Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fe b 20 16 Geometric Inhomogeneous Random Graphs

Real-world networks, like social networks or the internet infrastructure, have structural properties such as their large clustering coefficient that can best be described in terms of an underlying geometry. This is why the focus of the literature on theoretical models for real-world networks shifted from classic models without geometry, such as Chung-Lu random graphs, to modern geometry-based models, such as hyperbolic random graphs. With this paper we contribute to the theoretical analysis of these modern, more realistic random graph models. However, we do not directly study hyperbolic random graphs, but replace them by a more general model that we call geometric inhomogeneous random graphs (GIRGs). Since we ignore constant factors in the edge probabilities, our model is technically simpler (specifically, we avoid hyperbolic cosines), while preserving the qualitative behaviour of hyperbolic random graphs, and we suggest to replace hyperbolic random graphs by our new model in future theoretical studies. We prove the following fundamental structural and algorithmic results on GIRGs. (1) We provide a sampling algorithm that generates a random graph from our model in expected linear time, improving the best-known sampling algorithm for hyperbolic random graphs by a factor O( √ n), (2) we establish that GIRGs have a constant clustering coefficient, (3) we show that GIRGs have small separators, i.e., it suffices to delete a sublinear number of edges to break the giant component into two large pieces, and (4) we show how to compress GIRGs using an expected linear number of bits. Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken, Germany, kbringma@mpi-inf.mpg. de Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, rkeusch@inf.ethz. ch Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, lenglerj@inf.ethz. ch
Comparative fitness assessment of Anopheles stephensi transgenic lines receptive to site‐specific integration

Genetically modified mosquitoes that are unable to transmit pathogens offer opportunities for controlling vector‐borne diseases such as malaria and dengue. Site‐specific gene recombination technologies are advantageous in the development of these insects because antipathogen effector genes can be inserted at integration sites in the genome that cause the least alteration in mosquito fitness. Here we describe Anopheles stephensi transgenic lines containing ϕC31 attP‘docking’ sites linked to a fluorescent marker gene. Chromosomal insertion sites were determined and life‐table parameters were assessed for transgenic mosquitoes of each line. No significant differences in fitness between the transgenic and nontransgenic mosquitoes were detected in this study. These transgenic lines are suitable for future site‐specific integrations of antiparasite transgenes into the attP sites.
Psychological Ownership of Family Firm Successors: A Conceptual Approach

Researchers have reported high turnover intention among family successors of family firms. Successors’ low commitment to the family firm and high turnover rate is puzzling since most have equity in the firm and/or potential future financial benefits associated with the firm. In this paper we use psychological ownership theory and a new concept of psychological ownership (PO) consideration set to explain a successor’s commitment and turnover intentions. We refine the psychological ownership theory and argue that a successor may concurrently develop psychological ownership toward multiple targets, including the family firm. The development of psychological ownership of other target(s) may conflict with their attachment to the family firm; this may influence their turnover intention and commitment to the firm.
A cross-sectional examination of the physical fitness and selected health attributes of recreational all-terrain vehicle riders and off-road motorcyclists

Abstract The aims of this study were: (1) to characterize selected fitness and health attributes of two types of habitual recreational off-road vehicle riders – off-road motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle riders; (2) to explore differences among riders in terms of vehicle type, age, and gender; and (3) to compare the fitness and health of riders to population norms and clinical health standards. Canadian off-road riders (n = 141) of both sexes aged 16 years and over were recruited through local and national off-road riding organizations. Anthropometry, fitness, and health measures of off-road motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle riders were compared with population norms, health standards, and physical activity guidelines. Off-road motorcycle riders had above average aerobic fitness (79th percentile), while all-terrain vehicle riders were lower than average (40th percentile). All riders had a healthy blood lipid profile and a low incidence of the metabolic syndrome (12.9%) compared with members of the general population. Off-road motorcycle riders had healthier body composition and fitness than all-terrain vehicle riders; however, the body composition of off-road motorcycle riders was no healthier than that of the general population and all-terrain vehicle riders were worse than the general population. Off-road motorcycle riders had healthier anthropometry and fitness than all-terrain vehicle riders and thus fewer health risk factors for future disease, demonstrating that the physiological profiles of off-road riders are dependent on vehicle type.
Nasal Alar Reconstruction with an Ear Helix Free Flap

