Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PREDICTING CORPORATE VOTING OUTCOMES FOR SHAREHOLDER SPONSORED PROPOSALS

We analyze voting support for shareholder sponsored corporate governance proposals. Specifically, we study the impact of institutional share ownership, board structure, firm size, historical share performance, and proposal sponsor on the proportion of yes votes received. We use data from 253 shareholder proposals that came to a vote in 2013 for our analysis. Among our findings are the following: (1) pension funds sponsored 14 of the 20 proposals receiving the highest level of voting support while individuals and labor unions sponsored 16 of the 20 proposals receiving the lowest voting support; (2) firms with a classified board received higher proposal support than those without a classified board; (3) firms with a higher percentage of institutional ownership received greater voter support, and (4) firm size was inversely related to voting support.
Ambiguity and nonidentifiability in the statistical analysis of neural codes

Significance Among the most important open questions in neurophysiology are those regarding the nature of the code that neurons use to transmit information. Experimental approaches to such questions are challenging because the spike outputs of a neuronal subpopulation are influenced by a vast array of factors, ranging from microscopic to macroscopic scales, but only a small fraction of these is measured. Inevitably, there is variability from trial to trial in the recorded data. We show that a prominent conceptual approach to modeling spike-train variability can be ill-posed, confusing the interpretation of results bearing on neural codes. We argue for more careful definitions and more explicit statements of physiological assumptions. Many experimental studies of neural coding rely on a statistical interpretation of the theoretical notion of the rate at which a neuron fires spikes. For example, neuroscientists often ask, “Does a population of neurons exhibit more synchronous spiking than one would expect from the covariability of their instantaneous firing rates? ” For another example, “How much of a neuron’s observed spiking variability is caused by the variability of its instantaneous firing rate, and how much is caused by spike timing variability? ” However, a neuron’s theoretical firing rate is not necessarily well-defined. Consequently, neuroscientific questions involving the theoretical firing rate do not have a meaning in isolation but can only be interpreted in light of additional statistical modeling choices. Ignoring this ambiguity can lead to inconsistent reasoning or wayward conclusions. We illustrate these issues with examples drawn from the neural-coding literature.
Do Corporate Social Responsibility Ratings Predict Corporate Social Performance

Ratings of corporations' environmental activities and capabilities influence billions of dollars of "socially responsible" investments as well as some consumers, activists, and potential employees. Unfortunately, there is little evidence about the validity of these ratings. We examine how well the most widely used ratings—those of Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini Research & Analytics (KLD)—predict environmental performance. We find that firms that have more KLD environmental concerns have slightly, but statistically significantly, more pollution and regulatory compliance violations in later years than firms that elicit fewer KLD concerns. KLD environmental strengths, in contrast, do not accurately predict pollution levels or compliance violations. We discuss the implications of our findings for advocates and opponents of corporate social responsibility, as well as for studies relating social responsibility ratings with financial performance.
Sensory Evolution and Ecology of Early Turtles Revealed by Digital Endocranial Reconstructions

In the past few years, new fossil finds and novel methodological approaches have prompted intensive discussions about the phylogenetic affinities of turtles and rekindled the debate on their ecological origin, with very distinct scenarios, such as fossoriality and aquatic habitat occupation, proposed for the earliest stem-turtles. While research has focused largely on the origin of the anapsid skull and unique postcranial anatomy, little is known about the endocranial anatomy of turtles. Here, we provide 3D digital reconstructions and comparative descriptions of the brain, nasal cavity, neurovascular structures and endosseous labyrinth of Proganochelys quenstedti, one of the earliest stem-turtles, as well as other turtle taxa. Our results demonstrate that P. quenstedti had retained a simple tube-like brain morphology with poorly differentiated regions and mediocre hearing and vision, but a well-developed olfactory sense. Endocast shape analysis indicates that an increase in size and regionalization of the brain took place in the course of turtle evolution, achieving an endocast diversity comparable to other amniote groups. Based on the new evidence, we further conclude that P. quenstedti was a highly terrestrial, but most likely not a fossorial taxon
Preoperative timed single leg standing time is associated with the postoperative activity of daily living in aged disabled patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis at six-months after undergoing total knee arthroplasty

