Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Co-Integration and Volatility Spillover Effects between Chinese and International Agricultural Products Futures Markets

Daily futures data of hard wheat, cotton, soybean and corn from commodity exchanges of America Chicago Board of Trade(CBOT), Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange(CZCE) and Dalian Commodity Exchange(DCE) are analyzed in this paper. First, the Co-integration test and Granger causality test are used to study the integration relationship between Chicago and Chinese futures markets. Then, Multivariate GARCH (MGARCH) model is used to analyze the risk spillover effect of price volatility between them. At last, the results of the analysis are given. Keywords-Co-integration test; Granger causality test;MGARCH model; Volatility spillover effect
Predicting Chemistry Achievement through Task Value, Goal Orientations, and Self-Efficacy: A Structural Model

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among task value, goal orientations, and chemistry self-efficacy in predicting 11 th grade Turkish students’ chemistry achievement. A total of 572 11 th grade students taking chemistry participated in the study . Data were collected using Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, Achievement Goal Questionnaire, Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale, and Chemistry Achievement Test. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that task value was a significant positive predictor of mastery-approach goals, performance-approach goals, and mastery-avoidance goals. Mastery-approach goals and performance-approach goals were found to be a positive predictor of chemistry self-efficacy for cognitive skills, whereas mastery-avoidance goals negatively predicted chemistry self-efficacy for cognitive skills. Lastly, chemistry self-efficacy for cognitive skills was a significant positive predictor of chemistry achievement. Overall, findings of the present study extend the existing body of literature on the interplay between task value, goal orientations, and chemistry self-efficacy in predicting chemistry achievement.
The validity and reliability of a novel activity monitor as a measure of walking

Background: The accurate measurement of physical activity is crucial to understanding the relationship between physical activity and disease prevention and treatment. Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the activPAL physical activity monitor in measuring step number and cadence. Methods: The ability of the activPAL monitor to measure step number and cadence in 20 healthy adults (age 34.5±6.9 years; BMI 26.8±4.8 (mean±SD)) was evaluated against video observation. Concurrently, the accuracy of two commonly used pedometers, the Yamax Digi-Walker SW-200 and the Omron HJ-109-E, was compared to observation for measuring step number. Participants walked on a treadmill at five different speeds (0.90, 1.12, 1.33, 1.56, and 1.78 m/s) and outdoors at three self selected speeds (slow, normal, and fast). Results: At all speeds, inter device reliability was excellent for the activPAL (ICC (2,1)⩾0.99) for both step number and cadence. The absolute percentage error for the activPAL was <1.11% for step number and cadence regardless of walking speed. The accuracy of the pedometers was adversely affected by slow walking speeds. Conclusion: The activPAL monitor is a valid and reliable measure of walking in healthy adults. Its accuracy is not influenced by walking speed. The activPAL may be a useful device in sports medicine.
Impaired Accommodation of Proximal Stomach in Patients with Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis

Background: Impaired gastric emptying has previously been detected by ultrasonography in cirrhotic patients, and the role of the type of meal has also been discussed. While these earlier studies dealt with the distal part of the stomach, the aim of our study was to examine the effects of three different types of meal on the proximal stomach in cirrhotic patients. Methods: The proximal stomach was examined by ultrasonography in 15 healthy volunteers and in 21 alcoholic cirrhotic patients. The subjects received a liquid meal with a low calorie content and two different semisolid test meals with a low calorie content or high calorie and fat contents. The proximal gastric size was assessed by ultrasonography in a sagittal area and a frontal diameter. On the basis of assessment of the autonomic nervous function, the cirrhotic patients were divided into two groups: autonomic neuropathy positive and autonomic neuropathy negative. Results: The postcibal gastric size immediately after ingestion of the liquid test meal was significantly lower in the cirrhotic patients than in the healthy controls. In the healthy volunteers, the measures of the proximal gastric size were significantly higher than in either group of cirrhotic patients at t 0 , and at 10, 20 or 30 min after ingestion of a semisolid test meal with low calorie and fat contents. The proximal gastric sizes in the three groups of investigated subjects did not differ when the meal with high fat and calorie contents was tested. When the liquid meal was administered, the proximal gastric size was significantly lower in the cirrhotic patients with autonomic neuropathy. A significant intragroup difference was not observed when the semisolid meals were tested. Conclusions: This study reveals an impairment of the proximal stomach in alcoholic cirrhotic patients. The low calorie liquid meal distinguishes between the two groups of cirrhotic patients and healthy controls.
Customer Satisfaction Modelling for Mobile Data Services

