Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Managing Corporate Social Responsibility in Relation to a Subsidiary’s Charter. A Case Study of Bank Relations at Swedbank AB

In step with increased pressure on organisations to take responsibility for their impact on the external environment, many multinational corporations (MNCs) have implemented corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their operations. Meanwhile, as a result of the globalisation, organisations are increasingly seen as heterarchical networks of dispersed actors, rather than hierarchical structures with dyadic relationships between the headquarters and subsidiaries. Previous literature has discussed whether CSR policies are implemented on a central level or within local units of the MNC, there is lacking research regarding how CSR responsibilities are managed within a subsidiary and how subsidiaries manage CSR in relation to its other business responsibilities. Hence, the purpose of this study is to bring clarity in how a subsidiary in the network of an MNC manages CSR responsibilities within its operations and in relation to its allocated charter. This thesis was conducted in the form of a single case study, including twelve interviews at Bank Relations, a subsidiary of the Swedish multinational bank Swedbank, and one interview with a manager from the CSR department at the headquarter (HQ). The study contributes with the following findings: first, that a subsidiary’s CSR management is not necessarily all imposed by the HQ, but can be influenced by non-businessrelated entities. Second, the use of a common CSR definition is essential in order for the subsidiary to successfully coordinate its CSR-related responsibilities. Third, a subsidiary can enhance its CSR efforts if they are measured in the subsidiary’s business performance objectives. Lastly, this study finds that high levels of subsidiary autonomy may discourage the subsidiary from incorporating CSR responsibilities required by HQ.
Self-Efficacy and Employee Commitment in Selected Breweries in South East Nigeria

In the present turbulent and unpredictable Nigerian business environment, the lack of self-esteem among employees selected breweries in South East Nigeria seems to make job satisfaction a major problem. The main objective of the study is to identify the extent to which self-efficacy enhances employee commitment in Breweries in South East Nigeria. Specifically, the study seeks to ascertain the extent to which self-esteem relates to job satisfaction of employees in selected brewing firms in South East. The research design adopted by the study was Survey type of design; One hundred and fifty six employees constituted the population which were selected from breweries located in the South East Zone of Nigeria. Questionnaire was used for the purpose of data collection. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypothesis. The results of the Study revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction of employees in the selected brewing firms in South East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria. The Conclusion drawn was that employees in the selected brewing firms can function properly or remain task oriented, if sense of efficacy is imbibed. The study recommended that employees should ensure that they develop positive self-esteem at work to restore confidence in themselves, devote more time and effort in tackling difficult tasks and feel more relaxed at work.
The rough-wall turbulent boundary layer from the hydraulically smooth to the fully rough regime

Turbulence measurements for rough-wall boundary layers are presented and compared to those for a smooth wall. The rough-wall experiments were made on a three-dimensional rough surface geometrically similar to the honed pipe roughness used by Shockling, Allen & Smits (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 564, 2006, p. 267). The present work covers a wide Reynolds-number range (Re θ = 2180–27 100), spanning the hydraulically smooth to the fully rough flow regimes for a single surface, while maintaining a roughness height that is a small fraction of the boundary-layer thickness. In this investigation, the root-mean-square roughness height was at least three orders of magnitude smaller than the boundary-layer thickness, and the Kármán number (δ+), typifying the ratio of the largest to the smallest turbulent scales in the flow, was as high as 10100. The mean velocity profiles for the rough and smooth walls show remarkable similarity in the outer layer using velocity-defect scaling. The Reynolds stresses and higher-order turbulence statistics also show excellent agreement in the outer layer. The results lend strong support to the concept of outer layer similarity for rough walls in which there is a large separation between the roughness length scale and the largest turbulence scales in the flow.
Screening and characterization of petroleum-degrading bacterium

Petroleum-degrading bacterium JY6 was isolated from petroleum-contaminated soils in DaQing oil field. It was identified as Bacillus cereus based on its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and analysis of its 16SrRNA gene. Biodegradation function of petroleum and oil degradation rates were studied, including different pH value, culture temperature, oxygen etc. Results show the optimum pH value and inoculation was 7.0 and 0.1% (v/v), respectively. 40 ml of liquid medium in 250 ml flask, shaking at 150 r/min and 32°C, petroleum-degrading rate was 75 to 77%. The petroleum-degrading bacterium might be a useful resource for bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils and biotreatment of oil wastewater. Key words: Petroleum-degrading bacterium, screening, Bacillus cereus, bioremediation.
Short gamma-ray bursts at the dawn of the gravitational wave era

