Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Multivariate Model for Predicting Financially Distressed P-L Insurers

This paper is concerned with insurance company insolvency and the ability to identify a firm with a high probability of financial distress. Financial distress is defined as a firm that entered into liquidation, receivership, conservatorship, or rehabilitation during the time period of the study (1966-1971). Multiple discriminant analysis was used in this study to classify firms into two groups (solvent or distress). The model developed was able to classify correctly forty-nine out of fifty-two firms included in the study. One solvent firm was classified as being distress while two of the distress firms were classified as belonging to the solvent group. The six variables that were used to classify firms were: 1) agents balances/total asset ratio, 2) stocks-cost (preferred and common) /stocks-market (preferred and common) ratio, 3) bonds-cost/bonds-market ratio. 4) (loss adjustment expenses paid + underwriting expenses paid) /net premiums written ratio, 5) combined ratio, and 6) premiums written direct/surplus ratio. Insurance regulation involves at least three distinct activities; agent and company licensing, rate regulation, and company solvency. This paper is concerned with the latter of these three responsibilities of the insurance commissionerinsurance company solvency. More specifically, it is concerned with those property-liability insurance companies that experienced financial distress in the time period 1966 to 1971. Financial distress is defined as those firms that entered into liquidation, receivership, conservaThe authors are respectively: Assistant Professor of Risk Management and Insurance in the University of Georgia, and Associate Professor of Finance and Faculty Research Associate, University of Missouri-Columbia. The authors would like to express their appreciation to the University of Missouri Research Council and the Insurance Departments of the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and especially Missouri for their support and cooperation. This paper was presented at the 1972 Annual Meeting of A.R. I.A. torship, or rehabilitation during this period. Insurance company insolvency has been a major concern of regulators, consumers, and insurance company executives for many years. L. B. Brainerd, past president of the National Association of Casualty and Surety Executives (NACSE), said that insurance company insolvency is the main area of concern of insurance regulation, and that regulation in this area has been lax compared with the other areas of insurance company regulation. ' He advocates stricter supervision, rather than reimbursing of policyholders for their losses due to insurance company insolvency. Presently, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a model bill that will reimburse policyowners for losses up to $50,000 due to insurance company insolvency. This or simiI Business Insurance. October 25, 1971. n28
Fuzzy neural networks for classification and detection of anomalies

In this paper, a new learning algorithm for the Simpson's fuzzy min-max neural network is presented. It overcomes some undesired properties of the Simpson's model: specifically, in it there are neither thresholds that bound the dimension of the hyperboxes nor sensitivity parameters. Our new algorithm improves the network performance: in fact, the classification result does not depend on the presentation order of the patterns in the training set, and at each step, the classification error in the training set cannot increase. The new neural model is particularly useful in classification problems as it is shown by comparison with some fuzzy neural nets cited in literature (Simpson's min-max model, fuzzy ARTMAP proposed by Carpenter, Grossberg et al. in 1992, adaptive fuzzy systems as introduced by Wang in his book) and the classical multilayer perceptron neural network with backpropagation learning algorithm. The tests were executed on three different classification problems: the first one with two-dimensional synthetic data, the second one with realistic data generated by a simulator to find anomalies in the cooling system of a blast furnace, and the third one with real data for industrial diagnosis. The experiments were made following some recent evaluation criteria known in literature and by using Microsoft Visual C++ development environment on personal computers.
When the Rubber Meets the Road: Isomorphism, Rhetoric, and (Mis)management of Interinstitutional Performance

In 2012 Performance measurement systems (PMSs) became compulsory in the Italian National Health Service (NHS). The objective of this article is to answer the following research question: How do health-care organizations set up their PMSs in order to make them coherent with the institutional context and the intra-organizational dynamics? The findings show how the similar behavior of the organizations may be considered a case of coercive isomorphism. This study confirmed many topics discussed in the performance measurement literature and opens a discussion of some new research questions.
International and Domestic Constraints on Political Business Cycles in OECD Economies

The effect of increased capital mobility on the national control of macroeconomic policy continues to be a topic of debate. Empirical contributions to this debate share the assumption that domestic macroeconomic policy is driven by either partisan or countercyclical motivations, and that the effects of international financial flows have roughly similar effects in all countries. This article reevaluates the integration hypothesis in a framework in which manipulations of the macroeconomy derive from opportunistic motivations. The article emphasizes the ways in which prior institutional choices effect the way these motivations are translated into actions. Evidence from individual country and pooled time-series tests suggests that opportunistic cycles are less likely to occur when (1) a government maintains a fixed exchange rate in the presence of highly mobile capital or (2) when the central bank enjoys above-average independence.
A parallel topology for inductive power transfer power supplies