During the last years, Mobile Network Operators (MNO) have focused more on customer retention and customer loyalty, than on attracting new customers as a strategy to achieve growth in a saturated market that has a high number of competitors. One of the main factors leading to customer retention and customer loyalty is suggested to be customer satisfaction, which in turn is affected by other factors. Therefore, this research evaluates customer satisfaction with mobile data services by studying and analyzing its determining factors. Additionally, the research discusses the relationship between customer satisfaction and the other top determining factors of customer loyalty i.e. service quality and perceived value. As a result, a model is proposed to measure and track customer satisfaction for mobile data services. This proposed model is tested with one of the main mobile data services of T-Mobile: mobile internet. The application of Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling on the relevant customer data allows determining the validity and reliability of the proposed model. Finally, multigroup analysis is applied in order to test the moderator effects that age, gender, income, attitude towards technology and the service provider have on the proposed model. The results obtained show that the relationships between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are influenced by the characteristics of the customers
Transplantation of the posterior tibial tendon.

The role of the posterior tibial muscle in producing foot deformities has been stressed in the literature. The importance of releasing the posterior tibial tendon in correcting an equinovarus deformity has been well recognized. A review of the literature, however, reveals that transplantation of the posterior tibial tendon through the interosseous space is not a well known operative procedure. Transplantation of the posterior tibial muscle and tendon through the interosseous space is a valuable operative procedure and can be relied upon to restore active dorsiflexion of the foot. The operation is applicable to a wide variety of conditions in which the posterior tibial muscle has good power and there is a need for an additional dorsiflexor of the foot.
The Value of Bank Relationships: Evidence from Belgium at the Start of the Great Depression

We analyze the impact of bank relationships on the performance of Belgian firms listed on the Brussels stock exchange at the start of the Great Depression, in 1929–1931. Most of these firms were affiliated with one or more banks via interlocking directorships. Taking into account the number of affiliated banks and their size, the proportion of bank directors on the board, and the number of board seats held by bank directors, we find that bank affiliations did not affect stock returns in 1929. On the other hand, firm value was positively related to the number of board seats held by the firm directors before 1929, but not after 1929. This result holds for both bank directors and other directors. Combined, our results suggest that firms did not derive any benefits from bank affiliations at the start of the Great Depression.
Development and Testing of the First-Episode Psychosis Services Fidelity Scale.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the First-Episode Psychosis Services Fidelity Scale (FEPS-FS) and compare it with similar scales. METHODS A fidelity scale was developed from previously identified essential components of first-episode psychosis services. The scale was tested in six programs in two countries and compared with three existing scales. RESULTS Program data collection from multiple sources indicated the feasibility and reliability of the FEPS-FS (intraclass correlation coefficient for interrater reliability=.842; 95% confidence interval=.795-.882). Satisfactory programs scored an average of 86% of the maximum total score; the single unsatisfactory program scored 70%. Compared with the other scales, the FEPS-FS has fewer items, but it has the highest proportion of items common to all scales. CONCLUSIONS The FEPS-FS is a feasible, compact, reliable, and valid measure of adherence to evidence-based practices for first-episode psychosis services that can be applied to any first-episode psychosis service.
Small Corporations' Income Shifting through Choice of Ownership Structure - a Norwegian Case

We analyze how small business owners respond to the tax-minimizing incentives inherent in the Norwegian version of the dual income tax to shift income from the personal to the corporate tax base. The corporations in our sample seem to respond to tax incentives and change their ownership structure to qualify for reduction in overall tax payments. We document substantial cohort effects end suggest that postreform corporations were better able to form tax-reducing coalitions, compared with prereform corporations. It also appears that corporations who participate in this activity are more profitable and have more to gain from tax-minimizing income shifting.
Golf Swing Motion Tracking Using Inertial Sensors and a Stereo Camera

A golf swing motion tracking algorithm is proposed in which the golf club trajectory (position and velocity) and club face orientation information are given. Two sensors are used in the algorithm: an inertial sensor unit on the golf club, and a stereo camera that captures infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs), also on the golf club. During the address and impact golf swing phases, the camera captures the infrared LEDs on the golf club. Using the infrared LEDs as landmarks, the position and orientation of the golf club are computed. When the golf club is moving, an inertial navigation algorithm is used to compute the golf club trajectory. An indirect Kalman filter with nine states is used to combine the inertial sensor and vision data. The average position accuracy is about 3.6 cm and the maximum error is about 13.2 cm. The proposed system can be used to analyze golf swings quantitatively.
Does installation of the backstroke start device reduce 15-m start time in swimming?

