Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Does Deposit Insurance Affect Bank Risk? Evidence from the Recent Crisis

Deposit insurance is widely offered in a number of countries as part of a financial system safety net to promote stability. An unintended consequence of deposit insurance is the reduction in the incentive of depositors to monitor banks which lead to excessive risk-taking. We examine the relation between deposit insurance and bank risk and systemic fragility in the years leading up to and during the recent financial crisis. We find that generous financial safety nets increase bank risk and systemic fragility in the years leading up to the global financial crisis. However, during the crisis, bank risk is lower and systemic stability is greater in countries with deposit insurance coverage. Our findings suggest that the “moral hazard effect” of deposit insurance dominates in good times while the “stabilization effect” of deposit insurance dominates in turbulent times. The overall effect of deposit insurance over the full sample we study remains negative since the destabilizing effect during normal times is greater in magnitude compared to the stabilizing effect during global turbulence. In addition, we find that good bank supervision can alleviate the unintended consequences of deposit insurance on bank systemic risk during good times, suggesting that fostering the appropriate incentive framework is very important for ensuring systemic stability.
MORPHOLOGY OF THE CAUDAL VERTEBRAE IN RHOMALEOSAURUS ZETLANDICUS AND A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE FOR A TAIL FIN IN PLESIOSAURIA

The holotype of the large plesiosaurian Rhomaleosaurus zetlandicus from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of England comprises an almost complete skeleton, including the caudal vertebral series. The osteology of the tail is described and two morphological characteristics are interpreted as evidence for a caudal fin in Rhomaleosaurus: 1. A distinct node consisting of two relatively anteroposteriorly shortened vertebrae; and 2. Laterally compressed terminal caudal centra. This inference is based on osteological correlates derived from other marine reptile groups that possessed a vertically oriented bilobed dermal tail fin in life (ichthyosaurs, thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs, and mosasaurs). This corroborates evidence from other plesiosaurian taxa and suggests that a caudal fin may have been widespread among plesiosaurians, with implications for locomotion and behavior.
Analysis of the convergence and divergence of a constrained anti-Hebbian learning algorithm

In this paper, we analyze the effect of initial conditions on a constrained anti-Hebbian learning algorithm suggested by Gao, Ahmad, and Swamy (1994). Although their approach has a minimum memory requirement with simple computation, we demonstrate through a simple example that divergence is always possible when the initial state satisfies a suitable condition. We point out that in analyzing their learning rule, a constrained differential equation has to be considered instead of the unconstrained one they have studied in their original paper. Furthermore, we analyze this constrained differential equation and prove that (1) it diverges under similar conditions and (2) there is only one stable equilibrium whose domain of attraction we have identified. Accordingly, we suggest a re-initialization approach for the learning rule, which leads to convergence and yet preserves the simplicity of the original approach with a slight increase in computation.
Valid Post-Selection Inference in High-Dimensional Approximately Sparse Quantile Regression Models

ABSTRACT This work proposes new inference methods for a regression coefficient of interest in a (heterogenous) quantile regression model. We consider a high-dimensional model where the number of regressors potentially exceeds the sample size but a subset of them suffices to construct a reasonable approximation to the conditional quantile function. The proposed methods are (explicitly or implicitly) based on orthogonal score functions that protect against moderate model selection mistakes, which are often inevitable in the approximately sparse model considered in the present article. We establish the uniform validity of the proposed confidence regions for the quantile regression coefficient. Importantly, these methods directly apply to more than one variable and a continuum of quantile indices. In addition, the performance of the proposed methods is illustrated through Monte Carlo experiments and an empirical example, dealing with risk factors in childhood malnutrition. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Debt Financing and Post-Privatization Performance of Firms: The Case of Nigerian Listed Firms

This study examines the impact of debt financing on the performance of privatized-firms in Nigeria. The study uses a panel data obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Securities and Exchange Commission during the period 2002-2009. Our Ordinary Least Square (OLS) results suggest that corporate financing through debt tends to increase post-privatization performance of firms up to a given level, after which any addition to the proportion of debt in the capital (assets) of firms reduces their performance. The result also finds that the optimum debt financing to capital (assets) of privatized firms are 34.3%, 32.4% and 38.3%. Therefore, the study recommends among others the need for the firms to maintain optimum ratio of debt financing to capital of the privatized firms in Nigeria.
Demographic Study of Gujjars of Delhi: IV. KAP of Family Planning

