Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
L'apprentissage industriel dans les transferts des techniques

Pour mettre en place leur politique de developpement industriel, les pays sous-developpes achetent des techniques aux firmes des pays indus trialises. Cette acquisition se realise sous des formes diverses : contrat de licence de brevet, de savoir-faire, contrat d'etude, d'ingenierie, d'assistance technique, d'organisation, de construction d'usines cles en main, achat de biens d'equipement. Mais force est de reconnaitre que l'espoir mis dans ces operations de transferts est souvent decu et que nombreux projets industriels n'atteignent que rarement l'efficacite financiere prevue dans les etudes : les phases de demarrage et de montee en production sont longues et couteuses, les pannes et les dysfonctionnements se multi plient, les taux de fonctionnement sont souvent tres inferieurs aux previsions. Les defaillances dans les transferts de techniques sont a imputer a des facteurs tres divers : mauvaise appreciation, au niveau desetu des preli minaires, des couts d'investissement et de production, des marches et de la concurrence, erreurs dans les etudes de conception des unites de produc tion et dans les choix des biens d'equipement, irregularites dans les approvisionnements des matieres premieres, des produits intermediaires et des fluides (eau, energie.), manque de pieces de rechange, faible mai trise des techniques de production par les travailleurs se traduisant par de nombreux arrets et dysfonctionnements. Les difficultes pour acceder a la maitrise de la technologie de produc
Stock Market Simulation Using Support Vector Machines

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to analyse the different results that can be achieved using support vector machines (SVM) to forecast the weekly change movement of different simulated markets. The markets are developed by a GARCH model based on the SP also results are good in trend simulated markets. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accounting Conservatism and the Temporal Trends in Current Earnings’ Ability to Predict Future Cash Flows Versus Future Earnings: Evidence on the Trade-Off Between Relevance and Reliability

This research reports that an increasing level of accounting conservatism over the 1973–2005 period is associated with (1) an increase in the ability of current earnings to predict future cash flows (a measure of relevance, e.g., Kim and Kross, 2005); and (2) a decrease in the ability of current earnings to predict future earnings (a measure of reliability in the Richardson et al. [2005] sense). We also find that usefulness of earnings for explaining stock prices over book values is positively related to reliability but not to relevance. Our results hold for the constant and full samples and in both in-sample and out-of-sample analyses and are also robust to the use of different measures for relevance, reliability, earnings usefulness, and conservatism. Our findings about the relations between conservatism, relevance, reliability, and usefulness suggest a trade-off between relevance and reliability and seem to indicate that the adoption of an increasing number of conservative accounting standards possibly has an adverse impact on earnings usefulness through their negative effects on reliability.
Fatigue-Related Effects in the Process of Task Interruption on Working Memory

Interruption generally has a negative effect on performance by affecting working memory (WM). However, the neural mechanism of interruption has yet to be understood clearly, and previous studies have largely ignored the role of fatigue state. To address these issues, the present study explores the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of interruption on WM performance using electroencephalography (EEG) data. The moderating effect of fatigue is also explored. The participants performed spatial 2-back tasks with math task interruption, suspension interruption, and non-interruption under different fatigue states. The results show that interruption led to increased alpha activity and P300 amplitude, indicating inhibitory control to interference from irrelevant information. Analysis of P200 amplitude revealed that interruption affected attentional reallocation when resuming the primary task. Increased theta power indicated an increased demand for information maintenance during the interruption. A speeding-up effect was discovered after interruption; however, fatigue impaired cognitive ability and further exacerbated the negative effects of interruption on WM and behavioral performance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of cognitive activity during the interruption and of the interaction with fatigue, and provide further support for the theory of memory for goals (MFG).
Testicular adrenal rest tumours in young adult males with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: prevalence and impact on testicular function

Testicular adrenal rest tumours (TARTs) have been described in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of TARTs in patients with CAH, the associated factors and their impact on gonadal function. It is a prospective study concerning six young adult men with CAH, four cases with 21‐hydroxylase deficiency and two cases with 11‐hydroxylase deficiency. All patients were under glucocorticoid therapy. The mean age was 25 years (range: 20–31). All patients underwent a physical examination with testicular palpation, scrotal ultrasonography, a blood sample for serum testosterone, FSH, LH, inhibin B, ∆4‐androstenedione and 17‐OH‐progesterone measurements and a semen analysis. Ultrasound revealed TARTs in four patients; three were bilateral. The mean tumour size was 6.3 ml (range: 0.02–14.1). The tumours were palpable in two cases. 17‐OH‐progesterone was <10 ng/ml in all cases. Decreased testosterone level was found in one case. The semen analysis revealed azoospermia in one case and poor semen quality in four patients. TARTs were common and associated with impaired spermatogenesis.
Does Institutional Ownership Promote the Transformation of Underperforming Firms?

