Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Child Fosterage in West Africa

Ethnographic studies in West Africa show that the practice of sending children away to be raised by relatives and nonrelatives is widespread among ethnic groups. This paper explores the demographic relevance of the practice. The fostering information is obtained from 2 sources: the responses given by women to the question on children away from home and by linking all children to their mothers with the unmatched children being treated as fosters. The characteristics of these children their surrogate mothers and those of the biological mothers are explored and the determinants of child fostering are discussed as correlates of these attributes. The results are indicative of high incidence of child fosterage in Ghana Sierra Leone Liberia and Nigeria. Child fostering facilitates female laborforce participation and may affect the fertility decisions of both natural and foster parents mainly because it serves to reallocate the resources available for raising children within the society. It may also have consequences for child survival depending partly on how the culture treats children outside of their maternal homes. West African child fostering or relocation is distinguished not only by its high prevalence but by the young age at which it begins. It is partly the consequence of a need to reallocate resources within the extended family or related kin group ensuring maximum survival for the unit and strengthening kinship ties. In many societies in West Africa child fosterage is simply an accepted means of raising children. Even West African immigrants in America and Europe a reported to send their children to foster homes. 1 of the major reasons fostering starts early is the practice of sending children away for weaning when the parents want to resume sexual relations. Sending children away steadily increases with age up to the age of about 5 and then increases are much slower. Male children constitute 45% of all fosters. Urban residence seems to increase the dominance of female fosters over male fosters. Urban nonfosters clearly attend school more than urban fosters. The number of surviving children is positively related to fostering out of children. Maternal educational attainment appears to be negatively related to fostering children out. (summaries in ENG SPA FRE)
The Psychosocial Context of Financial Stress: Implications for Inflammation and Psychological Health

Objective Psychological distress may contribute to chronic activation of acute-phase inflammation. The current study investigated how financial stressors influence psychosocial functioning and inflammation. This study examined a) the direct relations between financial stress and inflammation; b) whether the relationships between financial stress and inflammation are mediated in part by negative interpersonal events, psychological distress, and psychological well-being; and c) whether social standing in one's community moderates the relations between financial stress and psychological distress, psychological well-being, and markers of inflammation (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and C-reactive protein). Methods Stressful financial and interpersonal events over the previous year, perceived social status, indices of psychological well-being and distress, and levels of IL-6 and C-reactive protein were assessed in a community sample of 680 middle-aged adults (ages 40–65 years). Results Structural equation modeling analyses revealed significant relations among financial stress, interpersonal stress, and psychological distress and well-being, and complex relationships between these variables and inflammatory markers. Psychological well-being mediated the association between financial stress and IL-6 ([mediation] ab = 0.012, standard error [SE] = 0.006, p = .048). Furthermore, individuals with higher perceived social standing within their communities exhibited a stronger relation between negative financial events and both interpersonal stressors (interaction B = 0.067, SE = 0.017, p < .001) and C-reactive protein (interaction B = 0.051, SE = 0.026, p = .050). Conclusions Financial stress demonstrates complex relations with inflammation, due partly to psychological well-being and social perceptions. Findings are discussed with regard to the social context of stress and physiological factors pertinent to stress adaptation and inflammation.
Are boards and institutional investors active monitors? Evidence from CEO dismissal

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the turnover-performance relation depends on the proportion of outside directors and institutional ownership concentration and to explore the relative roles of accounting- and stock-based performance measures in the process of CEO dismissals. Design/methodology/approach - Probit analysis using an unbalanced panel of the top 460 UK listed companies from 1990 to 1998 was employed. Findings - No evidence of effective board monitoring was found. On the other hand, evidence of institutional shareholder activism was found. In particular, when institutional concentration is high, the turnover-performance link is more negative in relation to stock returns but less negative in relation to accounting performance. This is consistent with institutional investors using a richer set of information than that contained in reported accounting earnings. Research limitations/implications - Further research may examine the effect of board monitoring on the turnover-performance relation after considering the endogeneity of board structure and membership. Moreover, further research may examine the complementarity of the two governance mechanisms considered, i.e. the board of directors and institutional investors. Originality/value - In the aftermath of Enron and other corporate frauds world-wide, the paper exploits a unique dataset of institutional ownership and provides additional evidence on the controversial role of boards and institutional investors in replacing inefficient CEOs, as well as on the role of accounting information in the effectiveness of governance processes.
Stock Market Liberalization, Economic Reform, and Emerging Market Equity Prices