High power Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems operate at power levels of 100kW or more. Existing high power IPT power supplies are mostly designed to operate at only a single power level and are expensive to make. This paper presents a novel parallel topology for IPT power supplies. This topology can achieve high output power in a cost effective manner and requires no extra reactive component for the parallelization. It can also minimize uneven power sharing due to component tolerance and achieve maximal operating efficiency. The parallel power supply can continue to operate in the event of a switch failure in one of the parallel units, thus maximizing the availability of IPT systems. The parallel topology has been verified on a 6kW prototype parallel power supply consisting of three identical 2kW single supplies.
Framing Innovation: The Impact of the Superintendent's Attitude and Use of Technology on the Acceptance of Large-Scale Technology Initiatives

The existing literature regarding leadership to support technology innovation in schools is limited. This qualitative study employs a multiple case study method to explore the leadership of superintendents in five school districts that have moved toward a 1:1 learning environment. This dissertation examined how superintendents gain acceptance for large-scale technology initiatives by describing the superintendent’s own use of technology and their attitude about technology. The study explored the impact a superintendent’s attitude and use of technology had on the acceptance of technology initiatives. The study highlights how superintendents use technology both professionally and personally. The study results indicated that while the superintendent’s attitude about mobile devices in the hands of students has a profound impact on gaining acceptance for a large-scale technology initiative, it is inconclusive if the superintendent’s use of technology has such an impact. The result is an important addition to the literature including recommendations for superintendents seeking to implement a large-scale technology initiative in their district.
Foreign Megastores and the Nigerian Economy: A Study of Shoprite

This paper examines the phenomenon of foreign megastores in Nigeria. It offers a historical analysis of the factors responsible for their presence, emerging trends engendered by foreign megastores within the Nigerian market and the implications of such presence for the Nigerian economy. It demonstrates that foreign megastores have profoundly affected the economy and social environment within Nigeria. It adopts as a model of analysis the South African retail store, Shoprite and observes how it is progressively influencing consumer behaviour, expanding the influence of retailers and directing financial flows into Nigeria. Among other things, Shoprite offers consumers the luxury of spacious well organized parking lots, clean environments, a friendly staff and competitive prices to mention a few. Observers of the rapid expansion of Shoprite agree that its presence in Nigeria means that roadside sellers of bread, vegetables and meat would be adversely affected in a country where retailing is largely informal; it thus threatens existing market structures. It also significantly contributes to the fast rising level of health challenges in Nigeria. To this effect, the study set out to test the impact of Shoprite as a foreign megastore on Nigeria’s economy and the data obtained through interviews and from the distribution of questionnaires, and analyzed with the aid of the Statistics Package for Social Science (SPSS), reveal that for Nigerian citizens, the positive effects outweigh the negative and that though foreign megastores are influencing market patterns, they cannot completely displace traditional market systems in Nigeria, at least not in this century; they however, can modify them. More specifically, findings revealed that Shoprite has boosted the Nigerian economy and has significantly shaped the pattern of internationalization of retailing in Nigeria. The research thus recommends, among other things, that government should through the appropriate agencies ensure that it monitors the activities of foreign megastores so as to prevent them from monopolizing the markets and dictating prices. It should also seek out means of ensuring that Nigerians in South Africa have a level playing field and opportunities for expansion like their South African counterparts in the former. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n1p425
ROLE OF p38 MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE PATHWAY ON RENAL FAILURE IN THE INFANT RAT AFTER BURN INJURY

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a proinflammatory signal transduction pathway for the production of cytokines and cellular response to stress, such as bacterial LPS or ischemia. We examined the effects of FR167653, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, to explore the relationship between intestinal barrier damage and remote renal dysfunction. Immunohistochemical data showed the accumulation of neutrophils in the intestine after burn, and a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tracer experiment showed burn-induced intestinal barrier damage. Our quantitative bacterial culture data demonstrated that viable bacteria reached the remote organs after burn and prevented the invading viable bacteria from using FR167653. Western blotting identified increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in the kidney after burn, and it may also have shown the possibility that endotoxin associated with the bacterial translocation enhances the activation of the p38 MAPK pathway. We blocked the intestinal barrier damage using FR167653, which resulted in reduced neutrophils in the intestine. FR167653 also prevented the increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in the kidney, which resulted in reduced neutrophils in the glomerulus and the reduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β mRNA in the kidneys, and, finally, prevented burn-induced renal failure. This study provides evidence for the hypothesis that the p38 MAPK pathway controls inflammatory mediators and not only improves intestinal function but also reduces remote renal failure after burn. We identified the pathophysiologic role of the p38 MAPK pathway in the development of renal failure after burn.
Using game mechanics for field evaluation of prototype social applications: a novel methodology