We focus on firms that chronically underperform and evaluate ways that institutional investors can facilitate asset redeployment. Increases in institutional holdings are associated with subsequent acquisition and decreases are associated with subsequent failure. For surviving underperformers, holdings and changes are associated with improved performance, but long-run abnormal returns remain negative and Q remains low. This association between holdings and performance is not causal. Rather, it is explained by “flight to quality” combined with persistence of financial performance, including persistence of abnormal returns for underperformers. The evidence casts doubt on interpretations in previous findings of positive relationships between holdings and performance.
Changing the mindset: the training myth and the need for world-class performance

Abstract Using data from Canada, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong and Indonesia, this paper tests the concept that training should be viewed as only one (perhaps small) factor in the drive towards world-class productivity. Rather, it is a combination of social science and physical science factors that must be managed, if productivity is to improve. This gap analysis technique focuses on reactive and proactive job analyses to develop programmes of workplace change. Even when utilized in widely varying cultures, the model yields comparable results.
Successful short-segment instrumentation and fusion for thoracolumbar spine fractures: a consecutive 41/2-year series.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective review of all the surgically managed spinal fractures at the University of Missouri Medical Center during the 41/2-year period from January 1989 to July 1993 was performed. Of the 51 surgically managed patients, 46 were instrumented by short-segment technique (attachment of one level above the fracture to one level below the fracture). The other 5 patients in this consecutive series had multiple trauma. These patients were included in the review because this was a consecutive series. However, they were grouped separately because they were instrumented by long-segment technique because of their multiple organ system injuries. OBJECTIVES The choice of the anterior or posterior approach for short-segment instrumentation was based on the Load-Sharing Classification published in a 1994 issue of Spine. The purpose of this review was to demonstrate that grading comminution by use of the Load-Sharing Classification for approach selection and the choice of patients with isolated fractures who are cooperative with spinal bracing for 4 months provide the keys to successful short-segment treatment of isolated spinal fractures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The current literature implies that the use of pedicle screws for short-segment instrumentation of spinal fracture is dangerous and inappropriate because of the high screw fracture rate. METHODS Charts, operative notes, preoperative and postoperative radiographs, computed tomography scans, and follow-up records of all patients were reviewed carefully from the time of surgery until final follow-up assessment. The Load-Sharing Classification had been used prospectively for all patients before their surgery to determine the approach for short-segment instrumentation. Denis' Pain Scale and Work Scales were obtained during follow-up evaluation for all patients. RESULTS All patients were observed over 40 months except for 1 patient who died of unrelated causes after 35 months. The mean follow-up period was 66 months (51/2 years). No patient was lost to follow-up evaluation. Prospective application of the Load-Sharing Classification to the patients' injury and restriction of the short-segment approach to cooperative patients with isolated spinal fractures (excluding multisystem trauma patients) allowed 45 of 46 patients instrumented by the short-segment technique to proceed to successful healing in virtual anatomic alignment. CONCLUSIONS The Load-Sharing Classification is a straightforward way to describe the amount of bony comminution in a spinal fracture. When applied to patients with isolated spine fractures who are cooperative with 3 to 4 months of spinal bracing, it can help the surgeon select short-segment pedicle-screw-based fixation using the posterior approach for less comminuted injuries and the anterior approach for those more comminuted. The choice of which fracture-dislocations should be strut grafted anteriorly and which need only posterior short-segment pedicle-screw-based instrumentation also can be made using the Load-Sharing Classification.
Globalization, industrial development and the plastics industry in South Africa

Through a study of the plastics sector in South Africa, the article critically examines the globalization position that greater openness yields gains from exports and foreign direct investment. Analysis of firm-level data reveals that the depth and extent of the internationalization of production depends on the production capabilities of firms and their position and bargaining power in the supply-chain. It is argued that liberalization does not necessarily mean that international relationships will be deepened and that a coherent industrial policy is important in the realization of the potential gains from such internationalization. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shareholder Primacy and the Trajectory of UK Corporate Governance

Core institutions of UK corporate governance, in particular those relating to takeovers, board structure and directors’ duties, are strongly orientated towards a norm of shareholder primacy. Beyond the core, in particular at the intersection of insolvency and employment law, stakeholder interests are better represented, thanks to European Community influence. Moreover, institutional shareholders are redirecting their investment strategies away from a focus on short-term returns, in such a way as to favour stakeholder-inclusive practices. We therefore suggest that the UK system is currently in a state of flux and that the debate over shareholder primacy has not been concluded.
Relaxing Heteroscedasticity Assumptions in Area‐Yield Crop Insurance Rating

