Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coping with hypercompetition in the financial services industry in Thailand: environmental scanning practices of leaders and followers

The research on medium‐sized finance companies in Thailand shows that companies with well‐organized and managed environmental scanning practices are recovering from the impact of the 1997 financial crisis and are able to respond to the hypercompetitive market context. The industry leaders and followers show two distinct approaches in responding to business environment. The industry leaders focus on short‐ and long‐term horizons, look at a broader set of factors, are able to influence and better foresee changes in the environment and respond towards these movements more pragmatically. The industry followers are slow in capturing changes in the business environment, do not influence industry regulations and can only comply once the policies are handed out by the regulators. The leaders have managed to overcome the debt burden and are looking forward. The followers have to devote attention to cleaning up the past.
CORRELATES OF VERNAL POOL OCCURRENCE IN THE MASSACHUSETTS, USA LANDSCAPE

Abstract Vernal pool wetlands are at risk of destruction across the northeast United States, due in part to their diminutive size and short hydroperiods. These characteristics make it difficult to locate vernal pool habitats in the landscape during much of the year, and no efficient method exists for predicting their occurrence. A logistic regression procedure was used to identify large-scale variables that influence the presence of a potential vernal pool, including surficial geology, land use and land cover, soil classification, topography, precipitation, and surficial hydrologic features. The model was validated with locations of field-verified vernal pools. The model demonstrated that the probability of potential vernal pool occurrence is positively related to slope, negatively related to till/bedrock surficial geology, and negatively related to the proportion of cropland, urban/commercial, and high density residential development in the landscape. The relationship between vernal pool occurrence and large-scale variables suggests that these habitats do not occur at random in the landscape, and thus, protection in situ should be considered.
A single mechanism for both luminance and chromatic grating vernier tasks: Evidence from temporal summation

Vernier thresholds are determined by luminance rather than chromatic contrast when both are present in vernier targets. The role of luminance and chromatic mechanisms in vernier performance under equiluminant conditions remains uncertain. Temporal summation functions for vernier thresholds with luminance and red–green equiluminant gratings were compared to those for detection thresholds with similar stimuli. Vernier thresholds showed similar temporal summation for luminance and chromatic gratings, which is consistent with a single mechanism underlying vernier performance in the two conditions. However, detection thresholds showed a shorter temporal summation duration for luminance gratings than for chromatic gratings, which suggests that two different mechanisms underlie detection thresholds. Analysis of physiological data supports the hypothesis that the frequency-doubled response of ganglion cells in the magnocellular pathway can provide accurate spatiotemporal information for vernier performance at equiluminance.
Capital and Control: Consequences of Different Forms of Newspaper Ownership

Abstract Debates over the effects and efficacy of different forms of newspaper ownership are rising. This article elucidates the debates by exploring private, public, not-for-profit, and employee ownership using economic and managerial theory about ownership and control of enterprises. It shows the managerial and economic conditions that emerge under the different forms of ownership, their implications, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The article concludes that there is no perfect form of newspaper ownership.
Acute Hyperglycemia Induced by Ketamine/Xylazine Anesthesia in Rats: Mechanisms and Implications for Preclinical Models

The effects of anesthetic agents, commonly used in animal models, on blood glucose levels in fed and fasted rats were investigated. In fed Sprague-Dawley rats, ketamine (100 mg/kg)/xylazine (10 mg/kg) (KX) produced acute hyperglycemia (blood glucose 178.4 ± 8.0 mg/dl) within 20 min. The baseline blood glucose levels (104.8 ± 5.7 mg/dl) reached maximum levels (291.7 ± 23.8 mg/dl) at 120 min. Ketamine alone did not elevate glucose levels in fed rats. Isoflurane also produced acute hyperglycemia similar to KX. Administration of pentobarbital sodium did not produce hyperglycemia in fed rats. In contrast, none of these anesthetic agents produced hyperglycemia in fasted rats. The acute hyperglycemic effect of KX in fed rats was associated with decreased plasma levels of insulin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone and increased levels of glucagon and growth hormone (GH). The acute hyperglycemic response to KX was dose-dependently inhibited by the specific Α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine (1–4 mg/kg). KX-induced changes of glucoregulatory hormone levels such as insulin, GH, ACTH, and corticosterone were significantly altered by yohimbine, whereas the glucagon levels remained unaffected. In conclusion, the present study indicates that both KX and isoflurane produce acute hyperglycemia in fed rats. The effect of KX is mediated by modulation of the glucoregulatory hormones through stimulation of Α2-adrenergic receptors. Pentobarbital sodium did not produce hyperglycemia in either fed or fasted rats. Based on these findings, it is suggested that caution needs to be taken when selecting anesthetic agents, and fed or fasted state of animals in studies of diabetic disease or other models where glucose and/or glucoregulatory hormone levels may influence outcome and thus interpretation. However, fed animals are of value when exploring the hyperglycemic response to anesthetic agents.
Does Buy-and-Hold Pay Off in Structured Products? An Analysis of Account-Level Transactions

