Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does oil price variability affect ASEAN exchange rates? Evidence from panel cointegration test

ABSTRACT Using panel data, this article investigates the long-run relationship between real oil prices and real exchange rates for selected ASEAN countries by utilizing quarterly data from 1973:Q1 to 2013:Q4. The modelling implementation starts with the determination of the stationarity condition of the variables which are found to be integrated of order one. Using Maddala and Wu’s (1999) panel cointegration test, the article finds evidence of cointegration among the variables. The fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and dynamic OLS (DOLS) are then used to estimate the long-run relationship between the variables, followed by applying Toda–Yamamoto causality test. The findings exhibit bidirectional causality between real oil prices and real exchange rates in the long run, where it is highly significant.
Unbundling Dynamic Capabilities: an Exploratory Study of Continuous Product Innovation

In order to understand better the organizational sources of continuous innovation, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of Oticon A-S, a leading company in the hearing-aid industry, which showed an impressive ability to develop new products in the nineties. Findings highlight that dynamic capabilities are made up of: knowledge creation and absorption, knowledge integration and knowledge reconfiguration. Discussion links the findings to previous literature and shows how these knowledge-based processes are all based on a coherent mix of organizational resources. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
Earnings Management in the Spanish Hotel Industry

An analysis of more than 1,990 Spanish hotel firms, large and small, over a period of five years found evidence that operating executives are not indifferent to earnings outcomes. As found in previous studies of other industries in other countries, the distribution of earnings outcomes shows a discontinuity near zero, such that one finds abnormally large numbers of observations for the interval immediately above zero and abnormally small numbers of observations immediately below zero. While the motivation of managers to avoid small losses remains open to speculation, it is clear that managers have at least some ability to manipulate profit and earnings figures. Although possible changes in stock values is one likely motivation for earnings manipulation, only two of the firms in this study are publicly traded (albeit their presence may skew results because of size). Explanations for this anomaly other than earnings manipulation do not seem to apply (such as company size or measurement error).
Feasibility of Delta-Shaped Anastomoses in Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy

Background: Delta-shaped (DS) anastomosis is a new reconstruction method for totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) using a linear stapler. We evaluated the feasibility of using this method for TLDG. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 114 patients who underwent TLDG with DS anastomosis. Twenty-four patients reconstructed with a Roux-en-Y (RY) anastomosis during the same period were analyzed as control subjects. Results: The patient characteristics of DS and RY anastomoses were slightly different in terms of tumor location and extent of lymph node dissection, since this was not a prospective comparative study. Blood loss, postoperative complication rate and postoperative hospital stay were not different between the two groups. There was only 1 case of anastomotic leakage, and no case of anastomotic stricture after DS anastomosis. The length of the operation using DS anastomosis was significantly shorter than for RY anastomosis. The rates of body weight loss were not significantly different at 1 year after the operation. Conclusions: Although this was a small retrospective analysis, DS anastomosis was feasible, required a shorter operation time, and had no associated complications. This method can therefore be recommended as a standard procedure for TLDG.
Acute Modulation of Cortical Glutamate and GABA Content by Physical Activity

Converging evidence demonstrates that physical activity evokes a brain state characterized by distinctive changes in brain metabolism and cortical function. Human studies have shown that physical activity leads to a generalized increase in electroencephalography power across regions and frequencies, and a global increase in brain nonoxidative metabolism of carbohydrate substrates. This nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrate has been hypothesized to include increased de novo synthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, especially glutamate and GABA. Here, we conducted a series of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies in human volunteers before and after vigorous exercise (≥80% of predicted maximal heart rate). Results showed that the resonance signals of both glutamate and GABA increased significantly in the visual cortex following exercise. We further demonstrated a similar increase in glutamate following exercise in an executive region, the anterior cingulate cortex. The increase in glutamate was similar when using echo times of 30 and 144 ms, indicating that exercise-related T2 relaxation effects across this range of relaxation times did not account for the findings. In addition, we found preliminary evidence that more physical activity during the preceding week predicts higher resting glutamate levels. Overall, the results are consistent with an exercise-induced expansion of the cortical pools of glutamate and GABA, and add to a growing understanding of the distinctive brain state associated with physical activity. A more complete understanding of this brain state may reveal important insights into mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise in neuropsychiatric disorders, neurorehabilitation, aging, and cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Increasing evidence suggests that distinctly different brain states are associated with sedentary behavior compared with physically active behavior. Metabolic studies show that the nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrates by the brain increases greatly during vigorous activity. Prior studies have suggested that one component of this metabolic shift may involve increasing the reserves of neurotransmitters in the brain via de novo synthesis from carbohydrate substrates. The current study reports the results of three experiments that support this hypothesis by showing increased cortical content of glutamate and GABA following physical activity. Understanding how brain metabolism and function differ during sedentary versus active behavioral states may provide important insights into the neurotherapeutic potential of exercise.
The process and structure of user participation: a BPM system implementation case study