We derive the luminosity function and redshift distribution of short Gamma Ray Bursts (SGRBs) using (i) all the available observer-frame constraints (i.e. peak flux, fluence, peak energy and duration distributions) of the large population of Fermi SGRBs and (ii) the rest-frame properties of a complete sample of Swift SGRBs. We show that a steep $\phi(L)\propto L^{-a}$ with a>2.0 is excluded if the full set of constraints is considered. We implement a Monte Carlo Markov Chain method to derive the $\phi(L)$ and $\psi(z)$ functions assuming intrinsic Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations or independent distributions of intrinsic peak energy, luminosity and duration. To make our results independent from assumptions on the progenitor (NS-NS binary mergers or other channels) and from uncertainties on the star formation history, we assume a parametric form for the redshift distribution of SGRBs. We find that a relatively flat luminosity function with slope ~0.5 below a characteristic break luminosity ~3$\times10^{52}$ erg/s and a redshift distribution of SGRBs peaking at z~1.5-2 satisfy all our constraints. These results hold also if no Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations are assumed. We estimate that, within ~200 Mpc (i.e. the design aLIGO range for the detection of GW produced by NS-NS merger events), 0.007-0.03 SGRBs yr$^{-1}$ should be detectable as gamma-ray events. Assuming current estimates of NS-NS merger rates and that all NS-NS mergers lead to a SGRB event, we derive a conservative estimate of the average opening angle of SGRBs: $\theta_{jet}$~3-6 deg. Our luminosity function implies an average luminosity L~1.5$\times 10^{52}$ erg/s, nearly two orders of magnitude higher than previous findings, which greatly enhances the chance of observing SGRB "orphan" afterglows. Efforts should go in the direction of finding and identifying such orphan afterglows as counterparts of GW events.
Modeling Systemic Risk with Correlated Stochastic Processes

In this work we propose a novel systemic risk model, based on stochastic processes and correlation networks. For each country we consider three different spread measures, one for each sector of the economy (sovereign, corporates, banks), and we model each of them as a linear combination of two stochastic processes: a country-specific idiosyncratic component and a common systematic factor. We provide an estimation model for the parameters of the processes and, for each country, we derive the aggregate default probabilities of each sector. Systemic risk is then estimated by means of a network model based on the partial correlations between the estimated processes of all sectors and countries. Our model is applied to understand the time evolution of systemic risk in the economies of the European monetary union, in the recent period. The results show that systemic risk has increased during the crisis years and that, after the crisis, a clear separation between core and peripheral economies has emerged, for all sectors of the economy.
Contralateral Suppression Of Teoae In Patients WithTinnitus and Normal Hearing

Tinnitus represents one of the most common and distressing otologic problems which cause various somatic and psychological disorders that interfere with the quality of life [1]. Perception of sound in the ears or head that lacks an external acoustic source is commonly defined as tinnitus or ringing in the ears [2]. The majority of tinnitus patients have hearing loss but it can also occur in patients with normal hearing [3]. Several theories have been proposed for origin of tinnitus inspite of that the exact mechanism behind the generation of tinnitus is poorly understood. Tinnitus may be associated with abnormalities in any level of the auditory pathways. Jastreboff considers that the tinnitus is due to the maladaptive plasticity changes includes the enhanced central gain due to the compensatory increase in the central auditory activity in response to the loss of sensory input and the abnormal emotional reactions associated with the tinnitus. Several studies have investigated the relationship between tinnitus and dysfunction of the efferent auditory system mainly the Medial Olivocochlear System (MOC) by the suppression of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) .
Mulheres no Conselho Afetam o Desempenho Financeiro? Uma Análise da Representação Feminina nas Empresas Listadas na BM&FBOVESPA

Diante da crescente participacao feminina no mercado de trabalho e, consequentemente, nos cargos de alta importância, o presente artigo teve por objetivo analisar a influencia da participacao feminina nos conselhos de administracao sobre a performance das organizacoes. Utilizando uma amostra composta pelas empresas mais liquidas listadas na BM&FBovespa, nos periodos de 2010 a 2013, o presente estudo utilizou as variaveis: percentual de presenca feminina e a dummy para presenca feminina nos conselhos como proxies para analise da influencia feminina sobre o desempenho financeiro das empresas. Observou-se que em media 63% das empresas analisadas nao apresentam mulheres em seu conselho de administracao. Adicionalmente, verificou-se uma baixa representacao feminina nos conselhos, apresentando um percentual de 5,6%, em media, do genero feminino nos conselhos de administracao analisados. Inicialmente, comparando-se as caracteristicas das organizacoes com e sem a presenca feminina, observou-se que as empresas que possuiram uma diversidade de genero apresentaram um melhor desempenho, capturados pelo Q de Tobin e pelo ROA, nao se podendo rejeitar a hipotese de que as empresas com presenca feminina no conselhos de administracao apresentam um desempenho financeiro maior do que as sem. Contrariando as evidencias de estudos internacionais, nao foi possivel observar uma relacao de endogeneidade na relacao entre desempenho e a presenca feminina nos conselhos de administracao. Nesse sentido, buscou-se averiguar a relacao entre a presenca feminina e o desempenho financeiro por meio da estimacao em minimos quadrados ordinarios e tambem pela utilizacao da regressao quantilica. Os resultados demonstraram que a presenca feminina influenciou positivamente no desempenho financeiro, nao se podendo rejeitar a Hipotese 2 da pesquisa.
The effect of beta-glucanase on the nutritive value of hulless barley cv. Rastik for broiler chickens

