Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MONETARY POLICY AND SUNSPOT FLUCTUATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE EURO AREA

We estimate a two-country open economy version of the New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for the United States and the Euro area, using Bayesian techniques that allow for both determinacy and indeterminacy of the equilibrium. Empirical analysis shows that the worldwide equilibrium is indeterminate due to a passive monetary policy in the Euro area, even if U.S. policy is aggressive enough. We demonstrate that the impulse responses under indeterminacy exhibit dynamics different from those under determinacy and that sunspot shocks affect the Euro economy to a substantial degree, whereas the transmission of sunspots to the United States is limited.
Estimation of surface air temperature over central and eastern Eurasia from MODIS land surface temperature

Surface air temperature (Ta) is a critical variable in the energy and water cycle of the Earth–atmosphere system and is a key input element for hydrology and land surface models. This is a preliminary study to evaluate estimation of Ta from satellite remotely sensed land surface temperature (Ts) by using MODIS-Terra data over two Eurasia regions: northern China and fUSSR. High correlations are observed in both regions between station-measured Ta and MODIS Ts. The relationships between the maximum Ta and daytime Ts depend significantly on land cover types, but the minimum Ta and nighttime Ts have little dependence on the land cover types. The largest difference between maximum Ta and daytime Ts appears over the barren and sparsely vegetated area during the summer time. Using a linear regression method, the daily maximum Ta were estimated from 1 km resolution MODIS Ts under clear-sky conditions with coefficients calculated based on land cover types, while the minimum Ta were estimated without considering land cover types. The uncertainty, mean absolute error (MAE), of the estimated maximum Ta varies from 2.4 °C over closed shrublands to 3.2 °C over grasslands, and the MAE of the estimated minimum Ta is about 3.0 °C.
How Top Management HR Beliefs and Values Affect High-Performance Work System Adoption and Implementation Effectiveness

What explains why high-performance work systems (HPWSs) are not adopted more widely by firms that would appear to benefit economically by adopting them? We address this question by drawing on the upper-echelons perspective to consider the role of the top managers’ beliefs concerning the financial payoffs from investments in HR (“HR cause-effect belief”) as well as their employee-centered value-based beliefs (labeled “HPWS values”). We propose a conceptual model in which top management HPWS values moderate the relationship between HR cause-effect beliefs and the intensity of HPWS programs reported by managers as well as the relationship between HPWS programs and employees’ perceptions of implemented HPWS practices. We test our model using a unique multisource data set collected from 120 hotel franchisees that includes survey responses from 648 managers and 1,293 employees. We find that firms’ ability to translate top managers’ cause-effect beliefs about the economic value of HR investments into adoption of HPWS programs, as well as their ability to effectively implement these HPWS programs, is significantly affected by the value-based HR beliefs held by top managers.
Equilibrium Asset Prices and Investor Behavior in the Presence of Money Illusion

This article analyzes the implications of money illusion for investor behavior and asset prices in a securities market economy with inflationary fluctuations. We provide a belief-based formulation of money illusion which accounts for the systematic mistakes in evaluating real and nominal quantities. The impact of money illusion on security prices and their dynamics is demonstrated to be considerable even though its welfare cost on investors is small in typical environments. A money-illusioned investor's real consumption is shown to generally depend on the price level, and specifically to decrease in the price level. A general-equilibrium analysis in the presence of money illusion generates implications that are consistent with several empirical regularities. In particular, the real bond yields and dividend price ratios are positively related to expected inflation, the real short rate is negatively correlated with realized inflation, and money illusion may induce predictability and excess volatility in stock returns. The basic analysis is generalized to incorporate heterogeneous investors with differing degrees of illusion.
Quadratic Interest Rate Models as Approximations to Effective Rate Models

Many of the classic stochastic interest rate models use the instantaneous spot rate as the fundamental sate variable. For both practical and theoretical reasons, it is sometimes convenient to base the model on the effective interest rate over some period such as three months. One disadvantage of this procedure is that the prices of some basic securities and derivatives do not have closed-form solutions. Under some circumstances, accurate values for these instruments can be obtained using an approximation to the true model. The approximation here is based on a quadratic interest rate model. Examples illustrate the accuracy of the approximation.
Insights and New Directions from Demand-Side Approaches to Technology Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management Research

