Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Logging Efficiency and Development of Allometric Models for Predicting Stumpage Volume of Some Commercial Tree Species in Ghana

SUMMARY The need to develop instruments to capture the realistic stumpage volume and influence loggers to improve on their logging efficiency has been a topic of interest in recent times. This study assessed the logging efficiency in Ghana and developed allometric models to predict stumpage volume. A total of 135 trees from nine timber species were sampled from three logging sites during commercial logging operations. The average logging recovery for all sampled trees was about 75 %. The small-end diameter of the merchantable residues averaged between 31 cm and 60 cm while their length values varied from 3.0 m to 8.5 m. In general, species-specific models exhibited better predictive power than mixed-species models. Models that predicted total merchantable volume from the volume of the extracted logs had the best fits, with Furnival index values ranging from 0.590 to 1.727. Results of the models' validation indicated that mixed species models could predict merchantable volume better for relatively small trees than for big trees with merchantable volume greater than 20 m3.
M&A and the profile of inventive activity

This article examines the effect of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on the profile of merging firms’ inventive activity. The authors conceive of the inventive process as a recombinant search, whose outcome can be characterized along two complementary dimensions, which define its profile: its depth of impact on subsequent inventions, and its breadth of impact across different scientific domains. The profile of firms’ inventive activity depends on two main factors: the resources available to be recombined and the organizational incentives that guide the recombination process. In turn, these factors significantly depend on the upstream, technological resources available and on firms’ downstream, product-market related assets. Importantly, both of these factors may change in the aftermath of M&A, as their specific institutional features facilitate the exchange and redeployment of upstream and downstream resources. The authors then discuss how variations in the profile of firms’ inventive activity in the aftermath of an M&A reflect the diversity of upstream and downstream resources redeployed by the M&A deal. They test their hypotheses with a panel of firms from the US medical devices and photographic equipment industry. The study finds that diversity in merging firms’ downstream resources exerts a positive impact on post-acquisition profile of inventive activities, whereas diversity in knowledge bases does not seem to exert a significant direct effect on the two qualitative dimensions of inventive activity considered. Yet, technological diversity displays a positive effect in deals characterized by high market relatedness.
Web-based Factors Affecting Online Purchasing Behaviour

The growing use of internet and online purchasing among young consumers in Malaysia provides a huge prospect in e-commerce market, specifically for B2C segment. In this market, if E-marketers know the web-based factors affecting online buyers' behaviour, and the effect of these factors on behaviour of online consumers, then they can develop their marketing strategies to convert potential customers into active one, while retaining existing online customers. Review of previous studies related to the online purchasing behaviour in B2C market has point out that the conceptualization and empirical validation of the online purchasing behaviour of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literate users, or ICT professional, in Malaysia has not been clearly addressed. This paper focuses on (i) web-based factors which online buyers (ICT professional) keep in mind while shopping online; and (ii) the effect of web-based factors on online purchasing behaviour. Based on the extensive literature review, a conceptual framework of 24 items of five factors was constructed to determine web-based factors affecting online purchasing behaviour of ICT professional. Analysis of data was performed based on the 310 questionnaires, which were collected using a stratified random sampling method, from ICT undergraduate students in a public university in Malaysia. The Exploratory factor analysis performed showed that five factors affecting online purchase behaviour are Information Quality, Fulfilment/Reliability/Customer Service, Website Design, Quick and Details, and Privacy/Security. The result of Multiple Regression Analysis indicated that Information Quality, Quick and Details, and Privacy/Security affect positively online purchase behaviour. The results provide a usable model for measuring web-based factors affecting buyers' online purchase behaviour in B2C market, as well as for online shopping companies to focus on the factors that will increase customers' online purchase.
A circuit-oriented geometrical approach in predicting subharmonic oscillation of dc-dc converters with voltage-mode control

This paper presents a circuit-oriented geometrical approach in predicting subharmonic oscillation of DC-DC converters with voltage-mode control. It is based on straightforward graphical analysis of the operation of the converter without using sophisticated mathematical tools. The critical condition of subharmonic oscillation of the buck converter is derived, which is shown to be related to the slope of the output of the compensator Vea at the trip point rather than the amplitude of the ripple voltage of Vea. The proposed analysis is verified for converters with a proportional or a Type-III compensator.
Ethnicity, Educational Attainment and the Transition from School

Differences between ethnic groups in educational attainment and transition from school are investigated using pooled cross-sectional data for the period 1992-98 obtained from the Youth Cohort Studies, School Performance Tables and the Schools' Census. After controlling for family background, peer group, schooling and neighbourhood, ethnic minority youths (except for Afro-Caribbeans) perform substantially better in national exams than whites. Staying on is influenced by prior educational attainment, peer group, schooling and ethnic origin. Non-whites are more likely to stay on and less likely to enter the labour market. The results vary between boys and girls.
Corporate tax shield or fraud? Insight from Nigeria