This paper describes a novel methodology to evaluate a social media application in its formative phase of design. Taking advantage of the experiences developed in the Alternate Reality Games, we propose to insert game mechanics in the test setting of a formative evaluation of a prototypical social system. As a use case, we present the evaluation of WantEat, a prototypical social mobile application in the gastronomical domain. The evaluation highlighted how the gamiﬁcation of a field trial can yield good results when evaluating social applications in prototypical status. From a methodological point of view, gamifying a field trial overcomes the cold start problem, caused by the absence of active communities, which can prevent the participation of users and therefore the collection of reliable data. Our experience showed that the gamification of a field evaluation is feasible and can likely increase the quantity of both browsing actions and social actions performed by users. Based on these results, we then are able to provide a set of guidelines to gamify the evaluation session of an interactive system.
REIT and Commercial Real Estate Returns: A Postmortem of the Financial Crisis

type="main"> In the years surrounding the financial crisis, the share prices of equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were much more volatile than the underlying commercial real estate prices. To better understand this phenomenon we examine the cross-sectional dispersion of REIT returns during this time period with a particular focus on the influence of their capital structures. By looking at both the debt ratio and the maturity structure of the debt, we separate the pure leverage effect from the effect of financial distress. Consistent with leverage and financial distress costs amplifying the price decline, we find that the share prices of REITs with higher debt-to-asset ratios and shorter maturity debt fell more during the 2007 to early-2009 crisis period. Although REIT prices rebounded with the bounce back in commercial real estate prices, financial distress costs had a permanent effect on REIT values. In particular, we find that REITs with more debt due during the crisis period tended to sell more property and issue more equity in 2009, when prices were depressed.
Social Security Systems in Uganda

As a result of its recent disturbed history, Uganda has the most undeveloped formal social security systems and the least documented non-formal social security systems of the countries participating in this study. Through the use of qualitative research methods, it was observed that communities are providing the most useful response to the rising risks and vulnerabilities posed by poverty, unemployment, emergencies and inevitable life-cycle factors while the State has not provided social security at the community level. The following social security systems exist in Uganda: formal social security schemes targeting the employed, community groups that serve only group members, kinship-based solidarity groups that serve the extended family and village residents' mutual assistance groups, which are compulsory for all adults in the villages where they operate. These groups are currently the most widespread and effective of all, though they are plagued with poor management and a low capital base. The village-wide mutual assistance groups offer the potential for reaching most community members but operate in only one of the four districts visited. District Development Programmes offer a feasible entry point for beginning to address the lack of policy-led social security at community level. African Journal of Social Work Vol.17(2) 2002: 159-180
Acute effects of pravastatin on cholesterol synthesis are associated with SLCO1B1 (encoding OATP1B1) haplotype *17

Objective The aim was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the SLCO1B1 gene, encoding the hepatic uptake transporter OATP1B1, influence the short-term effects of pravastatin on cholesterol synthesis. Methods We determined plasma concentrations of lathosterol and cholesterol up to 12 h after intake of a single dose of 40 mg pravastatin in 41 healthy Caucasian subjects, in whom SLCO1B1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; 521T>C and −11187G>A) and haplotypes (*15B and *17) had been previously shown to be associated with considerably elevated plasma pravastatin levels. Results The effects of pravastatin on plasma lathosterol concentration and lathosterol to cholesterol concentration ratio, which are established markers of the rate of cholesterol synthesis in vivo, were significantly smaller among the three heterozygous carriers of the SLCO1B1 *17 haplotype (containing the −11187G>A, 388A>G and 521T>C SNPs) as compared with non-carriers. Significant inverse relationships were found between pravastatin area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) values and effects of pravastatin on lathosterol and lathosterol to cholesterol ratio among the whole study population. Conclusion These results suggest that uptake of pravastatin into hepatocytes is impaired in carriers of the SLCO1B1 haplotype *17, resulting in higher plasma pravastatin concentrations but lower concentrations of pravastatin in hepatocytes and thereby in a smaller inhibitory effect on cholesterol synthesis. The cholesterol-lowering response to pravastatin may be impaired in carriers of the *17 haplotype.
Consumer Ethnocentrism and Country-of-Origin Effects in the Moroccan Market

