Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Forced Mergers and Acquisitions on Bank Cost Efficiency: Empirical Evidence From Malaysia

Abstract The present paper examines the impact of forced mergers and acquisitions on the cost efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector. The analysis consists of three stages. Firstly, by using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach, we calculate the cost, allocative, and technical efficiency of individual banks during the period 1997-2003. Secondly, we examine changes in the efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector during the pre and post merger periods by using a series of parametric and non-parametric univariate tests. Finally, we employ the multivariate Tobit regression analysis to examine factors that influence the efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector during the pre and post merger periods. The empirical findings suggest that the merger has resulted in a higher mean cost efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector post merger. We find that the acquirers have been relatively more cost efficient in all of the seven merger cases analyzed. The results from the multivariate regression analysis suggest that loans intensity, size, income diversification, and capitalization exhibits positive relationship with bank efficiency. On the other hand, market share and expense preference behaviour are negatively related to bank efficiency levels. The empirical findings suggest that banks in the control group have been relatively more cost efficient than those that were involved in mergers. The results suggest that the variations in Malaysian bank cost efficiency are not significantly related to economic conditions and concentration.
Progress Toward III–V Bismide Alloys for Near- and Midinfrared Laser Diodes

Bismuth-containing III–V alloys open-up a range of possibilities for practical applications in semiconductor lasers, photovoltaics, spintronics, photodiodes, and thermoelectrics. Of particular promise for the development of semiconductor lasers is the possibility to grow GaAsBi laser structures such that the spin–orbit splitting energy (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta _{{\text{SO}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) is greater than the bandgap (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$E_{g}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) in the active region for devices operating around the telecom wavelength of 1.55 <italic>μ</italic>m, thereby suppressing the dominant efficiency-limiting loss processes in such lasers, namely Auger recombination and intervalence band absorption. The <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta _{{\text{SO}}}\,> \,E_{g}$</tex-math></inline-formula> band structure is present in GaAsBi alloys containing > 10% Bi, at which composition the alloy bandgap is close to 1.55 <italic>μ</italic>m on a GaAs substrate making them an attractive candidate material system for the development of highly efficient, uncooled GaAs-based lasers for telecommunications. Here, we discuss progress toward this goal and present a comprehensive set of data on the properties of GaAsBi lasers including optical gain and absorption characteristics and the dominant carrier recombination processes in such systems. Finally, we briefly review the potential of GaAsBiN and InGaAsBi material systems for near- and midinfrared photonic devices on GaAs and InP platforms, respectively.
Physical and Human Capital Accumulation, R&D and Economic Growth

The fast-growing literature on the new growth theory can be broadly divided into two categories (capital-based and idea-based models) according to the underlying sources of growth, as discussed in Romer [9]. Capital-based models base growth on endogenous accumulation of physical or human capital and correspondingly emphasize investment in physical or human capital (e.g., Lucas [5], Rebelo [6] and Romer [7]). Idea-based models take endogenous technological changes resulting from RD 3] and Segerstrom, Anant, and Dinopoulos [10]). The former focuses on the externalities of capital accumulation leaving aside the intentional R&D activity, which is the focus of the latter, while the latter assumes fixed factor endowments. Both categories capture one important aspect of economic growth and are able to generate sustained growth without relying on any exogenous factor growth. However, physical and human capital accumulation and technological changes driven by innovative R&D are two integrated elements in driving economic growth in a real world economy. On the one hand, physical and human capital are two essential factors in R&D activities and in applying the new technologies resulting from successful R&D to production. On the other hand, the new technologies open up new economic opportunities for investment in physical and human capital to take place. If these two can be integrated into one single framework,1 then we will be able to see the interaction between these two types of forces in pushing economic growth and therefore bring the theory a step closer to the reality. The objective of this paper is to develop a synthesized endogenous growth model, in which
A Prospective Study of Drugs and Pregnancy

Abstract. In a prospective study of anti‐emetic drug use during 6 376 pregnancies, the previously demonstrated negative correlation between the use of such drugs and miscarriage was confirmed. It is probably completely due to less frequent and possibly less severe morning sickness complaints in pregnancies ending with a miscarriage. A slight positive correlation is found between the use of anti‐emetics and infant malformation. A detailed analysis showed that this was mainly due to a high incidence of drug use (mainly promethazine) among women giving birth to infants with congenital dislocation of the hip. The probable indirect relationship is discussed.
Prevalence and Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Related to Benign Prostatic Obstruction in a Contemporary Series of Renal Transplant Recipients