Purpose – The aim of this study is to debunk the relationship between user participation practices and the development and success of information systems/information technology implementations. While most studies practically rely on how many participation activities are performed, the process through which users engage in user participation is not specified. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method approach was applied to study the research questions. A number of relationships were tested by survey data collected among 143 end-users and 49 interviews of employees of a large Dutch social insurance organization that implemented a new and integrative business process management (BPM) system. Findings – The results show that specification of the participation context is of key importance for understanding the success of BPM implementation. Quantitative and qualitative analyses show that rich participation activities hold a stronger positive relationship with the BPM system development and implementation s.
Designing Effective Websites: The Moderating Role of User Internet Experience

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of various aspects relating to execution of a Website: Presentation format, quantity and type of content. We developed experimental Websites and we found that in high-involvement context this effectiveness is not influenced as much by the format of presentation of the Website as by the quantity and type of content offered. The extension of the Website content generates more favorable, affective and behavioral responses only when such extension has an informative nature. Moreover, we found evidence of the moderating role of the individual's Web experience in the advertising persuasion process. Therefore, the results of this investigation can provide recommendations to the organizations on how to create effective Websites.
Study on optimum fusion algorithms of IKONOS high spatial resolution remote sensing image

IKONOS image provides the 1m high spatial panchromatic and the 4 m multi-spectral data, which can be fused to improve the class accuracy of visual or computer interpretation. The fusion techniques have been developed an important remote sensing research topic. In this paper, with the IKONOS image of CHONGQING acquired on May 23, 2010 as the experimental data, several image fusion algorithms as commonly used in the image fusion experiment were applied; analysis for the experimental results were made on the basis of two remote sensing image processing softwares: ENVI 4.7 and ERDAS 9.3. It is shown that Gram-schmidt fusion algorithm of ENVI 4.7 is the optimum method for IKONOS high spatial resolution remote sensing image.
Getting There and Staying There: Low-income Students and Post-secondary Education

Foreword Ensuring widespread access to higher education serves two of Canada's highest goals – achieving a high standard of living and sustaining social cohesion. Research shows that participation at the post-secondary level is influenced in part by the ability to finance the cost, and in part by non-financial factors such as early childhood experiences and the effectiveness of secondary school information and counselling services. and then creates a more integrated picture of the factors affecting access and continuation by students from low-income families. He also explores the policy implications of what we now know about access issues. The study shows that, non-financial considerations are at least as important as cost. Indeed, a child's future educational pathway is shaped in the early years and is strongly influenced by the parents' education. This means that decision-makers across all sectors (and parents too) should be placing much more emphasis on such factors as: early intervention to support the educational achievement and future aspirations of all children, especially those from low-income families; the need for improved information and counselling services in our secondary schools; and the value of vocational alternatives to a university degree or college diploma. This does not mean that reforming tuition and financial aid policies should be ignored. It does mean that student finances are only one piece of the puzzle. I would like to thank Patrice de Broucker for his thoughtful analysis of the implications of this research. I would also like to thank Katherine Mortimer, who provided research assistance, and the participants in a Roundtable held in November 2004, which reviewed the preliminary findings. Finally, I want to express our appreciation of the financial support provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (the primary funder) and Alberta Human Resources and Employment. Executive Summary 21st Century Canada competes in the world market more with knowledge and skills than by trading in natural resources or the fruits of low-priced labour. Unlike the minerals, forests, fish and furs on which our economy was built, creation of knowledge and skills is in our power. But if we are to sustain our high standard of living, we must work at their creation vigorously and consistently. Creating and maintaining educational institutions, while critically important, is not all that's required to keep the labour force and society strong. We must also ensure that opportunity to participate in the knowledge society is spread equitably through the …
Technological Innovation for China’s Logistics Industry

China’s logistics industry has started to pay attention to adopt more efficient logistics technologies to provide better services for their customers. This paper employes the questionnaire survey to study the factors influencing the adoption of technological innovations by logistics service providers in China as well as the influences of technological innovation on supply chain performance. Technological innovations are categorized into data acquisition technologies, information technologies, warehousing technologies, and transportation technologies. The results show that the adoption of technological innovations is significantly influenced by technological, organizational and environmental factors, and adopting innovative technologies will increase supply chain performance for the logistics industry in China.
Temporal Organization of Activity in the Cerebellar Cortex: A Manifesto for Synchrony

