Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Trade Openness on the Economic Growth of Pakistan: 1980-2010

This study examines the relationship and impact of openness of trade on the economic growth of Pakistan. The study proposed on the basis of past literature that there is a positive impact of trade openness on the economic growth and attempt to see whether it is true for Pakistan.The study finds out a negative relationship between liberalization of trade and economic growth in the case of Pakistan during the study period of 1980-2010. The VECM and Johanson multivariate approach were adopted to find out the short and longrun estimates. The stationarity properties of the data were checked and found to be cointegrated of order one I (1) using the Phillips Perron (PP) and Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root tests. The results of the study showed a short-run positive relationship between trade openness and GDP growth of the country. The long-run results state a negative impact of trade liberalization on the economic growth of Pakistan. This may be due to the weak conflict management institutions and lack of quality institutions in the country. The negative impact may be due to the raw material exports instead of final goods. Export oriented trade policies and quality conflict management institutions are the policy recommendations.
Do Growth Opportunities Influence the Relationship of Capital Structure,Dividend Policy and Ownership Structure with Firm Value: EmpiricalEvidence of KSE?

The purpose of the study is to explore empirically the association among leverage, dividend payout ownership structure and firm value and influence of growth opportunities on this relationship. To obtain the correct empirical results this study applied the correlation analysis technique, ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis on 148 non-financial companies listed on Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), for the period of Five years (2011-2015). Using t-test and panel data regressions. The study found significant positive relationship between leverage, and firm value, and ownership concentration and firm value while insignificant association between dividend payout and firm value. The study further found that the interaction term of leverage and growth opportunities is insignificant, the interactive term of dividend payout and growth opportunities is also insignificant, and the interaction of ownership concentration and growth opportunities is also insignificant. So in the presence of growth opportunities the relationship of leverage, dividend payout and ownership structure with firm value does not affect. So growth opportunities do not play a moderating role.
Impact of Psychological Contract Breach and Psychological Contract Fulfillment on Employees' Intention to Quit In Telecom Sector of Pakistan

Purpose The paper is proposed in order to examine the relationship between psychological contract breach and fulfillment on employees' intention to quit. It seeks to present two simultaneous hypotheses, based on theoretical relations effects of all the three variables (psychological contract breach, fulfillment and intention to quit). Design - The data was collected from a sample of 300 employees in telecom sector of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Pakistan. Correlation/Regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between psychological contract breach, fulfillment and employees' intention to quit. Findings - A positive relationship was found between psychological contract breach and intention to quit behavior of employees and a negative relationship between psychological contract fulfillment and intention to leave. Research limitations/implications -Future research can however focus on the conditions under which psychological contract both breach and fulfillment will have an impact on employee's intention to leave the organization.
Leaf traits and resprouting ability in the Mediterranean basin

Summary 1 Resprouting is a primary persistence mechanism in fire- and drought-prone ecosystems. Plants with this mechanism (resprouters) tend to exhibit deeper root-system and higher stem and leaf water potential. We test the extent to which non-resprouters counteract their lower root allocation by means of leaf traits that confer higher drought resistance. 2 Leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), area-based leaf nitrogen content (LNCa) and integrated water-use efficiency (δ13C) were measured for 33 woody species in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Phylogeny and biogeographical history (Tertiary vs Quaternary) were considered in all comparisons. 3 Non-resprouters showed higher LMA, LNCa and δ13C when considering either all species, or Quaternary species only. Tertiary and Quaternary resprouters differed exclusively in δ13C, which was higher for Tertiary species. 4 These results suggest that, at leaf level, non-resprouters have higher potential for structural resistance to drought and higher water-use efficiency than resprouters. We propose that the existence of a physiological trade-off at leaf level between drought resistance and carbon gain should explain the leaf-trait values exhibited by resprouters.
Fiscal decentralization in centralized states: the case of Central Asia

The resource-based Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan constitute a special case for fiscal decentralization. Political and administrative centralization is accompanied by the centralized administration of resource rents and weak governance structures on local levels. Following best practices, fiscal decentralization is on the reform agenda in all three transition countries. As advocated in economic literature and indicated in empirical evidence, policymakers expect positive results on macroeconomic outcomes as well as on overall state governance. But the mechanism for the positive effects of fiscal decentralization is the creation of appropriate incentives by transferring information rights and authority to the local levels. How do the centralized states of Central Asia apply fiscal decentralization and what are the outcomes of their policies? To answer this question, we analyze the progress of fiscal decentralization in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan since independence. In all three countries we observe high levels of fiscal decentralization. The de-facto institutional design of fiscal decentralization, however, is not appropriate to make incentive mechanisms work. Fiscal autonomy at the revenue and expenditure side is almost absent, and the transfer system lacks transparency and predictability. Administrative and political centralization are the drivers of this institutional design and create obstacles for the merits of fiscal decentralisation to materialize.
First steps of a lake model intercomparison project: LakeMIP

