Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lobbying and Bribes - A Survey-Based Analysis of the Demand for Influence and Corruption

We use survey responses by firms to examine the firm-level determinants and effects of political influence, their perception of corruption and prevalence of bribe paying. We find that: (a) measures of political influence and corruption/bribes are uncorrelated at the firm level; (b) firms that are larger, older, exporting, government-owned, are widely held and/or have fewer competitors have more political influence, perceive corruption to be less of a problem and pay bribes less often; (c) influence increases sales and government subsidies and in general makes the firm have a more positive view on the government. In sum, we show that “strong” firms use their influence to bend laws and regulations, whereas “weak” firms pay bribes to mitigate the costs of government intervention.
Working Memory Deficits can be Overcome: Impacts of Training and Medication on Working Memory in Children with ADHD

This study evaluated the impact of two interventions—a training program and stimulant medication—on working memory (WM) function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-five children aged between 8 and 11 years participated in training that taxed WM skills to the limit for a minimum of 20 days, and completed other assessments of WM and IQ before and after training, and with and without prescribed drug treatment. While medication significantly improved visuo-spatial memory performance, training led to substantial gains in all components of WM across untrained tasks. Training gains associated with the central executive persisted over a 6-month period. IQ scores were unaffected by either intervention. These findings indicate that the WM impairments in children with ADHD can be differentially ameliorated by training and by stimulant medication.
Self-similar Collapse of a Self-gravitating Viscous Disk

A self-similar solution for time evolution of isothermal, self-gravitating viscous disks is found under the condition that α' ≡ α(H/r) is constant in space (where α is the viscosity parameter and H/r is the ratio of a half-thickness to the radius of the disk). This solution describes a homologous collapse of a disk via self-gravity and viscosity. The disk structure and evolution are distinct in the inner and outer parts. There is a constant mass inflow in the outer portions so that the disk has flat rotation velocity, constant accretion velocity, and surface density decreasing outward according to Σ ∝ r-1. In the inner portions, in contrast, mass is accumulated near the center owing to the boundary condition of no radial velocity at the origin, a strong central concentration being thereby produced; surface density varies according to Σ ∝ r-5/3. Moreover, the transition radius separating the inner and outer portions increases linearly with time. The consequence of such a high condensation is briefly discussed in the context of formation of a quasar black hole.
Organization of visual cortical inputs to the striatum and subsequent outputs to the pallido‐nigral complex in the monkey

To determine the organization of visual inputs and outputs of the striatum, we placed multiple retrograde and anterograde tracers into physiologically identified portions of the striatum known to receive inputs from visual cortex in seven macaques. The injection sites included the tail and genu of the caudate nucleus (14 cases), the head of the caudate (1 case), and the ventral putamen (3 cases). Retrogradely labeled cells were located predominantly in layer 5 of the ipsilateral cortex but were also found in layers 3 and 6. After caudate injections, labeled cells were found both in large, nearly continuous regions of cortex topographically related to the site of the injection, and in several smaller cortical regions that were discontinuous and common to many or all of the injection sites. The continuously labeled regions included nearly all known visual cortical areas, except for the striate cortex. After injections in the rostral tail, the continuously labeled region included the rostral portion of Bonin and Bailey's (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1947) area TE and adjacent portions of TF, TH, TG, and, occasionally, area 35 (Brodmann, Leipzig; J.A. Barth, '09). After injections into the posterior tail and ventral genu, the labeled region shifted posteriorly in TE and TF, and into TEO and the ventral parts of prestriate areas V4, V3, and (sparsely) V2. As the injection site was advanced into the dorsal genu, the labeled region shifted dorsally toward the parietal lobe, including prestriate areas MT and PO, parietal area PG (Brodmann's area 7), the ventral and lateral intraparietal sulcal areas (VIP and LIP, respectively), and area PE and adjacent area LC (Brodmann's areas 5 and 23, respectively). The discontinuous areas labeled by many different injections included the principal sulcus/frontal eye field region, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the superior temporal polysensory area. Thus, whereas temporal, occipital, and parietal visual cortical areas project into the caudate largely according to proximity, certain multimodal cortical areas seem to have a much wider projection.
Adoption of improved cassava varieties and its welfare effect on producing households in Osogbo ADP zone of Osun State.