Reconstruction of full-thickness defects of the nasal alae has always been a challenge. Local flaps are commonly used but often result in facial scars and bulky alae that require secondary revisions. The structural similarities between the nasal alae and auricular helices have allowed the use of free helical composite grafts to repair small nasal defects of less than 2.0 cm. Recent delineation of vascular territories of the ear has allowed the use of vascularized helical free flaps in the repair of large alar defects. Successful reconstruction of a 3.2 cm x 3.0 cm full-thickness alar defect, with a chondrocutaneous microsurgical free flap from the root of the auricular helix, is presented. The reconstruction was satisfactory as to contour, symmetry, and color match over a one year follow-up.
The Clustering of Bid/Ask Prices and the Spread in the Foreign Exchange Market

Following Lawrence Harris (1989b) study of price clustering in stock prices, we examine the smae phenomenon in the forex market. The pattern of clustering in the final digit of bid/ask prices depends on the desired degree of price resolution. The selection of spreads also involves clustering, but this is driven by a different behavioural pattern, consistent with the pure attraction hypothesis. The combination of the two patterns can explain the differing frequencies of final digits in the bids as compared with the asks.
Ascending marine particles: Significance of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in the upper ocean

The high abundance of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in marine and freshwater greatly affects particle dynamics. TEP act as glue for colliding particles and form the matrix in aggregates, thereby altering aggregation dynamics. We studied the sinking behavior of freshly produced, particle‐free TEP and of aggregates composed of TEP and latex spheres in a laboratory using water collected from Santa Barbara Channel, California. Particle‐free TEP ascend and accumulate in the surface layer of a settling column at an average velocity of 1.6 x 10−4 cm s−1. The estimated density of TEP ranges from 0.70 to 0.84 g cm−3. TEP also transported latex spheres of 45.6 and 1.82 µm in diameter and a density of 1.05 g cm−3 to the surface layer. We describe a simple model illustrating the role of TEP for the vertical transport of solid particles. The densities and relative proportions of TEP, solid particles, and interstitial water within an aggregate determine its sinking or ascending velocity. High ratios of TEP to solid particles retard the sinking of aggregates, prolonging their residence time in the surface ocean. Our results demonstrate that TEP can provide a vehicle for the upward flux of biological and chemical components in the marine environment, including bacteria, phytoplankton, carbon, and reactive trace elements.
How subunit coupling produces the γ-subunit rotary motion in F1-ATPase

FoF1-ATP synthase manufactures the energy “currency,” ATP, of living cells. The soluble F1 portion, called F1-ATPase, can act as a rotary motor, with ATP binding, hydrolysis, and product release, inducing a torque on the γ-subunit. A coarse-grained plastic network model is used to show at a residue level of detail how the conformational changes of the catalytic β-subunits act on the γ-subunit through repulsive van der Waals interactions to generate a torque that drives unidirectional rotation, as observed experimentally. The simulations suggest that the calculated 85° substep rotation is driven primarily by ATP binding and that the subsequent 35° substep rotation is produced by product release from one β-subunit and a concomitant binding pocket expansion of another β-subunit. The results of the simulation agree with single-molecule experiments [see, for example, Adachi K, et al. (2007) Cell 130:309–321] and support a tri-site rotary mechanism for F1-ATPase under physiological condition.
Corporate Governance and Bank Performance: The Case of Bangladesh

Though a large body of empirical studies on corporate governance have emerged during the last decade, most of them were related to non-bank firm governance and have narrowly focused on the bank governance issues. As such the objective of this paper is to narrow down this gap and to contribute to the body of knowledge relating to bank governance. Particularly, this paper investigates the impact of governance on bank performance in Bangladesh where institutional, regulatory and legal environment are different than those in force in developed economies. In order to promote good governance, the Bangladesh Bank - the central bank of the country - promulgated codes of corporate governance for banks in 2003. This paper empirically investigates the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on financial performance of 25 listed banking companies in Bangladesh over the period 2003-2011. Estimated results demonstrate that the general public ownership and the frequencies of audit committee meetings are positively and significantly associated with return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. Directors’ ownership and independent directors have significant positive effects on bank performance measured by Tobin’s Q.The results indicate that a good number of companies does not comply the mandatory requirements for board size, appointment of independent directors in the board, and holding audit committee meetings set forth by the central bank and the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) implying remarkable shortfall in corporate governance practice in Bangladeshi banking sector. The board is seen to have been prevalently dominated by the outside non-independent directors having multiple directorships and the companies are actually run by the independent managers having no ownership interest. The significance of this study is that it contributes to the literature as the first paper that explicitly investigates the impact of the latest governance directives on the performance of Bangladeshi banking sector.
Collect at Once, Use Effectively: Making Non-interactive Locally Private Learning Possible