1) Moscow State University, Scientific Research Computing Center; Leninskie Gory, Moscow State University, building 4, RU-119991, GSP-1, Moscow, Russia 2) University of Geneva, Climate Change and Climate Impact, Battelle/D, 7 chemin de Drize, CH-1227 Carouge, Switzerland 3) University of Quebec at Montreal, Canadian Regional Climate Modelling and Diagnostics (CRCMD) Network, 550 Sherbrooke Ouest, 19th floor, Montreal (Quebec), H3A 1B9, Canada 4) Auburn University, Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn Alabama 36849-5337, USA 5) Deutscher Wetterdienst, Frankfurter Str. 135, D-63067 Offenbach am Main, Germany
Linking entrepreneural orientation to export performance: the role of intangible resources and dynamic capabilities

Understanding the determinants of international performance, and in particular, export performance is key for the success of international companies. Research in this area focuses mainly on how resources and capabilities allow companies to gain competitive advantage and superior performance in external markets. Building on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Dynamic Capabilities Approach (DCA), this study aims at analysing the effect of intangible resources and capabilities on export performance. Specifically, this study focuses on the proposition that entrepreneurial orientation potentiates the attraction of intangible resources, namely relational and informational resources. Moreover, we propose that these resources impact export performance both directly and indirectly through dynamic capabilities.
A model to measure employee engagement

The objective of this article is to develop a model to measure employee engagement. In doing so, the article firstly develops a theoretical model by identifying employee engagement constructs from the literature. Secondly, identifying measuring criteria of these constructs from the literature, and thirdly, to validate the theoretical model to measure employee engagement in South Africa. The theoretical model consists of 11 employee engagement constructs, measured by a total of 94 measuring criteria. The empirical process of validation employed data collected from 260 respondents who study towards an MBA degree at two private business schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The validation process aimed to validate the variables that measure each of the constructs by determining statistically that the sample employed is adequate, use the Bartlett test to ensure the applicability of the data for multivariate statistical analysis; to validate the measuring criteria as relevant to employee engagement, and to determine the reliability of each of the employee engagement constructs in the model. All these objectives were met. This culminated in the final result, namely an adapted empirical model to measure employee engagement in SA. The model tested statistically to be a valid and reliable model. The research is of value to management in the private and public sector, academics and researchers.
Value Creation in Public Enterprises: An Empirical Analysis of Coordinated Organizational Changes in the VA Hospital System

As part of a federal government initiative to increase efficiency and quality, in 1996 the United States' VHA (Veterans Health Administration) radically restructured its organizational design and management processes. This study uses 1992-1998 clinical, workload and financial data to examine the effect of this reform on performance. Several previous government attempts to introduce private sector management practices, such as management by objectives (MBO) or program planning and budgeting system (PPBS), have been largely unsuccessful. In contrast to prior reforms, the current restructuring introduced coordinated changes in the VHA organizational structure, performance measurement, and reward systems. Our results document that, following the reorganization, the VHA cost per patient declined significantly and various quality measures improved. Our analysis suggests that reduction in excess capacity and the more intense use of remaining capacity are among the primary explanations for the VHA achieving the observed cost reductions. These findings suggest that coordinated changes in organizational structure, performance measures and incentives can create value for public enterprises even though control mechanisms are generally more limited in these environments than in the private sector.
Job Creation and the Role of Dependencies

We contribute to the large literature on the relation between firm size and job creation by examining the effects of dependences between enterprises. Using Finnish monthly data encompassing the population of Finnish private businesses, we calculate gross job creation and destruction, together with net job creation, for different size classes and industries. Importantly, we divide firms into a dependent (i.e. owned, at least partially, by a large company) and independent category. The analysis is based on both a dataset including entry and exit and a sample considering only continuous companies, to control for the effects of firm's age. Due to the quality of the data, we are able to isolate the 'organic' growth of firms, disregarding the effects of mergers and split-offs together with other legal restructurings. We find that independent companies have shown considerably higher net job creation, even after taking age into account. However, dependent firms do not show particularly different behavior with respect to the sensitivity to aggregate conditions, compared to their independent counterparts.
The prevalence and properties of cold gas inflows and outflows around galaxies in the local Universe

