Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Media as a Mechanism of Institutional Change and Reinforcement

We argue that mass media is a mechanism of institutional evolution and identify three important effects media has on institutions. The 'gradual effect' involves media contributing to marginal changes in existing institutions. The 'punctuation effect' involves media catalyzing rapid institutional overhaul. The 'reinforcement effect' involves media contributing to the durability and sustainability of punctuated institutional equilibria. Our analysis identifies a paradoxical relationship between mass media and institutions wherein media both changes and reinforces existing institutions. This finding resolves a tension in the institutional literature that defines institutions by their durability but recognizes we observe (sometimes rapid and radical) institutional change. Case studies from the collapse of communism in Poland and Russia illustrate our argument. Copyright 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The Relationship between Planning Strategies and Entrepreneurial Success for Start-Up Entrepreneurs in the Western Cape

The total entrepreneurial activity rate in South Africa was 9.1% in 2011, compared with 8.9% in 2010, which is below the average for similar economies. This study examines the moderating impact of environmental difficulty on the relationship between planning strategies and entrepreneurial success. The authors carried out a cross-sectional interview-based study of 60 start-up entrepreneurs in the Western Cape in South Africa. The results show that environmental difficulty moderated the relationship of ‘opportunistic’ and ‘reactive’ strategies to entrepreneurial success. No moderation effects were found for environmental difficulty on the relationship between success and ‘complete planning’ and ‘critical point planning’ strategies.
The Association Between Corporate Governance and Audit Fees

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) established not only corporate governance reform but also legislated significant changes to the practice of auditing publicly held corporations. Rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) further reinforced stronger corporate governance standards. The effect of these reforms on the cost of public audits is indisputable: the initial rise in audit fees was dramatic as corporations complied with the new provisions. This paper examines the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and audit fees for a random sample of 100 publicly traded corporations drawn from the 2005 Fortune 500 list. The data is obtained from SEC proxy statements and annual report filings for the 2005 fiscal year. The study examines characteristics of the audit committee and board of directors, while controlling for several financial measures generally associated with higher audit fees. The corporate governance attributes include two measures of expertise (the number of audit committee financial experts and the average number of outside directorships held by board members) and two measures of diligence (meeting frequency of audit committee and board of directors). The results indicate a positive, significant relationship between both measures of expertise and audit fees. In addition, greater frequency of board of directors meetings is also significantly related to higher audit fees, while audit meeting frequency is not. This outcome suggests that higher quality corporate governance as measured by fiduciaries’ expertise and board diligence is associated with higher audit costs.
Effect of gender and type of sport practiced on aggression and self-esteem in Tunisian athletes.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between self-esteem and aggressive dispositions of athletes by gender and types of sports. Thus, two questionnaires of aggression and the inventory of the physical self-esteem were completed by 440 subjects (mean age 21.49 ± 1.96) practicing team and individual sports. Our results showed a negative correlation between self-esteem and aggression (r = -0.46 ; p <0.001). Practitioners of team sports are characterized by low self-esteem and high aggression and conversely for individual sports. Males show more physical (p <0.001) and verbal aggression than females (p <0.01). In contrast, females express more acts of anger (p <0.001) and hostility (p <0.001) than males. However, it seems worthwhile to give more importance to the self-esteem of players and try to improve to minimize aggression in sport.
New Systematic Insights about Plio-Pleistocene Moles from Poland

The generic attribution of the Plio-Pleistocene Polish moles ? Neurotrichus polonicus and ? Neurotrichus skoczeni has been questioned several times in the past. The fossil material belonging to ? Neurotrichus polonicus and ? Neurotrichus skoczeni is re-evaluated here and a new diagnosis is provided on the basis of qualitative considerations. In addition, a Geometric Morphometric analysis of the humerus has been performed including both extant and extinct Neurotrichini and Urotrichini taxa for comparison. Our results proved the unique morphology of the Polish material suggesting a distinct taxonomic state. The morphological variations evidenced by the humeral shape analysis agree with the observed qualitative differences and support a new generic allocation. The new genus Rzebikia gen. nov. is proposed for all the material previoulsly ascribed to ? Neurotrichus polonicus and ? Neurotrichus skoczeni.
Accountability of Non-Government Organization from the Perspective of Stakeholder Theory

