Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drivers of Organizational Commitment among Managers of Industrial Organizations

On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the responses of managers of two organizations from the same industry, one from the public sector and the other from the private sector, the authors identified the determinants of managerial organizational commitment. Thereafter, a comparison has been made of the factors thus identified with those found through other studies on the subject to demonstrate the relevance, nature and extent of the relationship between organizational commitment and its drivers. As a departure from the conventional approach, the authors have attempted to develop an unbiased model for testing the relationship between variables as would emerge from the data suo motto. In the present day dynamic scenario of increased mobility, high employee turnover and a volatile talent market, the authors contend that it is necessary to identify organization-specific drivers of organizational commitment and to formulate commitment-inducing HR policies and practices.
TOWARDS THE NATIONAL VISION POLICY: REVIEW OF THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY AND NEW DEVELOPMENT POLICY AMONG THE BAMIPUTERA COMMUNITIES IN SABAH

Over the last decade, Vision 2020 has served as the guiding light in the sea of development in Malaysia. Vision 2020 has also come to symbolise Malaysia's "can do" spirit as it steadily steers it own course in the midst of the globalisation and liberalisation waves. In this respect, Vision 2020 has in effect become the country's beacon as Malaysia presses onward towards the ultimate goal of achieving a developed nation status in its "own mould" by the year 2020. With less then 20 years to go before the year 2020,it is perhaps fair to ask if the nation is on course to achieve the ultimate goal of Vision 2020. While the country has made rapid progress and continues to make good progress in key areas such as the transformation of the economy from an agricultural based to industrial based and more important, to the emerging requirements of the digital and K-economy, there is still a lot of ground to cover in the short span of time towards 2020.
Business performance of surveying firms: a data-driven path model

Business performance is an important concern for all profit organizations including surveying firms. Based on the data from 179 UK surveying firms, a data-driven path analysis is conducted to examine the direct and indirect effects of eight independent variables on business performance (the dependent variable). These are organization structure, environmental uncertainty, interconnectedness, size of firm, marketing performance, market orientation, management and strategy. The results suggest that only the marketing performance variable has a strong and significant direct effect on business performance. In turn, marketing performance is largely dependent on the firm's degree of market orientation. The finding in this study reinforces the postulation in existing literature that a market orientation is essential for sustaining competitive advantage in business firms. As such, the implication for surveying firms is that the stronger the market orientation of the firm, the better would be the business performance.
Donor Agenda-Setting, Bureaucratic Advocacy and Cash Transfers in Uganda (2002-2013)

This paper focuses on donors and — in particular — bureaucrats as agents of change in welfare policy reform processes in Uganda between 2002 and 2013. It shows how donors managed to establish cash transfers on the development policy agenda (but failed to gain sufficient political support for implementation), and ‘recruit’ a group of supportive social development bureaucrats in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Protection after 2002. From 2006, domestic political support increased markedly, in no small part owing to both continued donor support and bureaucratic advocacy. Bureaucrats increasingly became the frontline advocates of policy reform — acting both as the agents of a donor agenda and, increasingly, an autonomous constituency strongly supportive of cash transfers within the Ugandan state. This bureaucratic ‘buy-in’ was an essential contributor to the increasing prominence of cash transfers in policy debates and in securing political support for the eventual implementation of a cash transfer pilot scheme from 2010. These bureaucrats actively lobbied other sections of the bureaucracy and members of the political elite. The paper contends that they — with donor support — succeeded in constructing a coalition in support of cash transfers, comprising sections of the bureaucracy (including some finance and planning technocrats), civil society organisations and political leaders in both the legislature and executive. This coalition enjoyed sufficient influence to secure the approval and successful implementation of a cash transfer pilot, as well as to firmly establish a national tax-funded social pension on the domestic political agenda by 2013.
Is Aid for Trade Effective? A Panel Quantile Regression Approach

This paper investigates whether Aid for Trade (AfT) improves export performance, i.e. does AfT lead to greater exports? Using panel data and panel quantile regression, our results suggest that overall AfT disbursements promote the export of goods and services mainly for the . 50 and . 75 quantiles. Our results also show that for some types of AfT this effect essentially vanishes at the lower tail of the conditional distribution of exports. Hence, countries that export more in volume are those benefiting most from AfT. We also investigate which types of AfT are effective. In particular, we find that aid used to build production capacity is effective. This type of aid is associated with higher exports for almost all quantiles, with the effect increasing at the upper tail of the conditional distribution. Aid used to build infrastructure is also found to affect exports at the upper tail of the distribution. In contrast, aid for trade policy and aid disbursed for general budget support (an untargeted type of aid) are not associated with greater export levels. This finding holds true irrespective of the quantile.
An Applied Econometricians' View of Empirical Corporate Governance Studies