Non-interactive Local Differential Privacy (LDP) requires data analysts to collect data from users through noisy channel at once. In this paper, we extend the frontiers of Non-interactive LDP learning and estimation from several aspects. For learning with smooth generalized linear losses, we propose an approximate stochastic gradient oracle estimated from non-interactive LDP channel, using Chebyshev expansion. Combined with inexact gradient methods, we obtain an efficient algorithm with quasi-polynomial sample complexity bound. For the high-dimensional world, we discover that under $\ell_2$-norm assumption on data points, high-dimensional sparse linear regression and mean estimation can be achieved with logarithmic dependence on dimension, using random projection and approximate recovery. We also extend our methods to Kernel Ridge Regression. Our work is the first one that makes learning and estimation possible for a broad range of learning tasks under non-interactive LDP model.
Building company reputation and brand equity through CSR: the mediating role of trust

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on the two marketing outcomes - corporate reputation (CR) and brand equity (BE), based on the perception of consumers regarding banks in India. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of banking consumers was carried out, resulting in 303 valid responses. In order to address research objectives and test the hypothesis, structural equations modeling has been employed. Findings – Results reveals that CSR activities influence CR and BE directly as well as indirectly. In addition, the mediating role of trust is found to be significant between CSR and CR and CSR and BE. The study shows that CSR activities build consumer trust in a company which in turn positively impacts CR and BE. Research limitations/implications – The findings have important implications for retail banks in India and suggest that CSR activities can help banks in building CR and BE. The hypothesized theoretical framework has b.
The Determinants of Stock Market Development in the MENA Region

Since few decades, a wide theoretical debate is concerned with the fundamental relationship between financial development and economic growth. An efficient financial system leads to a sustainable economic growth. In this study, we are interested especially with stock markets as a main component of the financial system according to the increasing role of financial markets in economies. So, their evolution plays an important role in economic growth. We shed some light on the macroeconomic determinants which must have an important influence on stock markets development. It is recognized that real or financial variables such as real income, saving rate, credit to private sector, M3, value traded, turnover, etc. could have a significant impact on market capitalization. The empirical study is conducted using an unbalanced panel data from twelve MENA region countries. Econometric issues are based on estimation of some fixed and random effects specifications. With such specifications in mind, peculiarities of MENA region countries are detected as well as differentiations among them. Thus, differences in market capitalization are explained. The empirical expected results must reinforce the idea which suggest the important role of economic development in promoting stock market development. Explaining power of variables such as real income, saving rate, inflation, financial intermediary development and stock market liquidity is confirmed. Banks and stock markets seem to be complements instead of substitutes.
Role Of Perceived Value, Customer Expectation, Corporate Image And Perceived Service Quality On The Customer Satisfaction

This study sets out to investigate the influence of perceived value, customer expectation, corporate image and perceived service quality on the customer satisfaction particularly in Pakistan telecommunication industry. To test the conceptual framework, multiple regression has been used to analyze the data collected from 450 respondents of Pakistan telecommunication companies operating in the Pakistan. This study reveals number of notable findings including the empirical verification that perceived value, customer expectation and corporate image significantly enhancing the customer satisfaction. We also observed that perceived service quality is negatively related to customer satisfaction but insignificant. Furthermore results shows that gender provides no basis for differentiation among variables in determining the customer satisfaction.
Lack of Popularity of TQM In SMEs- A Few Obstacles

