagonist, in cohorts of younger and older rats in a classic test of spatial working memory (using a T maze). Older rats (23-29 mo.) were impaired by a lower dose of yohimbine compared to younger animals (5-10 mo.). To determine if the drug acts on alpha-2 noradrenergic receptors in mPFC and if its effects are specific to memory-guided performance, we made infusions of yohimbine into mPFC of a cohort of young rats (6 mo.) using an operant delayed response task. The task involved testing rats in blocks of trials with memory- and stimulus-guided performance. Yohimbine selectively impaired memory-guided performance. Infusions of muscimol (a GABA-A agonist) at the same sites selectively impaired memory-guided performance, but did not lead to error perseveration. Based on these results, we propose several potential interpretations for the role for the noradrenergic system in the performance of delayed response tasks, including the encoding of previous response locations, task rules (i.e. using a win-stay strategy instead of a win-shift strategy), and performance monitoring (e.g. prospective encoding of outcomes).
Asymmetric Monetary Effects on Interest Rates across Monetary Policy Stances

This paper provides new evidence that the interest rates response to a money supply shock varies across the state of the monetary policy stance. The state is assigned to one of the tight, neutral, and loose regimes based on an estimated policy stance index. The results of threshold vector autoregression analysis imply that pure liquidity and expected inflation effects vary across regimes with agents' reactions to policy. The results exhibit a persistent, dominating liquidity effect under the neutral and loose regimes but a reversed liquidity effect after a short lag under the tight regime.
The Causes and Consequences of Adopting a Works Council

This paper reports on the results of a study on the determinants of the introduction of a works council and its consequences. We consider the effects of expectations concerning the economic conditions of a firm on the probability of adopting a works council. This is done, on the one hand, by use of employees' expectations on employment security and, on the other hand, by including forecasts of the management concerning employment growth and business conditions. Secondly, the effects of the introduction of works councils on wages and overtime working are investigated. Works councils are introduced when employees are concerned about job security. After the introduction of a works council the concerns about job security are less pronounced.
Polyarteritis nodosa, microscopic polyangiitis and Churg–Strauss syndrome

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), first described by Küssmaul and Maier, is a well-known form of necrotizing angiitis whose manifestations are weight loss, fever, asthenia, peripheral neuropathy, renal involvement, musculoskeletal and cutaneous manifestations, hypertension, gastrointestinal tract involvement, and cardiac failure. Recently individualized from PAN, microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a systemic vasculitis of small-size vessels whose clinical manifestations are very similar to those of PAN, but it is characterized by the presence of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN), which is nearly constant, and pulmonary involvement usually absent in PAN. Churg–Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a disorder characterized by hypereosinophilia and systemic vasculitis similar to that of PAN and occurring in individuals with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Considering the etiologies of PAN, primary and secondary vasculitides can also be distinguished because PAN can be the consequence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and sometimes of other etiologic agents. The prognosis of systemic vasculitides has been transformed by corticosteroids that are, except in HBV-related PAN, the basic treatment. Immunosuppressive drugs, especially cyclophophamide, have also contributed to improving the prognosis, but their precise role in the management of these vasculitides is still being elucidated.
On the heat partition properties of (Ti, Al)N compared with TiN coating in high-speed machining

Abstract Heat flow into the cutting tool is one of the critical factors in metal cutting which can influence tool wear mechanisms, tool performance, and quality of the machined part, especially in high-speed machining. An investigation was undertaken to determine the fraction of heat that flows into the cutting tool for high-speed machining with coated tools. The cutting tests were performed over a wide range of cutting speeds during which the cutting temperatures were measured experimentally using an infrared thermal imaging camera. The sticking and sliding regions were established from an examination of the tool—chip contact region using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. In the finite element model, a non-uniform heat flux was applied to match the experimental data. The heat partition results show that the use of coatings (Ti, Al)N may be more advantageous in high-speed machining than TiN coatings are.
The Deadline Effect in Bargaining: Some Experimental Evidence

This paper reports the distribution of agreements over time in four bargaining experiments. There is a striking concentration of agreements reached in the very last seconds before the deadline. This "deadline effect" appears to be quite robust, in that the distribution of agreements over time appears to be much less sensitive to the experimental manipulations than is the distribution of the terms of agreement. Each of these experiments also exhibited a substantial frequency of disagreement. Since last-minute agreements are widely believed to occur frequently in naturally occurring negotiations,' it may be helpful to
Line Coding for Downstream Modulation in a RSOA-Based Wavelength Re-Modulated WDM-PON

We propose and demonstrate a wavelength re-modulated WDM-PON implemented by reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers (RSOAs) using 4B/5B and 4B/6B line codes, which have higher coding efficiency than Manchester code, for downstream modulation. The experimental results show that 4B/5B and 4B/6B line codes allow using unsaturated RSOAs as upstream re-modulator, thus improving power budget compared with NRZ code.
Variation in taper surface roughness for a single design effects the wear rate in total hip arthroplasty

Material loss from the head‐stem taper junction of total hip arthroplasty (THA) is implicated in adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD); the mechanisms for this are multi‐factorial. We investigated the relationship between the roughness of the “as manufactured” taper surface and the wear rate from this junction. Fifty retrieved Pinnacle metal‐on‐metal (MOM) bearings paired with a Corail stem were included in the study. Multivariable statistical analysis was performed to determine the influence of taper roughness on material loss rate after controlling for other confounding surgical, implant, and patient factors. The surface roughness of the “as manufactured” head taper surface was associated with the rate of material loss from this surface. Four of eighteen roughness variables taken from ISO 4,287 and ISO 13,565‐2 were significant: The Reduced Peak Height (Rpk, the protruding peaks above the core) (p = 0.004), Material Ratio 1 (Mr1, the ratio of the protruding peaks above the core) (p = 0.002), Area of the Peak Region (A1, the area of the Abbott‐Curve that contains the peaks from the profile) (p = 0.003) and the Skewness (Rsk, the asymmetry of the height distribution corresponding to the height or depth of surface features) (p = 0.03). We found a large variability in the measured values with a median (range) of 0.50 (0.05–2.98), 11.98 (0.46–39.98), 30.89 (0.15–581.00), and 0.04 (−0.73–0.84), respectively. A 1‐unit increase in Rpk was associated with a 73% increase in the taper wear rate. The variability of “as manufactured” surface roughness has a significant effect on taper material loss. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1784–1792, 2017.