Abstract The economic analysis of corporate governance is in vogue. In addition to a host of theoretical papers, an increasing number of empirical studies analyze how ownership structure, capital structure, board structure, and the market for corporate control influence firm performance. This is not an easy task, and indeed, for reasons explained in this survey, empirical studies on corporate governance have more than the usual share of econometric problems. This paper is a critical survey of the recent empirical literature on corporate governance - to show which methodological lessons can be learned for future empirical research in the field of corporate governance, paying particular attention to German institutions and data availability.
Heterogeneity and Strategic Choices: The Case of Stock Repurchases

Strategic decisions are fundamentally tough choices. Theory suggests that managers are likely to display bounded rationality. Empirics on the other hand assume rationality in choice behavior. Recognizing this inherent disconnect between theory and empirics, we try to account for behavioral biases using a theoretically consistent choice model. The traditional approach to modeling strategic choice has been to use discrete choice models and make inference on the conditional mean effects. We argue that the conditional mean effect does not capture behavioral biases. The focus should be on the conditional variance. Explicitly modeling the conditional variance (in the discrete choice framework) provides us with valuable information on individual level variation in decision-making. We demonstrate the effect of ignoring the role of variance in choice modeling in the context of firm’s decisions to conduct open market repurchases. We show that when taking into account the heterogeneity in choices, manager’s choices of conducting open market repurchases displays considerable heterogeneity and that not accounting for such heterogeneity might lead to wrong conclusions on the mean effects.
Sow What You Know: The Struggle for Social Reproduction in Rural Sudan

Abstract The unity between production and social reproduction is under constant threat of dissolution. The practices by which it is maintained or threatened are the stuff of everyday life, and can be witnessed on the ground. A key practice of social reproduction is the socialization and education of children. This piece presents detailed findings on various practices of social reproduction—the production, exchange, and deployment of environmental knowledge—and points to the transformative potential inherent in the mundane practices of work, play, and learning. The village of Howa in Sudan has been incorporated within a state-sponsored agricultural development project and the content, mode of acquisition and utility of children's environmental knowledge has thereby changed dramatically. In addressing these, my larger research goal is to locate instances of rupture, resistance, or reformulation in the face of socioeconomic and cultural-ecological change imposed externally. The study employs ethnographic met.
Complications Associated with the Administration of Dantrolene 1987 to 2006: A Report from the North American Malignant Hyperthermia Registry of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States

BACKGROUND: Dantrolene is the only specific treatment for malignant hyperthermia (MH), a genetic disorder in which life-threatening temperature increase has been induced by inhalation anesthetics and succinylcholine. Because MH presents with nonspecific signs and delay of treatment can be fatal, dantrolene may be given as soon as MH is suspected. We report the complications associated with dantrolene administration as documented in AMRA (adverse metabolic/musculoskeletal reaction to anesthesia) reports submitted to the North American Malignant Hyperthermia Registry. METHODS: AMRA reports were analyzed for differences between subjects with and without complications attributed to dantrolene. Documentation of dantrolene dose and subject weight were inclusion criteria. Because some reported complications were likely due to factors other than dantrolene, a reduced set of cases was also defined. We used &khgr;2 and Mann–Whitney tests. Logistic regression was applied to describe factors associated with increased risk of complications. RESULTS: In the full dataset of 368 subjects, the most frequent complications associated with dantrolene were muscle weakness (21.7%), phlebitis (9%), gastrointestinal upset (4.1%), and respiratory failure (3.8%). Logistic regression described a 29% increase in risk of any complication when the total dantrolene dose was doubled, a 144% increase in risk when fluid administration was part of treatment, an 83% decrease in risk in the presence of neurosurgery, and a 74% decrease in risk in the presence of oral surgery. In the dataset reduced by removal of some serious complications that were judged likely to have been due to preexisting disease or the MH event, there were 349 subjects. The most frequent complications associated with dantrolene were muscle weakness (14.6%), phlebitis (9.2%), and gastrointestinal upset (4.3%). In this reduced dataset, logistic regression described a 25% increase in risk of any complication when the total dantrolene dose was doubled, a 572% increase in risk in the presence of obstetric or gynecologic surgery, a 56% decrease in risk if furosemide was given, and no relationship with fluid administration or other types of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Complications after dantrolene are common, but rarely life threatening. Unidentified factors in the surgical environment are associated with changes in the risk of complications. Fluid management, as part of the treatment of MH, has an important association with the risk of complications after dantrolene administration and should be monitored closely.
The development of vibrissae representation in subcortical trigeminal centers of the neonatal rat