This study aims to see the accountability of non-government organization from the perspective of Stakeholder theory. Accountability in its practice and theory has weaknesses. The weaknesses are lacking of supervision of disbursement and neglecting people’s culture (Dixon et al., 2006); lacking of information in organization (Kovach et al., 2003); financial statements that are submitted only to the donors (Goddard and Assad, 2006); and the many scandals and abuses of power in organizations (Gibelman and Gelman, 2001). However, this agency theory cannot be applied by NGOs because they are social organizations (Dixon, et al., 2006). Therefore, it is interesting to know the practices and the accountability of NGO. The researcher used interpretive existential phenomenology method to understand a phenomenon (Burrel dan Morgan, 1994; pp.243-247). Stakeholder theory is used to analyze problems with MBM organization activity assumption, which is related to the donors and community. The results of the research show that accountability based on stakeholder perspective theory is for all stakeholders. They are the owners, the management, and social. Stakeholder theory does not emphasize on vertical relationship or the relationship with God as the Owner.
Impact Of Cognitive Profile And Information Uncertainty On Herding Behavior Of Investor

Primary objective of this paper was to investigate the impact of information uncertainty and cognitive profile of investors on herding behavior. We analyzed the behavior of investors influenced by the decision of other investors due to the lack of information and cognitive profile of investors. Well designed experiments in three sessions are conducted for this study. These experiments were conducted in three stages to check the impact of different levels of information and conditions on the herding behavior. This study reflects that there is a positive relationship between the information uncertainty and the biases of investor's behavior and occurrence of herding. Studies also reveal that the previously existing financial information and previously shown behavior in the market also encourages the herding phenomenon prevailing in the market. Researches indicate that the change in the Cognitive profile of the investors is more significant due to the increase in the financial information and the historical record of the transaction. There is also a significant change in the biases of the investor due to the public information.
Optimizing the unrestricted placement of turbines of differing rotor diameters in a wind farm for maximum power generation

This paper presents a new method (the Unrestricted Wind Farm Layout Optimization (UWFLO)) of arranging turbines in a wind farm to achieve maximum farm efficiency. The powers generated by individual turbines in a wind farm are dependent on each other, due to velocity deficits created by the wake effect. A standard analytical wake model has been used to account for the mutual influences of the turbines in a wind farm. A variable induction factor, dependent on the approaching wind velocity, estimates the velocity deficit across each turbine. Optimization is performed using a constrained Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The model is validated against experimental data from a wind tunnel experiment on a scaled down wind farm. Reasonable agreement between the model and experimental results is obtained. A preliminary wind farm cost analysis is also performed to explore the effect of using turbines with different rotor diameters on the total power generation. The use of differing rotor diameters is observed to play an important role in improving the overall efficiency of a wind farm.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Reproductive biology of Echinodorus grandiflorus (Alismataceae): evidence of self-sterility in populations of the state of São Paulo

Resumo A biologia floral e reprodutiva de Echinodorus grandiflorus (Cham. & Schltdl.) Micheli foram estudadas em populacoes nativas do interior do estado de Sao Paulo. A especie floresce no verao e suas flores oferecem tanto nectar quanto polen como recurso. O nectar e secretado por nectarios localizados na base dos carpelos marginais, opostos as petalas. Os polinizadores (abelhas sociais e solitarias), no entanto, foram observados coletando apenas polen. As visitas, que podem durar de um a poucos segundos ate mais de um minuto, acontecem desde o momento da abertura das flores (ca. 5:30 h) ate o fenecimento. Cada flor dura cerca de oito horas. Todos os individuos das populacoes produzem apenas flores hermafroditas. A porcentagem de graos de polen viaveis e de 75%. As populacoes estudadas sao autoincompativeis e, como consequencia, polinizadores sao necessarios para transferencia de polen. Em condicoes naturais e a partir das polinizacoes cruzadas realizadas manualmente, todos os receptaculos apresentaram aquenios maduros. Atraves das analises dos tubos polinicos das flores autopolinizadas manualmente, e devido ao fato dos aquenios derivados desse tratamento abortarem cerca de 30 dias a partir das autopolinizacoes, aparentemente, as populacoes de E. grandiflorus estudadas apresentam um mecanismo de auto-esterilidade de acao tardia. Palavras-chave: Alismataceae, auto-compatibilidade, biologia da polinizacao. Abstract The reproductive biology and the pollination of Echinodorus grandiflorus (Cham. & Schltdl.) Micheli were studied in populations native to interior of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This species blossoms in summer and its flowers offer both nectar and pollen as rewards to pollinators. Nectar is produced in nectaries located at the base of the marginal carpels, opposite the petals. However, the effective pollinators (social and solitary bees), were recorded collecting pollen only. Visits, which can last from one or a few seconds to more than one minute, occur during the whole flower lifespan. Each flower opens at about 5:30 a.m. and lasts circa eight hours. All plants in the studied populations produce only hermaphrodite flowers. Percentage of pollen viability is 75%. The studied populations are self-incompatible and, as a consequence, pollinators are needed to transfer pollen among individuals. In natural conditions and after hand cross-pollinations, all receptacles presented mature achenes. Based on the analyses of pollen tube growth from hand self-pollinated flowers, and as a consequence of achenes abortion circa 30 days after self-pollinations, the populations of E. grandiflorus studied apparently presents a mechanism of late-acting self-sterility. Key words: Alismataceae, pollination biology, self-compatibility.
Microbiological Profile of Asyptomatic Bacteriuria in Pregnancy