This article focuses on the effect of differing heteroscedasticity assumptions on derived premium rates of area-yield crop insurance. Tests of the proportional and absolute heteroscedasticity assumptions are conducted using both in-sample and out-of-sample measures. Our results suggest that arbitrarily imposing a specific form of heteroscedasticity or homoscedasticity in insurance rate calculations limits actuarial soundness. Our results have practical implications for the federal crop insurance programs, as we reject the traditional rating assumptions for many cotton regions and lower-yielding/higher-risk corn and soybean counties but not in the heart of the Cornbelt. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.
Surveying local planning directors ' actions for climate change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how well local planners have recognized the issues surrounding climate change, the analysis that jurisdictions have conducted on climate change, and policies that have been implemented to address climate change. Design/methodology/approach – This study conducted a mail questionnaire survey for 214 counties ' planning directors in the USA and received 53 effective responses. This survey examined how well local planning directors have been prepared for climate change, including awareness, analysis scope, and implementation strategy. Findings – The descriptive results indicate that the directors who responded to this survey had a relatively high (79.87 percent) level of awareness for climate change; but they had limited (34.94 percent) analysis scopes to assess the sources, impacts, and risk of climate change in their jurisdictions. These directors had partially but not fully (51.51 percent) developed local land use planning implementation strategies to mitig.
Hydrogen peroxide effects on rat mast cell function.

Oxidant exposure of the airway mucosa may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Mast cells play an important role in asthma, and oxidant exposure has been reported to cause direct mast cell degranulation as well as augment immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated responses in vivo. H2O2 is an oxidant generated by inflammatory cells and by the interaction of ozone with lipids or aqueous solutions. In this study, the RBL-2H3 mast cell line was used to investigate the ability of H2O2 to induce mast cell responses as well as to effect mast cell responses to IgE and the calcium ionophore A23187. Although cytotoxicity of RBL-2H3 cells at the membrane level was not observed with any concentration of H2O2, DNA damage resulted from exposure to 0.2 and 2.0 mM H2O2, and cell proliferation was inhibited by 0.075-0.2 mM H2O2. RBL cell prostaglandin D2 generation was enhanced after 60- and 120-min exposure to 0.2-20 mM H2O2. Direct serotonin release required 120-min exposures to 2.0 mM and 60-min exposures to 20 mM H2O2. However, degranulation responses induced by either IgE or A23178 were diminished after exposure to 0.2-2.0 mM H2O2. Lesser amounts (0.005-0.02 mM) had no effect on mast cell function. In summary, H2O2-induced responses of RBL cells, as well as modification of responses to IgE and A23187, occurred only at high concentrations of H2O2, which also induced both intracellular damage and inhibition of cell proliferation. Concentrations of H2O2 more likely to be physiologically relevant had no effect on mast cell responses or cytotoxicity. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mechanical Stress Dependence of Radiation Effects in MOS Structures

The effects of mechanical stress on radiation damage in polycide-gate MOS capacitors have been investigated as a function of gate-oxide thickness and silicide-gate electrode material (TiSi2, MoSi2 and WSi2). It was found that compressive stress on the SiO2/Si interfacial region reduces both positive charge build-up and interface-trap generation. The positive charge build-up exhibits a smaller stress effect, as compared with the interface-trap generation. The magnitude of stress effect depends only on the compressive strength, and not on the silicide material, if the annealing conditions are the same. In addition, as the gate-oxide thickness decreases, the stress effect on positive charge build-up increases, while the interface-trap generation remains nearly constant. These results can be explained on the basis of the bond reformation process, i. e. , in a region where compressive stress exists, the broken bonds are reformed with high probability. Futhermore, radiation response of MOS transistors with different gate-oxide stress values have been evaluated, and compared with those observed in MOS capacitors. Similar stress effects were also obtained.
Ownership Preferences, Competitive Heterogeneity, and Family-Controlled Businesses

This article models ownership concentration, owner preferences, and competitive advantage. It argues that ownership structure and owner preferences can give rise to resources and capabilities that increase firm profits. The model is then used to explain how successful family-controlled businesses (FCBs) differ from firms with less concentrated ownership and less successful FCBs. Because of their ownership concentration and reduced monitoring costs, many FCBs will have a resource surplus. That surplus and the tendency toward long-term investment among some FCBs create unique competitive opportunities under conditions we specify.
NEW DATA ON THE DIFFUSION OF THE BASIC OXYGEN FURNACE IN THE U.S. AND JAPAN