In every station of the trigeminal system of the young rat, the segmented activity of the mitochondrial enzyme succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) clearly delineates the representation of the mystacial vibrissae. In the trigeminal complex of the medulla, three parallel representations can be seen, two in the spinal trigeminal nucleus and one in the principal trigeminal nucleus. In the next station, the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus, a single representation occurs. Likewise, layer IV of somatosensory cortex contains one representation of the vibrissae. Further, neonatal damage to the mystacial vibrissae results in anomalies within each representation.
Muscle spindle activity in man during shortening and lengthening contractions.

1. The responses of forty‐one muscle spindle endings, mostly in tibialis anterior, were studied in human subjects during voluntary movements of the ankle joint performed at various speeds against different external loads. 2. During slow shortening contractions, the discharge rates of spindle endings in the contracting muscle accelerated after the appearance of the first e.m. g. potentials but before sufficient force had been generated to move the limb. With some endings, the discharge rate decreased during the shortening movement while the e.m. g. activity was increasing, but it always remained higher than before the onset of contraction. If the speed of the movement was increased fewer spindle discharges were seen during muscle shortening. If the shortening contraction was opposed by an external load, so that greater effort was required to perform the same movement, more discharges were seen and the discharge pattern became less modulated by the change in muscle length. 3. These findings indicate that during shortening contractions the fusimotor system is activated together with the skeletomotor system. However, the fusimotor drive is generally insufficient to maintain a significant spindle discharge unless movement is slow or the muscle is shortening against an external load. 4. During lengthening contractions the spindle responses were greater than to passive stretch of similar amplitude and velocity, suggesting heightened fusimotor outflow. 5. During shortening and lengthening contractions small iregularities in the speed of movement occurred commonly. Unintended acceleration of a shortening movement caused a pause in spindle firing, and unintended acceleration of a lengthening movement caused an increased discharge from spindle endings. These spindle responses were associated with corresponding alterations in the discharge pattern of the voluntarily activated motor units at latencies consistent with the operation of spinal reflex mechanisms. 6. It is suggested that a functional role for the fusimotor activation during slow shortening contractions is to provide spindle endings with a background discharge so that they can detect irregularities in the movement and initiate the appropriate reflex correction.
Interaction of liposomal incorporated vitamin D3-analogues and human keratinocytes.

The influence of different liposomal qualities, loaded with a variety of vitamin D3-analogues, on the proliferation and interleucine 1 alpha-release (IL-1 alpha) of human keratinocytes was examined by fluorimetric and colorimetric measurements to optimize their use for psoriasis treatment. In comparison, the effects of the free drugs, as 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, calcipotriol, and calcitriol, as well as of empty liposomes have been studied. At the interaction between empty liposomes (< 200 nm) and HaCaT-cells has been looked by electron microscopy. Empty liposomes, made of DMPC as well as of egg-PC, can be used as drug carrier without any inhibiting effect on the proliferation of human keratinocytes at lipid concentrations of < 10(-4) M. Under the influence of the free drugs investigated an inhibition of cell growth as well as of the IL 1 alpha-release was measured at drug concentrations of > or = 10(-8) M. In comparison the related liposomal drug formulations didn't show any diminishing in the proliferation effects caused by the free drugs. A significant improvement, however, was only found in the action of DMPC-incorporated 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 at drug concentration of 10(-7) M. These results suggest that there is no remarkable improvement in the action of liposomal incorporated vitamin D3-analogues neither related to their proliferation nor their IL1 alpha-releasing effects. The influence of liposomal incorporated vitamin D3-analogues in keeping small their negative side effects has to be investigated at a more relevant model.
Factors associated with formal networking in regional small business: some findings from a study of Swedish SMEs

A number of recent studies have suggested that, for small businesses to compete with their larger counterparts in the electronic commerce environment, many are collaborating in a network arrangement. This study examines whether factors such as business size, business age, business sector or market focus are associated with decisions to collaborate in a network or remain outside such arrangements. The study showed that small businesses, with fewer than ten employees, were more likely to be part of a formal network of small businesses. The results also showed that the age of the business, the number of suppliers, the existence of a marketing strategy and the educational level of the CEO were significantly associated with decisions to become part of a formal networking arrangement.
Neurofunctional modulation of brain regions by distinct forms of motor cognition and movement features