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is the presence of actively multiplying bacteria within the urinary tract in the absence of any symptoms. Anatomical and physiological changes make women more susceptible to UTI in pregnancy. Objectives: To determine the percentage of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria and its microbiological profile. Methods: A total of 555 antenatal women who had no clinical features of urinary tract infection were recruited for this study over a period of one year. Clean catch mid-stream urine sample was collected and semi quantitatively cultured immediately. Significant bacteriuria was identified and antibiotic sensitivity found out by conventional methods. Results: Significant growth was observed in 26 samples. There was no association between age, parity, gravidity, period of gestation and asymptomatic bacteriuria. Gram stain was found to be the best screening test. Escherichia coli was the commonest organism isolated. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were the most resistant organisms. Conclusion: Escherichia coli, the most common organism isolated, was resistant to most of the commonly used antibiotics. Wet film examination, the most commonly used screening test in our set up, was less sensitive and specific. So, culture has to be done in all antenatal cases for screening asymptomatic bacteriuria of pregnancy.
Miklankovitch Theory - Hits and Misses

Milankovitch Theory has become an important tool in geologic practice andthought, and is sufficiently conspicuous to provide a rewarding target for criticism.The chief problem arising has to do with the prominence of a cycle near 100,000years, whose origin is not clear. Most practitioners, presumably, would accept aclose relationship of that cycle to precession of the equinoxes (that is, cyclicchanges in seasonality), along with dynamical properties of the system thatenhance the amplitude of the 100-kyr cycle at the expense of others. In anycase, Milankovitch Theory has proved useful, both for age assignments and forstimulating thought about relationships between climate change andsedimentation, as is readily evident from the relevant literature. It would bedifficult to replace. Neither does it seem desirable to do so: the chief problemnoted in regard of the theory (the 100-kyr problem) is not necessarily a part of thetheory, which is concerned with change rather than with condition. The 100-kyrcycle is linked to condition. The problem raised by critics seems to be the timescale of integration of change, a problem not addressed in Milankovitch Theory.A necessity for additional processes and mechanisms not considered inMilankovitch Theory cannot be excluded.
New low surface brightness dwarf galaxies in the Centaurus group

We conducted an extensive CCD search for faint, unresolved dwarf galaxies of very low surface brightness in the whole Centaurus group region encompassing the Cen A and M 83 subgroups lying at a distance of roughly 4 and 5 Mpc, respectively. The aim is to significantly increase the sample of known Centaurus group members down to a fainter level of completeness, serving as a basis for future studies of the 3D structure of the group. Following our previous survey of 60 square degrees covering the M 83 subgroup, we extended and completed our survey of the Centaurus group region by imaging another 500 square degrees area in the g and r bands with the wide-field Dark Energy Survey Camera at the 4m Blanco telescope at CTIO. The limiting central surface brightness reached for suspected Centaurus members is $\mu_r \approx 29$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$, corresponding to an absolute magnitude $M_r \approx -9.5$. The images were enhanced using different filtering techniques. We found 41 new dwarf galaxy candidates, which together with the previously discovered 16 dwarf candidates in the M 83 subgroup amounts to almost a doubling of the number of known galaxies in the Centaurus complex, if the candidates are confirmed. We carried out surface photometry in g and r, and report the photometric parameters derived therefrom, for all new candidates as well as previously known members in the surveyed area. The photometric properties of the candidates, when compared to those of LG dwarfs and previously known Centaurus dwarfs, suggest membership in the Centaurus group. The sky distribution of the new objects is generally following a common envelope around the Cen A and M 83 subgroups. How the new dwarfs are connected to the intriguing double-planar feature recently reported by Tully et al. (2015) must await distance information for the candidates.
THE IMPACT OF STRATEGIC PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION ON NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION’S PERFORMANCE EFFECTIVENESS