This paper documents that median holding period in structured products based on market index is less than a day from initial purchase to liquidation even for retail investors. Less than 6% of all series ever traded by retail investors are held until maturity. More importantly, buy-and-hold strategies perform worse than frequent trading. Based on a unique proprietary dataset that provides the details of all transactions - including account identifier and direction of the trade - in the Korean ELW (equity linked warrant) market between 2009 and 2011, we find that both HFT (high frequency trader) accounts and non-HFT accounts perform worse when either average holding period is long or average end-of-the-day position is large. Such failure of buy-and-hold strategy likely reflects time decaying properties, i.e. theta, of option-like products. Our findings suggest that measuring expected returns for options simply assuming that they are held until maturity may underestimate the true expected return.
Concentrated Ownership and Information-Based Trading

This study examines the impact of concentrated ownership on information asymmetry of Korean listed firms and suggests several alternative mechanisms to mitigate the negative effect of such ownership. Ownership structures of Korean firms are likely to be highly concentrated, and controlling shareholders have actively participated in the management process. Thus, information asymmetry between controlling and minority shareholders can be particularly serious when there are few mechanisms to protect minority shareholders and control the discretionary power of controlling shareholders. Private information of controlling shareholders may cause higher adverse selection costs in trading activities on firms` securities, and thus higher cost of external financing. Empirical evidence shows that information asymmetry is positively associated with concentrated ownership, and also shows that the positive relationship between concentrated ownership and Probability of Information-Based Trading (PIN) is primarily driven by the increase in the relative amount of information-based trading. Furthermore, concentrated ownership is negatively associated with the subsequent new information event, indicating that a controlling shareholder protects his proprietary information flow to the public. This study also finds that analyst following can reduce information asymmetry as an alternative information dissemination mechanism, and that institutional investors and internal corporate governance systems can not help alleviate the substantial negative effects of concentrated ownership.
Fluoroquinolone Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of newer fluoroquinolones (FQs) for adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) whose level of illness allows treatment with an oral antibiotic. METHODS: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing a macrolide, β-lactam, or doxycycline antibiotic with a newer oral FQ for the treatment of CAP. RESULTS: Patients (5118), most of whom were <60 years of age and free of coexisting diseases, were enrolled in 13 studies comparing an oral macrolide or β-lactam antibiotic with an FQ for the treatment of CAP. No previous study compared doxycycline with an FQ. In the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, no trial demonstrated significant differences between FQs or alternative therapies. Summary estimates showed a statistically significant advantage in favor of the FQs in both the ITT (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.47; p = 0.03) and evaluable populations (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.68; p = 0.003). The number needed to treat for an FQ advantage was 33 (95% CI 17 to 362) in the ITT population and 37 (95% CI 22 to 121) in the evaluable population. Treatment failures represented slow symptom resolution; no deaths were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The newer oral FQs showed modest therapeutic benefit compared with the studied alternative antibiotics in adults with CAP. Based on the number needed to treat from the ITT population as a measure of treatment effect, clinicians must decide whether treating 33 patients with an FQ to prevent a single therapeutic failure with another studied antibiotic warrants use of an agent from that class for an illness with a generally favorable outcome regardless of antibiotic selection, and at a time when FQ resistance may be increasing.
Alliance networks and firm performance: The impact of repeated partnerships

A phenomenon that has become the focus of recent research on interorganizational alliance network growth is that firms often enter into repeated relationships with prior partners. The implications of this tendency on corporate performance, however, are not well understood. From transaction cost and network perspectives, I test competing hypotheses on a large sample of multinational corporations. My results indicate clearly that firms not only often do enter into repeated equity-based partnerships but also that those with a greater propensity to do so experience inferior economic performance. Further, statistical tests indicate that the negative effect of repeated partnerships on performance is particularly strong in environments of greater technological uncertainty. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Perpetration, Revictimization, and Self-Injury: Traumatic Reenactments of Child Sexual Abuse in a Nonclinical Sample of South African Adolescents

Risk factors for traumatic reenactments of child sexual abuse experiences (perpetration, revictimization, and self-injury) were examined in a sample of 718 South African secondary school adolescents. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the most consistent predictors of reenactments were a history of child sexual abuse (rape and/or indecent assault) and respondents’ gender, with males being significantly more likely than females to report perpetration (OR = 13.5) and females being more likely to report revictimization (OR = 3.2) and self-injury (OR = 2.5). An analysis restricted to respondents with a history of child sexual abuse indicated that negative abuse-related cognitions were the most consistent predictor of all forms of traumatic reenactment.
Essays on corporate finance and governance