We perform a stacking analysis of the neutral \nad\,$\lambda\lambda$5889,5895\,\AA\ ISM doublet using the SDSS DR7 spectroscopic data set to probe the prevalence and characteristics of cold (T\,$\lesssim$\,10$^{4}$\,K) galactic-scale gas flows in local (0.025$\leqslant z\leqslant$0.1) inactive and AGN-host galaxies across the SFR-M$_{*}$ plane. We find low-velocity outflows to be prevalent in regions of high SFRs and stellar masses (10 $\lesssim$log M$_{*}$/M$_{\odot}$ $\lesssim$ 11.5), however we do not find any detections in the low mass (log M$_{*}$/M$_{\odot}$ $\lesssim$ 10) regime. We also find tentative detections of inflowing gas in high mass galaxies across the star-forming population. We derive mass outflow rates in the range of 0.14-1.74\,M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$ and upper limits on inflow rates <1\,M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, allowing us to place constraints on the mass loading factor ($\eta$=$\dot{M}_{\text{out}}$/SFR) for use in simulations of the local Universe. We discuss the fate of the outflows by comparing the force provided by the starburst to the critical force needed to push the outflow outward, and find the vast majority of the outflows unlikely to escape the host system. Finally, as outflow detection rates and central velocities do not vary strongly with the presence of a (weak) active supermassive black hole, we determine that star formation appears to be the primary driver of outflows at $z\sim$0.
Quasi-frozen Spin Method for EDM Deuteron Search

To search for proton Electric Dipole Moments (EDM) using proton storage ring with purely electrostatic elements, the concept of frozen spin method has been proposed [1]. This method is based on two facts: in the equation of spin precession, the magnetic field dependence is entirely eliminated, and at the “magic” energy, the spin precession frequency coincides with the precession frequency of the particle momentum. In case of deuteron we have to use the electrical and magnetic field simultaneously as will be explained later, keeping the frozen spin direction along the momentum as in the pure electrostatic ring. In this article, we suggest the concept of the quasi-frozen spin, in which the spin oscillates around the momentum direction within the half value of the advanced spin phase in magnetic arcs, each time returning back in electrostatic arcs. Due to the low value of the anomalous magnetic moment of deuteron, an effective contribution to the expected EDM effect is reduced only by a few percent compared with frozen spin method.
Chronology of Late Saalian and Middle Weichselian Episodes of ice-free Lacustrine Sedimentation Recorded in the Arumetsa Section, Southwestern Estonia

The information obtained from a 21 m thick open-pit section of silty-clayey sediments in the Arumetsa bedrock valley, southwestern Estonia, revealed that lacustrine to glaciolacustrine sedimentation at the site started prior to 151 ka ago and lasted to about the end of marine isotope stage 6 (MIS6) at 130 ka. Further down from the 151 ka age-level to the bottom of the buried valley there are ca 60 m of lacustrine fine-grained sediments, the age of which remains still unclear. The Late Saalian sediments at Arumetsa are discordantly overlain by Middle Weichselian clay, silt and sand, deposited between ca 44 and 37 ka ago. As testified by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, and pollen and diatom record, the Middle Weichselian fine-grained sediments contain redeposited Holsteinian but no Eemian pollen, and have not been fully bleached during deposition. Chronological, microfossil and sedimentological data show two hiatuses in the Arumetsa section. The first hiatus has left no sedimentary evidence for the period between ca 130 ka and 44 ka ago (MIS5 to older half of MIS3). The younger hiatus from ca 37 to 22 ka occurs between the Middle Weichselian lacustrine silt and the Late Weichselian till layer on top of the section.
Uptake of Heavy Metals by Channa Punctatus from Sewageâ€“Fed Aquaculture Pond of Panethi, Aligarh

Investigations on the bioconcentration of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Mn, Cr and Zn) were observed in Channa punctatus. The results revealed that heavy metals available in water were in the order Fe > Mn > Zn > Co > Ni > Cu = Cr. The accumulation was also observed in tissues such as gills, liver, kidney, muscle and integument. Their pattern of accumulation in muscle was Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Co. All the heavy metals showed maximum concentration and persistence in gills with the exception of Cu and Co, which showed maximum accumulation in liver and muscle respectively. Fe was the most abundant metal in the water as well as in the fish tissues. Significant (P less than 0.01) relations were observed among the metal accumulations in different organs of the fish. The concentration observed was far exceeding the recommended limits of FAO/ WHO.
Emerging Market Multinationals: An Analysis of Performance and Risk Characteristics

