Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electoral Participation in Municipal, Provincial and Federal Elections in Canada

Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of social relations or social capital for voting turnout at three levels of Canadian government, paying particular attention to social contexts, socio-demographics and socio-economic forces. The data source is the Public Use Microdata File from the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participation, administered by Statistics Canada (2001). Results provide support for social capital theory. Those who donate to charities and/or volunteer have a stronger propensity to vote than their counterparts. Two other measures of social capital, social networks and participation in religious activities, are also related to turnout. However, their effects are comparatively modest. Among the social bases of social capital, community rootedness is an important predictor of turnout. Civic engagement or attentiveness to current affairs also significantly increases voter turnout at all levels of Canadian government. Finally, standard socio-economic and demographic predictors of political participation do show independent effects on turnout. However, with the exception of age, these predictors are not as consistent or as strong as social capital measures in explaining turnout. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed. Résumé. L'objectif de cette étude est de souligner l'importance des relations sociales ou “ capital social ” en ce qui concerne la participation aux élections municipales, provinciales et fédérales au Canada, en prêtant une attention particulière aux contextes sociaux et aux forces socio-démographiques et socio-économiques. Nos données proviennent du fichier de microdonnées à grande diffusion de l'Enquête nationale sur le don, le bénévolat et la participation, administré par Statistique Canada (2001). Les résultats vérifient la théorie du capital social. Les gens qui font des dons aux organismes de bienfaisance ou font du bénévolat ont une tendance plus marquée à voter que les autres. Deux autres mesures de capital social, l'appartenance à des réseaux sociaux et la participation à des activités religieuses, ont aussi une corrélation positive avec la participation électorale. Leur impact est cependant relativement limité. Parmi les composantes du capital social, l'enracinement dans la communauté est un indicateur important de participation. L'engagement dans la vie civique ou un intérêt marqué pour les affaires courantes augmentent aussi d'une façon significative la participation aux élections à tous les niveaux gouvernementaux. Finalement, il s'avère que les variables explicatives socio-économiques et démographiques standard de la participation politique ont des effets indépendants sur le vote. Toutefois, à l'exception de l'âge, ces variables ne sont ni aussi constantes ni aussi déterminantes que les mesures du capital social pour expliquer la participation. Nous discutons dans cet article les implications théoriques et politiques de nos conclusions.
Bankruptcy Costs and the Theory of Oligopoly

This paper examines the relationship between financial decisions and output decisions in oligopolistic markets. Assuming a duopoly market structure in which financial decisions and output decisions follow in sequence, the authors analyze how bankrupt cy costs, which are incurred when the firm is unable to meet current debt obligations, affect the firm's behavior in output markets. With fixed bankruptcy costs, firms have an incentive to increase output le vels if they take on more debt. Proportional bankruptcy costs lead to a U-shaped relationship between output and debt. Foresighted owners of firms are led to take into account the strategic output effects of financial structure when considering an optimal financial structure for the firm.
Research and Technology Commercialization

This paper introduces the special themed section on organizational interactions involving universities and firms that result in the commercialization of research and technology. Our objective is to shed light on some of the most vexing, yet under-researched predicaments research institutions encounter, despite their best efforts to advance commercialization. First, we synthesize and extend recent studies, including the papers in the special themed section. Next, we develop a taxonomy of modes of commercialization. Specifically, we consider internal approaches, quasi-internal approaches (e.g. incubators), university research parks, regional clusters, academic spin-offs and start-ups, licensing, contract research and consultancy, corporate venture capital, and open science and innovation. We also identify areas for further research at the individual (e.g. heterogeneity of entrepreneurial teams and experience; incentives), organizational and intra-university (e.g. corporate governance; nature of growth strategies; relationships with trading partners; boundary spanning activities) and technology levels (e.g. institutional context; reconfiguration of technology; valuation of technology).
Understanding the Relationships Between Decentralized Organizational Decision Structure, Job Context, and Job Satisfaction—A Survey of Danish Public Managers

Job satisfaction is frequent studied, yet few studies are concerned with how the organizational decision structure influences job satisfaction. This is despite the major trend of employing more decentralized organizational decision structures, for example, because of New Public Management (NPM). We investigate how the organizational decision structure influences the job context (role clarity and job complexity) and which influence this then has on job satisfaction. We propose a hypothesized theoretical model which we investigate by estimating a structural equation model (using LISREL) on questionnaire data from 400 Danish managers. Based on the results, we had to modify our model. The results indicate that decentralized organizational decision structures influence role clarity which in turn influences job satisfaction positively, although an alternative model indicates a direct relationship from decentralized organizational decision structure to job satisfaction. Moreover, an important factor is work pressure which influences the relationship from job complexity to job satisfaction negatively.
ICT for the Development of Labour Productivity in Cameroon