Total Quality Management (TQM) is widely used in large scale enterprises as a quality management approach. Quality of the physical product was considered to be very important since decades, but now is the time when everyone is talking beyond quality of the product. The organizations are striving for excellence in whatever they do. In order to achieve this they are moving towards TQM. However it is not so popular in Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are very much for the ISO9001 certification but when it comes to implementing TQM principles they are not seen so excited about it. This research paper is an attempt to find out a few difficulties faced by the SMEs in implementing TQM principles with the help of a survey of 20 manufacturing companies. It was observed that ‘resistance to change’ was considered to be the biggest hurdle in the way of TQM. Few other difficulties in descending order are ‘ lack of effective measurement criteria’, ‘costly consultancies & training programmes’,’ lack of evaluation procedures and benchmark indices’,’ lack of understanding’,’ lack of system and structures for TQM activities’,’ lack of rewards and recognition’,’ non-availability to training’. ‘Lack of resources’ was however not considered as a major difficulty. Keywords— TQM, ISO9001, SMEs
Bacteriological spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of neonatal septicaemia in a tertiary care hospital of North India

Abstract Background: Neonatal septicaemia is a clinical entity that is characterised by systemic signs and symptoms of infection and accompanied by bacteraemia in first 4 weeks of life and is one of the four leading causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity in India. Aim: To determine the bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of neonatal septicaemia in a tertiary care hospital of North India. Materials and methods: In this prospective observational study, 850 blood samples were collected and processed from clinically suspected neonates according to standard laboratory protocol. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institution (CLSI) recommendations. Results: Blood culture reports were positive in 322 (37.8%) cases. Early onset sepsis (EOS) was present in 61.41% and late onset sepsis (LOS) in 38.59% of cases. Gram-negative septicaemia (60.67%) was encountered more than Gram-positive (32.01%). Coagulase negative Staphylococci (17.43%) was the predominant isolate followed by, Klebsiella spp in 16.11% cases. Best overall sensitivity among Gram-negative isolates was to Colistin (89.94%), Imipenem (86.43%) and Meropenam (77.88%). Gram-positive isolates had good (97.15%) sensitivity to linezolid, (95.23%) vancomycin and (88.57%) Teicoplanin. Conclusion: Gram-negative organisms are the leading cause of neonatal septicaemia with Klebsiella spp being commonest. Coagulase negative Staphylococci is the predominant isolate among Gram-positive organisms. Most of the isolates are resistant to common antibiotics.
The Determinants of Return on Assets: Evidences from Micro Finance Institutions in Sri Lanka

This study was undertaken with the objective of asserting the significant determinants of return on assets in Sri Lankan microfinance institutions. This study is based on eleven microfinance institutions in Sri Lanka, within the period of 2005-2010, which are practicing microfinance at present. In this study profitability is measured by return on assets ratio. Efficiency and productivity are measured by operating expense ratio, personal productivity ratio and cost per borrower ratio. Financing structure is measured by debt/equity ratio. Portfolio quality is measured by write-off ratio. The researcher postulated that, Operating Expense Ratio, Cost per Borrower Ratio and Debt/Equity Ratio are statistically significant predictor variables in determining Return on Assets Ratio. Moreover Write off Ratio is also another important predictor variable in determining Return on Assets regardless of the significance.
The role of investor sentiment in asset pricing

This thesis investigates various roles that investor sentiment may play in asset pricing. The empirical analysis consists of three main parts based on the role of investor sentiment in the stock markets. The first part discusses the role of investor sentiment as conditioning information. It aims to examine its ability to explain the dynamic nature of the expected returns for individual stocks and its explanatory power capture the financial market anomalies such as the size, value, liquidity, and effects. The second part focuses on the role of investor sentiment as a risk factor. The purpose is to construct a risk factor on the basis of investor sentiment and test whether this proposed sentiment factor is priced and helps to explain the aforementioned financial market anomalies. The third part explores the role of investor sentiment in different international stock markets. It attempts to assess the extent to which investor sentiment affects the stock market volatility and returns of different regions. The results suggest that investor sentiment exhibits explanatory power for cross section of stock returns in the U.S. market. Acting as conditioning information or a risk factor, investor sentiment can generally capture the size and value effects. Furthermore, it can also capture the momentum effect under certain model specifications. The thesis shows that investors require compensation for bearing noise traders; in other words, investor sentiment is a priced factor. At the market level, the impacts of investor sentiment on stock volatility and returns vary across countries. For some countries investor sentiment affects both volatility and returns while for the others investor sentiment has less influence on stock price behaviour. Overall, the findings of the thesis provide empirical evidence that overlooking the role of investor sentiment in classical finance theory could lead to an imperfect picture of describing the stock price behaviour.