This study was based on the adoption of improved cassava varieties and it’s welfare effect on producing households in Osogbo Agricultural Development Programme zone of Osun State. A Multistage sampling procedure was used to collect information from 60 cassava farmers in the study area. To estimate the determinants of adoption and poverty among cassava farmers, the data were analyzed using FGT poverty measure and Tobit regression model. The result showed that Poverty were higher amongst households who were non adopters of improved cassava varieties. The Tobit regression model was used to determine the factors that influence adoption and poverty. The result showed that, sex, age, access to extension agents, crop yield, marital status, labour, production input and education influenced adoption of improved cassava varieties positively. Only household size influenced the adoption level negatively. Household size, extension agent and crop yield were the major significant factors responsible for the adoption of improved cassava varieties. The result of the determinants of household poverty revealed that, years of education, land size, credit, adoption level and extent of commercialization influenced household poverty in the negative direction implying that a unit increase in any of the variables will lead to a decrease in household poverty. Household size, age, sex and occupation on the other hand, had a direct relationship with poverty, this implied that an increase in any of these variables will lead to an increase in household poverty. Years formal education, land size, credit, adoption level, household size and extent of commercialization were found to be the major determining factors among cassava farmers in the study area. Implicitly,
Partitioning of intermontane basins by thrust‐related folding, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

Well‐preserved, actively deforming folds in the Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan provide a natural laboratory for the study of the evolution of thrust‐related folds. The uplifted limbs of these folds comprise weakly indurated Cenozoic strata that mantle well‐lithified Palaeozoic bedrock. Their contact is a regionally extensive unconformity that provides a persistent and readily traceable marker horizon. Based on the deformation of this marker, preserved fold geometries support simple geometric models for along‐strike gradients in fold amplitude and displacement along the underlying faults, linkage among multiple structures, transfer of displacement among folds and evolution of the folds as geomorphic entities. Subsequent to initial uplift and warping of the unconformity surface, steeply dipping reverse faults cut the forelimbs of many of these folds. Wind gaps, water gaps, recent faulting and progressive stripping of the more readily eroded Cenozoic strata indicate the ongoing lateral propagation and vertical growth of fault‐related folds. The defeat of formerly antecedent rivers coincides in several places with marked increases in erosional resistance where their incising channels first encountered Palaeozoic bedrock. Persistent dip angles on the backlimbs of folds indicate strikingly uniform geometries of the underlying faults as they propagate both laterally and vertically through the crust. Deformation switches irregularly forward and backward in both time and space among multiple active faults and folds with no systematic pattern to the migration of deformation. This distributed deformation appears characteristic of the entire Kyrgyz Tien Shan.
Dysfunctional prefrontal regional specialization and compensation in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE It has been suggested that in healthy persons higher-order cognitive processing engaged by incremental working memory load hierarchically employs more dorsal than ventral prefrontal resources in healthy individuals. Given that working memory performance is impaired in schizophrenia, especially at higher executive loads, the authors investigated how this prefrontal functional organization might be altered in disease, independent of performance deficits. METHOD Using N-back working memory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, the authors studied 15 patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy comparison subjects. Subgroups based on median performance accuracy at 2-back were analyzed; high performers included eight schizophrenia patients and 14 comparison subjects, and low performers included seven patients and 12 comparison subjects. RESULTS High-performing but not low-performing comparison subjects responded to incremental working memory executive load with disproportionately greater dorsal but not ventral prefrontal cortex activation, which also predicted performance accuracy. In the high- and low-performing patient groups, incremental working memory load caused a disproportionate increase in ventral but not dorsal prefrontal cortex activation relative to the respective comparison group, which also correlated with accuracy. Functional connectivity between the ventral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex was relatively greater in patients, whereas comparison subjects had greater functional connectivity between the dorsal prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex. CONCLUSIONS The hierarchical organization of the prefrontal cortex may be compromised in schizophrenia, resulting in loss of functional specialization and integration at the dorsal prefrontal cortex and in compensatory activation from the ventral prefrontal cortex, which may ultimately affect working memory and executive cognition.
A note on unanimity of stockholders' preferences among alternative production plans: a reformulation of the Ekern-Wilson model

This note, which was stimulated by Ekern and Wilson's study of the theory of the firm in an economy with incomplete markets, gives conditions for ex ante and ex post stockholders to be unanimous in their respective preferences among alternative production plans. This modest extension of Ekern and Wilson's analysis is facilitated by reinterpreting their model in standard Arrow-Debreu terms.
International Journal of Information Management the Intellectual Development of the Technology Acceptance Model: a Co-citation Analysis