The authors review the progress of three rapidly growing macro management literatures—in technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic management—that have in common the use of a “demand-side” research perspective. Demand-side research looks downstream from the focal firm, toward product markets and consumers, to explain and predict those managerial decisions that increase value creation within a value system. Typical characteristics of demand-side, macro-level management research include clearly distinguishing value creation from value capture, emphasizing product markets as key sources of value-creation strategies for firms, viewing consumer preferences as dynamic and sometimes latent, and recognizing that managers’ differing decisions in response to consumer heterogeneity contribute to firm heterogeneity and, ultimately, value creation. The authors review recent demand-side findings showing that strategies based on consumer heterogeneity can result in competitive advantage even if the firm holds only obsolete or mundane resources, these advantages can be sustainable without resource- or ability-based barriers to imitation, successful innovations can be consumer driven rather than resource or technology driven, and consumer knowledge can play a key role in entrepreneurial idea discovery. These seemingly counterintuitive findings from demand-side research indicate the promise of future demand-side work for generating new knowledge useful to scholars and managers. The authors suggest directions for future demand-side research based on their review. What’s more, the research they review represents a start—but only a start—toward integrated theories that could attend to both the demand side and the producer side of the value creation equation.
Evaluation of drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis patients at Sureyyapasa Chest Diseases Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

SETTING Sureyyapasa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. OBJECTIVE To determine levels of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to first-line drugs in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). DESIGN Between 1 January and 31 December 2005, all hospitalised PTB patients with culture-positive M. tuberculosis specimens and corresponding drug susceptibility tests (DST) for isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), streptomycin (SM) and ethambutol, routinely performed for every tuberculosis (TB) case at our centre, were included. RESULTS Of a total of 1513 cases, 1277 (84.4%) were new and 236 (15.6%) were previously treated cases. Of the 1513 isolates, 290 (19%) isolates were resistant to at least one of the drugs tested. Resistance among new and previously treated cases was respectively 16.3% (209 of 1277) and 34.3% (81/236). Any SM resistance and any INH resistance were the most common drug resistance in new cases, while any RMP resistance was the most common drug resistance in previously treated cases. Multidrug resistance was detected in 3.2% (n = 41) of new cases and in 13.5% (n = 32) of previously treated cases. CONCLUSION Planning for TB control requires an assessment of the number and distribution of drug-resistant cases, with laboratories providing accurate and reliable results.
Proposing and Testing an Intellectual Capital-Based View of the Firm

This study examines one specific aspect of the resource-based view, intellectual capital, and its three knowledge components human, organizational, and social capital. We hypothesize that the impact of each component on financial performance is contingent upon the values of the other components, and that these leveraging effects are themselves contingent upon the industry conditions in which a business operates. Our hypotheses are supported using line-of-business survey and FDIC data (within-industry/within-geographic region) from two non-competing resource niches of the banking industry (personal and commercial banking).
Regional Innovation Systems and European Research Policy: Convergence or Misunderstanding?

In this article the question of interfacing, innovation policy and regional policy at the European level is addressed. Under which conditions will the new European research policy, relying on networks of centres of excellence, be compatible with 'cohesion' objectives? Since there will be no unique regional development scheme based on science and technology, how can policy-makers take into consideration the variety of local contexts? The analysis focuses on the fact that the concept of regional innovation system can be misleading for describing the territorial context. However, a cognitive approach seems possible, based on the notion of regional competence to innovate. The analyses are illustrated with empirical results concerning the French regions, and especially Alsace.
Market reaction to the expiration of IPO lockup provisions

Initial public offering (IPO) lockup agreements prevent insider sale of shares for specified periods of time (often 180 days). This study investigates share price reactions at and around the time the lockup agreements expire. Results indicate statistically significant negative abnormal returns in the event window surrounding the expiration date. The results are consistent with informational asymmetries and decreasing incentive alignment between insiders and general shareholders. In addition, multivariate analysis identifies several variables that help explain these abnormal returns.
Speech Outcome regarding Overall Intelligibility , Articulation , Resonance and Voice in Flemish Children a Year after Pharyngeal Flap Surgery

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to determine the treatment effectiveness of pharyngeal flap surgery by measuring speech outcome 1 year after surgery. The authors hypothesized that flap surgery is an effective technique for velopharyngeal inadequacy resulting in improved intelligibility, decreased hypernasality and nasalance scores and normal voice characteristics. Patients and Methods: Objective (Nasometer, Dysphonia Severity Index) as well as subjective (perceptual evaluations) assessment techniques were performed in 7 subjects. Speech evaluations were performed 1 year after flap surgery and comparison was made between the speech results of the preoperative condition (1 week before surgery) and the first postoperative condition (6 weeks after surgery). Results: After pharyngeal flap surgery there was improved though still slightly impaired intelligibility, with normal nasality, normal nasalance values for standard Flemish speech and normal voice characteristics. The normal nasality and nasalance values were not present in the preoperative condition. Persistence of the incorrect Published online: August 12, 2008 Prof. K.M. Van Lierde, PhD University Hospital Ghent, 2P1, Dienst Logopedie De Pintelaan 185 BE–9000 Gent (Belgium) Tel. +32 9 24
Dual-use research and the H5N1 bird flu: Is restricting publication the solution to biosecurity issues?