Strategic planning is important for non-profit organization to make sure they have been achieved their missions and take necessary actions to achieve it. And they could achieve greater benefits if they applying strategic planning which outweigh the cost involved in the implementation process. But the relationship between strategic planning and organizational performance has been rarely examined in the public and non-profit sectors, especially in Indonesia. This study empirically examines the effect of strategic planning on one of Indonesian non-profit organization’s performance effectiveness. The performance effectiveness assess by using the multiple perspective of Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Niven (2008) developed the BSC for non-profit organization which has added the fifth perspective, volunteers’ development. We argue that the strategic planning can help to guide the implementation process to achieve organization’s performance effectiveness. A purposive sample of 30 managers and project leaders was selected for participated in this study to measure the impact of strategic planning on this organization’s performance effectiveness. All data will be analyzed through quantitative method. We believe that the result of this study will contribute to strategic management area of research and practices on how to measure the strategic planning implementation on the organization’s performance effectiveness by using balanced scorecard, especially in non-profit sector in Indonesia. Keywords: strategic planning, mission achievement, performance effectiveness, non-profit organizations, the balanced scorecard (BSC)
Diversity of a microsatellite locus in the CSN1S1 gene in goat populations raised in the southeastern region of Turkey

expected heterozygosities varied from 0.567 to 0.667 and 0.497 to 0.721, respectively. Polymorphism information contents and exclusion probabilities varied from 0.462 to 0.668 and 0.289 to 0.466, respectively. The results suggested that, there were five different alleles of the microsatellite locus of the goat CSN1S1 gene and this microsatellite could be used as a marker for linkage or QTL mapping studies of the goat populations studied.
Study of vibratory stress relief effect of quartz flexible accelerometer with FEA method

Residual stress relaxation is one of the reasons for parameter drift of quartz flexible accelerometer with laser spot welding structure. Residual stress of laser spot welding is simulated by thermal analysis and thermal stress analysis of the welding process with ANSYS. Dynamic vibration analysis is carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of VSR process for laser spot welding and investigate the effect of VSR process factors on the residual stress distribution. Results show that vibration can decrease the welding residual stress and VSR with resonant frequency has better residual stress relief effect than that of non-resonant frequency. The study may provide a better understanding of how residual stress relief occurs and how VSR can be used in precise instrument effectively.
INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BANKS’ FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: EGYPT CASE

In the last few decades, policy makers around the world have focused on corporate governance reform since the Asian financial crisis and scandals in the United States such as the Enron debacle. In addition, there is no doubt that banks have significant position in the welfare of any economy. Corporate governance involves in how banks’ businesses and affairs are governed by its board of directors that raises a fundamental question of how this could affect banks’ financial performance. The focus of this research is to investigate the relationships between some of the corporate governance variables that are related to the board of directors on the financial performance of these banks working in the Egyptian market. Thirteen banks that are listed in the Egyptian Stock Exchange were selected with data collected for the period from 2011 till 2013 which is the post Egyptian revolution era. Research analyses adopted in this study are descriptive, correlation and regression analyses to test the research hypotheses. Findings of this research provide evidence that some of these variables such as board independence, foreign board members ratio, women board members ratio and board educational ratio have significant effect on the financial performance of these banks; however, board size and CEO qualities do not have any significant effect on banks’ performance. The research reaches some implications that are important to different stakeholders on practical and academic levels.
Latitudinal and seasonal variations of lower atmospheric inertial gravity wave energy revealed by US radiosonde data

Abstract. The latitudinal and seasonal variations of gravity wave (GW) potential energy density (EP), kinetic energy density (EK), and total energy density (ET), i.e, the sum of potential and kinetic energy densities in the tropospheric (typically 2–10 km) and lower stratospheric (typically 18–25 km) segments have been derived from 10 years (1998–2007) of radiosonde observations over 92 United States stations in the Northern Hemisphere. The latitudinal variation of EP in the lower stratosphere is in good agreement with satellite observations. However, EK and ET in the lower stratosphere are different from satellite observations and the difference is believed to be linked with the latitudinal dependence of GW sources. Our analysis reveals that GW energy properties exhibit distinctive latitudinal and seasonal variations. The upward-propagating GW energy in the troposphere is larger than that in the lower stratosphere at low latitudes but the opposite holds true at high latitudes. The transition latitude, where the upward- propagating energies in the two altitude regions are the same, occurs at 35° N throughout the year. So striking differences between GW activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere are not likely explained only by the background wind Doppler shifting due to strong tropospheric jets. Our analysis indicates that the region around tropopause, roughly from 10 km to 18 km, is an important source region, especially at latitudes below 35° N. Our studies strongly suggest that in order to fully understand the global GW activity in the lower atmosphere, the GW kinetic energy and its geographical and seasonal variations should be included, and more attention should be given to GWs in the troposphere and GW sources within the intermediate region, especially the upper troposphere.