The goal of this paper is to present a visual mapping of intellectual structure in two-dimensions and to identify the subfields of the technology acceptance model through co-citation analysis. All the citation documents are included in the ISI Web of Knowledge database between 1989 and 2006. By using a sequence of statistical analyses including factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis, we identified three main trends: task-related systems, e-commerce systems, and hedonic systems. The findings yielded managerial implications for both academic and practical issues.
ONE-ATTRIBUTE SEQUENTIAL ASSIGNMENT MATCH PROCESSES IN DISCRETE TIME ISRAEL

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High levels of psychopathic traits alters moral choice but not moral judgment

Psychopathy is a personality disorder frequently associated with immoral behaviors. Previous behavioral studies on the influence of psychopathy on moral decision have yielded contradictory results, possibly because they focused either on judgment (abstract evaluation) or on choice of hypothetical action, two processes that may rely on different mechanisms. In this study, we explored the influence of the level of psychopathic traits on judgment and choice of hypothetical action during moral dilemma evaluation. A population of 102 students completed a questionnaire with ten moral dilemmas and nine non-moral dilemmas. The task included questions targeting both judgment (“Is it acceptable to … in order to …? ”) and choice of hypothetical action (“Would you … in order to …? ”). The level of psychopathic traits of each participant was evaluated with the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale. Logistic regression fitted with the generalized estimating equations method analyses were conducted using responses to the judgment and choice tasks as the dependent variables and psychopathy scores as predictor. Results show that a high level of psychopathic traits, and more specifically those related to affective deficit, predicted a greater proportion of utilitarian responses for the choice but not for the judgment question. There was no first-order interaction between the level of psychopathic traits and other potential predictors. The relation between a high level of psychopathic traits and increased utilitarianism in choice of action but not in moral judgment may explain the contradictory results of previous studies where these two processes were not contrasted. It also gives further support to the hypothesis that choice of action endorsement and abstract judgment during moral dilemma evaluation are partially distinct neural and psychological processes. We propose that this distinction should be better taken into account in the evaluation of psychopathic behaviors.
CORRIGENDUMIndian Ocean SST and Indian Summer Rainfall: Predictive Relationships and Their Decadal Variability

The authors examine relationships between Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) variability and the variability of the Indian monsoon, including analysis of potential long-lead predictions of Indian rainfall by regional SST and the influence of ENSO and decadal variability on the stability of the relationships. Using monthly gridded (48 3 48) SST data from the Global Sea-Ice and Sea Surface Temperature (GISST) dataset that spans 1945–94, the correlation fields between the All-India Rainfall Index (AIRI) and SST fields over the tropical Indian Ocean are calculated. In the boreal fall and winter preceding the summer Indian monsoon, SST throughout the tropical Indian Ocean correlates positively with subsequent monsoon rainfall. Negative correlation occurs between SST and the AIRI in the subsequent autumn in the northern Indian Ocean only. A strong correlation (0.53) is found between the summer AIRI and the preceding December–February Arabian Sea SST. The correlation between the AIRI and the SST to the northwest of Australia for the same period is 0.58. The highest correlation (0.87) for the years following 1977 is found between the AIRI and the central Indian Ocean SST in the preceding September–November, but this relationship is much weaker in earlier years. Based upon these correlations, the authors define Arabian Sea (AS1), northwest Australia (NWA1), and central Indian Ocean (CIO1) SST indexes. The relationships of these indexes to the AIRI and ENSO are examined. The authors find that the high correlation of the AS1 and NWA1 SST indexes with the Indian summer rainfall is largely unaffected by the removal of the ENSO signal, whereas the correlation of the CIO1 index with the AIRI is reduced. The authors examine the interdecadal variability of the relationships between SST and the AIRI and show that the Indian Ocean has undergone significant secular variation associated with a climate shift in 1976. The possible mechanisms underlying the correlation patterns and the implications of the relationship to the biennial nature of the monsoon and predictability are discussed.
Digitally optimised TMLAA with reduced SLLs & SBLs using PSO

An improved procedure to lessen side lobe levels (SLLs) and side band levels (SBLs) in time modulated linear antenna arrays (TMLAAs) by using the optimization process. In that optimization process we give the discrete values of static excitation amplitudes and phase of continuous values of on-time duration of the elements of antenna array. We used the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to reduce the maximum of SLLs and SBLs to a pre defined desired value of antenna element. This has been optimized in a way that the discrete values of input excitation amplitude are obtained by PSO algorithm. The simulation result of time-modulated linear antenna array (TMLAA) is presented by reducing SLL and SBLmax to below -40 dB and to -35 dB respectively by taking 30 elements.
Auditor independence, joint determination of audit and non-audit fees and the incidence of qualified audit reports

