Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pay for no performance ? Executive pay and performance in EU banks

Existing corporate governance structures mainly focus only on the relationship between managers and shareholders, with little emphasis on debt holders. While this reflects the nature of the capital structure for a majority of firms, banks operate differently and are highly leveraged. However, the different balance of risk bearing by the shareholders and debtholders for banks is not reflected in contemporary corporate governance in large corporations today. In this study, we examine the pay-performance relationship taking into consideration special governance structures in place in the banking sector, for a sample of 65 EU banks and bank holding companies between 2000 and 2010. The sample of EU banks also allows for the plurality of governance structures. Using a 3SLS estimation to cater for endogeneity problems that have plagued prior work, we find no evidence of a contemporaneous relationship between bank performance and pay, suggesting that bank executives are paid independent of past and expected future performance. Instead, we find the driving factors behind executive pay levels to be board size, managerial ownership, bank size, capital ratios and dividend status. The 3SLS estimation also allows us to shed light on the complementarity and substitution effects of different governance mechanisms in the banking sector, providing further evidence that governance relationships cannot be examined in isolation.
Energy-Efficient Collection of Sparse Data in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Sparse Random Matrices

We consider the energy efficiency of collecting sparse data in wireless sensor networks using compressive sensing (CS). We use a sparse random matrix as the sensing matrix, which we call Sparse Random Sampling (SRS). In SRS, only a randomly selected subset of nodes, called the source nodes, are required to report data to the sink. Given the source nodes, we intend to construct a data gathering tree such that (1) it is rooted at the sink and spans every source node and (2) the minimum residual energy of the tree nodes after the data collection is maximized. We first show that this problem is NP-complete and then develop a polynomial time algorithm to approximately solve the problem. We greedily construct a sequence of data gathering trees over multiple rounds and propose a polynomial-time algorithm to collect linearly combined measurements at each round. We show that the proposed algorithm is provably near-optimal. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm excels not only in increasing the minimum residual energy, but also in extending the network lifetime.
Essays on the Role of Customer Expectation in Service Markets.

Essays on the Role of Customer Expectation in Service Markets by Jihoon Cho Co-Chairs: Puneet Manchanda and Anocha Aribarg Customer expectations have been considered as customers’ pre-purchase beliefs or evaluative beliefs about a product or service. When making a choice, customers first construct their expectations of what is to come whenever they receive new information within a context that is based on the past events. From firms’ perspective, a tension exists between raising expectations to increase initial acceptance/trial and lowering expectations to increase satisfaction, and hence future sales. As such, it should come as no surprise that service firms are interested in better understanding how consumers form expectations about quality to manage customer expectations over time. This thesis comprises of two essays where I demonstrate the role of customer expectation in (1) customer satisfaction and repurchase and (2) strategic customer behavior under bounded rationality and its impact on product switching. In the first essay, I examine the value of measuring customer satisfaction. Many service firms keep track of customer satisfaction ratings, along with objective service performance, after each purchase transaction. This practice results in the large amount of customer satisfaction data and thus raises the question of whether measuring customer satisfaction actually provide additional information relative to what can
Constitutive Expression of Alpha Interferon by Skin Dendritic Cells Confers Resistance to Infection by Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

ABSTRACT The role of dendritic cells (DC) in the initiation of immune responses against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is poorly understood. We analyzed the innate response of freshly isolated swine skin DC to the virus and show a rapid induction of beta interferon (IFN-β) mRNA but not IFN-α mRNA. However, these DC secreted both IFN-α and IFN-β proteins in response to live virus but not killed virus. Furthermore, the surface expression of swine major histocompatibility complex class II (SLA II) or CD80/CD86 molecules and antigen processing functions were not affected by FMDV exposure. Given the demonstrated sensitivity of FMDV to IFN-α/β, there was no productive or nonproductive infection of these cells. Finally, freshly isolated skin DC constitutively expressed intracellular IFN-α protein in the absence of stimulation, with no detectable secretion of the cytokine until virus exposure. In situ analysis of these DC showed that these cells express and store IFN-α in uninfected animals. This is the first demonstration of the constitutive expression of IFN-α in resident, tissue-derived DC and indicates that skin DC can play an important role in the innate immune response of swine to viral infections.
E-Banking Practices and Customer Satisfaction - A Case Study in Botswana