Recent studies altering the host range of the H5N1 bird flu virus have refueled intense debates over the potential misuse of academic life science research. To curtail the bioterrorism threat, it has been suggested that dissemination of the research results and methodology should be restricted. However, doubts have been raised over the suitability and effectiveness of this measure. Using the H5N1 studies as an example, this paper summarizes the main arguments of the debate. Particular attention is paid to the issue of the tacit knowledge required to replicate published life science research results, which has so far received limited attention. Taking into account the importance of tacit knowledge for life science research, it is argued that preventing publication of the methodology does not decrease the threat of bioterrorism.
Concentrated short‐selling activity: bear raids or contrarian trading?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate what is denoted as episodes of concentrated short-selling activity, or consecutive days of abnormal short-sale activity in a particular stock. The motivation to do so is two fold. First, US regulators and regulators in other countries have restricted short selling in order to protect the integrity of markets. Second, there is some conflicting academic research determining whether short sellers are manipulative in nature. Design/methodology/approach - After defining these episodes by concentrated short selling, the paper examines returns before and after to determine whether these episodes target struggling stocks and whether these episodes predict negative returns. Findings - Contrary to the argument that episodes of concentrated shorting activity target struggling stocks, it is found that these episodes follow periods of positive returns. Further, it is found that abnormal volatility and high trading volume also predict the occurrence of these episodes. These results suggest that concentrated shorting occurs in stocks that are increasing in price during periods of heterogeneity among investors expectations (Berkman Originality/value - The results from this study have important regulatory implications as well as implications regarding the informational efficiency of stock prices.
Environment and development: is there a Kuznets curve for CO2 emissions?

This article re-examines the relationship between growth in per capita income and environmental degradation using econometric techniques appropriate for smooth transition regressions with panel data. This is a more intuitive and flexible methodology than the polynomial models widely used in the literature, and it can reconcile some of the mixed results found previously. The methodology is applied to carbon dioxide emissions from nonOECD countries over the period 1971 to 1997. Although there is no evidence of environmental Kuznets curve, we find two regimes, namely a low-income regime where emissions accelerate with economic growth and a middle to high-income regime associated with a deceleration in environmental degradation.
International Comparisons of Banking Efficiency

The banking industry around the globe has been transformed in recent years by unprecedented consolidation and cross-border activities. However, international consolidation has been considerably less than might have been expected in developed nations - such as long-term members of the EU - where barriers to entry have been significantly lowered. In contrast, foreign-owned banks have generally achieved much higher penetration in developing nations. We investigate the extent to which these differences may be related to bank efficiency concerns by reviewing and critiquing over 100 studies that compare bank efficiencies across nations. The studies are in three distinct categories: (1) comparisons of bank efficiencies in different nations based on the use of a common efficient frontier, (2) comparisons of bank efficiencies in different nations using nation-specific frontiers, and (3) comparisons of efficiencies of foreign-owned versus domestically owned banks within the same nation using the same nation-specific frontier. The research - particularly the findings in the third category - is generally consistent with the hypothesis that efficiency differences help to explain the consolidation patterns. The efficiency disadvantages of foreign-owned banks relative to domestically owned banks tend to outweigh the efficiency advantages in developed nations on average, and this situation is generally reversed in developing nations, with notable exceptions to both findings. We also stress the need for further research in this area.
Efficiency Measurement in Australian Local Government: The Case of New South Wales Municipal Water Services

Australian local government has experienced a series of reforms directed at increasing economic efficiency. An important element in the reform program has been the development of a number of partial indicators of local government service delivery in the states and territories. This paper attempts to augment this literature on performance measurement in Australian local government by using data envelopment analysis (DEA) with holistic indices of allocative and technical efficiency in New South Wales (NSW) municipal water services. It also seeks to incorporate qualitative indicators into efficiency measures. "Best-practice" councils are identified and the underlying causes of municipal water service efficiency are analyzed. Copyright 2004 by The Policy Studies Association.
IS BITCOIN BUSINESS INCOME OR SPECULATIVE FOOLERY? NEW IDEAS THROUGH AN IMPROVED FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS