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish whether inefficiency in a tax system and the likely difficulty in resolving tax matters can reduce the appeal for tax shield as incentive for debt financing, and by so doing exacerbate the cases of tax fraud.Design/methodology/approach – A review approach/theoretical approach is adopted in the paper, where, in addition to reviewing literature on the relationship between tax incentives and corporate financing, the paper examines the structure of the Nigerian tax system, the gaps, and some pending tax cases involving foreign firms in Nigeria. Based on some theoretical judgments, efforts were made to link the rising cases of tax frauds to the dwindling appeal for tax shield as an incentive for the use of debt.Findings – The study reveals that, as in the case of Nigeria, an environment of multiple tax system reduces incentives to pay tax or for voluntary compliance; that the exclusion of crucial non‐debt tax shelters such as depreciation, heightens pressure .
Social status, inflation uncertainty and growth in a cash-in-advance economy

In a stochastic monetary model with the cash-in-advance constraint and the social-status concern, this paper studies the effects of inflation and inflation variability on growth. It is shown that the Tobin effect still holds under deterministic monetary growth. The effect of inflation on growth, however, is ambiguous under stochastic monetary growth: the effect is positive when an agent's desire for social status is relatively strong and negative when this desire is relatively weak. It is also found that inflation variability always stimulates growth.
Determinants of Interest Margins of Banks in Sri Lanka

Net interest margin (NIM) is an indicator of the level of efficiency of financial intermediation by banks. This study analyses the determinants of NIMs of domestic banks of Sri Lanka for the period of January 2002 to March 2011 based on the model developed by Ho and Saunders and its extensions using panel regression. Sri Lankan banks are inward looking in setting NIMs as operating costs, credit risk, risk aversion, non-interest income and capital adequacy requirements are determinants. Market competition, other regulations on banks, risk arising from the volatility of market prices and macroeconomic variables do not have a significant impact on the determination of NIMs.
Monetary and Macroprudential Policies to Manage Capital Flows

We study interactions between monetary and macroprudential policies in a model with nominal and financial frictions. The latter derive from a financial sector that provides credit and liquidity services that lead to a financial accelerator-cum-fire-sales amplification mechanism. In response to fluctuations in world interest rates, inflation targeting dominates standard Taylor rules, but leads to increased volatility in credit and asset prices. The use of a countercyclical macroprudential instrument in addition to the policy rate improves welfare and has important implications for the conduct of monetary policy. “Leaning against the wind” or augmenting a standard Taylor rule with an argument on credit growth may not be an effective policy response.
Manufacturing resiliency: economic restructuring and automotive manufacturing in the Great Lakes region

Through a case study of the Great Lakes region automotive industry spanning the USA–Canada international border, this article critically reassesses the concept of regional resiliency and the sustainability of the recent resurgence of American manufacturing. We argue that regional resiliency needs to be reframed around regional integration into global production networks and the restructuring of workplace governance especially with regard to the significant ‘recalibration’ of labour relations reflected in declining rates of unionisation, lowered labour costs and more ‘flexible’ employment relations. The region is no longer as dominant in North American automotive manufacturing as it once was and must respond to increasing competition from emergent auto-making regions in the southern USA and Mexico.
External apical root resorption following orthodontic treatment.

This study investigated the association of appliance type and tooth extraction with the incidence of external apical root resorption (EARR) of posterior teeth following orthodontic treatment. Pre- and posttreatment orthopantomograms were compared for 97 patients and a 4-grade ordinal scale used to measure EARR. The incidence of EARR was positively associated with tooth position (P < .001), appliance type (P = .038), and extractions (P = .001). This was observed in an overall analysis mutually adjusted for the effects of age at start of treatment, pretreatment overbite and overjet, use of headgear, tooth extraction, and type of appliance. The incidence of EARR was 2.30 times higher for Begg appliances compared with edgewise, and it was 3.72 times higher where extractions were performed.
Haplotype frequency estimation in patient populations: The effect of departures from Hardy‐Weinberg proportions and collapsing over a locus in the HLA region