Article history: Received 30 May 2014 Accepted 20 January 2015 Available online 28 January 2015 This study explores the impact of founders on acquirers' merger performance. The results show that the acquisition of founding firms has a relatively negative impact on acquirers' performance, whereas founders who remain in a firm post-merger have a relatively positive influence. Moreover, I find significant differences between the acquirers of firms where founders remain and the acquirers of firms where founders leave. The acquirers of firms in which founders remain exhibit a higher Tobin's q and greater cumulative abnormal returns. This phenomenon is more prominent when founders remain as daily executives than when founders remain as non-daily directors. Additionally, the length of time that the founders remainwith themergedfirm affects thefindings. Finally, I document a robust positive relationship between the remaining founders and acquirers' value or stock returns, indicating the value of founders to acquirers. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL Classification: G34 G14 G32 L26
What survivors want: Understanding the needs of sexual assault survivors

ABSTRACT Objective: Sexual assault is a pervasive crime on our college campuses and many survivors do not seek post-assault resources. This study will explore components of alternative interventions to consider in the development of campus-based interventions for sexual assault survivors. Participants: Three stakeholder groups including survivors (n = 8), healthcare providers (n = 6), and advocates (n = 19) were recruited from May 2014 to December 2014 from two university campus communities using flyers and purposive sampling. Methods: A qualitative study design utilized semi-structured interviews and semi-structured focus groups with survivors, healthcare providers, and advocates. Results: Five themes emerged to consider for future campus-based sexual assault interventions: (a) culture of caring, (b) one-stop shop, (c) validation, (d) survivor control and agency, and (e) confidentiality. Conclusions: Although accessible and effective options for post-assault care do currently exist, participants described alternative future interventions that were either (a) print materials or (b) technology-based.
A comparative evaluation of the Internets influence on international market penetration and development strategies of Australian SME’s

The Internet has the capability to generate geographical international market expansion and future growth for the firm, a concept known as Internetalisation. However, it is yet to be determined as to how much or to what level the Internet influences internationalisation, and thus international market growth. Both international market penetration and the development of new international customers are achievable goals for the Internet enlightened SME. The aim of this research is to explore the influence of the Internet on international market penetration and development from the strategic perspective of the SME in Australia. It was found that although the Internet has given firms the capabilities to become instantly international, a new theory is not needed but rather an evolved version of network theory may be a better explanation of internationalisation of SME’s in today’s digital environment.
Towards three-dimensional visual saliency

3-D virtual environment is a computer generated experience which gives us a feeling of presence in the environment. Objects displayed in virtual environment unlike the real world have no physical depth. Due to the distance between the eyes, the images formed on the retina are different, this facilitates our perception of depth. In the range of personal space, eyes converge at different angles to look at objects in different depth planes, known as convergence angle. Since we cannot get images of the scene viewed by the two eyes, the convergence angle cannot be calculated by standard photogrammetry principles such as triangulation. However, we can measure the point of focus(fixations) of the eyes on 2-D display plane, by using eye tracker. Each eye gets a different view of the virtual scene. Knowing the physical location of both eyes and their corresponding fixations, we can calculate the estimated depth using geometry. In this paper, first, we discuss the experiment setup and 3-D virtual scene used for depth estimation. Second, we evaluate the performance of the geometric model for depth estimation. Third, we discuss a histogram based filtering approach, for improving the performance of the geometric model. Results show that histogram based filtering improves the performance of the geometric model.
Did Unlimited FDIC Insurance Affect Corporate Cash Holdings

Before its expiration, Section 343 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act provided unlimited FDIC insurance on non-interest bearing accounts. This paper examines whether the aforementioned Act and the Transaction Account Guarantee Program that preceded it had a significant influence on corporate cash holdings from 2002 until 2012. Using both time series and panel data techniques, an increase in both corporate cash holdings and non-interest bearing deposits is shown around relevant times suggesting that companies might have increased cash holdings as a result of the unlimited insurance.
Rate and acceleration of whole‐brain atrophy in premanifest and early Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) produces progressive and ultimately widespread impairment of brain function. Neostriatal atrophy alone cannot account for whole‐brain losses seen postmortem, and the mutant huntingtin protein and its neuropathologic sequelae are evident throughout the brain. Whole‐brain atrophy quantification encompasses the totality of mutant huntingtin's effects on brain volume and may be useful in tracking progression in trials. We studied whole‐brain atrophy in HD using a 2‐year follow‐up design, with three annual MRI scans. We recruited 20 control subjects, 21 premanifest mutation carriers, and 40 patients with early HD and used the brain boundary shift integral to study rate and acceleration of atrophy. Among subjects with an acceptable quality 2‐year scan pair, age‐ and gender‐standardized mean brain atrophy rate was greater (P < 0.001) in the patients with HD (n = 21; 0.88%/yr; 95% confidence interval: 0.62–1.13%/yr) than that in controls (n = 13; 0.16%/yr; 0.00–0.32%/yr). In the 12 patients with early HD in whom acceleration could be directly assessed there was evidence (P= 0.048) of acceleration year‐on‐year (mean acceleration = 0.69% yr−2; 95% confidence interval: 0.01% yr−2 to 1.37% yr−2), although this was not formally significantly different from that in controls (n = 7, P = 0.055). Statistically significantly increased atrophy rates and acceleration were not seen overall in the premanifest group, who were on average 18 years from predicted disease onset. We conclude that the study of whole‐brain atrophy has the potential to inform our understanding of the neurobiology of HD and warrants further study as one means of assessing the outcomes of future clinical trials. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Causal Inference via Natural Experiments and Instrumental Variables : The Effect of “Knifing Off” from the Past