Banks' external environment, including globalization and deregulations, have made the banks highly competitive. Banks find it difficult to compete on price, and need to look at other ways to retain customers. As customers become more sophisticated, it becomes banks essential to consider the use of technology to respond to their continuously changing requirements. After conducting this research, it is clearly seen that delivery channels are lacking in meeting the demands of the customer by not making them aware of e-banking and using obsolete or not too up-to-date technology. The problem statement is solved. The hypotheses are tested and show that there is a relationship between age group, occupation type and some aspects of e-banking. The responses obtained for the acceptance of the electronic age were unanimous as the banking industry strongly feels that it must adapt to the electronics age if they are to move with time and customer demands and not be left behind. I would thus conclude that banks should drown themselves in all the intricacies regarding e-banking to determine ways that will affect the customers in Botswana and use it to their maximum benefit.
Valuation of Salmon Farmers

Financial statement information is important for evaluating a firm’s performance, and for forecasting its future cash flows. This paper studies the relationship between financial accounting information and market valuation for publically listed salmon farming companies. Of special interest is the impact on market valuation, of a requirement for salmon farmers to disclose the effect on their financial numbers of the fair-value adjustment of biomass. The results suggest that the fair-value adjustment results in higher volatility of profits, and lower value relevance for investors.
Friedrich Nietzsche and his Illness: A Neurophilosophical Approach to Introspection

There are some arguments that Friedrich Nietzsche suffered from the autosomal dominant vascular microangiopathy: Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). Here, a hypothesis is formulated supporting that CADASIL presenting with symptoms of bipolar disorder and Gastaut-Geschwind syndrome would contribute to the increased insight and creativity of a philosopher whose perceptions and intuitions often bear out the results of modern neuroscience. Alterations of the brain default and reward networks would account for such an increased level of introspection and creativity. A new framework on approaching illness is proposed, which, in conformity with Nietzsche's positive view, outlines the enabling aspects of some otherwise highly disabling neuropsychiatric disorders.
Environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasite prevalence in a declining population of Tree swallows

Abstract The prevalence of vector-borne parasites such as haemosporidian species is influenced by several environmental factors. While the negative effects of parasitism on hosts are well documented, these can also be amplified by interactions with environmental stressors, many of which are anthropogenic. Yet, we know little about the possible effects of anthropogenic perturbations on parasite prevalence. The goals of this study were to assess the prevalence and environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasites in a declining population of Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) living in an agricultural landscape in southern Québec, Canada. Overall, a low prevalence and a moderate lineage diversity were identified in both adults and nestlings, confirming that transmission can occur during the breeding period. Anthropic areas, extensive cultures (hayfields and pastures) and forest cover within 500 km of nest boxes, as well as daily temperature fluctuations, were all related to infection by haemosporidian parasites. These findings suggest that anthropogenic alterations of landscape composition can modulate the prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in Tree swallows. Our results represent a baseline for future comparative studies assessing haemosporidian parasite prevalence in human-modified landscapes.
Maternal Tgif1 regulates nodal gene expression in Xenopus

In Xenopus, the maternal transcription factor VegT is necessary and sufficient to initiate the expression of nodal‐related genes, which are central to many aspects of early development. However, little is known about regulation of VegT activity. Using maternal loss‐of‐function experiments, we show that the maternal homeoprotein, Tgif1, antagonizes VegT and plays a central role in anteroposterior patterning by negatively regulating a subset of nodal‐related genes. Depletion of Tgif1 causes the anteriorization of embryos and the up‐regulation of nodal paralogues nr5 and nr6. Furthermore, Tgif1 inhibits activation of nr5 by VegT in a manner that requires a C‐terminal Sin3 corepressor‐interacting domain. Tgif1 has been implicated in the transcriptional corepression of transforming growth factor‐beta (TGFβ) and retinoid signaling. However, we show that Tgif1 does not inhibit these pathways in early development. These results identify an essential role for Tgif1 in the control of nodal expression and provide insight into Tgif1 function and mechanisms controlling VegT activity. Developmental Dynamics 237:2862–2873, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Uncovering of intracellular water in cultured cells

The complexity of biologic tissues, with multiple compartments each with its own diffusion and relaxation properties, requires complex formalisms to model water signal in most magnetic resonance imaging or magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments. In this article, we describe a magnetic susceptibility‐induced shift in the resonance frequency of extracellular water by the introduction of a gadolinium contrast agent to medium perfusing a hollow fiber bioreactor. The frequency shift of the extracellular water (+185 Hz at 9.4 T) uncovers the intracellular water and allows direct measurement of motional and relaxation properties of the intracellular space. The proposed method provides a unique tool for understanding the mechanisms underlining diffusion and relaxation in the intracellular space. Magn Reson Med 54:79–86, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Histochemical Analysis of Mitochondrial Abnormalities in the Type I Fibers of Human Posterior Cricoarytenoid Muscle

