Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adolescent Time Preferences Predict Lifetime Outcomes

This study investigates the relationship between time preferences and lifetime social and economic outcomes. We use a Swedish longitudinal data set that links information from a large survey on children's time preferences at age 13 to administrative registers spanning over five decades. Our results indicate a substantial adverse relationship between high discount rates and school performance, health, labour supply and lifetime income. Males and high-ability children gain significantly more from being future oriented. These discrepancies are largest regarding outcomes later in life. We also show that the relationship between time preferences and long-run outcomes operates through early human capital investments.
Effect of surface boundary on neuronal magnetic stimulation

The effect of the surface boundary between free space and a conducting medium on the excitation properties of neurons by magnetic fields is analyzed. The electric field and the spatial derivative of the induced field generated by a coil mounted both parallel and perpendicular to the surface of a semi-infinite conducting medium were calculated using the method of images. An imaginary axon is located in the same relative position from the coil in both configurations and the excitation properties are compared. The calculations are expressed in terms of the activating function for the electrical stimulation of axons. The calculations indicate that the activating function of magnetic stimulation is biphasic as opposed to triphasic for electrical stimulation. The large spatial extent of the magnetically induced electric field compared to the electric field generated by a point source electrode suggests a different mode of excitation for neuronal structures in the CNS. The field distribution has been verified experimentally. <<ETX>>
The JSE socially responsible investment index and the state of sustainability reporting in South Africa

The JSE Limited (JSE) in South Africa is the first bourse in an emerging market to develop a sustainability index for its top 160 listed companies. This article provides an overview of the Index methodology and uses the first and second rounds of the Index to assess the state of sustainability reporting among participating companies. It describes general trends related to priority issues in companies' reports, the extent and manner of reporting, and which kinds of companies are emerging as leaders in reporting. More detailed patterns of reporting are considered with respect to the four key categories in the Index: corporate governance, society, economy and environment. The article also considers the role of the Index in terms of the nascent socially responsible investment (SRI) movement in South Africa. It argues that a number of challenges need to be met in order to enhance the impact of the Index and of SRI on corporate behaviour in South Africa and Africa.
WAD project where attractor dynamics aids wheelchair navigation

The WAD project is aimed to provide limited autonomy to electrical wheelchairs. The primary focus is to provide a secure obstacle avoidance behavior based on infrared distance sensors which generate contributions to the heading direction dynamics that steers the wheelchair away from obstructions. Moreover, the attractor dynamics approach is used to integrate the obstacle avoidance behavior to a user defined target acquisition behavior, in which the direction and the distance to the target are indicated by the user at different points in time.
The assessment of change in training and therapy

quired systematic scaling of questionnaires on all the independent and dependent variables, measuring the extent to which individuals have the ideal characteristics of the larger setting, and relating their setting to their life styles in the plant and the community. This could have been done with little additional effort. A complex project of this type calls for use of advanced statistical methods. The assumption of homogeneity of the population in this community need not have been made in the analysis. Methods such as multiple regression provide a rigor and precision for describing complex individual relationships. The availability of computers, advances in statistics, and refinements in research design suggest it is time to modify traditional research approaches. The authors set themselves a goal not of settling issues but of "providing controversy with more and better data on which to feed. " They do a good job. The criticism is that they could have done it much better with greater attention to their research design and proper use of statistics. Arlyn J. Melcher Professor Department of Management Kent State University
Smart Recognition System for the Alphanumeric - Content in Car License Plates

A license plate recognition system is an automatic system that is able to recognize a license plate number, extracted from an image device. Such system is useful in many fields and places: parking lots, private and public entrances, border control, theft and vandalism control. In our paper we designed such a system. First we separated each digit from the license plate using image processing tools. Then we built a classifier, using a training set based on digits extracted from approximately 350 license plates. Our approach is considered to identify vehicle through recognizing of its license plate using two different types of neural networks: Hopfield and the multi layer perceptron "MLP". A comparative result has shown the ability to recognize the license plate successfully.
The reliability and validity of the short version of the WHO Quality of Life Instrument in an Arab general population