Abstract The family planning programmes have been in operation in India for more than five decades. Family Planning refers to the practices that help individuals or couples to avoid unwanted births, bring about wanted births, regulate the intervals between pregnancies; control the time at which births occurs in relation to the age of parents and determines the number of children in the family. To assess the family planning programme, KAP of family planning among various populations is evaluated from time to time by various agencies. Keeping this in mind the present study was conducted among Gujjars of Delhi. The data for the present study was collected by interviewing ever-married Gujjar women aged 15-49 years from a sample of 558 households. Among Gujjars the knowledge of family planning methods is widespread. Also, majority of women have favourable attitude towards family planning. However, there is a gap between the knowledge and the practice of contraception among Gujjars. Female sterilization is far the most popular contraceptive method.
Colour Design for Carton-Packed Fruit Juice Packages

The present research studies the relationships between observers’ expectations for 7 fruit juice packages and the colour design of the package. To do this, a two-stage experiment was conducted. At the first stage, we studied perceived colours for the fruit images shown on each package. At the second stage, fruit juice packages with 20 package colours were rated using 5 bipolar scales: colour harmony, preference, freshness, naturalness and product quality. The experimental results show that the observers tended to perceive fruit image colours lighter and more saturated than those measured using colour measuring instruments. Using factor analyses, we classified the 5 bipolar scales into 2 factors: Product Preference and Freshness. Package colour design was found to have significant impacts on both factors: similarity in chroma and hue between package colour and perceived fruit colour would lead to high product expectations. Keywords: colour design; colour harmony; product expectation; perceived image colour
Confirmation of the parasitoid feeding habit in Sycoscapter, and their impact on pollinator abundance in Ficus formosana

Blastophaga taiwanensis Chen & Chou (Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae) is the pollinator of Ficus formosana Maxim. (Moraceae) at the Guandaushi Forest Station, Taiwan. It co-exists with two non-pollinating species of Sycoscapter Saunders (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae). This study of the ecology of two Sycoscapter species provides the first evidence of their parasitoid role and also demonstrates their impact on abundance of B. tawanensis in F. formosana in relation to season. Females of the two Sycoscapter species are differentiated by their different ovipositor lengths. The species with the longer ovipositor was more abundant overall, but less so than the species with the shorter ovipositor in the winter crop. There was no obvious difference in the timing of oviposition between the two species, with females of both species appearing on male syconia 1‐6 weeks after pollination. Females oviposited externally and their larvae fed on the B. tawanensis larvae. The two Sycoscapter species reduced the abundance of B. tawanensis larvae by 62% within parasitized syconia, and by 54% for all syconia. There was a seasonal variation both in the abundance of wasps and in correlation relationships between pollinators and parasitoids, i.e. parasitoid proportions were much higher and the correlations were mainly significant in the winter and spring crops. We suggest the pollinator and the fig exerts two levels of control on the rate of parasitism by Sycoscapter, and this may help to maintain a balanced symbiotic relationship between the three organisms.
Towards stellar effective temperatures and diameters at 1 per cent accuracy for future surveys

The apparent size of stars is a crucial benchmark for fundamental stellar properties such as effective temperatures, radii and surface gravities. While interferometric measurements of stellar angular diameters are the most direct method to gauge these, they are still limited to relatively nearby and bright stars, which are saturated in most of the modern photometric surveys. This dichotomy prevents us from safely extending well calibrated relations to the faint stars targeted in large spectroscopic and photometric surveys. Here, we alleviate this obstacle by presenting SAAO near-infrared JHK observations of 55 stars: 16 of them have interferometric angular diameters, and the rest are in common with the 2MASS (unsaturated) dataset, allowing us to tie the effective temperatures and angular diameters derived via the Infrared Flux Method to the interferometric scale. We extend the test to recent interferometric measurements of unsaturated 2MASS stars, including giants, and the metal-poor benchmark target HD122563. With a critical evaluation of the systematics involved, we conclude that a 1% accuracy in fundamental stellar parameters is usually within reach. Caution, however, must be used when indirectly testing a temperature scale via colour relations, as well as when assessing the reliability of interferometric measurements, especially at sub-milliarcsec level. As a result, rather different effective temperature scales can be compatible with a given subset of interferometric data. We highlight some caveats to be aware of in such a quest, and suggest a simple method to check against systematics in fundamental measurements. A new diagnostic combination seismic radii with astrometric distances is also presented.
Small Audit Firms and Earnings Manipulations

This paper examines the monitoring role of small audit firms (i.e., those with 100 or fewer clients who are subject to different levels of oversight by the PCAOB) on earnings management. Specifically, I examine the relationship between earnings manipulations and the use of small audit firms. I find that small audit firms are less able to constrain managers’ opportunistic use of discretionary accruals. However I find no evidence that small audit firms are associated with real activities manipulation. By investigating a specific group of audit firms that are the smallest in the audit market, this study extends our understanding of the role of audit firm size in audit quality. Small Audit Firms and Earnings Manipulations
Tuberculous meningitis : evaluation of polymerase chain reaction as a diagnostic tool : a pilot study