Abstract: The issues of temporal coding and the temporal organization of activity have aroused a great deal of interest in sensory systems, cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus. Strangely, despite the important timing roles attributed to the cerebellum, little consideration has been given to the organization of activity within the cerebellar circuitry. In fact, there is evidence of a remarkable temporal patterning of activity in even the earliest cerebellar recordings. The evidence for the existence of high‐frequency oscillations in the cerebellar cortex is reviewed and possible mechanisms are discussed; one involves the synchrony of parallel fiber inputs to Purkinje cells. It is shown how synchronous and oscillatory activity can enable extremely precise timing and also how they can maximize the information storage capacity of the cerebellar cortex.
Relationship between Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation after Successful Electrical Cardioversion: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was undertaken to examine the relationship between plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after successful electrical cardioversion. The literature search was conducted using key inclusion criteria for papers published between January 1980 and March 2011 listed in the PubMed®/MEDLINE® database. Data were analysed using RevMan version 5.1 software; a manual search was also performed. Ten studies were finally included. Results showed that baseline BNP levels were higher in patients with AF recurrence than in those without recurrence, the standardized mean difference in plasma BNP level being −1.35 (95% confidence interval −2.17, −0.53, Z-score for overall effect 3.22). These results suggest that higher plasma BNP levels are associated with a greater risk of AF recurrence. BNP levels may predict AF recurrence after successful electrical cardioversion.
Bladder exstrophy: reconstructed female patients achieving normal pregnancy and delivering normal babies.

PURPOSE Bladder exstrophy (BE) is an anterior midline defect that causes a series of genitourinary and muscular malformations, which demands surgical intervention for correction. Women with BE are fertile and able to have children without this disease. The purpose of this study is to assess the sexual function and quality of life of women treated for BE. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients in our institution treated for BE from 1987 to 2007 were recruited to answer a questionnaire about their quality of life and pregnancies. RESULTS Fourteen women were submitted to surgical treatment for BE and had 22 pregnancies during the studied period. From those, 17 pregnancies (77.2%) resulted in healthy babies, while four patients (18.1%) had a spontaneous abortion due to genital prolapse, and there was one case (4.7%) of death due to a pneumopathy one week after delivery. There was also one case (5.8%) of premature birth without greater repercussions. During pregnancy, three patients (21.4%) had urinary tract infections and one patient (7.14%) presented urinary retention. After delivery, three patients (21.4%) presented temporary urinary incontinence; one patient (7.14%) had a vesicocutaneous fistula and seven patients (50%) had genital prolapsed. All patients confirmed to have achieved urinary continence, a regular sexual life and normal pregnancies. All patients got married and pregnant older than the general population. CONCLUSIONS BE is a severe condition that demands medical and family assistance. Nevertheless, it is possible for the bearers of this condition to have a satisfactory and productive lifestyle.
Assessment of variation of wedge factor with depth, field size and SSD for Neptun 10PC Linac in Mashhad Imam Reza Hospital

Background: In radiotherapy, wedge filters are used for optimizing the tumor dose distribution in patients. The attenuation in beam intensity due to the presence of wedge filter is compensated by means of a wedge factor measured at the central axis of the beam. The field size, depth and SSD dependence of wedge factor have been assessed for 9MV radiations of Neptun PC linear accelerator. Materials and Methods: Wedge factors (WF) at different SSD, field size (FS) and depth (d) in water were measured for 8 steel wedges with different sizes and angles of 15, 30, 45, and 60 degree. Experimental data were obtained using Neptun 10PC, Linac 9MV X-ray machine, a 3D water phantom, dosimeters and an electrometer. To study the effect of field size on WF, the wedge factor was measured for square field sizes from 5×5 to 20×20 cm, with 1 cm increment intervals for all wedges; and, at the depth of 10 cm, SSD of 100 cm with monitor unit (MU) of 80. Effects of depth on WF were studied by measurement in various depths from 3-19cm for all wedge angles at SSD of 100cm, field size of 10×10cm and 80 MU irradiation. Effects of SSD on WF were investigated by a variation of SSD from 90-110cm with 5cm increment intervals; while the dosimeter was set at depth of 10cm and field size of 10×10cm were irradiated for 80MU. Results: Linear dependence of WF with field size and depth of measurements were confirmed with 95% certainty. Shapiro-Wilk test, showed that the residual data of the regression tests have normal distributions (P>0.05). There was also found no linear relationship between WF and SSD (P>0.05). Conclusion: WF has linear dependence with field size and depth of measurements, but the rate of variations are less than 2.2% per 10cm variation in field size and less than 1.3% per 10 cm variation in depth of measurements, therefore, correction of WF for field size and depth of treatments in clinical trials is negligible. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2004; 2 (2): 53-58
Team Human Capital and Worker Mobility