Background and Objectives: There is rising interest in quality of life (QOL) research in Arabian countries. The aim of this study was to assess in a nationwide sample of Kuwaiti subjects the reliability and validity of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), a shorter version of the widely used QOL assessment instrument that comprises 26 items in the domains of physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and the environment. Methods: A one-in-three systematic random proportionate sample of consenting Kuwaiti nationals attending large cooperative stores and municipal government offices in the six governorates completed the Arabic translation of the questionnaire. The indices assessed included test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item internal consistency (IIC), item discriminant validity (IDV), known-groups and construct validity. Results: There were 3303 participants (44.8% males, 55.2% females, mean age 35.4 years, range 16 to 87 years). The intra-class correlation for the test-retest statistic and the internal consistency values for the full questionnaire and the domains had a Cronbach′s alpha? 0.7. Of the 24 items that constitute the domains, 21 met the IIC requirement of correlation ? 0.4 with the corresponding domain, while 16 met the IDV criterion of having a higher correlation with their corresponding domain than other domains. Domain scores discriminated significantly between well and sick groups. In the factor analysis, four strong factors emerged with the same construct as in the WHO report. Conclusion: The Arabic translation of the WHOQOL-BREF has impressive reliability and validity indices. The poor IDV findings are due to the multidimensional nature of the questionnaire. The highly significant validity indices should reassure researchers that the questionnaire represents the same constructs across cultures. Negatively worded items possibly need refinement.
Progress in Spatial Demography1

BACKGROUND Demography is an inherently spatial science, yet the application of spatial data and methods to demographic research has tended to lag that of other disciplines. In recent years, there has been a surge in interest in adding a spatial perspective to demography. This sharp rise in interest has been driven in part by rapid advances in geospatial data, new technologies, and methods of analysis. OBJECTIVES We offer a brief introduction to four of the advanced spatial analytic methods: spatial econometrics, geographically weighted regression, multilevel modeling, and spatial pattern analysis. We look at both the methods used and the insights that can be gained by applying a spatial perspective to demographic processes and outcomes. To help illustrate these substantive insights, we introduce six papers that are included in a Special Collection on Spatial Demography. We close with some predictions for the future, as we anticipate that spatial thinking and the use of geospatial data, technology, and analytical methods will change how many demographers address important demographic research questions. CONCLUSION Many important demographic questions can be studied and framed using spatial approaches. This will become even more evident as changes in the volume, source, and form of available demographic data—much of it geocoded—further alter the data landscape, and ultimately the conceptual models and analytical methods used by demographers. This overview provides a brief introduction to a rapidly changing field.
Japanese Foreign Direct Investment: Wealth Effects From Purchases and Sales of U.S. Assets

i As the dollar has depreciated relative to many foreign currencies recently, foreign acquisitions of U.S. firms and assets have increased.1 In the 1970s and early 1980s, most foreign acquirers were from the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands. By 1987, Japanese individuals and companies owned or controlled more U.S. assets than did any other class of foreign investors.2 This paper addresses several key issues regarding Japanese direct investment in the U.S. The market for cross-
Choosing Whom to Trust

Presidential cabinets include on average more nonparty ministers than governments in any other form of democracy, and critics of presidentialism have argued that this compromises representativeness, accountability, and governability. Yet cabinet partisanship in presidential democracies remains poorly understood. Existing studies argue that the partisan composition of cabinets reflects the degree to which presidents prioritize building legislative support. We demonstrate that a better understanding of government formation requires attention to a second dimension of choice: agency risks. Focusing on the relationship between presidents and their own parties, which is at the core of every presidential government, we show that party-affiliated ministers are not always reliable agents for presidents and that presidents appoint nonpartisan ministers to limit agency loss. We test this argument using original data on the partisanship of single-party cabinets in 12 Latin American countries and find support for the key claims.
News: A Decision-Oriented Model for New Product Analysis and Forecasting

Modeling efforts in the area of new product introductions have had a significant impact on marketing planning and strategy. One result of these efforts, BBDO's New Product Early Warning System (NEWS), has been used since the late 1960s to provide marketing managers with forecasts and diagnostic information regarding their new product strategies. This article presents the specification of the NEWS model, its parameter estimation methods, and its validation. A brief case history is also included which illustrates how the model is applied in a typical new product situation. NEWS is designed to use a variety of readily obtainable input data to generate forecasts of consumer awareness, trial, repeat purchase, usage, sales, and market share for a new brand. These outputs, combined with diagnostics from the model, can then be incorporated into the marketing plan in a way that will improve the new entry's chances of success in the marketplace. The model can be used to project early test market data (NEWS/Market); or it can be used to analyze pre-test market data (NEWS/Planner).
GLMC: interconnect length estimation by growth-limited multifold clustering

In this paper, interconnection length estimation is discussed and a general, simple, fast and efficient estimation technique is proposed. In contrast to traditional average length estimation techniques, such as the one based on Rent's rule, the new technique utilizes the topological information of the actual netlist and estimates the length of each interconnection separately. The result of the estimation can be directly used to assign a reasonable R and C to each interconnect, including long and wide buses. Consequently, the new technique enhances the accuracy of power and delay estimations at higher design levels of abstraction.
Classifying short agrifood supply chains under a knowledge and social learning perspective