A stock market liberalization is a decision by a country's government to allow foreigners to purchase shares in that country's stock market. On average, a country's aggregate equity price index experiences abnormal returns of 3.3 percent per month in real dollar terms during an eight-month window leading up to the implementation of its initial stock market liberalization. This result is consistent with the prediction of standard international asset pricing models that stock market liberalization may reduce the liberalizing country's cost of equity capital by allowing for risk sharing between domestic and foreign agents.
A novel approach for online fault detection in HVDC converters

A novel approach for fault detection in high voltage DC transmission systems using neural networks is presented. In the presented method, at first, Harmonics of voltage waveform in rectifier side are derived rapidly by using an adaptive linear neuron. Then, different types of faults including DC line fault, AC system fault and converter's faults are detected property using proposed criterion. In the under study voltage DC transmission systems system, rectifier and its controllers and required filters is modeled completely. A proposed criterion is tested on a high voltage DC system by computer simulation performed in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation resulted demonstrates that the proposed approach can be used for online fault detection in high voltage DC systems.
The Bureaucracy in Pressure Politics

Public administrative agencies in many ways re semble and behave like pressure groups. They not only ad minister laws, but they attempt to influence public opinion and legislative action, promoting the interests of their members and of related groups. General statutory regulations do not re strict them noticeably in this regard, although in some impor tant ways the Chief Executive does, especially through budg etary, personnel, and other organizational controls. Never theless, public bureaucracies enjoy considerable autonomy to propose public policies and promote their adoption. By day-to-day liaison with legislators, avenues are kept open for administrative lobbying. Most crucial in the legislative ac tivities of executive agencies is their strategic work with com mittees considering bills in the legislature. Among the critical kinds of support which may be mobilized here are executive superiors, employees, and clientele. Also, by elaborating their administrative structure, bureaucracies enlist the interest and participation of influential citizens as advisors and sponsors. Additionally, bureaucracies may bring pressure to bear upon legislators through the exercise of administrative discretion. Finally, in the publicity arena, bureaucrats have certain privi leged positions, although they may invite legislative reprisals through overzealous propagandizing.
Crowdfunding: Geography, Social Networks, and the Timing of Investment Decisions

type="main"> We examine a crowdfunding platform that connects artists with funders. Although the Internet reduces many distance-related frictions, local and distant funders exhibit different funding patterns. Local funders appear less responsive to information about the cumulative funds raised by an artist. However, this distance effect appears to proxy for a social effect: it is largely explained by funders who likely have an offline social relationship with the artist (“friends and family”). Yet, this social effect does not persist past the first investment, suggesting that it may be driven by an activity like search but not monitoring. Thus, although the platform seems to diminish many distance-sensitive costs, it does not eliminate all of them. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the abilities and limitations of online markets to facilitate transactions and convey information between buyers and sellers with varying degrees of social connectedness.
Central Nervous Correlates of Chemical Communication in Humans a

ABSTRACT: The recording of chemosensory event‐related potentials (CSERPs) has been established as an objective method in the assessment of central odor processing in humans. In the present study CSERPs were used to investigate whether human body odor is genetically determined by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), referred to in humans as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The immunological function of the MHC is the discrimination of self/nonself within the immune system. In rodents it has been shown that body odor is significantly influenced by the MHC and that it can be discriminated by members of different species.
The Evolution of Job Stability in Canada: Trends and Comparisons to U.S. Results

Using data from the 1976-1999 Canadian Labour Force Survey, we examine the stability of currently held jobs in a manner similar to Diebold, Neumark and Polsky (1997) and Neumark, Polsky and Hansen (1999) who analyzed data from the U.S. Current Population Survey. We find that although the current distribution of in-progress job tenures is filling up with more long jobs, and more shorter jobs - suggesting a polarization of job tenure, the stability of currently held jobs has remained quite stable over the period. A closer look reveals two phases in the Canadian data. The period 1977 to 1993 was characterized by declining job stability. Examining the data by current job tenure, we see a declining stability of short jobs - those less than one year in length were less likely to last one more year in at the end of the 1980s (and beginning of the 1990s) than in the late 1970s. At the same time jobs between one and two years long tended to become more stable - becoming more likely to last one more year by 1993. The second phase - 1993-1999 - was characterized by a reversal of these trends such that by the end of the period, jobs of all lengths were equally as stable as in the late 1970s. Declines across the 1980s in job stability were concentrated in low education, older and younger groups but job stability grew most for these same groups in the 1990s. Following U.S. methods allows us to undertake an international comparison. We find that while job stability changes were similar in the two countries between 1987 and 1991, job stability rose relative to the United States between 1991 and 1995. We speculate that this difference is due to a relatively deeper recession in Canada in the early 1990s, and a relatively slow recovery in the mid 1990s.
Early postoperative calcium levels as predictors of hypocalcemia