ABSTRACT This study explores the risk and performance characteristics of emerging market multinationals (EMNCs). We use a sample composed of 79 EMNCs from 15 countries located in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe-Russia, and Latin America. Our risk and performance analyses are based on monthly share price returns collected over 1996–2003 period and annual accounting data. We find that EMNCs on average perform better than their respective country market indices, a widely used EM benchmark, S&P500 and, global market index (MSCI-World) during the period of analysis. Our sample firms on average earn 13.21% return on assets, 8.97% return on equity, and 11.96% return on invested capital. We also find that EMNC returns are highly volatile, and despite some level of diversification achieved by EMNCs, their returns remain highly sensitive to local market shocks. The cross-sectional analysis of the determinants of the performance of the EMNCs reveals that leverage and systematic risk are the most important factors, followed by size. Our analysis indicates that performance is not affected by the degree of internationalization and EMNC investments in developed markets have a positive impact on the value. Finally, our results indicate that EMNCs in less risky emerging markets enjoy higher firm value.
Biological characterization of an isolate of Cotton leaf curl Rajasthan virus from northern India and identification of sources of resistance

An isolate of Cotton leaf curl Rajasthan virus (CLCuRV), a Begomovirus, from Sri Ganganagar, the major cotton growing area in North-West India, was characterized at biological level. The virus could be transmitted by whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) when given a minimum acquisition and inoculation access period of 30 min and 10 min, respectively. B. tabaci could transmit the virus efficiently from Gossypium hirsutum to G. hirsutum, G. barbadense and seven other species belonging to families Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Solanaceae. All the infected plants developed typical leaf vein thickening and curling characteristic of CLCuRV infection. The virus could be back inoculated from these hosts to G. hirsutum cv. LH 900. To identify sources of resistance to CLCuRV, 126 genotypes of G. hirsutum, 19 of G. barbadense, 14 of G. arboreum and two of G. herbaceum were tested against CLCuRV by whitefly inoculation. All the genotypes of G. arboreum and G. herbaceum were found to be highly resistant (no infection) whereas all the genotypes of G. barbadense were highly susceptible (100% infection); 62 genotypes of G. hirsutum were highly resistant, 5 highly susceptible and the remaining showed varying degree of resistance.
An Empirical Investigation of Factors Affecting Jordanian CustomersÃ¢ÂÂ Attitudes Towards Facebook Pure PlayersÃ¢ÂÂ E-Brands

The application of Facebook in e-commerce has paved the way for some Jordanian entrepreneurs to apply pure player business models via Facebook business pages. Despite the economic contribution of pure player Facebook pages, research on customers’ attitudes towards pure players’ e-brands is lacking. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper was to introduce a model suggesting that two major characteristics of pure player FB pages (namely; information quality and shopping convenience) should have a direct impact over customers' satisfaction with, and trust in, those pages. Further, the paper’s model suggested that both customers’ satisfaction and trust would affect customers’ attitudes towards pure players’ e-brands. To examine the paper’s proposed model and hypotheses, quantitative data was collected through an online survey of 147 customers of eight Jordanian apparel pure player Facebook pages. Statistical examination of collected data has yielded several important findings. Firstly, information quality had a direct significant impact over both customers’ satisfaction with pure player Facebook pages, and their perceptions of shopping convenience via those pages. However, information quality had no significant impact over customers’ trust in pureplayer Facebook pages. Secondly, customers’ perceptions of shopping convenience via pure player Facebook pages had no significant impact over customers’ satisfaction with those pages. Thirdly, customers’ satisfaction had a direct significant impact over their trust in, and attitudes towards, pure players’ e-brands. Fourthly, customers’ trust in pure player Facebook pages had no significant impact over their attitudes towards pure players’ e-brands. Based on its findings, the paper reaches certain conclusions, introduces some recommendations, and suggests further avenues for future research.
HIGH QUALITY FACADE SEGMENTATION BASED ON STRUCTURED RANDOM FOREST, REGION PROPOSAL NETWORK AND RECTANGULAR FITTING

Abstract. In this paper we present a pipeline for high quality semantic segmentation of building facades using Structured Random Forest (SRF), Region Proposal Network (RPN) based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as well as rectangular fitting optimization. Our main contribution is that we employ features created by the RPN as channels in the SRF.We empirically show that this is very effective especially for doors and windows. Our pipeline is evaluated on two datasets where we outperform current state-of-the-art methods. Additionally, we quantify the contribution of the RPN and the rectangular fitting optimization on the accuracy of the result.