Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does CEO Bias Escalate Repurchase Activity?

We propose and test the hypothesis that overconfident-CEOs, with upwardly-biased estimates of own firm-value, are more predisposed to repurchasing stock. An implication is that the stock-market, recognizing overconfident-CEO behavior, will react less positively to repurchase announcements. The hypothesis is strongly supported: Overconfident managers repurchase stock at lower levels of cash holdings, and respond more to stock-price declines. Entrenchment exacerbates this behavior. Interestingly, institutional investors appear to encourage repurchases, perhaps to curb excessive investment. Overconfident-CEOs are also more likely to substitute repurchases for dividends or capital expenditure. Consistent with our hypothesis, the stock-market reaction to these share repurchase announcements is less positive.
On the Optimum Multicarrier Performance With Memoryless Nonlinearities

It is widely recognized that orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals are very prone to nonlinear distortion effects, which can lead to significant performance degradation. However, recent results have showed that nonlinear distortion effects do not necessarily mean performance degradation and can actually lead to performance improvements relative to conventional linear OFDM schemes. In this paper, we consider the effects of bandpass memoryless nonlinear devices on OFDM signals and study the optimum asymptotic performance for both nondispersive channels and severely time-dispersive channels. We present analytical methods for obtaining the Euclidean distance between two OFDM signals that are subjected to different nonlinear characteristics. These results are then employed for obtaining the average asymptotic gain relative to conventional linear OFDM schemes in nondispersive channels and the gain distribution for severely time-dispersive channels with Rayleigh-distributed fading on the different multipath components. Our analytical results, which are shown to be very accurate, indicate that the optimum detection of OFDM schemes with strong nonlinear distortion effects allows significant gains when compared with conventional linear OFDM schemes.
Does foreign direct investment influence development of stock market of host country? Evidence from Pakistan

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a mechanism of international flow of capital. It is not merely a conduit for transfer of money to an investment destination where it generates higher returns but also a channel for transfer of best practices including improved and innovative technologies, technical know-how, management methods, labor skills and other innovative practices of conducting business operations. This happens because of the ownership stake of the investing organization in its affiliate firm which gives investors some extent of authority in the management of its affiliate. Extensive amount of literature dealt with factors determining FDI flow into an economy and how it influences economic growth. Owing to conflicting evidence by various researchers the topic is still controversial. It started attracting more attention since capital control liberalizing policies by developing countries increased their growth in recent past. Relatively fewer studies deal with the issue of how FDI creates an influence on a country’s stock market, and no such study has been conducted in Pakistan. It is important to study how stock markets respond to FDI because stock markets give an estimate of investors’ trust and economic activity. This study examined this particular relationship by analyzing data using cointegration and Granger causality techniques. Key words: Foreign direct investment, stock market, cointegration, granger causality.
Demographic, intrinsic, and extrinsic factors associated with weapon carrying at school.

BACKGROUND Recent incidents of school violence have heightened the need to identify societal, interpersonal, and adolescent characteristics that contribute to weapon carrying. OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence of weapon carrying at school and to determine associated risk factors for adolescent males and females. DESIGN A cross-sectional study using the 1994-1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data. PARTICIPANTS A nationally representative sample of 6504 adolescents and their parents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Whether adolescents have ever carried a weapon at school. STATISTICS chi(2) Analyses and hierarchical regressions were done using SPSS (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill) and SUDAAN (Research Triangle Park, NC) software. Regression models included demographic, intrinsic, and extrinsic factors. RESULTS Of the overall sample, 9.3% (n = 595) reported having carried a weapon at school. Of these, 77% were male (male vs female adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-4.1). Substance use, school problems, perpetration of violence, and witnessing violence were significantly associated with weapon carrying for both males and females. However, for males, extrinsic factors were more important in mediating the effects of substance use and perpetration of physical violence on school weapon carrying, while intrinsic factors mediate these variables for females. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that interventions for violence prevention for males and females need to be targeted toward different areas.
Does corporate social responsibility influence profit margins? a case study of executive perceptions

The literature on the business case for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has identified possible mechanisms for CSR to increase profits. Other parts of the CSR literature argue that any strategy yielding above-average profits will be imitated by competitors and profits driven down to industry average; consequently, CSR may only be a strategy for achieving average profits. The empirical research on the relationship between CSR and profits, consisting mostly of quantitative studies, has thus far proved inconclusive and many studies are challenged on methodological grounds. This paper presents the results of interviews with senior executives of 15 of the largest textile companies on the Norwegian market. The aim of the paper is to investigate the relationship between CSR and profits while avoiding the most important methodological pitfalls of the quantitative research and acknowledging the distinction between CSR as a strategy for achieving average profits and as a strategy for achieving above-average profits. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
An improved method of genome size estimation by flow cytometry in five mucilaginous species of Hyacinthaceae