Objective: Early, safe postoperative hospital discharge has become a priority in the current environment of cost containment and managed care. One determinant for this following operations of the thyroid or parathyroid glands is a stable postoperative calcium level. This study sought to determine whether early postoperative calcium levels could safely predict hypocalcemia following operations of the thyroid or parathyroid glands. Study Design: A retrospective chart review of 197 patients undergoing such operations was undertaken. Methods: The study population was divided into patients undergoing parathyroid exploration with removal of one or more glands for parathyroid disease (“parathyroid” group) and patients undergoing bilateral thyroid operations (“nonparathyroid” group). Postoperative calcium levels were plotted as a function of time, and the slope between the first two postoperative calcium levels examined. Results: A positive slope predicted normocalcemia in 100% of “nonparathyroid” and 90% of “parathyroid” surgeries. A negative slope was predictive in its magnitude. The nonparathyroid patients who developed postoperative hypocalcemia had an average slope significantly more negative (‐0.84% change/h) than patients remaining normocalcemic (‐0.49% change/h) (P = .03). Similarly, the parathyroid patients who became hypocalcemic had an average initial slope nearly twice as negative (‐1.4% change/h) as patients remaining normocalcemic (‐0.78% change/h) (P = .005). Conclusions: These results indicate that an initial upsloping postoperative calcium curve based on two early postoperative calcium measurements is strongly predictive of a stable postoperative calcium level, and a steeply downsloping initial calcium curve is worrisome for eventual hypocalcemia.
The Interpretation of "in Context" Verbal Probability Expressions Used in International Accounting Standards: A Comparison of English and Chinese Students Studying at English Speaking Universities.

This study examines the differences in the interpretation of ten in context verbal probability expressions used in accounting standards between native Chinese speaking and native English speaking accounting students in United Kingdom universities. The study assesses the degree of grouping factors consensus on the numerical interpretation of the probability expressions. Unlike previous studies, this study uses subjects who share a common language (English), respond to a survey written in the common language, and are being educated in that common language. The results show that native culture and language are not significant factors in explaining differences between accounting students in their interpretation of in context verbal probability expressions. Future research comparing Chinese students in China with Chinese students at English speaking universities would be useful in evaluating the extent that common language and cultural differences has on the results.
When Two (or More) Heads are Better Than One: The Promise and Pitfalls of Shared Leadership

In both the business press and in academic journals, corporate leadership typically is portrayed as a solo activity, the responsibility of one person at the top of an organizational hierarchy. However, evidence shows that shared leadership is not only common in the corporate world, it is often more effective than the storied "one-man shows. " Ongoing research at the University of Southern California's Center for Effective Organizations pinpoints several factors needed to make joint leadership a success. Where two—or more—individuals share leadership, it turns out that making the arrangement work is more complicated than simply "divvying up the tasks. " For example, sharing the limelight seems harder than sharing responsibility.
The Housing Challenge in South Africa

This paper considers the housing conditions inherited by the new government in South Africa and the challenge they present. It draws on primary and secondary sources, and on interviews with some of the key actors involved in housing policy. It examines contemporary housing conditions, and the colonial and apartheid legacy which largely created them. It goes on to consider the implications of the struggle under apartheid for improvements in living conditions, and to review developments in housing policy in the 1980s and early 1990s. The policies emerging from the first year of the new government are described, and the implementation of policy in the first two years is reviewed. Issues that arise are discussed, and the conditions required for the state, market and civil society to play their part in achieving the objectives of housing policy are considered.
Management of the new pay systems in the public sector — some implications of insights gained from experiments