The experiment was carried out on 48 eight-day-old broiler females, kept in individual cages and allocated to 3 groups, 16 birds per group. Two experimental diets were formulated, both contained 800 g/kg of hulless barley cv. Rastik, and were unsupplemented or supplemented with a β-glucanase preparation (Avizyme 1100, 1.5 g/kg). The control diet was based on wheat and soyabean meal and was supplemented with a xylanase preparation. All diets contained 210 g crude protein/kg. The diets were fed for 2 weeks, in the third week 6 chickens from each group were killed and digesta were collected from different parts of the digestive tract for viscosity measurements. The apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of barley was measured in a balance experiment done on 10 birds from each group. Supplementation of the barley diet with β-glucanase increased feed intake by 9% (P<0.01) and body weight gain by 3.7% and significantly decreased (P<0.01) the viscosity of digesta, except in the crop and caeca. In the group fed the unsupplemented barley diet, viscosity equaled 1.37, 3.46, 3.93 and 4.78 mPas·s in the digesta from the stomach, jejunum, ileum and caeca, respectively, in the group fed the barley diet with β-glucanase, 0.86, 2.33, 2.91 and 21.55, respectively, while in the control group, 1.01, 1.34, 1.64 and 4.24, respectively. Supplementation with β-glucanase increased the AME value of barley from 10.8 to 13.1 MJ/kg (P<0.01).
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Masters of Arts in Economics of the University of Nairobi 2012

Ihc study uses time series datu in a multivariate OLS model to determine the factors that influence bond liquidity in the secondary bond market in Kenya based on the internal characteristics of bonds and macro economic factorsThe results show that bank lending interest rate, foreign exchange rate, savings interest rate and domestic debt arc factors that influence the turnover of bonds and by extension its liquidity. Our findings suggest that to improve on liquidity, appropriate fiscal and monetary’ policies should be employed to encourage trading in Ihc secondary bonds market. We suggest that such policies should be applied to manage the volatility of interest rate and exchange rate to improve on liquidity of the bonds and also to encourage borrowing using debt instruments to spur growth of the productive sectors through investment. The monetary authority should also create incentives to encourage investors to trade In the secondary market in debt instruments rather than buying and holding securities to maturity.
Breeze effects at a large artificial lake: summer case study

Abstract. Natural lakes and big artificial reservoirs can affect the weather regime of surrounding areas but, usually, consideration of all aspects of this impact and their quantification is a difficult task. The Alqueva reservoir, the largest artificial lake in western Europe, located on the south-east of Portugal, was filled in 2004. It is a large natural laboratory that allows the study of changes in surface and in landscape and how they affect the weather in the region. This paper is focused on a 3-day case study, 22–24 July 2014, during which an intensive observation campaign was carried out. In order to quantify the breeze effects induced by the Alqueva reservoir, two simulations with the mesoscale atmospheric model Meso-NH coupled to the FLake freshwater lake model has been performed. The difference between the two simulations lies in the presence or absence of the reservoir on the model surface. Comparing the two simulation datasets, with and without the reservoir, net results of the lake impact were obtained. Magnitude of the impact on air temperature, relative humidity, and other atmospheric variables are shown. The clear effect of a lake breeze (5–7 m s−1) can be observed during daytime on distances up to 6 km away from the shores and up to 300 m above the surface. The lake breeze system starts to form at 09:00 UTC and dissipates at 18:00–19:00 UTC with the arrival of a larger-scale Atlantic breeze. The descending branch of the lake breeze circulation brings dry air from higher atmospheric layers (2–2.5 km) and redistributes it over the lake. It is also shown that despite its significant intensity the effect is limited to a couple of kilometres away from the lake borders.
Legal or illegal? Preferences on immigration

The political debate about regularisation programmes for undocumented migrants is a very controversial issue. The main goal of this article is to explain why governments decide to grant amnesties to illegal immigrants as a part of their immigration policy. We propose a simple political competition model in which we first derive the voters' preferences over a menu of regularisation programmes. Labour market conditions make skilled workers more pro-regularisation than unskilled workers. We find that, in general, the policy implemented at the political equilibrium is a partial amnesty programme, which is what happens in the majority of the countries in this study.
On Poisson functions