This paper uses a new survey data set on manufacturing firms in Cameroon to estimate a Cobb‐Douglas production function. Based on a categorization of firms by ownership structure and firms aiming at analysing the constraints surrounding the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a tool to improving productivity of Small and Medium‐sized Enterprises (SME) in Cameroon, we have evaluated empirically whether to what extent those technologies have contributed to the growth of labour productivity within the firms. Using the Instrumental Variables method, to account for the endogeneity problem with cross sectional data, we found a positive and significant impact of ICT‐capital on labour productivity in Cameroonian's firms.
Bankruptcy Prediction of Small Firms in an Individual Industry with the Help of Mixed Industry Models

Abstract This paper examines whether generic bankruptcy prediction models can maintain their validity when applied to firms from an individual industry. The literature on the subject suggests that the classification accuracy of models based on a mixed industry sample is considerably diminished when they are applied to samples drawn from a single industry. This investigation re-estimates bankruptcy prediction models by Ohlson (1980) and Shumway (2001) with a mixed industry sample of over-the-counter (OTC) traded small firms during the 1990s. Both models are validated with an ex ante prediction test for a holdout sample from the equipment & machinery manufacturing (EMM) industry as well as the mixed industries. Our empirical results show that the generic models by Ohlson (1980) and Shumway (2001) are robust in classifying and predicting bankruptcy incidence of the EMM firms. However, the finding of the prediction accuracy for the holdout sample from the EMM industry being higher than that for the holdout sample from the mixed industries is counterintuitive, which is possibly introduced by sample specific bias, and/or the models not being optimally constructed (Altman, 1968).
Corporate Social Responsibility: The Link between Sustainability Disclosure and Sustainability Performance

This paper explores the relation between sustainability performance and sustainability disclosure within the Australian extractive industries. The study utilizes Ullmann's (1985) stakeholder framework, which depicts sustainability disclosure and performance as two components of management strategy for dealing with stakeholder demands. Consistent with this framework, we predict a positive performance–disclosure relation. Extending prior research that has utilized problematic environmental performance indices such as CEP indices or toxic emissions levels, we develop a sustainability performance index based on the International Finance Corporation's Measuring Sustainability Framework (2001). Using data from 339 mining and energy firms listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2006, we find that corporate sustainability performance is strongly associated with disclosure as expected. Sustainability disclosure is also greater for firms with a proactive communication strategy as manifested through press release activity. Finally, asset age and firm size are both positively associated with sustainability, consistent with predictions from the stakeholder framework.
Signal Transduction Pathways Involved in B‐Cell Induction

B lymphocytes fulfil two cardinal functions in the immune system. On one hand, B cells are directly involved in immune responses as immune effector cells, integrating the humoral immune system. On the other hand, they serve as highly selective antigen-presenting cells endowed with the capacity to selectively capture antigen and to present it to T lymphocytes, thus determining whether a T-cell response will be aborted or stimulated. The distinctive surface structure of the B lymphocyte is the B-cell receptor (BCR) made up by membrane immunoglobulin (Ig) in association with several invariant chains that exert a signal-transducing function. Depending on the differentiation and activation stage of the B cell, the nature, concentration and affinity/avidity of the crosslinking agent, as well as on additional signals simultaneously delivered to the cell via receptors for cytokines, bacterial products, matrix proteins and cell surface determinants of neighboring cells, crosslinking of surface Ig (sig) may result in rather different biological responses, namely activation, antigen presentation, proliferation, induction of Ig secretion, cellular differentiation, growth arrest, inhibition of Ig production, or induction of programmed cell death (PCD). Recent studies are tentatively shedding light on the black box that contains the complicated machinery linking slgmediated signals to different biological responses in B cells. This review will discuss the essential ingredient of the BCR and the signal-transducing cascade involved in B-cell stimulation.
The Regulatory Role of the Actuary