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the installation of the backstroke start device reduces 15-m time. Thirteen college swimmers participated in this study. The aerial start and underwater motions were recorded with two digital video cameras. The center of mass (CM) of the swimmer, angular displacements and velocities of the shoulder, hip and knee joints were calculated. As an indicator of performance, the 5- and 15-m times were measured. The 5- and 15-m times in the backstroke start device condition were significantly shorter than in the non-backstroke start device condition. The vertical velocities of the CM at hand-off and toe-off in the backstroke start device condition were significantly greater than in the non-backstroke start device condition, while there was no significant difference in the CM horizontal velocity at toe-off. As a result, the height of the great trochanter at entry of the fingertips, with the backstroke start device, was 15 cm higher than in the non-backstroke start device condition. In addition, the CM horizontal velocities at 5 m in the backstroke start device condition were significantly greater than those of the non-backstroke start device. Thus, the use of the backstroke start device may reduce the 15-m time by diminution of the entry area.
Tanzania's Economic Reforms— and Lessons Learned

Having experienced a steady economic decline in the late 1970s and a financial crisis in the early 1980s, Tanzania formally adopted an economic recovery program in 1986. It has since pursued reforms and made significant achievements: macroeconomic stability has been achieved and a wide range of structural reforms completed. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth per annum averaged 4.2 percent during this period, reversing per capita income decline experienced in the decade before 1986. The growth in per capita income led to a considerable decline in the level of poverty. The long-term poverty trend has been declining for most of the post 1986 period, as indicated by various poverty studies conducted between 1976 and 1996. The studies indicate that the post-1984 period in Tanzania was marked by an overall improvement in real incomes: a 1996 by Ferreira study found that poverty (defined as the number of households below the basic needs poverty line) declined by approximately 22 percent between 1983 and 1991. Despite the setbacks on the macroeconomic policy front between 1991 and 1994, when poverty rose by approximately 11 percent, the most recent (2000–01) household budget survey confirms that there was a sustained decline in poverty over the entire decade. The survey findings show that as per capita income accelerated, after the reform progress was reinforced in 1995, poverty is estimated to have declined by approximately 28 percent between 1994 and 2002. The survey further points out that poverty reduction has been more rapid in urban areas, in particular in Dar es Salaam, than it has been in rural areas.
Determinants of technological innovation in SMEs . Firm-level factors , agglomeration economies and the role of KIBS providers

Suggested Citation: Ganau, Roberto; Maria, Eleonora Di (2014) : Determinants of technological innovation in SMEs. Firm-level factors, agglomeration economies and the role of KIBS providers, 54th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: "Regional development & globalisation: Best practices", 26-29 August 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia, European Regional Science Association (ERSA), Louvain-la-Neuve
Secretogranin III Is a Sulfated Protein Undergoing Proteolytic Processing in the Regulated Secretory Pathway*

Secretogranin III (SgIII) is an acidic protein of unknown function that is present in the storage vesicles of many neuroendocrine cells. It is coexpressed with the prohormone proopiomelanocortin in the intermediate pituitary of Xenopus laevis. We developed an antiserum to investigate the biosynthesis of SgIII in pulse-chase incubated Xenopus neurointermediate lobes. SgIII was synthesized as a 61- or 63-kDa (N-glycosylated) protein and processed to a 48-kDa form which, in turn, was partially cleaved to fragments of 28 and 20 kDa. The 48-, 28-, and 20-kDa cleavage products, but not their precursors, were secreted. This secretion is regulated and can be blocked in parallel with that of proopiomelanocortin-derived peptides by the hypothalamic factors dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and neuropeptide Y. Coexpression of Xenopus SgIII with prohormone convertase (PC)1 or PC2 in transfected fibroblasts was sufficient to reconstitute the processing events observed in the neurointermediate lobes. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that Xenopus SgIII is cleaved at two dibasic sites, namely Lys68-Arg69 and Arg237-Arg238. Pulse-chase incubations of lobes with Na2[35S]SO4 showed that SgIII is sulfated in the trans-Golgi network before it is processed. Finally, SgIII processing was found in several neuroendocrine cell types from various species. We conclude that SgIII is a precursor protein and that the intact molecule can only have an intracellular function, whereas an extracellular role can only be attributed to its cleavage products.
Parallel Nonstationary Direct Policy Search for Risk-Averse Stochastic Optimization