We discuss the concept of “team human capital” and study the renegotiation of labor compensation after team members privately observe their own reservation wage. As labor productivity can only be high if the number of quits does not exceed a threshold, decisions concerning acceptance of individual wage demands become interdependent. When a team is made up of salaried workers, a peculiar case of efficiency wage results. Moreover, inefficient team dissolution may occur. We then show that inefficiency is less likely to occur when team members form a partnership.
Multivariate Cointegration Analysis of Aggregate Exports: Empirical Evidence for the United States, Canada, and Germany

A shortcoming of most empirical studies on aggregate exports is their exclusive focus on the demand side. Moreover, the effect of globalization is often neglected leading to implausibly high income elasticities. This paper models export demand and supply simultaneously and incorporates a new proxy for globalization. Owing to the non-stationarity of the data, the vector error correction model is the appropriate econometric framework. Using the Johansen procedure, two cointegration relationships are found and identified as export supply and demand. Overidentifying restrictions derived from economic theory are tested. Finally, after checking for weak exogeneity, a parsimonious partial model is presented and the adjustment paths of the endogenous variables are discussed.
In vitro modeling of respiratory syncytial virus infection of pediatric bronchial epithelium, the primary target of infection in vivo

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major viral cause of severe pulmonary disease in young infants worldwide. However, the mechanisms by which RSV causes disease in humans remain poorly understood. To help bridge this gap, we developed an ex vivo/in vitro model of RSV infection based on well-differentiated primary pediatric bronchial epithelial cells (WD-PBECs), the primary targets of RSV infection in vivo. Our RSV/WD-PBEC model demonstrated remarkable similarities to hallmarks of RSV infection in infant lungs. These hallmarks included restriction of infection to noncontiguous or small clumps of apical ciliated and occasional nonciliated epithelial cells, apoptosis and sloughing of apical epithelial cells, occasional syncytium formation, goblet cell hyperplasia/metaplasia, and mucus hypersecretion. RSV was shed exclusively from the apical surface at titers consistent with those in airway aspirates from hospitalized infants. Furthermore, secretion of proinflammatory chemokines such as CXCL10, CCL5, IL-6, and CXCL8 reflected those chemokines present in airway aspirates. Interestingly, a recent RSV clinical isolate induced more cytopathogenesis than the prototypic A2 strain. Our findings indicate that this RSV/WD-PBEC model provides an authentic surrogate for RSV infection of airway epithelium in vivo. As such, this model may provide insights into RSV pathogenesis in humans that ultimately lead to successful RSV vaccines or therapeutics.
Colonist Land‐Allocation Decisions, Land Use, and Deforestation in the Ecuadorian Amazon Frontier

As one of the last agricultural frontiers of the humid tropics, Amazonia is the largest area of the world currently undergoing frontier settlement. Although the earliest intrusions of foreign populations into Amazonia date from pre-Hispanic times, the large-scale entrance of peasant colonists into the vast region is a recent phenomenon. Much of this movement represents the spontaneous migration of peoples, but governments in the region have also become increasingly interested in opening up and integrating Amazonia to national and international economies. These actions are frequently seen as potential solutions to a number of national problems, including the need to increase agricultural production, correct spatial imbalances in the distribution of population, exploit frontier lands for reasons of national security, and defuse potentially serious political problems resulting from the existing agrarian structure, landlessness, and unemployment. The upper basin of the Amazon in Ecuador, bordering on the eastern slopes of the Andes, is one such area of frontier settlement. Recent decades have witnessed the rapid conversion of these Amazonian forests to agricultural uses through a series of schemes bearing such labels as land development and colonization. Most forest intervention in the region has come at the hands of colonist farmers attempting to establish land claims along transport routes originally constructed to aid in petroleum exploration and exploitation. These are farmers who formerly have made a living in long-established farmlands and who, for various reasons (population pressures, pervasive poverty, maldistribution of farmland, lack of inputs for intensive cultivation, lack of nonagrarian livelihood opportunities, and generally inadequate rural development) have been increasingly squeezed out of their homelands. A marginal person by virtue of his low socioeconomic and political status, the farmer often perceives