Abstract In the general movement toward agrifood market restructuring, a form of collaboration is represented by alternative agrifood networks (AAFNs). The power and competitive advantage of AAFNs depend on continuous interactions among producers and consumers through learning cycles that allow producers to learn faster and better. This paper explores short agrifood supply chains (SAFSCs), a particular form of AAFNs characterized by minimizing connections between the world of agrifood production and consumption, fostering social interactions between people, and boosting innovation processes. In particular, our contribution is to explore the strong connections between organizational choices, evident in network configuration and collaboration level, and ways in which social capital is deployed in SAFSCs initiatives. We develop an SAFSC classification and analysis framework that takes into account social capital dimensions and levels of collaboration within the main groups of SAFSC partners. The rationale is to provide a conceptual basis for understanding the effects of reinforced collaboration on social growth and organizational performances of SAFSCs.
Factors associated with auditor changes: a Singapore study

Abstract The increasing concern over auditor independence makes auditor changes an important area of research. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors associated with auditor changes. The sample comprises 54 auditor-change SES (Stock Exchange of Singapore) companies and 54 non-auditor-change SES companies, matched by year and country of incorporation over a 10-year period from 1986 to 1995. Descriptive statistics and logit analysis are used to analyse the data and 16 auditor-change variables. The findings provide support to the belief that auditor changes are more likely in cases where firms engage smaller audit firms, change their management composition, experience a lower diffusion of ownership, experience an increase in income manipulation opportunities, have higher leverage, have many subsidiaries, or have more rapid growth. Further analysis also indicates that firm characteristics can explain the direction of auditor changes.
Which citizens do elected officials target with distributive spending? Experimental tests of office holders' targeting strategies *

The distributive politics literature is unresolved as to whether politicians target swing voters or core supporters with distributive spending and whether citizens’ propensity to turnout affects this targeting strategy. To address this question, I use a unique data set with a novel research design for this literature—a survey experiment on local U.S. policymakers. Respondents are asked to advise a hypothetical city councilor on which of two neighborhoods (whose political characteristics are experimentally manipulated) to target with a local project. Among other things, I find that local officials, on average, target swing neighborhoods over core ones because they believe that swing voters are more likely than core voters to electorally punish politicians for targeting other groups. In addition, they overwhelmingly target high turnout neighborhoods over low turnout ones because they do not believe that distributive spending has much of a mobilization effect. This latter finding has important implications for representation at the local level.
The Speed of Leaving the Old Job: A Study on Job Changes and Exit into Unemployment during the East German Transition Process ⁄

The first period of the transition to a market economy was characterised by a high rate of job-change in many transition countries. This was no dierent for East Germany. This paper analyses the consequences of the transition process for East German workers in their old job. We quantify the speed at which they change their jobs for a new one or enter unemployment by studying a sample of job spells drawn form the German Socio-Economic Panel-East. The study focuses the period from July 1990 to December 1993, thus a period after the introduction of the German Economic, Monetary, and Social Union. We estimate the eects of important covariates on the transition rates from the old job into a new and into unemployment by a standard competing-risks duration model. Our results suggest that the speed of exit into new jobs rises with skills. We also find that old firms managed to keep workers with relatively good job matches. The special short-time allowances, a labour market program that was in force until the end of 1991, slowed down the exit rate into unemployment prior to its end. We find that workers increased their rate of job-change temporarily at around the period in which this program ended.
Northern Governments in Transition: Political and Constitutional Development in the Yukon, Nunavut and the Western Northwest Territories Kirk Cameron and Graham White Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, 1995, pp. vi, 151