The present study addresses one of the most problematic phenomena: Bitcoin price. We explore the Granger causality for two relationships (Bitcoin price and trade transactions; Bitcoin price and investors' attractiveness) from a frequency domain perspective-based on unconditional and conditional data analysis. Accurately, this research empirically assesses the causal links between these variables unconditionally on the one hand and conditioning upon relevant control variables (recorded in literature) on the other hand. The observed outcomes reveal some differences with respect to the frequencies involved, highlighting the difficulty to reach clearer insights and better paths into this nascent crypto-currency. Beyond the nuances of short-, medium- and long-run frequencies, this paper confirms the extremely speculative nature of Bitcoin without overlooking its usefulness in economic reasons. The consideration of the Chinese market index, the hash rate, the monetary velocity and the estimated output volume has led to solid and meaningful findings connecting further Bitcoin to speculation.
Alterations of the apical junctional complex and actin cytoskeleton and their role in colorectal cancer progression

Colorectal cancer represents the fourth highest mortality rate among cancer types worldwide. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate their progression can prevents or reduces mortality due to this disease. Epithelial cells present an apical junctional complex connected to the actin cytoskeleton, which maintains the dynamic properties of this complex, tissue architecture and cell homeostasis. Several studies have indicated that apical junctional complex alterations and actin cytoskeleton disorganization play a critical role in epithelial cancer progression. However, few studies have examined the existence of an interrelation between these 2 components, particularly in colorectal cancer. This review discusses the recent progress toward elucidating the role of alterations of apical junctional complex constituents and of modifications of actin cytoskeleton organization and discusses how these events are interlinked to modulate cellular responses related to colorectal cancer progression toward successful metastasis.
An assessment of issues related to clinical skill remediation in dental hygiene education.

PURPOSE Within the confines of a lock-step dental hygiene education curriculum, the remediation of clinical skills poses a challenge for both the faculty responsible for assuring clinical competence and for the students expected to meet the stringent clinical performance criteria. To gain an understanding of how dental hygiene programs meet remediation challenges, a survey of U.S. dental hygiene programs was conducted. METHODS A questionnaire designed to elicit information on specific remediation protocols, the type of instructional methods used in clinical remediation, and the management of faculty work load and compensation when the need for remediation was identified was developed. The questionnaire was pretested by dental hygiene program administrators and then distributed to 227 U.S. dental hygiene programs via mail and Internet services with a follow-up mailing to non-respondents. Data were analyzed and reported as descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). RESULTS An 80 percent (n = 181) response rate was obtained. A chi-square analysis of goodness of fit demonstrated no statistically significant difference between the respondents and the survey population in relationship to type of degree granted, educational setting, or geographic location. Results revealed an average student to clinical faculty ratio of five to one regardless of year of curriculum, educational setting, or geographic location. Just over half (53.6%, n = 97), reported having a written policy on clinical remediation with a clinical course syllabus being the most frequently cited mode of distribution. Ninety-eight percent (n = 177) indicated that clinical faculty met regularly to discuss student clinical progress. Issuing an incomplete grade, requiring the student to attend additional clinical sessions, and allowing the student to continue with his or her peers was the most frequent action taken when clinical remediation was needed at the end of the academic term (32.6%, n = 59). The most frequent remediation intervention strategy employed was one-on-one faculty instruction (87.3%, n = 158). Typodont practice and extra clinical time under one-on-one supervision were also identified by over half of the programs as clinical remediation methods. The majority reported that faculty responsible for managing remediation activities received no financial compensation for the remedial instruction (83%, n = 150). CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that dental hygiene programs do engage in student clinical skill remediation. Educators are encouraged to apply principles of psychomotor skill acquisition to increase remediation effectiveness.
Sustainable supply chain management: Evolution and future directions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) literature in the principal logistics and supply chain management journals, across a 20‐year time frame.Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a systematic literature review methodology. This methodology allows for the minimization of researcher bias and the maximization of reliability and replicability. The study's empirical validity is further enhanced by demonstrating high levels of inter‐coder reliability across families of codes.Findings – The field of SSCM has evolved from a perspective and investigation of standalone research in social and environmental areas; through a corporate social responsibility perspective; to the beginnings of the convergence of perspectives of sustainability as the triple bottom line and the emergence of SSCM as a theoretical framework. While the SSCM research has become more theoretically rich and methodologically rigorous, there are numerous oppo.