Abstract Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect size (ES) of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for the symptoms and lower limb function and identify preoperative factor(s) associated with the post-operative activity of daily living (ADL) in aged patients with end-stage knee OA undergoing TKA. Methods: Fifty-nine aged patients with end-stage knee OA (mean age: 74.6 years) were enrolled in this study. The symptoms and lower limb function of the patients were evaluated using the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM), the timed up and go (TUG) test and timed single-legged stance test with eyes open (TSLS) before and after six months from the operation. Results: While the ES of TKA for the improvement of pain was 2.83, the ES of TKA for the improvement of ADL, TUG and TSLS were 1.30, 0.59, and 0.49, respectively. While the post-operative ADL score was not associated with the preoperative ADL or pain scores, it was associated with the preoperative TUG and TSLS scores. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the one preoperative factor associated with the postoperative ADL was the TSLS. Conclusion: The preoperative TSLS is associated with the postoperative ADL in aged disabled patients with end-stage knee OA.
Technology in Banking: A Study of E-Banking Preferences of Service Class in Jalandhar

The banks are fast assuming the role of financial supermarkets due to busy and fast life of today which necessitates the need for one-stop outlets offering diverse financial products. They can hardly ignore the adoption of technology, which is playing a major role in increasing the efficiency, courtesy and speed of customer service provided by the banks. It is rightly said to be the age of E-banking. E-Banking, a combination of the two words, Electronic technology and Banking, is a process by which a customer performs banking transactions electronically without visiting a brick-and-mortar institution. It involves an extensive use of Information technology that eliminates the need for direct recourse to the bank by the customer.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Perfusion of Intradural Spinal Lesions

SUMMARY: Fifteen patients with intradural spinal lesions were examined with an optimized dynamic contrast-enhanced MR perfusion sequence at 1.5T and 3T. SNR and mean contrast-to-noise ratio were better on 3T compared with 1.5T (P ≤ .05). The goodness of fit of the Tofts and Tofts extended pharmacokinetic models was similar between 1.5T and 3T. Thus, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR perfusion of intradural spinal canal lesions is technically feasible at 1.5T and 3T, with better image quality at 3T.
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DAN KINERJA KEUANGAN PERUSAHAAN; SUATU ANALISIS DENGAN PENDEKATAN PARTIAL LEAST SQUARES

This research aims to know the relationship between intellectual capital components (human capital, structural capital, and customer capital) with company’s performance and manufacture industry in Indonesia. This study examines 50 companies that listed in Indonesian Capital Market Directory from 2003 until 2007 the financial report that published every years. The result show that there is significant positive relations amng intellectual capital with company’s performance. But the result not support relationship between intellectual capital with future company’s performance and future company’s performance with rate of growth of intellectual capital (ROGIC).
Clinical impact of 20% worsening on Timed 25-foot Walk and 9-hole Peg Test in multiple sclerosis

Introduction: Quantitative tests of motor function, like the Timed 25-foot Walk (T25FW) and 9-hole Peg Test (9HPT), are increasingly being applied as outcome measures in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials. The quantitative nature of the data has a favorable impact on responsiveness, but the clinical impact of the changes is uncertain. The goal of this study was to assess whether a change on T25FW and 9HPT does indeed have a clinical meaning. This was accomplished by comparing 20% changes on these quantitative measurements to concomitant changes on the Guy’s Neurological Disability Scale (GNDS), a scale which measures patient-perceived daily life disability. Methods: From a longitudinal database, we selected patients with at least two measurements of T25FW, 9HPT and GNDS with a minimal time interval of 350 days. In those patients who experienced at least a 20% change on T25FW or 9HPT, GNDS score changes were examined more closely. Results: Of 527 patients, 143 experienced a >20% worsening on their T25FW and 71 on their 9HPT, respectively. Patients with a 20% increase in T25FW or 9HPT had more GNDS worsening than patients without such an increase. GNDS worsening associated with an increase in T25FW was mainly due to an increase in perceived disability related to lower extremity function and fatigue; GNDS worsening associated with an increase in 9HPT was more diffuse with respect to domains involved. Conclusion: Worsening on T25FW or 9HPT has a clinical impact on disability, as perceived by MS patients during daily life functioning.
Internationalization Process of Innovative SMEs in Lebanon: An Analysis with a Conceptual Model

This chapter aims to highlight the relationship between innovation and internationalization in the context of international development of Lebanese innovative SMEs. The problems of the commitment of these SMEs in a process of internationalization is relevant in the Mediterranean countries in general and Lebanon in particular, but few empirical studies have been done so far to understand their international development (Ramadan, 2008; Ramadan and Levratto, 2011). The role of key factors such as size, age, international cooperation and strategic planning in the international development of Lebanese SMEs has rarely been comprehensively studied. Motivated by the literature that establishes a positive relationship between innovation and internationalization, this study presents a research proposal on these SMEs to bring out certain variables that characterize them. Moreover, the aim of the study is to verify the effect of the above factors and integrates into schools of thought that attempt to demonstrate that the international development of SMEs is influenced by a context that must be identified in the case of Lebanon.
Determinants of Euro-Denominated Corporate Bond Spreads