Mitochondrial deficiencies are present in limb skeletal muscle fibers throughout normal aging and can increase with accumulated exposure to reactive oxide species. Exogenous sources of reactive oxide species include cigarette smoke and other environmental toxins. Intrinsic laryngeal muscles are directly exposed to inhaled toxins which may increase the percentage of cytochrome c oxidase deficient fibers over time. Serial sections of posterior cricoarytenoid and control strap muscle were harvested post laryngectomy from 10 males age 54-78 years old. Cytochrome c oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, and modified Gomori trichrome stains were used to determine the percentage of type I fibers with cytochrome c oxidase deficiency. Staining with myosin antibodies was used to determine fiber type. The posterior cricoarytenoid muscle contained a significantly higher percentage of type I fibers with cytochrome c oxidase deficiency (p=.002, t = 4.939) compared to the control strap muscle. The percentage of cytochrome c oxidase deficient fibers was also significantly correlated (r = +.851; p < .01) with age in posterior cricoarytenoid muscle. The percentage of type I fibers with cytochrome c oxidase deficiency increases with age in the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle and may be due to the accumulated exposure to reactive oxide species over time.
The effect of trust with suppliers on hospital supply chain performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of trust with suppliers on hospital-supplier integration (SI) and hospital supply chain (SC) performance. Additionally, the mediating effect of SI on trust-hospital SC performance is investigated. Design/methodology/approach A research model and hypotheses were developed based on literature review. The study is based on survey data collected from 152 respondents in 55 private hospitals in Jordan. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The paper finds that trust with suppliers has a positive impact on hospital-SI and hospital SC performance. Hospital-SI partially mediates the relationship between trust and hospital SC performance. Practical implications The findings of this research provide useful insights into the role of trust in boosting SC performance in the healthcare sector. High levels of SI not only improve hospital SC performance but also enhance the transformation of trust benefits into SC performance. Originality/value This research is one of the limited studies that investigated the effect of trust on hospital-SI and hospital SC performance in the healthcare sector. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate those relationships in the Middle East in general and in Jordan in particular.
Saving on a Rainy Day, Borrowing for a Rainy Day

The aim of this paper is to understand what a recession means for individual consumers, and to model in a life-cycle framework how individuals respond to recessions. Our focus is on the sharp increase in savings rates that have been observed in the current and recent recessions. We show empirically that these saving spikes were short-lived and common to all working age groups. We then study life-cycle models in which recessions involve one or more of: (i) an aggregate permanent negative shock to individual income; (ii) an increase in the variance of idiosyncratic permanent shocks; (iii) a tightening of credit constraints; (iv) asset market crashes. In simulations and in the data we aggregate explicitly from individual behavior. We model credit tightening as a constraint on new borrowing and this generates an option value of borrowing in good times. We show that the rise in the aggregate savings ratio is driven by increases in uncertainty, rather than tightening of credit; temporary shocks to the supply of credit generate increases in saving only among younger agents.
Adverse Drug Reactions in Management of Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, in Tertiary Chest Institute

Background: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis is a global threat. Effective treatment is implemented as per RNTCP guidelines. But the drugs used have great potential to develop adverse drug reactions. Such drug reactions if not managed optimally can lead to unfavourable treatment outcome. Hence, the study is to know the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. Aims: To study the occurrence of adverse drug reactions in treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis and hence the factors affecting the treatment. Settings and Design: Retrospective analysis of patients treated with standardised regimen for MDR-TB, as per RNTCP guidelines at a tertiary chest institute between august 2011 and December 2014. Methods and Material: Retrospective analysis of 607 patients’ records reviewed for the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. All adverse reactions are noted and diagnosed either clinically or by laboratory evidence. Results: Among the 607 patients included in the study, majority had one or more adverse drug reactions. The most common was gastritis (71.7%), which was easily treatable, and the least common was visual impairment (0.2%). Only 1.7% discontinued the treatment citing adverse drug reactions and 10.5% required permanent discontinuation of the offending drug. Conclusion: Treatment of MDR-TB is challenging mainly due to the long duration of treatment and the potential adverse reactions of the drugs used. These reactions are frequent but majority of them can be successfully managed without treatment interruption. Training the peripheral health centre workers to identify and refer the patients with adverse reaction bears a major impact on treatment outcome.
Coordination and Performance in Global Software Service Delivery: The Vendor's Perspective