ABSTRACT Differences in consumer values exert a powerful impact on product acceptance. Morocco is no stranger to this phenomenon. While this country's consumers have easy access to world markets, consumer ethnocentrism can restrict choice. The objective of this research has been to investigate ethnocentric behavior of Moroccan consumers and the extent to which domestic products might be preferred to foreign products or vice versa. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews with 400 consumers in four major Moroccan cities. A questionnaire was developed for this purpose using a version of the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale (CETSCALE). Opinions about four products were solicited. The four products were jeans, cars, shampoo, and juice. The interviewees were asked their opinions about product attributes and about various countries-of-origin. Their responses were analyzed also on the basis of their most essential demographic characteristics. Logistic regression models were developed to analyze the data.
Backward stochastic differential equations associated with Lévy processes and partial integro-differential equations

In this paper, we deal with a class of backward stochastic differential equations driven by Teugels martingales associated with a Levy process (BSDELs). The comparison theorem is obtained. It is also shown that the solution of BSDE provides a viscosity solution of the associated system with partial integro-differential equations.
Measuring Operator's Pain: Toward Evaluating Musculoskeletal Disorder at Work

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have affected an increasing number of people in the active general population. In this perspective, we developed a measuring tool taking muscle activities in certain regions of the body, standing posture taking the center of pressure under the feet and feet positions. This tool also comprises an instrumented helmet containing an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity, and an accelerometer reporting the movements of the head. Then, our tool comprises both non-invasive instrumented insole and safety helmet. Moreover, the same tool measures muscular activities in specific regions of the body using an electromyogram (EMG). The aim is to combine all the data in order to identify consistent patterns between brain activity, postures, movements and muscle activity, and then, understand their connection to the development of MSDs. This paper presents three situations reported to be a risk for MSDs and an analysis of the signals is presented in order to differentiate adequate or abnormal posture.
Distributed Energy Beamforming and Information Transfer for Multiway Relay Networks

In this paper, we propose a distributed energy beamforming and information transfer (DEBIT) scheme for realizing simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) in multiway relay networks (MWRNs), where multiple users exchange messages with the help of an energy-constrained relay node. We investigate the sum-rate maximization as well as the harvested power maximization problems for the proposed scheme. The resultant sum-rate maximization problem is non-convex and the global optimal solution can be obtained through a 3-D search in combination with convex optimization. To reduce the computation complexity, a suboptimal DEBIT scheme is also proposed, for which the optimization problem becomes linear programming. The achievable sum-rate performance is analyzed and a closed-form lower bound is derived for the MWRN with a large number of users. Furthermore, we consider the harvested-power maximization problem under a target sum-rate constraint and derive a lower bound of the average harvested power for MWRNs with a large number of users. Numerical results show that the DEBIT scheme significantly outperforms the conventional SWIPT and the derived lower bounds are tight.
Adoption of mobile social networking sites for learning?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence users’ behavioral intention (BI) to adopt mobile social networking sites (mSNS) in facilitating formal/informal learning. Specifically, the study also investigates the association of mobility, reachability and convenience with performance expectancy (PE) and effort expectancy (EE). Design/methodology/approach – Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to test on 266 valid responses. Findings – The findings indicated that learning compatibility (LC), PE, EE and copyright clearance (CC) has a significant effect on BI. The results also revealed that EE is influenced by mobility, reachability and convenience. PE however was found to be influenced by convenience. Practical implications – The results of this study provides valuable insights and references for practitioners and mobile network providers in developing mSNS in facilitating learning. Originality/value – While mSNS have the potential .
Education and the Struggle for Democracy the Politics of Educational Ideas

Introduction - the politics of educational ideas education, politics and society democratic theory and democratic education "gentling the masses" - the 19th century origins of English education tradition "secondary education for all" - the struggle for democratic education in 20th century England the battle of ideas and the rise of the New Right coalition in England the New Right offensive and the demise of democratic education in England Conclusion - democratic education in the 21st century.