This paper computes time-varying indicators of the relative importance of different credit spread determinants, including rating, sector and country attribution as well as the coupon rate, maturity and liquidity on the basis of the comprehensive dataset of individual bonds. Additionally, it decomposes variances of rating-specific (country- and sector-specific) spread indices into the impacts of explanatory variables. Both cross-sectional and time series analyses confirm that the rating effect was the major driver of corporate bond spreads during the pre-crisis period, while the recent financial crisis was characterised by increased cross-country and cross-sector heterogeneity. The sector effects in corporate spreads together with the rating effects for high-rated and low-rated bonds are found to be more closely linked to default rates and stock indices, whereas the common effect also to be linked to business cycle conditions. The dataset also allows documenting a break-up in the existence of country ceilings for corporate bond ratings during the crisis. JEL Classification: G12, C21, C22, E44
Level of job satisfaction among nurses working intertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi

Objective To assess the job satisfaction of nurses, their work environment, dealing of health care professionals with nurses, attitude of the patients and their attendants towards nurses and to find out the problems of boarder nurses. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 70 nurses in three tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi (17, 26 and 27 from Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Head Quarters Hospital respectively) who were enrolled in the study by convenience sampling. The study was carried out for a period of two months from March-April 2009 and data was collected by using structured questionnaire. Questionnaire comprised of questions pertaining to job satisfaction of the nurses in terms of work environment, salary package, boarding facilities and satisfaction with attitude of the health care professionals, patients and their attendants. Results Of the total 70 nurses, 24.28% were satisfied with salary of
Alkaline phosphatase activity in symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) as a biological indicator of environmental phosphate exposure

Alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) is an indicator of phosphorus status in marine plants. We examined APA in the symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium bermudense, which occurs with the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida. We have developed an assay for APA that serves as a bio- logical indicator of inorganic phosphate (Pi) exposure in coral reef environments and phosphorus deficiency in zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae maintained in culture responded to a lack of Pi with ele- vated levels of APA. Laboratory experiments with A. pallida demonstrated that this effect occurs in symbiosis, although at a longer timescale. The addition of Pi to ambient sea water resulted in higher zooxanthellae density in unfed anemones compared to unfed controls maintained without additional Pi, indicating that S. bermudense can utilize exogenous sources of Pi. APA was measured in zoo- xanthellae from the coral Montastraea faveolata collected from 2 reef sites with different phosphorus exposure. Zooxanthellae from corals at the low Pi site had significantly higher APA levels than those from the high Pi site. These results indicate the potential of this assay as an indicator of phosphorus exposure in a coral reef environment.
Performance of a Rapid and Simple HIV Testing Algorithm in a Multicenter Phase III Microbicide Clinical Trial

ABSTRACT A multitest sequential algorithm based on rapid and simple (R/S) assays was applied for the diagnosis of HIV infection among participants in a phase 3 microbicide effectiveness trial. HIV testing was performed on finger-prick blood samples obtained from patients after their enrollment in the trial. The specimens were tested in a serial procedure using three different rapid tests (Determine HIV-1/2 [Abbott], SD Bioline HIV-1/2 3.0 [Standard Diagnostics], and Uni-Gold HIV [Trinity Biotech]). In the event of discordant results between the Determine HIV-1/2 and SD Bioline HIV-1/2 3.0 tests, the third assay (Uni-Gold HIV) determined the final outcome. When the final outcome was positive, a second specimen was collected and tested with the same algorithm, only if a positive result was obtained with this sample the participant was informed of her positive serostatus. A total of 5,734 postenrollment specimens obtained from 1,398 women were tested. Forty-six women tested positive according to the testing algorithm performed on the first collected specimen. Confirmatory testing results obtained at the ITM confirmed that 42 women were truly infected. Two of four initial false positives tested negative upon analysis of a second blood specimen. The other two tested false positive twice using specimens collected the same day. A high percentage of specimens reactive with the Determine HIV-1/2 assay was only observed at the study site in Kampala. This result did not appear to be associated with pregnancy or malaria infection. We conclude that HIV testing algorithms, including only R/S assays, are suitable for use in clinical trials, provided that adequate quality assurance procedures are in place.
Willingness to pay for environmentally linked clothing at an event: visibility, environmental certification, and level of environmental concern