Past research on software development outsourcing has explored in some detail the client's perspective and its attendant performance issues. However, relatively few studies have explicitly addressed performance drivers viewed from the vendor side. In this paper, we fill this gap by examining how coordination within the project team and between the client and the vendor organizations influence two dimensions of software project performance-software quality and development speed-using data from 83 software projects from nine Indian software firms. Our results show that both client (external) coordination and vendor team (internal) coordination positively influenced software quality, but not development speed. We also found that client communication barriers moderated the impact of coordination with the client on quality. While we did not find that vendor-team coordination affected development speed, team size had a negative interaction effect with vendor-team coordination on development speed. Interestingly, temporal boundaries had a detrimental effect on software quality, but a positive effect on development speed. Finally, we found that development speed increased with the number of person days devoted to the project up to a certain point (i.e., a first-order effect), but speed declined with additional person days (i.e., a second-order effect). Our findings contribute to literature and practice by offering nuanced insights into performance in outsourcing projects from the vendor perspective and the role of coordination, both within the vendor team and with the client.
DETERMINAN AKUNTABILITAS PELAPORAN KEUANGAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH (Studi Empiris Pada Pemerintah Daerah se- Jawa Tengah)

This study aims to determine the factors that determine the Local Government Finance Accountability Reporting. Variabel Government Accountability Financial Reporting independently used in this study is the Fiscal Decentralization measured using Local Self-Reliance, Reliance Regions, the performance is measured using the ratio Effectiveness, Operational Expenditure Ratio, Ratio Shopping Capital and Regional Status. The dependent variable used in this study is the Local Government Finance Accountability Reporting measured using BPK Audit Report on the Financial Statements of Local Government in the form of an audit opinion. The samples were all over the city / regency in Central Java province with the study period between 2011-2013. Data were collected using purposive sampling. Based on these criteria, the total of 35 city / county elected as the population in this study. The analytical tool used is path analysis with SPSS version 16.0 Results of the study found that there is a significant positive effect between the Regional Autonomy and Accountability Financial Reporting Regions. Dependence area does not have a significant impact on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability. The effectiveness of significant negative effect on the Local Government Finance Accountability Reporting. Operating expenditure does not have a significant impact on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability. Capital spending has a significant positive effect on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability. Regional Status significant negative effect on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability. From the findings, we can conclude that the Regional Addiction and capital expenditures are a significant positive effect on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability. Regional and Operational Expenditure dependence there is no significant effect on the Local Government Financial Reporting Accountability however Effectiveness and Regional Status has a significant negative effect on Regions Financial Reporting Accountability.
Comparative efficacy of ramosetron and ondansetron in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Background Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a distressing complication of surgery, and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists are often prescribed to prevent it. Ondansetron is the agent typically administered to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting. Although ramosetron has a longer duration of action than ondansetron, it remains unclear whether ramosetron is the more effective medication. We performed an updated meta-analysis on the comparative efficacy of ramosetron and ondansetron in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Methods We searched six databases for all trials that randomly assigned patients to ramosetron or ondansetron groups. The primary outcome was postoperative nausea or vomiting in the early, late, and next-day periods. The secondary outcomes were side effects of the medications. We used the random-effects model to combine the results. Trial sequential analyses were performed to correct for repetitive testing in the updated meta-analysis. Results Twenty-seven randomized controlled trials with 3,811 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The combined results of ramosetron vs. ondansetron efficacy in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting were as follows: Risk ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.82 [0.69–0.98] for early postoperative nausea, 0.76 [0.65–0.89] for late postoperative nausea, 0.69 [0.57–0.84] for next-day postoperative nausea, 0.78 [0.63–0.98] for early postoperative vomiting, 0.57 [0.45–0.72] for late postoperative vomiting, and 0.61 [0.43–0.86] for next-day postoperative vomiting. Dizziness was significantly lower in ramosetron groups than in ondansetron groups (risk ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.81 [0.66–0.98]). Trial sequential analysis revealed that the results for late postoperative nausea, late postoperative vomiting, and next-day postoperative nausea were conclusive. Conclusions Ramosetron is more effective in preventing late postoperative nausea, late postoperative vomiting, and next-day postoperative nausea than ondansetron. The incidence of dizziness may be lower in patients receiving ramosetron than in patients receiving ondansetron. Trial registration University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry: UMIN000022980