much more inclined toward central planning, and therefore institutionalized planning mechanisms, than their Conservative and Social Credit opponents. Premiers of the right (and centre) were less enthusiastic about formal cabinet structures. As a result, institutionalized cabinets were much later coming to Manitoba and British Columbia than they were to Saskatchewan. Yet ideology alone does not determine the shape of a cabinet system. Another important argument made by Dunn is the idiosyncratic nature of formalizing cabinet structures. It is very much premier-dependent. Social Credit Premier W. A. C. Bennett dominated the cabinet throughout his 20-year regime in British Columbia. Planning was centralized in the premier's office. Yet when New Democrat David Barrett became premier in 1972, the cabinet system did not instantly begin to resemble other social democratic governments. Instead, centralized planning was piecemeal, with Barrett torn between a desire to implement a more formalized system and his natural lone-wolf tendencies. The mini-biographies of each premier that Dunn provides at the start of each chapter highlight the importance of the personality variable. Like snowflakes, no two cabinet systems are alike, and each one carries a reflection of the premier behind the framework. Finally, despite the role of ideology and personality, Dunn provides a persuasive argument that it is difficult to turn back once on the road to an institutionalized cabinet. Some premiers, notably Ross Thatcher in Saskatchewan and Sterling Lyon in Manitoba, unseated CCF or NDP governments and tried to replace the formal, structured cabinet system with a more relaxed yet centrally controlled setup. They were only marginally successful in their attempts. Once a system of central agencies, support staff and advisors, cabinet committees and secretaries is established, eliminating them to rely on informal decision-making processes becomes difficult. There is a lot to be found in Dunn's work. He supplies a detailed analysis of the development of institutionalized cabinets in western Canada. However, as Dunn himself concludes, the number and choice of provinces in his study limits the general applicability of his findings. Ideology and personality are prime determinants of cabinet development in western Canada, where governments are characterized by stark contrasts in ideology and premiers are noted for their often-flamboyant personalities. It is worth contemplating the role these two variables would play in other parts of the country.
Challenges of Korea's Foreign Direct Investment-Led Globalization: Multinational Corporations' Perceptions

Following the economic and financial crisis of 1997, the Korean government has made attempts to move the economy towards a neoclassical economic growth paradigm based on inward foreign direct investment (FDI), and seemingly replacing the old strategic model of state-led development, which has been dominant for over three decades. Notwithstanding the government's significant efforts and the IMF's praise of Korea's financial crisis recovery as ‘remarkable’, the FDI-led globalization strategy and the government behaviour are still often perceived as inconsistent, inefficient, unpredictable and xenophobic by many in the international business community. This article presents insights into those prevailing perceptions through interviews conducted with 47 senior executives of foreign companies and various foreign chambers of commerce in Korea between 2005 and 2006.
Liquidity-Induced Dynamics in Futures Markets

Futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange are the most liquid instruments for trading crude oil, which is the world’s most actively traded physical commodity. Under normal market conditions, traders can easily find counterparties for their trades, resulting in an efficient market with virtually no return predictability. Yet even this extremely liquid instrument suffers from liquidity shocks that induce periods of increased volatility and significant return predictability. This paper identifies an important and recurring cause of these shocks: the accumulation of extreme and opposing positions by the two main trader classes in the market, namely hedgers and speculators. As positions become extreme, approaching their historical limits, counterparties for trades become scarce and prices must adjust to induce trade. These liquidity-induced price adjustments are found to be driven by systematic speculative behavior and are determined to be significant.
Normal fetal growth pattern in a Nigerian population

The objective of this study was to establish normal reference range values for gestational age-specific fetal weights for normal pregnancies in our population. A longitudinal prospective assessment of fetal weight in healthy pregnant women was carried out. The subjects were recruited at 20 or 22 weeks' gestation and concluded at 40 or 42 weeks' respectively. The numerical data were analysed on an IBM personal systems 2 computer with statistical and graphical packages. From a mean of 407·27 g at 20 week gestation, the fetal weight progressively increased to 3630·00 g at 42 weeks' gestation. There were two growth spurs; 2830 weeks' and 3436 weeks' gestation, respectively. Gestational age-specific reference range values of fetal weight has been derived for our population. The 5th and 95th centiles should be taken as the lower and upper limits of normal, respectively.
1-{[4′-(1H-1,2,4-Triazol-2-ium-1-ylmethyl)biphenyl-4-yl]methyl}-1H-1,2,4-triazol-2-ium bis(3-carboxy-5-iodobenzoate)–5-iodobenzene-3,5-dicarboxylic acid–water (1/2/2)

The neutral carboxylic acid molecule and the carboxylate anion in the title compound, C18H18N6 2+·2C8H4IO4 −·2C8H5IO4·2H2O, are both nearly planar (r.m.s. deviations = 0.034 and 0.045 Å, respectively). In the cation, the mid-point of the C—C bond linking the two benzene rings lies on a center of inversion, and the triazole ring is approximately perpendicular to the adjacent benzene ring [dihedral angle = 83.2 (3)°]. In the crystal, the cations, anions, carboxylic acid and lattice water molecules are linked by N—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating a ribbon running along [1-10]. The crystal studied was a non-merohedral twin with the components in a 51.2 (1):48.8 (1) ratio.