The family Hyacinthaceae constitutes about 900 species of bulbous geophytes usually characterized by high mucilage content. Taxonomic delimitation of Hyacinthaceae has been controversial since the time of Linnaeus due to the absence of reliable discriminating characters. Pattern of genome size variation can thus be considered as an added character to aid intergeneric and intrageneric relationship of the group. However, reports on genome size estimation by flow cytometric analysis of these plants are rare due to the presence of mucilage, which causes problem with nuclei sample preparation. To overcome this problem five reported nuclei isolation buffers were tested in Drimia indica of which Galbraith's buffer gave comparatively better results and was further modified by increasing pH, detergent concentration, and replacing sodium citrate by citric acid. The modified buffer enabled better sample preparation with increased yield, lesser debris, and improved DNA peak CV. The standardized buffer was used to estimate the 2C values of Drimia indica, Drimia nagarjunae, Drimia wightii, Drimia coromandeliana, and Ledebouria revoluta for the first time by flow cytometric analysis. This study also opens up the scope for further improvement in sample preparation for flow cytometric analysis of mucilaginous plants, which is otherwise problematic due to nuclei clumping and increased viscosity of sample. © 2014 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Central and local cholinergic components of histamine-induced bronchoconstriction in dogs.

To determine the importance of central and local reflexes in the bronchoconstriction produced by inhaled aerosolized histamine, chloralose-urethan-anesthetized dogs were intubated with a double-lumen catheter, ventilated with a dual cylinder respirator, and instrumented for the measurements of pulmonary conductance (GL) and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) in each lung. In each dog, dose-response curves to inhaled aerosolized histamine were obtained in both lungs separately but synchronously. Four series of experiments were performed. In the first series (n = 10) the responses of the right and left lungs were compared and found to be approximately equal, indicating that one lung could be used as a control for the other. In the second and third series the dose-response curve of one lung that had either been treated with inhaled atropine sulfate (n = 6) (4 mg/ml) or vagotomized (n = 4) was compared with the contralateral control lung. At low concentrations of histamine, GL and Cdyn decreased more in the control lungs than in their atropine-treated or vagotomized counterparts, and approximately 40% of the bronchoconstriction induced was reflex in origin. At higher concentrations of histamine the responses of the control and atropine-treated or vagotomized lungs were not significantly different. In the fourth series of experiments (n = 6) histamine dose-response curves were obtained following combined bilateral vagotomy and unilateral delivery of inhaled aerosolized atropine. In these dogs GL, but not Cdyn, fell to a greater extent in the control than in the atropine-treated lung. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Health Utilities Index Mark 3: evidence of construct validity for stroke and arthritis in a population health survey.

BACKGROUND The Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) is a comprehensive, compact health status classification and health state preference system. The HUI3 system has been included in 4 Canadian population health surveys and numerous clinical trials. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the construct validity of the HUI3 for the measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and attribute-specific morbidity in respondents to the 1990 Ontario Health Survey reported to have arthritis or stroke. The authors assessed (1) whether those with stroke, arthritis, and both conditions had lower HRQL scores than those with neither condition and (2) whether HUI3 detects morbidity in specific health attributes affected by arthritis and stroke. Stroke (but not arthritis) were expected to affect speech and cognition; arthritis (but not stroke) to affect pain; both to affect mobility, dexterity, and emotion; and neither to affect vision and hearing. RESEARCH DESIGN Linear regression models of HRQL and attribute-specific utilities were estimated as a function of 3 indicator variables of health problem (stroke only, arthritis only, both) and variables included to reduce confounding. RESULTS Subjects with stroke, arthritis, and both conditions had substantially lower HRQL than those with neither condition. Stroke subjects had greater morbidity in speech and cognition than arthritis subjects; somewhat surprisingly, pain morbidity was only slightly higher among arthritis subjects; neither condition affected vision or hearing. These associations were robust to various model specifications. CONCLUSIONS The HUI3 system appears valid for measuring health status and HRQL for stroke and arthritis in the context of a noninstitutionalized population health survey.
Sustainability and the UK construction industry—a review