ABSTRACT The actuary has played a role in regulation in the United Kingdom since 1819. More recently, in 1974, the Appointed Actuary system was introduced for life insurance companies, backed by strong professional guidance. Derivatives of the Appointed Actuary concept have been implemented in a number of other countries. Meanwhile, in the UK, defined benefit occupational pension schemes are now required to appoint a Scheme Actuary, who has a statutory whistle-blowing role under the Pensions Act 1995. A number of statutory roles for pension actuaries were in place prior to this. In general insurance, Lloyd's syndicates are now required to obtain an actuarial opinion on the end of year provisions, as part of the Lloyd's market regulatory structure, and friendly societies must obtain an actuarial opinion on their technical provisions once every three years. This paper reviews some of the different regulatory roles of the actuary in the UK, draws some comparisons with the situation in other countries, considers the strengths and weaknesses of the present situation and invites debate and discussion on the way forward in order to optimise the contribution which the profession can make to the public interest in the field of regulation.
Epistemics and Economics: A Critique of Economic Doctrines

It is Shackle's view that human conduct is chosen with a view to its consequences. But these are in the future, which cannot be directly known. Expectation will confine itself to what is deemed possible, but this leaves it free to entertain widely diverse and rival hypotheses. How can such skeins of mutually conflicting ideas serve the formation of individual or institutional policy? This is the chief question this book examines.
Exchange Market Pressure and Monetary Policy: Evidence from Pakistan

The study employs the Girton and Roper (1977) measure of exchange market pressure (defined as the sum of exchange rate depreciation and foreign reserves outflow), to examinethe interaction between exchange market pressure and monetary variables, viz. domestic credit (Reserve Money) and the interest rate. Evidence from impulse response functions suggests that domestic credit has remained the dominant tool of monetary policy for managing exchange market pressure. The increase in domestic credit upon increases in exchange market pressure (during 1991-98) was imprudent. The results suggest that fiscal needs/growth objectives might have dominated external account considerations during this period. Post 9/11 there is evidence of sterilized intervention in the forex market. The interest rate has also weakly served as the tool of monetary policy during the hay days of foreign currency deposits (1991-98). The finding implies that, for the interest rate to work as tool of monetary policy vis-a-vis exchange market pressure, a reasonable degree of capital mobility is called for.
Resident attitudes toward sustainable community tourism

This study examined, using social exchange theory, a range of variables involved in determining resident attitudes toward tourism development and the adoption of sustainable tourism. After a comprehensive review of the literature on the role of residents in tourism development, and of the use of social exchange theory, 430 completed questionnaires obtained in a Texas town involved in tourism were analyzed. A structural equation model was utilized to understand the effects of selected components of sustainability on the attitudes of the respondents about future tourism development and to test hypothesized causal relationships among the variables. The findings revealed that three major components of sustainable tourism, namely long-term planning, full community participation and environmental sustainability within tourism, are critically related to support for tourism and to the positive and negative impacts of tourism. The paper uses the findings to suggest critical implications that local governments need to consider when developing tourism.
Migration, Xenophobia and New Racism in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Post-apartheid South Africa was built on a culture of inclusiveness, tolerance and human rights, embodied in its 1996 Constitution. However, as this paper shows, South African citizens exhibit high levels of xenophobia towards fellow African citizens, subjecting them to different forms of prejudice and discrimination. The paper argues that the racialization of African migrants- the other- and xenophobic sentiment are about the politics of access; a struggle for political and socio-economic resources.
A Novel Enteral Nutrition Protocol for the Treatment of Pediatric Crohn’s Disease

Background:Enteral nutritional therapy (EN) is an effective modality for inducing and maintaining remission in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). The standard protocol for EN provides patients with 100% of their caloric needs for induction of remission. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of delivering 80% to 90% of patient’s caloric needs through EN, to induce remission in pediatric patients with CD. This approach allows patients to consume remaining calories from a normal diet. Methods:A retrospective review of charts from 1998 to 2010 was conducted at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Remission (Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index <10) and response (decrease in Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index score of ≥12.5 points) were calculated before and after treatment with EN. Weight z scores and laboratory parameters were evaluated in all participants. Results:Forty-three charts were evaluated. Mean age of participants was 12.8 years (5.1–17.4), 67% were male and 33% female patients. Remission and response were evaluated in a group of 23 participants, with no missing data. There were reductions in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < 0.0001) and C-reactive protein (P < 0.02), and increases in albumin (P < 0.03). Mean Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index score at baseline was 26.9 and was reduced to a score of 10.2 at follow-up (P < 0.0001). Induction of remission was achieved in 65% and response in 87% at a mean follow-up of 2 months (1–4 months). Conclusions:This novel EN protocol seems to be effective for the induction of remission in pediatric patients with CD and contributes to increasing weight and improving laboratory markers. This protocol may result in improved EN acceptance and compliance and will be evaluated prospectively.
Factors Influencing Gastroduodenal Mucosal Prostaglandin Concentrations: Roles of Smoking and Aging