Background The kidney is the most frequently transplanted human organ worldwide. In patients with end-stage renal failure, renal transplantation improves both quality of life and life expectancy. The current literature indicates that the numbers of renal recipients over 60 years of age has increased in recent years. Objectives To evaluate the prevalence and management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) related to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) in a contemporary series of male renal transplant (RTx) recipients. Materials and Methods We retrospectively evaluated 150 consecutive transplant recipients at the University of Jena 12 months postoperatively for the presence and treatment of LUTS related to BPO. Results The mean age of the patients was 59 years (range 27 - 82 years). By 12 months postoperatively, 91% (n = 137/150) were off dialysis with a functioning kidney graft. Two patients died during follow up. Six patients had undergone treatment for prostate cancer prior to RTx. Of the remaining 131 patients, 47% (n = 62/131) were considered as patients with BPO 12 months after RTx. Six percent (n = 8/131) of the patients experienced urinary retention due to BPO and 6% (n = 8/131) had a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) during the first year after RTx. No major complications were observed in those patients. A significant increase was noted in the use of α-blocker therapy after RTx (P = 0.004). Conclusions We observed a high prevalence of LUTS related to BPO in our cohort of patients. Due to the increasing age of transplant recipients, more attention should be paid to the evaluation and treatment of BPO prior to RTx.
Determinants of regular source of care among homeless adults in Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVES The authors explore the determinants of having a regular source of care in a community-based probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. Results from this study should be more representative than those from previous studies of the homeless that are clinic- or shelter-based. In addition to those factors found to be barriers to regular sources of care in the general population, we hypothesized that psychosocial characteristics of the homeless and the homeless lifestyle would negatively impact their likelihood of having a regular source of care. METHODS The authors conducted a multiple logistic regression to predict regular source of care among the homeless, using an adaptation of the Behavioral Model of health services utilization as an analytic framework. RESULTS Fifty-seven percent of the sample reported that they had a regular source of care. Of those with a source of care, 30% reported a hospital outpatient department; 25% reported a community or homeless clinic; 23% reported a hospital emergency room; 14% reported a government clinic; and 9% reported a private physician's office as their source of care. Some factors found to be barriers to having a regular source of care in the general population (male, Hispanic, young age) also were barriers among homeless adults. Additional barriers in this sample included homelessness-related characteristics such as competing needs, long-term homelessness, and social isolation. Chronic mental illness and chronic substance dependence were not related to having a source of care among the homeless. Characteristics that increased the likelihood of having a regular source of care in the general population (poor health status, Medicaid) were not related to having a regular source of care among the homeless. CONCLUSIONS In a context of limited resources, the distribution of regular source of care among the homeless appears to be highly inequitable. Although some of the characteristics identifying those with a regular source of care suggest differential patterns of behavior across subgroups, others suggest differential advantage in access to care and a lack of fit between the needs of the homeless and the organization of health services.
3.A. What can policy makers do with this information

David Campbell’s review is a timely and comprehensive account of a vast and complex area – the impact of formal education on some measurable aspects of civic and social engagement (CSE). It is about formal education because it focuses, as was required, on that part of learning which takes place within institutions of teaching and learning – especially at secondary level. It addresses some measurable aspects of civic and social engagement because not every form of political, civic and societal involvement is directly measurable, observable or readily distinguished from other phenomena. But, we have to start somewhere and this paper allows us to review what is known, what is not known and how we might proceed to establish better sources of information and knowledge about the impact of formal education on CSE.
The Relationship between Job Satisfaction of Iranian English Teachers and Their Students’ Achievement

Teachers' satisfaction with their career influences the quality and stability of instruction given to students. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and student achievement among Iranian high school English teachers and to investigate the effect of factors such as gender, employment type and working place on job satisfaction in order to provide better insights for the educational authorities and teachers to look for possible ways of improving the existing situation. Data were collected through Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985) distributed among 84 Iranian high school English teachers. End of the term results were used as an indicator of the students` achievement. The findings of the present study suggested that there was a significant relationship between teacher job satisfaction and student achievement. But there was not any significant difference between male and female teachers regarding job satisfaction. Besides, working at public vs. private schools did not make any significant difference in the level of job satisfaction. But a significant difference was found between the part-time and full-time teachers' job satisfaction. The full-time teachers were more satisfied with their job.
Quantitative assessment of the contribution of sodium‐dependent taurocholate co‐transporting polypeptide (NTCP) to the hepatic uptake of rosuvastatin, pitavastatin and fluvastatin