Extrastriate, parietal, and frontal brain regions are differentially involved in distinct kinds of body movements and motor cognition. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the observation and mental imagery of meaningful face and limb movements with or without objects. The supplementary motor area was differentially recruited by the mental imagery of movements while there were differential responses of the extrastriate body area (EBA) during the observation conditions. Contrary to most previous reports, the EBA responded to face movements, albeit to a lesser degree than to limb movements. The medial wall of the intraparietal sulcus and adjacent intraparietal cortex was selectively recruited by the processing of meaningful upper limb movements, irrespective of whether these were object‐related or not. Besides reach and grasp movements, the intraparietal sulcus may thus be involved in limb gesture processing, that is, in an important aspect of human social communication. We conclude that subregions of a frontal–parietal network differentially interact during the cognitive processing of body movements according to the specific motor‐related task at hand and the particular movement features involved. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Translating knowledge to build technological competence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a review of literature that establishes the factors affecting the ability of an organisation to absorb and apply knowledge. The review aims to draw from literature on the resource‐based view of the firm, dynamic capabilities, organisational learning, knowledge management and technological innovation. The paper then seeks to present a model of knowledge translation capability synthesised from the literature review.Design/methodology/approach – The model that is synthesised from the literature review draws on three streams of work. First, the work of Dorothy Leonard on technological capability; second, the I‐space model of knowledge assets developed by Max Boisot; and third, other work based in the organisational learning and innovation management literature. The model is illustrated using a case study of an innovation project.Findings – The effective development of a knowledge translation capability requires attention to a network of both formal and informa.
A Generalization of the Brennan-Rubinstein Approach for the Pricing of Derivatives

This paper derives preference-free option pricing equations in a discrete time economy where asset returns have continuous distributions. There is a representative agent who has risk preferences with an exponential representation. Aggregate wealth and the underlying asset price have transformed normal distributions which may or may not belong to the same family of distributions. Those pricing results are particularly valuable (a) to show new sufficient conditions for existing risk-neutral option pricing equations (e.g., the Black-Scholes model), and (b) to obtain new analytical solutions for the price of European-style contingent claims when the underlying asset has a transformed normal distribution (e.g., a negatively skew lognormal distribution). Copyright (c) 2003 by the American Finance Association.
35,000 Principles of Economics Students: Some Lessons Learned

The principles of economics course is the most common entry point for economic education and commands more attention among researchers than any other college-level course in the discipline. Over a period of 40 years, the senior author of this paper (K.G.E.) has taught this course to over 35,000 students at the University of Virginia. Using his teaching records, we have compiled a database of unusual size and continuity for a study of this kind. We examine conventional topics, such as the role of gender, race, and year of study, in predicting class performance. We also explore relatively unexamined territory, such as comparisons between ‘‘legacy students,’’ athletes, transfer students, and the general student population. Contrary to earlier findings, we find that math SAT scores are the best predictor of success in the principles course, and, consistent with earlier studies, we find a male grade premium (at the highest grade levels).
Technical or Political? An Exploration of the Work of Officials in the Committees of the European Parliament

In conjunction with the gradual empowerment of the European Parliament, interest in its internal politics and in particular its committee system has increased considerably. While much has been learned about the influence of parliamentarians, little is known of the role of their unelected supporters. Although the literature indicates that officials are involved in the policy process, it remains open to question whether their work is fundamentally technical or of relevance to public policy. In a first step towards closing this gap in the literature, this paper explores the role of officials working in the secretariats of European Parliament committees. Although officials are involved in both secretarial and political work, their role is constrained by their position in the parliamentary hierarchy. This supports a cautious understanding of the autonomy and influence of bureaucracy in the Parliament and in the European Union's main institutions.
The Composition of Aid and the Fiscal Sector in an Aid-Recipient Economy: A Model

Building on recent work in the fiscal response literature, the present paper develops a new fiscal response model, which, for the first time in the relevant literature, combines the ideas of both endogenous and disaggregated aid. We endogenized aid on the grounds that the recipient government has some influence over aid disbursements. Regarding aid disaggregation, it is argued that each of the main four categories of aid, namely project aid, programme aid, technical assistance and food aid may exert different effects on the recipient economy. Furthermore, in case the preferences of the aid-recipient government are higher for some of these types of aid, neglecting aid disaggregation would lead to aggregation bias in the results and conclusions. The model adds an important new dimension to the vast aid effectiveness literature and calls for further modelling as well as empirical work in this promising research area so that significant policy implications can be derived. [Discussion Paper No. 2003/11]