OBJECTIVE To evaluate behavioral, demographic, clinical, and histologic variables that independently influence gastroduodenal mucosal prostaglandin concentrations. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING A clinical research laboratory located in a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. PATIENTS Fifty-two healthy adults who had no history of peptic ulcer disease and who were not receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. MEASUREMENTS Mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained endoscopically from the stomach (body and antrum) and the duodenum (bulb and postbulbar area). Mucosal extracts from each of these four regions were assessed by radioimmunoassay to determine prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2 alpha concentrations. Specimens were also examined histologically for inflammation and the presence of Helicobacter pylori. A multivariate linear regression model was used to determine which behavioral, demographic, and histologic variables significantly and independently influenced gastroduodenal mucosal prostaglandin concentrations. RESULTS Smoking and older age were independently associated with lower prostaglandin concentrations in all four mucosal regions (P = 0.0001 to P = 0.05). Compared with results in young nonsmokers, mucosal prostaglandin concentrations were reduced by 70% to 80% in older smokers. Gender, alcohol use, endoscopic appearance, dyspeptic symptoms, mucosal inflammation, and the presence of H. pylori had no consistent effect on prostaglandin content. CONCLUSION Smoking and older age are associated with significantly reduced gastric and duodenal prostaglandin concentrations. These observations may help explain the predisposition to ulcer disease in smokers and older persons.
Technology and people factors in knowledge management: An empirical analysis

Continual development of the field of Knowledge Management (KM) has led to a number of issues being highlighted. For example, as KM has its origins in a number of related areas, such as Human Resource Management, Total Quality Management and Information Systems, many organizations have found that tensions exist between KM applications and the progression of change. This antagonism often results either from an overemphasis on technology to the exclusion of adequate people/quality planning, or from strong people/quality programmes from a knowledge perspective that are hindered by inadequate enabling technologies. Understanding of these issues, in practice and in academia, is currently hindered by a paucity of systematic empirical research that addresses the relationship between the cultural and technological aspects of Knowledge Management. Thus, there is a need for a rigorous theory-building/theory-testing research programme, to inform an organizational application and to contribute to the body of knowledge within the Knowledge Management spectrum. The authors have been involved in an industrial/university partnership study. This research programme consisted of two parts. First, the theory-building phase was based on exploratory investigation. Research was conducted using a number of methodological approaches, such as ethnography, social constructionism, semi-structured interviews and empirical surveys. The findings from this research, led to the development of a prescriptive, conceptual model for Knowledge Management implementation. Secondly, theory-testing was conducted to test and refine the derived model using large survey empirical analysis. The aim of this paper is to describe the Knowledge Management model and to portray the results of the latter part of the research, with a view to improving the understanding and interrelationship of both the people and technical aspects of KM. A survey questionnaire was constructed and tested via a pilot phase. The questionnaire was then distributed to over 1000 organizations, across three industrial sectors. The findings indicate that a strong relationship exists between KM and other organizational factors, namely organizational culture and internal technical culture. Further analysis on these elements revealed that factors internal to the organization are impinged upon by macro-environmental elements.
Quality of life after total or partial gastrectomy for primary gastric lymphoma

Up to 90% of patients with localized non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) are cured and decreased use of radical surgery is favoured. Although quality of life (QOL) may impact treatment choice, little is known about QOL in gastric NHL survivors. The self-reported QOL (EORTC QLQ-C30 and a gastric module) and objective findings from upper GI endoscopy were evaluated in patients in complete remission after treatment for primary gastric NHL at the Norwegian Radium Hospital (NRH). Thirty-six (90%) patients completed the questionnaires, 33 (83%) met for endoscopy. Ten patients were treated with total gastrectomy, 17 with partial gastrectomy, while nine patients did not undergo surgery. Gastroscopy was normal in 55% of the non-gastrectomised patients, oesophagoscopy in 69%. Four patients had Barrett's metaplasia. QOL was not different from population values. Patients treated with total gastrectomy reported poorer emotional function, more diarrhoea and more food-related problems (p ≤ 0.05) compared with the others. Based on the higher level of digestive and food related problems after total gastrectomy, stomach-preserving surgery should be preferred whenever possible.
Outbreak of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Producing the OXA-23 Enzyme in Curitiba, Brazil

ABSTRACT Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from eight patients in two hospitals in Curitiba, Brazil. The isolates were multiresistant, belonged to a single strain, and produced the OXA-23 carbapenemase. Treatment options were limited, although the isolates were susceptible to polymyxin B in vitro. The strain contributed to the deaths of five patients.