According to Laub and Sampson (2003), desistance from crime is made possible by “knifing off”—“offenders desist in response to structurally induced turning points that serve as the catalyst for sustaining long-term behavioral change” (p. 149). What turning points create are new situations that allow individuals to knife off the past, in part, by changing those routine activity patterns that led to trouble with the law prior to incarceration (Sampson and Laub, 2005). This idea is straightforward, but the corresponding intervention is extraordinarily complex, as the crippling expenditures on imprisonment and parole and the alarming recidivism rates in the United States clearly reveal.1 How is knifing off achieved? Laub and Sampson (2003) examine the importance of marriage and military service as turning points in the life course that enabled men in their sample to knife off from their past and then desist from crime. Marriage, in part, promotes desistance from crime because it produces changes in individual’s routine activities, including reduction of time spent in unstructured activities and in association with criminal peers (see also Warr, 1998). Yet the marriage–crime association may be spurious. For instance, Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) offer a competing explanation for the observed negative relationship between marriage and crime found in countless studies. They contend that criminals are shortsighted and that the low level of self-control associated with criminality also causes individuals to discount the long-term benefits of commitments like marriage in favor of short-term gratifications. Ultimately, the marriage–crime association may be spurious, with each 9
Apport de la tomodensitométrie dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose vertébrale à propos de 496 cas à Abidjan

Introduction Le mal de Pott est la forme la plus fréquente des tuberculoses ostéo articulaires, le diagnostic de certitude reste difficile. L'imagerie tient une place indéniable dans le diagnostic. L'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence de la tuberculose vertébrale et l'apport de la TDM dans le diagnostic. Méthodes Nous avons mené une étude rétrospective sur dossiers de tuberculose vertébrale dans le service de Rhumatologie du CHU de Cocody de Janvier 2006 à Décembre 2013. N'ont pas été inclus dans l’étude, tous les dossiers ne comportant pas d'imagerie. Resultats La prévalence hospitalière de la tuberculose vertébrale était de 10,95%, elle représentait 90,2% de la tuberculose ostéoarticulaire. Elle concernait les 2 sexes, l’âge moyen était de 43,27 ans (4-88ans). L'atteinte dorsolombaire était la localisation la plus fréquente (95,13%). L'atteinte du rachis cervical était rare. La spondylodiscite était fréquente (92,14%). La spondylite (6%) et l'atteinte de l'arc postérieur (0,86%) étaient rares. La spondylodiscite était unique le plus souvent (70,05%), les formes multiétagées ont été notées dans 28,65% des cas, les atteintes mutifocales ont été notées dans14, 63% des cas. Les localisations inhabituelles étaient: atteinte sous occipitale (n=3), atteinte concomitante des 3 segments rachidiens (n=3), atteinte du sacrum (n=1), abcès isolés du psoas (n=4). La prévalence des abcès était de 85,91%, celle des épidurites était de 80,17%. La ponction scannoguidée des abcès a été réalisée dans 20 cas, la recherche de BAAR était positive dans 15 cas. Il existait une tuberculose viscérale évolutive dans 20% des cas. Conclusion La TDM est indéniable dans le diagnostic positif et lésionnel de la tuberculose vertébrale. Le retard au diagnostic explique l’étendue des lésions.
Teratogenic actions of some methylated xanthines in mice.

Teratogenicity of caffeine injected into pregnant mice with a fairly high dosage has been established by Nishimura and Nakai ('60) and Nakai ('61). Knoche and Konig ('64) confirmed similar effect of oral administration of this compound to pregnant mice. Recently, Georges and D en e f ('68) reported on limb malformations induced by aminophylline in rats and suggested a specific action of the xanthine nucleus by the fact that the abnormalities occur with a peculiar frequency in the left posterior limb. Theophylline and theobromine as well as caffeine are commonly used for therapeutic purposes. The main purpose of the present experiments is to determine whether or not theophylline and theobromine show the teratogenic action in mouse embryos.