The quest for sustainability has put the construction industry under immense pressure from the Government and general public to improve its unsustainable pattern of project delivery. This study aims to undertake a baseline review of the UK construction contractors’ engagement with the concept of sustainability and gauge their response to the issues being raised. However, based on the premise that the major firms drive the industry forward by managing their supply chain, the research deliberately focuses on the top end of the industry. Quantitative methods developed through an extensive literature review form the main research epistemology to test the research hypotheses. The paper documents the analysis of a questionnaire survey of the top 45 construction contractors (based on turnover). The respondents are classified into A, B and C firms according to turnover. Most of the respondents share the view that a proactive sustainability strategy, supported by effective reporting to essential stakeholders, can .
Jerk Minimization for Acoustic-To-Articulatory Inversion

The effortless speech production in humans requires coordinated movements of the articulators such as lips, tongue, jaw, velum, etc. Therefore, measured trajectories obtained are smooth and slowly-varying. However, the trajectories estimated from acoustic-to-articulatory inversion (AAI) are found to be jagged . Thus, energy minimization is used as smoothness constraint for improving performance of the AAI. Besides energy minimization, jerk (i.e., rate of change of acceleration) is known for quantification of smoothness in case of human motor movements. Human motors are organized to achieve intended goal with smoothest possible movements, under the constraint of minimum accelerative transients. In this paper, we propose jerk minimization as an alternative smoothness criterion for frame-based acoustic-to-articulatory inversion. The resultant trajectories obtained are smooth in the sense that for articulator-specific window size, they will have minimum jerk. The results using this criterion were found to be comparable with inversion schemes based on existing energy minimization criteria for achieving smoothness.
Parent-mediated early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have impairments in the areas of communication and social interaction and often display repetitive or non-compliant behaviour. This early pattern of difficulties is a challenge for parents. Therefore, approaches that help parents develop strategies for interaction and management of behaviour are an obvious route for early intervention in ASD. This review updates a Cochrane review first published in 2002 but is based on a new protocol.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL PERFORMANCE, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE, AND FIRM GOVERNANCE.

This study investigates relationships between two factors of corporate social performance (CSP) using the KLD database, specific types of institutional investors, top management team equity, board composition, and financial performance. Results indicate the importance of institutional investor type, board composition, and top management equity on both corporate social performance and financial performance.
Investigating antecedents and consequences of brand identification

Purpose – This study aims to analyse the influences of prestige, satisfaction, and communication on brand identification and to show how brand identification influences word‐of‐mouth and brand repurchase.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model is developed and tested with a sample of car owners in the UK of two global car brands. Structural equation modelling was used with LISREL 8.54 and the maximum likelihood (ML) method.Findings – This paper draws mainly on the theory of social identity to provide a comprehensive understanding of conditions under which brand owners are likely to identify with their brand and the bases and consequences of such identification. It was shown that prestige, satisfaction, and communication effect brand identification. The study confirms that consumers' development of relationships via brand identification results in word of mouth about the brand and intentions to repurchase the brand. Furthermore, it was found that brand identification fully mediates the influences.
Inhalation studies with a glycol complex of aluminum-chloride-hydroxide.

Inhalation studies were performed with a propylene glycol complex of aluminum-chloride-hydroxide (alchlor), a compound found in some aerosol antiperspirant preparations. Hamsters were given either three exposures to 150 mg alchlor/cu meter or 30 exposures to 50 mg/cu meter and killed at various times for histopathological examination. The lungs of animals given 20 or more exposures to 50 mg/cu meter showed a granulomatous lesion in the respiratory bronchioles that persisted throughout a six-week postexposure period. Alveolar thickening and increased numbers of macrophages were seen in lungs of hamsters soon after three exposures to 150 mg/cu meter but with time these changes regressed. Lung weights in hamsters given three exposures to 35 mg/cu meter or higher were increased on the fourth day. Mixed function oxidase (MFO) activities of rabbit and hamster microsomes from both lung and liver were examined after three daily exposures. No changes were seen in the MFO activity of liver microsomes. Lung microsom.
Investigating the Visual-Motor Integration Skills of 60-72-Month-Old Children at High and Low Socio-Economic Status as Regard the Age Factor.