In this paper, we define Poisson functions on super manifolds as a generalization of Poisson structures on manifolds, and show that quasiPoisson and twisted Poisson structures are both special cases of Poisson functions on some supermanifolds. Quasi-Poisson structure are introduced by Alekseev, Kosmann-Schwarzbach, and Meinrenken [AK, AKM]. They are defined by an invariant bivector field π on a manifold M with a group action such that the Schouten bracket [π, π] equals the trivector field generated by the Cartan 3-tensor Ψ. A twisted Poisson structure is a bivector field π on a manifold M such that the Schouten bracket [π, π] equals the trivector field associated to a closed 3-form Φ on M [P, KS, SW]. In the work [SW], Ševera and Weinstein interpret twisted Poisson structures in terms of Courant algebroid and Dirac structure, and ask whether there is a general notion which incorporates both quasi-Poisson and twisted Poisson structures. In this paper, first, generalizing Theorem 6.1 of Liu–Weinstein–Xu [LWX], we show that the graphs of Poisson functions are Dirac structures. Second, we show that the notion of Poisson function includes various notions: Poisson structure, twisted Poisson structure, quasiPoisson structure, Lie algebra action, Lie bialgebra action, Poisson action, etc. In particular, we find Poisson functions which include as special cases both quasi-Poisson structures and twisted Poisson structures. Moreover, a Lie algebroid structure in Theorem 4.1 of Lu [L] associated to a Poisson action of a Poisson Lie group is understood in this more general context.
The application of random amplified polymorphic DNA for sandfly species identification in Saudi Arabia

Sandflies are of great medical and economic importance as vectors of disease agents such as viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites. Because of the great importance of these insects in the Kingdom, The present work has been undertaken to collect and identify samples from different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which included the Central Province (Riyadh and Qassim), the East Province (El Ehsa), the West Province (AlMadinah AlMunawarh) and South Province (Abha and Assir). Samples were divided into two parts: the first included the head and terminalia, which were used for morphological taxonomy, and the second part included the rest of the body which was used for molecular taxonomy. Standard keys of morphological taxonomy were used for the identification and classification of the sandflies. The collected sandflies were found to belong to five species and two genera. Of these, three species belonged to the genus Phlebotomus, these were Phlebotomus (P.) papatasi, P. bergeroti and P. sergenti. The other species belong to genus Sergentomyia, these were Sergentomyia (S.) antennata, S. clydei. P. papatasi was the most common species in all of the collection areas (56.37%), S. clydei was the second common (23.58%) and S. antennata was the third common species (8.4%) followed by P. sergenti (7.86%), then P. bergeroti (2.71%) . The second part of each fly, including the thorax, anterior part of the abdomen and wings, were used for DNA extraction. The DNA was amplified by the RAPD-PCR method using two different arbitrary primers, Opa-2 and Ap-16. Species-specific banding patterns were obtained by this method. Slight differences were observed in the banding pattern within the species which suggested that there were individual diversity or that these variations were owing to the presence of subspecies or sibling species in the same species.
Dual Band Fractal Antenna Design for Wireless Application

The objective of this paper was to design and analyze a dual wide band compact antenna for wireless application. Microstrip patch antenna limitation was overcome by using fractal geometry. The proposed antenna was designed with a radius of 15mm on a FR4 lossy substrate with relative permittivity of 4.4 and loss factor of 0.025. Measurement result showed that the antenna has a dual band of operation with bandwidth for return loss below -10dB of 1.84GHz (2.2GHz-4.07GHz) and 2GHz (6GHz-8GHz) which can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) and Ultra wide band applications.
DIVIDEND POLICY, GROWTH, AND THE VALUATION OF SHARES

In the hope that it may help to overcome these obstacles to effective empirical testing, this paper will attempt to fill the existing gap in the theoretical literature on valuation. We shall begin, in Section I , by examining the effects the effects of differences in dividend policy on the current price of shares in an ideal economy characterized by perfect capital markets, rational behavior, and perfect certainty. Still within this convenient analytical framework we shall go on in Section II and III to consider certain closely related issues that appear to have been responsible for considerable misunderstanding of the role of dividend policy. In particular, Section II will focus on the longstanding debate about what investors "really" capitalize when they buy shares; and Section III on the much mooted relations between price, the rate of growth of profits, and the rate of dividends per share. Once these fundamentals have been established, we shall proceed in Section IV to drop the assumption of certainty and to see the extent to which the earlier conclusions about dividend policy must be modified. Finally, in Section V , we shall briefly examine the implications for the dividend policy problem of certain kinds of market imperfections.
Decentralized Model for a Two-Stage Supply Chain with Exogenous Demand

This paper presents a formal mathematical model for managing problems of stochastic demands; confronting many industries in the society today. We consider a two- stage supply chain where the upstream manufacturer (stage2) must always fill exogenous demands from the downstream manufacturer (stage1) using two types of expediting : Overtime production and outsourcing. Key words : Supply chain management(SCM), Supply chain(SC), Inventory, backorder, Opti-mality.