During recent decades, new pay systems have been widely introduced in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Experiments draw attention to some aspects which are normally not included in analyses of pay systems, namely fairness and reciprocity. Furthermore, the experiments indicate a different understanding of what are perceived as gains and losses than what is assumed in conventional economic theory, and they also indicate an asymmetric evaluation of gains and losses. The aim of the article is to present some results from these experiments and to investigate their implications for pay systems in the public sector. The conclusion is that the results have important implications for the management of pay systems, and due to some specific characteristics of the public sector, for management of pay systems in the public sector in particular. Points for practitioners Insights gained from experiments concerning fairness, reciprocity and perceived gains and losses shed a new light on management of pay. They stress the importance of managers taking responsibility for ensuring acceptance of criteria for pay supplements and bonuses, and for a realistic formation of expectations about pay supplements and bonuses. Moreover, the managers need to ensure that supplements and bonuses are provided in accordance with the criteria in such a way that the allocation of supplements and bonuses is considered to be fair, and justified expectations are met. This can be particularly difficult in the public sector. Thus, considerable caution in relation to using the individualization of pay to motivate employees in the public sector is recommended.
The TAPS Project. 10: The Long-Stay Populations of Friern and Claybury Hospitals: The Baseline Survey

As part of the TAPS project, the baseline long-stay populations of Friern and Claybury Hospitals were compared using the TAPS assessment schedules. Each hospital has reduced bed numbers by two-thirds, and although the two have been subjected to different influences, their remaining long-stay patients were similar, and characterised by severe problems with hygiene, florid psychotic symptoms, a high prevalence of negative symptoms, and impoverished social networks.
Predictors of early cessation of dairy farming in the French Doubs province: 12-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND A healthy worker effect due to respiratory disability has been noted in the farming population, but other factors may also interfere. Little has been published about factors influencing the early cessation of work in self-employed dairy farmers. METHODS Two hundred and nineteen dairy farmers were included from a cohort constituted in eastern France in 1993-1994 with a 12-year follow-up. Spirometric data, personal, and farm characteristics were registered. Cox models with delayed entry in which age was the time-scale were applied to identify the baseline predictive factors of the early cessation of dairy farming. RESULTS Working in a modern farm was protective against early cessation of dairy farming (hazard ratio: 0.36 [95% CI: 0.16-0.81]), especially in men. Having asthma was a predictive factor of early cessation, especially in women (hazard ratio: 16.12 [95% CI: 3.28-79.12]). CONCLUSIONS The most predictive factors of early cessation of dairy farming were health related in women and farm related in men.
A cognitive influence on the loudness of tones that change continuously in level.

The loudness of tones that change continuously in level over time was studied using magnitude estimation and a delayed loudness-balance procedure. In the magnitude estimation task, subjects estimated the loudness of continuous and intermittent 1000-Hz tones that either increased or decreased continuously in level over roughly 3 min. Two stimulus ranges were used: 30 to 70 and 50 to 90 dB SPL. For the low-level conditions, the results are essentially identical to those of Canévet and Scharf [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 88, 2136-2142 (1990)], who ran similar conditions. Tones that increased in level changed in loudness as a function of SPL at a slower rate than tones that decreased in level. For the high-level conditions, the same result was obtained, but the magnitude of the difference among conditions is smaller. A delayed loudness-matching procedure was used to measure the physical magnitude corresponding to loudness differences among a subset of the conditions. Judged equal-loudness levels showed a sharp decline in loudness for conditions with tones that decreased continuously in level, but the magnitude of the reduction was less than that interpolated from magnitude estimates for identical stimuli. The source of the difference is unclear. To explore the role of cognitive influences, subjects' attention was diverted by a video word-identification task during the period of adaptation. For this task, the loudness decline was reduced for loudness balances and magnitude estimations compared to conditions where attention was concentrated on the adapting stimulus. In another magnitude-estimation task, the loudness decline for monaural stimulation was found to occur only in the "adapted" ear. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Undocumented Latino students' experiences with higher education in the United States: A narrative inquiry

This Narrative Inquiry depicts the experiences and perceptions of undocumented Latino students/graduates within Kansas. Through the lens of Latino Critical Theory, counterstories pushed back against the dominant narrative of undocumented Latinos and higher education. An aspect I hope to capture is how undocumented Latino students are navigating their educational journey within the current anti-immigration context. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted based off a semi-structured protocol to examine themes from the LatCrit theory. LatCrit theory offered a race conscious framework to critically contrast oppressive aspects of society and the experiences of undocumented Latino students. The findings indicate DACA greatly influenced how participants approached higher education. The findings support Obama's administration and their attempts to strengthen the undocumented Latino student community. Participants explained how DACA had changed everything. For the first time in their lives, they were able to attend college with no fears of being deported. They were able to work legally and pay taxes. They were able to apply for driver's licenses and legally drive themselves to work and class. Participants challenged the common assumption about undocumented Latinos not valuing higher education. They would have felt more welcomed on campus if they had someone who could relate and discuss specific issues surrounding current immigration laws and DACA.