Haplotype analyses are an important area in the study of the genetic components of human disease. Associations between markers and disease loci that are not evident with a single marker locus may be identified in multi‐locus marker analyses using estimated haplotype frequencies (HFs). Procedures that make use of the expectation‐maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate HFs from unphased genotype data are in common use in genetic studies. The EM algorithm uses these unphased genotype frequencies along with the assumption of Hardy‐Weinberg proportions (HWP) to converge on HF estimates. In this paper, we assess the accuracy of EM estimates of HFs in patients with type I diabetes for whom the true haplotypes are known, but the data are analyzed ignoring family information to allow comparison between estimated and true frequencies. The data consist of six HLA loci with high levels of polymorphism and a range of departures from HWP and linkage equilibrium. While the overall accuracy of the EM estimates is good, there can be large over‐ and underestimates of particular HFs, even for common haplotypes, especially when the loci involved deviate significantly from HWP. Estimating HFs for three or more loci and then collapsing over loci so as to generate two locus haplotypes can improve the accuracy of the estimation. The collapsing procedure is most beneficial when one of the loci in the two‐locus haplotype of interest deviates significantly from HWP and the locus collapsed over is in linkage disequilibrium with the other loci. Genet. Epidemiol. 22:186–195, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The current status of immunobased therapies for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma

The management of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (mRCC) represents an important clinical challenge. Since being approved in the early 1990s, aspecific immunotherapy has been a mainstay of treatment for mRCC and the only therapy that has demonstrated long-term cures for mRCC. However, in recent times there have been landmark advances made in the field of specific immunotherapy for a number of malignancies, including kidney cancer. This review outlines the range of immunobased agents currently available for the treatment of mRCC.
Contracting Benefits of Corporate Giving: An Experimental Investigation

ABSTRACT: We use a laboratory experiment to examine whether corporate giving to charity motivates employees. We find a strong altruism effect. Even when employees cannot be remunerated for their actions, employee contributions to employers significantly increase as the level of corporate giving increases. We also find a signaling effect. When employees can be remunerated for their actions, employee contributions initially increase as the level of corporate giving increases. Thus, even though corporate giving to charity decreases the amount that can be shared between employees and employers, employees behave as if more charitable employers will return proportionally more to employees. It is not until relatively high levels of corporate giving that employee contributions to employers eventually decrease. Collectively, our results suggest that corporate giving is an effective lever for motivating employee effort and contributions to organizational endeavors. Corporate giving can increase the efficacy of impl.
The gel test: a new way to detect red cell antigen‐antibody reactions

A new process for the detection of red cell (RBC) antigen antibody reactions is described. It is applicable to most of the tests performed in blood group serology. The procedures are standardized and easy, and they provide clear and stable reactions that improve the interpretation of results. The process uses special microtubes filled with a mixture of gel, buffer, and reagent. Depending on the test to be carried out, the test uses a neutral gel containing no reagents (reagents are added to top of gel) or a specific gel containing reagents (e.g., antiglobulin serum or anti‐A, ‐B, ‐D, etc.). A suspension of RBCs (for typing or the direct antiglobulin test) or a mixture of RBCs and serum (for reverse ABO typing or antibody characterization) is centrifuged through the gel under precise conditions. In negative reactions, the RBCs pass through the gel and pellet in the bottom of the tube, whereas, in positive reactions, they are trapped in the gel and the reaction may be read for hours afterwards. The test is easy to perform, sensitive, and reproducible. The antiglobulin tests can be performed without washing of the RBCs. There should be a reduction of risk from biohazardous materials.
Nutritional and Dietary Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Children with ASD frequently receive supplements or specialized diets. This review evaluates the effectiveness and safety of such approaches and reports limited evidence for symptom improvement. CONTEXT: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently use special diets or receive nutritional supplements to treat ASD symptoms. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dietary interventions or nutritional supplements in ASD. DATA SOURCES: Databases, including Medline and PsycINFO. STUDY SELECTION: Two investigators independently screened studies against predetermined criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: One investigator extracted data with review by a second investigator. Investigators independently assessed the risk of bias and strength of evidence (SOE) (ie, confidence in the estimate of effects). RESULTS: Nineteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 4 with a low risk of bias, evaluated supplements or variations of the gluten/casein-free diet and other dietary approaches. Populations, interventions, and outcomes varied. Ω-3 supplementation did not affect challenging behaviors and was associated with minimal harms (low SOE). Two RCTs of different digestive enzymes reported mixed effects on symptom severity (insufficient SOE). Studies of other supplements (methyl B12, levocarnitine) reported some improvements in symptom severity (insufficient SOE). Studies evaluating gluten/casein-free diets reported some parent-rated improvements in communication and challenging behaviors; however, data were inadequate to make conclusions about the body of evidence (insufficient SOE). Studies of gluten- or casein-containing challenge foods reported no effects on behavior or gastrointestinal symptoms with challenge foods (insufficient SOE); 1 RCT reported no effects of camel’s milk on ASD severity (insufficient SOE). Harms were disparate. LIMITATIONS: Studies were small and short-term, and there were few fully categorized populations or concomitant interventions. CONCLUSIONS: There is little evidence to support the use of nutritional supplements or dietary therapies for children with ASD.
Management Involvement on the Board of Directors and Hospital Financial Performance