The aim of this study is to examine whether the provision of non-audit services by the incumbent auditor compromises auditor independence in a low litigation risk environment such as in the case of Spain, where the audit litigation risk is not likely to be the main external deterrent for audit malpractices. To achieve this goal we analyse whether audit and non-audit fees are simultaneously determined, and we also test whether the joint provision of audit and non-audit services reduces the incidence of qualified audit reports. Confirming prior research, when running single equation models the results obtained are supportive of the presence of knowledge spillovers between the two services. Nevertheless, we also empirically establish that audit and non-audit fees are jointly determined and when applying a simultaneous-equation model, then, the flows of knowledge spillovers cannot be proved. We also find that auditors are not less likely to issue qualified audit reports when they jointly supply audit and non-audit services.
Substance and Symbolism in CEOs' Long-Term Incentive Plans

Both authors contributed equally to the paper. The helpful comments of Jerry Davis, Paul Hirsch, Matt Kraatz, Joseph Moag, James Walsh, and seminar participants at MIT and Stanford University are appreciated. We also thank Ann Yoo for assistance in data collection. This study theoretically and empirically addresses the possible separation of substance and symbolism in CEO compensation contracts by examining political and institutional determinants of long-term incentive plan (LTIP) adoption and use among 570 of the largest U.S. corporations over two decades. We find that a substantial number of firms are likely to adopt but not actually use-or only limitedly use-LTIPs, suggesting a potential separation of substance and symbol in CEO compensation contracts. Analyses suggest that this decoupling of LTIP adoption and use is particularly prevalent in firms with powerful CEOs and firms with poor prior performance. Further analyses show that whereas early adopters are more likely to pursue alignment between CEO and shareholder interests substantively, later adopters may pursue legitimacy by symbolically controlling agency costs. More generally, the study highlights how decoupling in organizations can be understood in terms of both micro-political and macro-institutional forces. '
The Politics Of Old Age In Europe

Part 1 European overview: political participation and representation of older people in Europe the legal structures of representation political organization and participation of older people - traditions and changes in five European countries. Part 2 Case studies: the politics of old age in Austria the politics of old age in France the politics of old age in Germany the politics of old age in Italy the politics of old age in the Netherlands the politics of old age in Sweden the politics of old age in the UK the politics of old age in Hungary the politics of old age in the United States conclusion.
Making arm movements within different parts of space: dynamic aspects in the primate motor cortex

The activity of 176 individual cells in the arm area of motor cortex (areas 4 and 6) was studied while monkeys made arm movements of similar direction within different parts of extrapersonal space. The behavioral paradigm used was a 3-dimensional reaction-time task aimed at dissociating the direction of movement, which remained similar across the work space, from the patterns of muscular activity and the angular joint excursions necessary to perform these movements. In agreement with other studies (Georgopoulos et al., 1982; Schwartz et al., 1988), we found that, within a given part of space, the activity of 169 (96.0%) cells studied increased most for a given preferred direction and less for other directions of movement. This change was graded in an orderly fashion. We further analyzed the orientation in space of the cells' preferred directions under the differing conditions of the task. We found that, as movements with similar trajectories were made within different parts of space, the cells' preferred directions changed spatial orientation. This change was of different magnitudes for different cells, but at the level of the population, it followed closely the changes in orientation of the arm necessary to perform the movements required by the task. Movement population vectors (Georgopoulos et al., 1983, 1986, 1988) computed from cell activity proved to be good predictors of movement direction regardless of where in space the movements were performed. These results indicate that motor cortical cells can code direction of movement in a way which is dependent on the position of the arm in space. The data are discussed in relation to the existence of mechanisms which facilitate the transformation between extrinsic and intrinsic coordinates. These transformations are necessary to perform arm movements to visual targets in space.
Hot topics in aging research: protein translation, 2009

In the last few years, links between regulation of mRNA translation and aging have been firmly established in invertebrate model organisms. This year, a possible relationship between mRNA translation and aging in mammals has been established with the report that rapamycin increases lifespan in mice. Other significant findings have connected translation control with other known longevity pathways and provided fodder for mechanistic hypotheses. Here, we summarize advances in this emerging field and raise questions for future studies.