Meningitis is a severe and potentially fatal form of tuberculosis. The diagnostic workup involves detection of acidfast bacilli in the cerebrospinal fluid by microscopy or culture. However the difficulty in detecting the organism poses a challenge to diagnosis. Use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnostic approach to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) meningitis has been reported as a fast and accurate method, with several commercial kits available. As an alternative, some institutions have been developing inexpensive in-house assays. In our institution, we use an inhouse PCR for tuberculosis. The performance of our PCR for the diagnosis of MTB meningitis was analyzed in 148 consecutive patients, using MTB culture as the gold standard. Sensitivity of cerebrospinal fluid PCR for the diagnosis of MTB meningitis was 50%, specificity was 98.6%, and concordance with culture was 96% (kappa = 0.52). The performance of our PCR is similar to that obtained with the available commercial kits.
Agronomic performance and stability of andean common bean lines with white grains in Brazil

This work evaluated the effect of genotype by environment interaction in Andean common bean lines with white grains, in Central Southern Brazil, to identify lines with high agronomic performance, stability and adaptability, aiming to meet domestic demand and to increase the Brazilian participation in the foreign market of common bean. Nineteen trials with twelve Andean lines were conducted in 2007, 2008 and 2009, in Central Southern Brazil. Grain yield and other agronomic traits were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and of adaptability/stability using Annicchiarico and modified AMMI methods. Significant differences were found between lines for all traits evaluated. Genotype by environment interaction was important for lines with Andean origin and white seed. The utilization of weighted mean of absolute scores and yield with the AMMI results enabled the identification of the most stable and adapted lines. Lines Poroto Alubia, CNFB 16211, Ouro Branco and WAF 160 were stable and adapted, using both methods. CNFB 16211 line presented high agronomic performance, stability and adaptability and therefore this line may be a new cultivar. USWA 70 and WAF 75 lines presented grain size similar to that required by the foreign market and superior to the Brazilian cultivars, besides favorable agronomic traits, and thus these lines may be indicated as new cultivars.
Nursing students’ perceived stress and influences in clinical performance

Background: It is known that stress related to clinical training among nursing students could contribute to many physical and mental problems. However, little empirical evidence about the influence of stress in nurse students’ clinical performance Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the association between perceived stresses, stress related factors, and students’ clinical performance. Method : Using the perceived stress scale, 539 Jordanian nursing students from 2 public universities in Jordan participated in the study. Results : The results showed that the mean of stress perceived by students was 45.9. Students’ assignment were perceived as the main source of stress (M= 10.7, SD= 4.5) followed by stress related to patients’ care (M= 10.5, SD= 5.5) and stress from teachers and nursing staff (M= 9.6, SD= 5.3). The lowest source of stress is from students’ lack of professional knowledge and skills (M= 3.96; SD= 2.8). The mean of students’ clinical performance is 73.4%. Students’ perceived stress has a significant negative correlation with students’ clinical performance ( r = -.09; p <.05). The results also showed significant negative correlation between stress related to lack of professional knowledge and skills, and stress related to patient care and students’ clinical performance. Conclusion : This study expanded on students’ stress in clinical settings, and warrants further research in assessing its impact on their performance. Teachers should be aware of and help students to overcome and cope with said stress related factors in the clinical settings effectively.
At-Site Flood Frequency Analysis of AnnualMaximum Stream Flows in PakistanUsing Robust Estimation Methods

Our paper compares the L-moments (MLM), TL-moments (MTLM), and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods in order to select the best-fit distribution of annual maximum stream flow (AMSF) data for at-site flood frequency analysis (FFA) in Pakistan. Initially this study considered different probability distributions. Best distribution for each site is identified using different goodness of fit tests such as mean absolute deviation index (MADI), Anderson darling (AD) test, probability plot correlation coefficient (PPCC), and L-moments ratio diagram. Results show that GPA distribution is the most suitable distribution for most of the sites, followed by GLO and GEV distributions, respectively. MLM is found to be the most suitable estimation method in finding the best-fit distribution for most of the sites in this study, followed by MTLM and MLE. For at-site FFA we also estimated different return periods associated with given flood magnitudes (quantiles of best fit distribution/maximum annual discharge values). It is found that estimated flows based on fitted distribution are in close agreement with observed flows.
Effect of abiotic factors on bollworms infestation in Bt and Non-Bt cotton genotypes

The present field trial was conducted to establish the effect of ecological factors on the infestation of bollworms on seven varieties of genetically/non-genetically modified cotton at Research Farm of cotton section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India during the crop season 2014-15. The Bollworms squares infestation observation was started from started from 30th Standard Meterological Week (SMW) and continued till harvesting of crop (41st SMW) and it was observed, highest infestation was recorded on 39th SMW (9.2%). It varied significantly among Bt and non-Bt genotypes throughout the period of observation, being significantly higher in non-Bt genotypes and lower in Bt genotypes. Correlation with abiotic factors was also calculated. It was found that bollworms infestation showed negative significant correlation (r= -0.740**) with minimum temperature and non-significant negative (r= -0.309) with maximum temperature, evening relative humidity (r= -0.434) and with rainfall (r= -0.074). They had positive correlation (r= 0.132) with morning relative humidity.
Novel Dental Resins From Trialkoxysilanes and Dental Monomers by in Situ Formation of Oligomeric Silyl Ethers and Silsesquioxines | NIST