INTERNATIONAL differences in the diffusion of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) have been examined in numerous studies. The reasons for this interest are clear. BOFs are cheaper to build than open hearths, produce steel at lower cost, and better lend themselves to automation and pollution control. Thus, within two decades of the BOF's introduction by a small Austrian steelmaker in 1952, it had supplanted the open hearth as the world's most widely used steelmaking process. A question for research has been whether a slowness to adopt the BOF and other new technologies may have been a factor in the decline of the U.S. steel industry. Widely differing conclusions have been reached. Most analyses, however, have been based on aggregate production statistics. 1 The purpose of this study is to introduce new, disaggregated data to compare the adoption of the BOF by the U.S. and Japanese steel industries. Our data directly compare the number of times the BOF was chosen over the open hearth when firms in the two countries were expanding steelmaking capacity. These data lead to conclusions that differ from those based on aggregate data. We are particularly concerned with two issues: How did the U.S. and Japanese steel industries compare in their propensity to use the BOF when this technology was not yet universally recognized as being superior to the open hearth? And: Which nation's industry was more aggressive in replacing open hearth capacity with BOF when the BOF was known to be superior? An answer to the first question could reflect managerial performance in quickly recognizing and exploiting new technology. An answer to the second could indicate performance in replacing obsolete equipment.
Precision Medicine in Autoimmune Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are T-cell-mediated organ specific autoimmune disorders, deriving from an altered response of the immune system that leads to the immune attack to the thyroid. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and Graves’ disease (GD) are the two principal AITD clinical presentations. Hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis are, respectively, the clinical hallmarks of HT and GD. Patients with autoimmune thyroiditis are treated daily with synthetic L-thyroxine (L-T4) at the dose of 1.5–1.7 μg/kg. Various L-T4 formulations are commercially available (tablet, liquid solution, or soft gel capsule). L-T4 in tablets is generally prescribed to treat hypothyroidism, whereas the liquid formulation, or soft gel capsules, can be administered in hypothyroid patients in case of malabsorption or in patients in therapy with drugs interfering with L-T4 absorption. Furthermore, myoinositol has a crucial role in thyroid autoimmunity and function. Clinical studies reported a significant decline in TSH and antithyroid autoantibodies levels after treatment with myoinositol + selenium in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis. Moreover, thyroidectomy can be rarely recommended in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, with cosmetic reasons for a goiter, or with important signs or symptoms of local compression, or nodular disease with a “suspicious” cytology for malignancy. Furthermore, a recent randomized trial suggested that total thyroidectomy can improve quality of life and fatigue, while medical therapy did not. In this review, we overview currently available evidence in personalized medicine in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. Further research is needed in larger population to investigate the effect of these new treatments on quality of life.
The Impact of Changes in the Corporate Governance System on the Boards of Directors Experiences from Swedish Listed Companies

The core objective of this article is to develop and apply a framework based on institutional theory for investigating and exploring how boards of directors respond to changes in the national pattern of corporate governance. In contrast to most models of institutional changes that are based on the structure of the change process, our framework focuses on the content of institutional changes in terms of changing actions, values, and cognitions. By studying and comparing changes in actions, values, and cognition, we are able to comprehend the content and degree of institutionalization of new patterns of behavior. The framework is applied to the behavior of boards in Swedish publicly listed companies in 1994 and 1999. The results reveal significant changes in the decision criteria applied by the boards as well as their activities. At the same time, we find no significant changes concerning directors' attitudes toward the role of the stock market or other governance mecha-
Disinflationary Monetary Strategy and Instability of the Forward Yield Curve: The Case of the Czech Republic, 1999–2005

In this study I describe the relationship between monetary policy and medium and long-term swap rates. I focus especially on explanation of the instability of the level and relations of swap and forward rates on the Czech swap market in the context of the Czech National Bank's (CNB) disinflation policy based on direct inflation targeting. Theoretically the main source of this problem is the inconsistency between the central bank's current and expected policy and the anticipated course of economic fundamentals. A common feature is that during disinflation the level of monetary policy restriction is not stable over time and is hard to predict for investors. Besides objective factors such as fluctuating economic growth or limited scope of information, this is also a result of the instability of sensitivity parameters of the central bank's reaction function and of the character of the monetary strategy pursued. Empirical analysis showed a limited effect of changes in the CNB repo rate on the instantaneous adaptation of swap and forward rates. In addition, problems connected with the CNB's weakened credibility were immediately identified, along with related erroneous expectations of investors. I interpret the instability of relations as evidence of differences in investors' inflation predictions of a gradual tendency for the economy to reach a state of low inflation.