ABSTRACT Apparel and the attributes they portray have an opportunity to influence the willingness to pay (WTP) of those who purchase them. While there have been a number of studies examining WTP, few examine purchases in a festival setting. The goal of this study was to explore participants’ WTP for apparel based on a more external motivation (visible environmental message) and/or an internal motivation (environmentally sustainable certification) at a festival. A total of 427 structured surveys were administered at a folk music festival in Canada. The study examined two differing approaches to product design for environmentally linked apparel: a message visible on the outside of the garment vs. an environmental certification inside the garment. A contingent valuation methodology was used to measure WTP and analysis conducted with Repeated Measures ANOVA. Results indicate that both product designs significantly increased WTP for the t-shirt as described. Implications of this study suggest that an enhanced understanding of the factors influencing attendee’s WTP for apparel attributes can lead to better meeting the wants of attendees, more sales and higher margins on sales.
Really governing: what type of work should boards be doing?

Effectiveness is generally defined as "doing the right things. " To be effective, boards of health systems and hospitals must have a clear, precise, and shared image of the type of work they should be doing to really govern their organizations. This article forwards a paradigm of board work--the five ultimate responsibilities and three core roles of governance. The paradigm is then employed to discuss the division of responsibilities and roles among boards and their standing committees, and superordinate and subordinate boards in tiered governance situations typical of many multifacility and integrated health care delivery systems.
Noncompliance, financial reporting quality and director turnover

In this thesis, I examine the effects of noncompliance with securities laws on financial reporting quality and director turnover. The thesis consists of three main chapters. Chapter 2 introduces the enforcement actions brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), based on which I collect data on noncompliance cases. It also describes the data collection process and reports summary statistics for noncompliance cases. It contributes to our understanding of the SEC’s enforcement actions. The dataset is used in examining the effects of noncompliance with regulations on financial reporting quality and director turnover in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively. Chapter 3 investigates the association between noncompliance with securities laws and financial reporting quality. Compliance control and financial reporting quality are two overlapping aspects of control within the integrated internal control framework. I explore the association between compliance control and financial reporting quality by testing whether the rate of financial reporting problems is higher for firms that fail to comply with securities laws. I find that firms not complying with securities laws have significantly higher rates of financial reporting problems than control firms that do not violate securities laws. Furthermore, the results show that the effect is much stronger for accounting frauds than for accounting restatements, and the evidence is more pronounced in the post-noncompliance (with securities laws) windows than in the pre-noncompliance windows. This chapter presents the first empirical examination of the link between the compliance aspect of internal control and financial accounting problems. Chapter 4 investigates director turnover surrounding noncompliance events. While directors are expected to play a disciplining role, the evidence is still limited on this. I examine directors’ reactions to firm misconduct around the time when firms start to violate securities laws. I find, in general, that firms that failed to comply with securities laws (noncompliant firms) have significantly higher director turnover rates around the start of noncompliant than control firms. Noncompliant firms are also more likely to have unexpectedly departing directors around the start of noncompliance. When outside directors are examined separately, significantly higher director turnover is observed only for the pre-noncompliance period and not for the post-noncompliance period. These results suggest that directors are more likely to leave a firm if they perceive wrongdoing, while outside directors tend to leave before they could possibly be involved in the firm’s wrongdoing.
How Important Are Partner Differences in Explaining Audit Quality

The PCAOB will require the disclosure of the name of audit engagement partners for audits of U.S. listed firms beginning in 2017. The United Kingdom has required this disclosure since 2009, and we use this data to analyze if there is significant inter-partner variation in the quality of audit outcomes in the UK. If there is no variation, then the disclosure rule would to seem have little informational value. To our surprise, partner identification has significant explanatory power, after controlling for the concurrent effects of the audit firm and engagement office. In fact partner fixed effects explain more of the variation than the combined fixed effects of audit firms and offices. Moreover, there is a larger fixed effect for Big 4 partners than for non-Big 4 partners. Gul, Wu and Yang (2013) find similar results for small, mainly single-office accounting firms in China. We expected that the effects of stronger institutions in the UK, and the incentives this creates for accounting firms to have strong control systems, mitigate the variation in partner behavior relative to the more lax institutional setting in China. It turns out this is not the case. In fact, the magnitude of partner fixed effects is even larger in the UK than China. We conclude . there is significant inter-partner variation in UK audits, a country whose institutions and accounting profession is similar to the US. Our analyses also show that this variation affects audit pricing. The results support the potential informativeness of partner disclosures in assessing audit quality.