Hepatic uptake transport is often the rate‐determining step in the systemic clearance of drugs. The ability to predict uptake clearance and to determine the contribution of individual transporters to overall hepatic uptake is therefore critical in assessing the potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability associated with drug–drug interactions and pharmacogenetics. The present study revisited the interaction of statin drugs, including pitavastatin, fluvastatin and rosuvastatin, with the sodium‐dependent taurocholate co‐transporting polypeptide (NTCP) using gene transfected cell models. In addition, the uptake clearance and the contribution of NTCP to the overall hepatic uptake were assessed using in vitro hepatocyte models. Then NTCP protein expression was measured by a targeted proteomics transporter quantification method to confirm the presence and stability of NTCP expression in suspended and cultured hepatocyte models. It was concluded that NTCP‐mediated uptake contributed significantly to active hepatic uptake in hepatocyte models for all three statins. However, the contribution of NTCP‐mediated uptake to the overall active hepatic uptake was compound‐dependent and varied from about 24% to 45%. Understanding the contribution of individual transporter proteins to the overall hepatic uptake and its functional variability when other active hepatic uptake pathways are interrupted could improve the current prediction practice used to assess the pharmacokinetic variability due to drug–drug interactions, pharmacogenetics and physiopathological conditions in humans. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intradermal Spitz Nevi: A Rare Subtype of Spitz Nevi Analyzed in a Clinicopathologic Study of 74 Cases

Abstract:Spitz nevi are acquired melanocytic lesions with a wide histomorphological spectrum; reliable distinction from spitzoid melanoma is often difficult. Misdiagnoses of benign spitzoid tumors as spitzoid melanomas and vice versa are attributable to a frequently disturbing morphology and inconsistent or poorly defined histological criteria for diagnosis. Many recognized histological variants of Spitz nevi have been described, including the intradermal Spitz. Histopathologic descriptions of intradermal Spitz nevi have been done in the past; however, large studies addressing their histological spectrum have been lacking. We have retrospectively assessed the morphological features in 74 cases of intradermal Spitz nevi, excluding tumors clearly defined as atypical Spitz nevi and Spitzoid melanomas, to further delineate their histological spectrum. The patients' ages ranged from 5 to 81 years (median: 27). Anatomic location included: the upper extremities (27 cases), followed by head and neck (22 cases), lower extremities (9 cases), back (8 cases), buttock (5 cases), chest (1 case), and vulva (1 case). In 1 case, the anatomic location of the lesion was not available. Different histological variants were observed including hyalinized, polypoid, desmoplastic, angiomatoid, and halo Spitz. Morphological features evaluated included symmetry (100%), cell type (epithelioid 42%, spindle 16%, mixed 42%), maturation (85%), pigmentation (26%), chronic inflammation (24%), and mitotic activity (38%). Mild atypia was seen in 36 cases (49%), moderate atypia was seen in 28 cases (38%), and severe atypia was seen in 10 cases (14%). Intradermal Spitz nevus is a distinctive type of Spitz nevus that sometimes can be difficult to define given the unusual features that these lesions can show; thus, strict application of well-defined histological criteria and awareness of their morphological spectrum will facilitate definitive diagnosis.
Green Tea and Ham: Cultural Mixing Reminders Decrease Considerate Behavior

Abstract Past research examined how encounters with cultural mixing affect people’s responses toward those cultures. We examined broader effects of cultural mixing—on general social behavior. We tested that reminders of mixing between one’s local culture and a foreign culture make people less considerate. Also, this response is more likely for people who are voluntarily psychologically distant (vs. close) to the foreign culture. In studies with Americans, reminders of American and Asian (local–foreign) cultural mixing decreased considerate behavior. Individuals who were psychologically distant from Asian culture showed this effect (Studies 1–5). The underlying process involved perceived threat (Studies 2–5). Threat was decreased by highlighting cleansing (Study 3) or priming affinity to Asian culture (Study 5). Overall, mixing between home and foreign cultures can put people in a self-protective (self-concerned) mode that decreases their consideration of others. We discuss the implications for research on cultural mixing and organizational behavior.
Operationalizing Conflict and Cooperation between Automated Software Agents in Wikipedia

This paper replicates, extends, and refutes conclusions made in a study published in PLoS ONE ("Even Good Bots Fight"), which claimed to identify substantial levels of conflict between automated software agents (or bots) in Wikipedia using purely quantitative methods. By applying an integrative mixed-methods approach drawing on trace ethnography, we place these alleged cases of bot-bot conflict into context and arrive at a better understanding of these interactions. We found that overwhelmingly, the interactions previously characterized as problematic instances of conflict are typically better characterized as routine, productive, even collaborative work. These results challenge past work and show the importance of qualitative/quantitative collaboration. In our paper, we present quantitative metrics and qualitative heuristics for operationalizing bot-bot conflict. We give thick descriptions of kinds of events that present as bot-bot reverts, helping distinguish conflict from non-conflict. We computationally classify these kinds of events through patterns in edit summaries. By interpreting found/trace data in the socio-technical contexts in which people give that data meaning, we gain more from quantitative measurements, drawing deeper understandings about the governance of algorithmic systems in Wikipedia. We have also released our data collection, processing, and analysis pipeline, to facilitate computational reproducibility of our findings and to help other researchers interested in conducting similar mixed-method scholarship in other platforms and contexts.
Supporting black and minority ethnic students in practice learning