This paper presents an algorithmic strategy to nonstationary policy search for finite-horizon, discrete-time Markovian decision problems with large state spaces, constrained action sets, and a risk-sensitive optimality criterion. The methodology relies on modeling time-variant policy parameters by a nonparametric response surface model for an indirect parametrized policy motivated by Bellman’s equation. The policy structure is heuristic when the optimization of the risk-sensitive criterion does not admit a dynamic programming reformulation. Through the interpolating approximation, the level of nonstationarity of the policy, and consequently, the size of the resulting search problem can be adjusted. The computational tractability and the generality of the approach follow from a nested parallel implementation of derivative-free optimization in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach on an optimal energy storage charging problem, and illustrate the effect of the.
The Net Neutrality Debate : Analysis of economic implications of net neutrality on internet service providers, content providers and internet users

This thesis studies the economic implications of a transition from a neutral to a non-neutral network. A mathematical model with an end to end ecosystem is developed, which includes a backbone internet service provider that provides connectivity for the content providers. The model also includes internet users that pay an access internet service provider for connectivity to interact with the content providers, advertisers that pay the content providers, and access internet service providers that charge the internet users for their connectivity. In the non-neutral regime, the content providers can pay the access internet service provider to access specialized services, a priority lane. The model is solved in a non-cooperative two stage game, and where the backbone and access internet service providers maximize their individual profits. Our analysis shows that the non-neutral unregulated regime always improves social welfare, investment and innovation levels, and lowers the congestion levels. We also show that the backbone internet service provider is always better off in the non-neutral regime, and therefore reduce the benefit of the other players. The result for the other players is generally positive in favor of a non-neutral regime, but much more ambiguous, especially for the access internet service providers. We also show that moderate regulation can increase social welfare. However, even moderate regulation might severely impair individual players, and too much regulation may also impair the non-neutral regime so that the overall social welfare is worse than in the neutral regime.
Performance Feedback, Firm Resources, and Strategic Change

Combining insights from the behavioral theory of the firm and the resource-based view we investigate the antecedents of strategic change in fast-changing environments. We hypothesize the independent and joint effects of performance feedback and of flexible and specific resources on strategic change. Using an unbalanced panel of 493 publisher-year observations we find that negative performance feedback triggers more strategic change. Further, while flexible resources have no direct influence on strategic change they weaken the negative relationship between performance feedback and strategic change. Finally, we find that larger stocks of specific resources lead to less strategic change.
Hedge Fund Manager-Investor Conflicts of Interest: A Numerical Analysis with Loss-Aversion

This thesis investigates the dynamically optimal risk-taking by a loss-averse hedge fund manager who also takes the possibility of fund liquidation into account. To achieve this, a custom version of the Prospect Theory utility-function is deployed. Furthermore, the effects yielded by different variations of the standard hedge fund contract on managerial incentives are examined. With a single-period horizon, the manager portrays complex risk-taking that varies considerably with fund value and time. In some regions of the state space, the manager pursues excessively high risk-levels relative to those a loss-averse investor. The incentive fee option is found to be the main source of the resulting conflict of interest between manager and investor. Conversely, managerial fund share is identified as a powerful tool of interest alignment. I also extend the manager's horizon to stretch over multiple evaluation periods, and find that overall managerial risk-taking is a decreasing function of the horizon. Finally, the cost of hedge fund investing is assessed, with particular focus attributed to incentive fees.
An Exploration of Recent Club Drug Use among Rave Attendees

Raves are characterized by large numbers of youth dancing for long periods of time and by the use of “club drugs,” such as 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”). While a small body of research has explored the use of ecstasy and other club drugs (EOCD) among club rave attendees in the United States, we are aware of no studies that have investigated the relationship between EOCD use and high-risk sexual behaviors among members of this population. We explored the association between EOCD use and high-risk sexual behaviors among a sample of 283 club rave attendees interviewed during the spring and summer of 2005. Data were collected at 13 rave events in two different clubs along the Baltimore-Washington corridor between March 17 and September 3, 2005. Potential respondents were conveniently sampled and approached between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. as they exited the clubs. Only 12% reported using ecstasy within the two days preceding the interview, findings considerably lower than our earlier studies of club rave attendees. Moreover, no significant relationship was discerned between recent MDMA use and high-risk sexual behavior. These findings suggest that the use of EOCD among rave attendees has diminished and that the allocation of significant resources to combat their proliferation, among this and other populations at risk for EOCD use, may be premature.
Accounting: How to Meet the Challenges of Relevance and Regulation

The Challenges Accounting Faces. The Growth of Accounting. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles: The Great Misconception. The Rise of Standard Setters. Public Accounting and Corporate Responsibility. Managerial Accounting, Inflation, and Capital Formation. The FASB and the Conceptual Framework. The Future of Accounting. References. Name Index.