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Agency theory is used to investigate the relationship between top management team involvement on not‐for‐profit hospitals' boards of directors (BODs) and hospital financial performance. Governance data collected in 2011 by The Governance Institute was merged with hospital financial performance data from the 2011 Medicare Cost Reports. Then, an ordinary least squares regression model, using propensity score adjustments, was used to evaluate the relationship between management involvement on the BOD and three financial performance profitability ratios: total margin, operating margin, and return on assets. The sample included 637 not‐for‐profit hospitals, most of which (74.1%) were not government owned. As hypothesized, we found that having a larger number of managers with voting rights on the BOD was associated with lower total margin (&bgr; = ‐0.011, p < .065). Similarly, we found that having a greater percentage of voting BOD members who were managers was associated with lower total margin (&bgr; = ‐0.296, p < .002) and return on assets (&bgr; = ‐0.337, p < .072). We did not find support for the notion that CEO involvement on the BOD is associated with poorer hospital financial performance (&bgr; = ‐0.008, p < .437). Consistent with agency theory, our findings suggest that management involvement on the BOD is associated with poorer hospital financial performance. This finding suggests that management involvement on the BOD may impair the BOD's ability to effectively monitor the actions of management, which may lead managers to make decisions that are more consistent with their own interests than those of the organization.
Testing coexistence of different RTE protocols in the same network

The definition of several real-time Ethernet (RTE) protocols for industry use implies that new automation systems can include more than one technology. In the future different RTE protocols could share the same network infrastructure, raising the problem of coexistence. The paper introduces a new approach to evaluate coexistence of RTE protocols by means of a distributed RTE traffic emulator/logger that can simultaneously inject RTE traffic and measure its effect on existing infrastructure. In order to experimentally show effectiveness of the proposed method, a prototype instrument has been used to evaluate consequences of mixing RTE protocols that use IEEE 1588 for synchronization and RTE protocols based on time division multiple access. Measurements taken with the proposed instrument have uncertainty in the order of 50 ns.
Molecular Diversity in Venom from the Australian Brown Snake, Pseudonaja textilis*S

Venom from the Australian elapid Pseudonaja textilis (Common or Eastern Brown snake), is the second most toxic snake venom known and is the most common cause of death from snake bite in Australia. This venom is known to contain a prothrombin activator complex, serine proteinase inhibitors, various phospholipase A2s, and pre- and postsynaptic neurotoxins. In this study, we performed a proteomic identification of the venom using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and de novo peptide sequencing. We identified most of the venom proteins including proteins previously not known to be present in the venom. In addition, we used immunoblotting and post-translational modification-specific enzyme stains and antibodies that reveal the complexity and regional diversity of the venom. Modifications observed include phosphorylation, γ-carboxylation, and glycosylation. Glycoproteins were further characterized by enzymatic deglycosylation and by lectin binding specificity. The venom contains an abundance of glycoproteins with N-linked sugars that include glucose/mannose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, and sialic acids. Additionally there are multiple isoforms of mammalian coagulation factors that comprise a significant proportion of the venom. Indeed two of the identified proteins, a procoagulant and a plasmin inhibitor, are currently in development as human therapeutic agents.
Workplace Democracy in China's Foreign-Funded Enterprises: A Multilevel Case Study of Employee Representation:

The landscape and practice of employee representation in China's foreign-funded enterprises (FFEs) have been undergoing significant changes in recent years. However, the workplace functions of newly established enterprise unions in FFEs and their potential to promote workplace democracy are largely unexamined. This article explores these issues through a case study of a worker-elected trade union at a Taiwanese-invested enterprise in South China. The study is based on a transnational-national-local analytical framework.
Enhancing Knowledge Sharing in Public Accounting Firms

The goal of this study is to advance understanding of factors that may enhance or hinder knowledge sharing in public accounting firms and, in the end, provide practical recommendations for the firms. Attention to this topic is warranted for two reasons. First, today's regulatory environment and new auditing standards have broadened and intensified pressures on CPA firms to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the audit process. Second, knowledge and expertise are unevenly distributed among the members of the audit team. Thus, knowledge sharing can help CPA firms in leveraging the skills, knowledge, and best practices of their professional staff. Against this background, CPA firms' ability to effectively deploy knowledgesharing activities is increasingly vital to their competitive advantage, including gaining tangible benefits in terms of time and cost reductions. We draw upon prior research in accounting, organizational learning, psychology, and knowledge management to examine the role of.