The paper highlights the need of black and minority ethnic (BME) students in England to access support systems to help them overcome the challenges that they face as minority students when undertaking placement learning as part of their social work qualifying programme. It also considers the wider issue of developing supportive anti- oppressive practice with regard to all students undertaking the social work degree; i.e. ‘walking the talk’ of the values that underpin Social Work practice. Research shows that progression and retention rates for students from marginalised groups is lower than the sector averages and that specific support systems can improve the likelihood of course completion, as well as increasing student confidence.The paper evaluates a project undertaken to investigate and pilot how a mentoring support scheme and other good practice initiatives can increase the successful completion of practice learning for students from a BME background (and those with English as an additional language).
Prevalence and risk factors for canine post-anesthetic aspiration pneumonia (1999-2009): a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of canine post-anesthetic aspiration pneumonia (AP) and to identify anesthetic agents, procedures and management factors associated with the development of AP. STUDY DESIGN Multicenter, randomized, case-controlled retrospective study. ANIMALS Two hundred and forty dogs affected with AP and 488 unaffected control dogs. METHODS Electronic medical record databases at six Veterinary colleges were searched for dogs, coded for anesthesia or sedation and pneumonia from January 1999 to December 2009. The resultant 2158 records were hand-searched to determine eligibility for inclusion. Diagnosis of AP was made radiographically. Two unaffected control dogs were randomly selected for each affected dog, from a list of dogs that underwent sedation or anesthesia in the same time period and did not develop aspiration pneumonia. Fifty-seven factors were then evaluated for association with aspiration pneumonia. Data analysis was performed using univariate Chi-square or student t-tests, then multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS Incidence of post-anesthetic AP was 0.17%, from 140,711 cases anesthetized or sedated over the 10 year period. Two anesthesia-related events were significantly associated with development of AP: regurgitation and administration of hydromorphone at induction. Administration of anticholinergics was not associated with AP. Procedures associated with increased odds of aspiration pneumonia included laparotomy, upper airway surgery, neurosurgery, thoracotomy and endoscopy. Orthopedic surgery, ophthalmologic surgery, dental procedures, MRI, CT, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, tracheoscopy and neutering were not associated with development of AP. Three patient factors were associated with the development of AP: megaesophagus, and a history of pre-existing respiratory or neurologic disease. Sixty-nine% of dogs with two or more of the above independent predictive variables developed AP. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Most anesthetic agents and procedures were not associated with the development of AP. We need to devise and evaluate strategies to protect at risk patients.
The Effect of Monocular and Binocular Viewing on the Accommodation Response to Real Targets in Emmetropia and Myopia

Purpose. Decreased blur-sensitivity found in myopia has been linked with reduced accommodation responses and myopigenesis. Although the mechanism for myopia progression remains unclear, it is commonly known that myopic patients rarely report near visual symptoms and are generally very sensitive to small changes in their distance prescription. This experiment investigated the effect of monocular and binocular viewing on static and dynamic accommodation in emmetropes and myopes for real targets to monitor whether inaccuracies in the myopic accommodation response are maintained when a full set of visual cues, including size and disparity, is available. Methods. Monocular and binocular steady-state accommodation responses were measured with a Canon R1 autorefractor for target vergences ranging from 0–5 D in emmetropes (EMM), late-onset myopes (LOM), and early-onset myopes (EOM). Dynamic closed-loop accommodation responses for a stationary target at 0.25 m and step stimuli of two different magnitudes were recorded for both monocular and binocular viewing. Results. All refractive groups showed similar accommodation stimulus response curves consistent with previously published data. Viewing a stationary near target monocularly, LOMs demonstrated slightly larger accommodation microfluctuations compared with EMMs and EOMs; however, this difference was absent under binocular viewing conditions. Dynamic accommodation step responses revealed significantly (p < 0.05) longer response times for the myopic subject groups for a number of step stimuli. No significant difference in either reaction time or the number of correct responses for a given number of step-vergence changes was found between the myopic groups and EMMs. Conclusion. When viewing real targets with size and disparity cues available, no significant differences in the accuracy of static and dynamic accommodation responses were found among EMM, EOM, and LOM. The results suggest that corrected myopes do not experience dioptric blur levels that are substantially different from emmetropes when they view free space targets.