Inroduction The vinyl alkyltrialkoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), is currently widely used as a coupling agent in dental and other acrylic polymer-based composites. In this role it is customarily applied to glass fillers either by dry blending or by deposition from a solvent in order to provide a reactive filler that will enhance both the strength and modulus of the dental polymer matrix. These presilanized glass fillers are blended with chemicallyor photochemicallyactivated monomer systems (resins) to form workable composite pastes that, on polymerization, yield strong restoratives that match the appearance of contiguous teeth and that can be bonded relatively easy (in contrast to amalgam fillings) to tooth structure. An attractive alternative to the above presilanization methods for surface activation of the filler phase of composites is in situ silanization of glass fillers. This technique is simpler than presilanization and involves adding the silane agent, e.g. MPTMS, as a comonomer to the usual dental monomer systems, and then forming a composite paste by admixture with unsilanized glass filler. While it has been shown (by indirect mechanical tests) that the in situ silanization provides effective coupling of the glass and polymer matrix phases, it is not clear that the silanization reaction only occurs between the silanol groups of the glass filler (Figure 1) and the -Si(OCH3)3, –Si(OH)3, etc. groups of MPTMS. It appears plausible that there can also be exchange reactions occurring between MPTMS and the hydroxyl groups of hydroxylated monomers such as 2,2-bis[p-(2’-hydroxy-3’-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (Bis-GMA) (see Figure 2, reaction (2)), resulting in the formation of silyl ether derivatives of Bis-GMA. All polar dental monomers such as Bis-GMA, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and 1,6-bis(methacryloxy-2-ethoxycarbonylamino)-2,4,4-trimethylhexane (UDMA) (an aliphatic diurethane dimethacrylate derived from the reaction of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and trimethyl-1,6-diisocyanatohexane) have hydrophilic functional groups, e.g. hydroxyl, ethylene oxide, and urethane groups, respectively, that can serve as sites for water absorption. Because of the ubiquitous presence water in these polar monomers, it is conceivable that MPTMS also can undergo hydrolysis-condensation reactions to form oligomeric silsesquioxane products. The objectives of this study were to explore not only reaction of MPTMS and similar silane agents with Bis-GMA to form silyl ether derviatives, but also to study their interaction with nonhydroxylated types of dental monomers of varying polarity.
Factors controlling the spatial variability of surface soil moisture within revegetated‐stabilized desert ecosystems of the Tengger Desert, Northern China

The spatial structure of surface soil moisture was investigated at a grid scale with 10 × 10 m intervals on a plot of 4500 m2 in a re‐vegetated desert area in Shapotou, the Tengger Desert. The site topography varies from dune crest to dune hollow, and again to dune crest. Volumetric soil moisture contents were measured 21 times over 6 months in 2006 by using Delta‐T Theta‐Probes in the 0–6 cm surface soil layer before and after rainfall. At the same time, soil texture, relative elevation, and plant coverage were measured, to examine (i) the spatial variability of surface soil moisture; (ii) the main factors controlling the spatial variability patterns; and (iii) how the importance of these factors varies with the seasonal variations in soil moisture content. The results indicated that the normal distribution of surface soil moisture was more obvious in wet conditions than in dry conditions; the spatial variability of surface soil moisture was inherent and decreased with increased soil moisture content; and precipitation increased the spatial dependence of surface soil moisture. The relative elevation of the landscape, the shrub coverage of the community, and the soil texture were the main factors influencing surface soil moisture variability, while the effect of soil texture strengthened gradually following the heavy precipitation events. The correlation between the spatial variability of surface soil moisture and the environmental factors, such as, the dry and wet conditions, the landscape coverage and the relative elevation suggests that increasing stability of the soil moisture resulted in a significant increase of soil moisture. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
R&D investment and financing constraints of small and medium-sized firms

This study tests for financial constraints on R&D investment and how they differ from capital investment. To identify constraints in the access to external capital, we employ a credit rating index. Our models show that internal constraints, measured by mark-ups, are more decisive for R&D than for capital investment. For external constraints, we find a monotonic relationship between the level of constriction and firm size for both types of investment. Thus, external constraints turn out to be more binding with decreasing firm size. On the contrary, we do not find such monotonic relationships for internal constraints. Differentiation by firms’ age does not support lower constraints for older firms.