This study aims to define whether age creates any differences in the visual-motor integration skills of 60- 72 months old children at low and high socio- economic status. The study was conducted on a total of 148 children consisting of 78 children representing low socio- economic status and 70 children representing high socio- economic status in the city center of Edirne. The Beery- Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI- 5th) which was developed by Beery- Buktenica (2004) and of which validity and reliability studies were made by Ercan and Aral (2011) after being translated into Turkish was used. It’s reported that both the age and the status of being at low and high socio-economic status create a meaningful difference in the visual-motor integration, visual perception and motor integration of 60-72 months old children at low and high socio-economic status (p<.05) while visual-motor integration mean score is higher for 66- 72 months old children at high socio- economic status.
Motivation and Employees’ Performance in the Public and Private Sectors in Nigeria

Human resource management is aimed at getting the best from the employees and creating an environment where job satisfaction and performance can be enhanced. Organisations in both the public and private sectors in Nigeria have goals which can only be achieved by pressing the right button and stimulating the employees to get the desired result through the process of motivation. This paper examines motivation and employees’ performance in the public and private sectors in Nigeria. The authors identified factors that could guarantee job satisfaction on the part of the employees and also enhance job performance. In conclusion, the authors hold the view that if the recommendations in this paper are adopted, they will benefit both the employers and employees immensely in performance improvements in these sectors of the Nigerian economy.
The Lead User Method for SME - a Guidebook for Practitioners and Facilitators

We wrote this handbook in order to support SMEs in applying the lead user concept, which was originally developed by von Hippel (von Hippel 1986). The ability to carry out a lead user workshop can make a significant contribution to raising the innovation capacity of SME's. Several studies in different markets have found that a large amount of users which already generated innovations are lead users, and that prototypes that have been developed by lead users often form the basis for innovative and commercially successful products. Nevertheless, the realisation of the lead user concept (including the preparation of the project, the identification of suitable participants and relevant market trends as well as the execution of the workshop) requires extensive process and methodical competencies (Churchill, Sonnack, & Von Hippel, 2009), and is, therefore, hard to achieve for SME's. Without knowing how a distinct activity (e.g. a brainstorming on possible solutions to the problem at hand, or the reduction of different alternatives) should be executed, the only way to conduct a lead user workshop is to hire an external specialist who is familiar with the lead user concept, and who knows how to execute the according activities correctly. At present, the application of the lead user concept (including the identification of relevant trends as well as lead users) takes approximately 9 months, and costs about $51,000 (Herstatt et. al. 1991).
Uncovering recovery: The resistible rise of recovery and resilience

Discourses of recovery and resilience have risen to positions of dominance in the mental health field. Models of recovery and resilience enjoy purchase, in both policy and practice, across a range of settings from self-described psychiatric survivors through to mental health charities through to statutory mental health service providers. Despite this ubiquity, there is confusion about what recovery means. In this article we problematize notions of recovery and resilience, and consider what, if anything, should be recovered from these concepts. We focus on three key issues, i) individualization, ii) the persistence of a deficit model, and iii) collective approaches to recovery. Through documentary analysis we consider these issues across third sector organizations, and public and mental health policy. Firstly, definitional debates about recovery reflect wider ideological debates about the nature of mental health. The vagueness of these concepts and implicit assumptions inherent in dominant recovery and resilience discourses render them problematic because they individualize what are social problems. Secondly, these discourses, despite being seen as inherently liberatory are conceptually dependent on a notion of deficit in that talk of “positives” and “strengths” requires the existence of “negatives” and “weaknesses” for these concepts to make sense. We argue that this does little to substantially transform dominant understandings of psychological distress. Thirdly, these issues combine to impact upon the progressive potential of recovery. It comes to be seen as an individualistic experiential narrative accompaniment to medical understandings where the structural causes of distress are obscured. This in turn impacts upon the potential for recovery to be used to explore more collective, political aspects of emotional distress. Drawing on the work of Fraser, we use this critique to characterize “recovery” as a “struggle for recognition,” founded on a model of identity politics which displaces and marginalizes the need for social, political and economic redistribution to address many of the underlying causes of emotional distress. We conclude by stating that it is only when the collective, structural experiences of inequality and injustice are explicitly linked to processes of emotional distress that recovery will be possible.
Parental perceptions of children's modesty: a cross-sectional survey of ages two to ten years.

Modesty has been defined as decorum in relation to physical nakedness, and sexual and eliminative behavior (Newson and Newson 1968). The connection between nakedness, sexuality, and modesty with respect to family members dates back millennia. Leviticus prohibited incest with the phrase, "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of . " and then specified a lengthy list of forbidden relatives. We will review contemporary theories and research projects concerning modesty and then discuss the results of a study we designed in order to investigate age trends in the development of modesty.