Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutional Development and Business Group Affiliation Value: Theory and Evidence

In this paper, we attempt to understand whether business group affiliation continues to create value with improvements in institutional environment, especially with increased product market competition. This question comes at a time when there is growing awareness that business groups dominate product markets even in developed economies (Boutin et al., 2013) and their existence is not limited to poor institutional environments (Khanna and Palepu, 2000). Such evidence calls for revisiting the Institutional Voids theory that attributes business group dominance to lack of institutional development. Our paper aims to extend this stream of the literature by focusing on how business groups respond to institutional development. The question that is still wide open is how business groups transform their structure and continue to dominate the corporate landscape. Given that most of the emerging economies are going through significant institutional development and domestic business groups are transforming into global leaders, a deeper understanding of the business group model dominance and corresponding consumer welfare is much needed. We develop a simple theoretical model and set up a novel empirical methodology to examine this issue. Using Indian data of around 36,500 firm year observations spanning 23 years (1990-2012), we find that 1) Business group affiliation continues to create value against standalone firms even with institutional development. However, affiliation gains are relatively lower in the post-reform regime. 2) Business groups that expand through horizontal integration lose market value in the post-reform regime. This result is consistent with our theoretical model. 3) In the post-reform regime, vertical integration increases business group affiliation value only when business groups have deep pockets. This is consistent with Boutin et.al. (2013). In other words, deep pockets are required more when competition is high and not when it is low as predicted by the Institutional Voids Hypothesis. Our overall results suggests that, as markets develop, business group expansion strategy and their capacity to fund from their deep pockets become more critical for their sustainability. Our results highlight the need to look beyond Institutional Voids theory for existence of business groups.
Capturing an elusive phenomenon: developing and testing a multiple perspective model of marketing strategy implementation

This paper contributes to the definition and understanding of marketing strategy implementation (MSI). We use Suddaby's (2010) suggestions for construct clarity to propose an improved definition of the construct of MSI. Characterising MSI as a phenomenon with interdepartmental and individual level components, we draw together prior work from the intraorganisational conflict, social psychology, marketing interaction, motivation and organisational commitment literatures to propose a multiple-perspective model of MSI. Finally, we present some results of a small scale (N = 138) survey to examine the relationships suggested by the model. These preliminary findings suggest that the model has prima facie validity and may form the basis for useful future work.
Market Liquidity and Exposure of Hedge Funds

We examine whether the drastic improvement in liquidity in the US stockmarket after 2003 has impacted the systematic exposures of hedge funds to theUS-stock market. The relation between market exposure and Amihud’s illiquiditymeasure reverses significantly around a breakpoint situated somewherearound 2003. The results are robust to different fund selection criteria, volatilitytiming, the presence of illiquid holdings and the exact position of the breakpoint. Using the returns to a pairs trading strategy as a sorting criterion forcreating portfolios, we find that the effect is strongest for funds that have a significantlypositive loading on the pairs trading return. The results suggest thatbefore 2003, time-varying illiquidity led to a time-varying long bias in US-stockmarket exposure. The reversal of the relationship points towards liquidity timingby hedge funds in the most recent period, after the introduction of automatedtrading on the New York stock exchange in March 2003.
A review of CMOS analog circuits for image sensing application

A review of CMOS analog circuits for image sensing application is done. The study is done to summarize circuit technique and technology that were used in developing the circuits. Problems that were solved by the circuits are also reviewed. Several works on CMOS analog circuits from year 2001 to 2010 are discussed in this paper. The studies have shown that the works on the CMOS analog circuit has yet reach maturity level similar to portable wireless ICs. This could be due to no standard for ‘image signal’ unlike the RF/Communication signal. There is also no work on development of CAD for the circuits and system on chip.
Background Subtraction for Pattern Recognition in High Frequency Financial Data

Financial markets produce massive amounts of complex data from multiple agents, and analyzing these data is important for building an understanding of markets, their formation, and the influence of different trading strategies. We introduce a signal processing approach to deal with these complexities by applying background subtraction methods to high frequency financial data to extract significant market making behavior. In foreign exchange, for prices in a single currency pair from many sources, we model the market as a low-rank structure with an additive sparse component representing transient market making behavior. We consider case studies with real market data, showing both in-sample and online results, for how the model reveals pricing reactions that deviate from prevailing patterns. We place this study in context with alternative low-rank models used in econometrics as well as in high frequency financial models and discuss the broader implications of the melding of background subtraction, pattern recognition, and financial markets as it relates to algorithmic trading and risk. To our knowledge this is the first use of high-dimensional signal processing methods for pattern recognition in complex automated electronic markets.
Attitudes of Jordanian Mental Health Nurses Toward Mental Illness and Patients with Mental Illness

The purpose of this study was to examine Jordanian mental health nurses' attitudes toward mental illness and patients with mental illness. A descriptive correlational design was utilized to collect data from 92 mental health nurses in Jordan. Data was collected on nurses' attitudes toward mental illness and patients with mental disorder and their satisfaction with nursing care delivery. The Jordanian mental health nurses who participated in this study had negative attitudes toward mental illness and toward patients with mental disorders. About 60% of the mental health nurses had perceived patients with mental illness to be dangerous, immature, dirty, cold hearted, harmful, and pessimistic. In only two descriptions—being polite and adult—did nurses have positive perception about patients with mental illness. Mental health nurse were not satisfied with nursing care delivery. More than 70% of nurses were proud to be a mental health nurse. Age and gender were significant influential factors in forming the nurses' attitudes or satisfaction. Immediate intervention is needed to improve the quality of patient care provided by mental health nurses.
Sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and firm performances: moderating role of environmental regulation and perceived benefits

More attention has been shifted to the environmental impacts of manufacturing companies on firm performance as sustainable environmental manufacturing practice has become an issue of concern to most researchers and practitioners. Theoretical evidence from previous studies showed that a considerable amount of attention has been given to environmental issues in academic studies in the past years and the link between environmental practices and performance of firms has been widely discussed, which results into different views. Thus, the relationship between sustainable environmental practices and firm performance remains inconclusive. This study investigates the impact of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices (SEMP) on firm performance through the moderating effects of perceived benefits (PB) and environmental regulation (ER). In addition, the relationships between the antecedent factors and SEMP were investigated. Data was collected from manufacturing companies in Malaysia using a cross sectional study design and stratified random sampling method. 103 usable questionnaires were collected by using a mail survey method and analysed with SmartPLS-SEM. The result indicated that five out of the 12 hypothesized relationships (both the direct and moderating hypotheses) were supported. Specifically, the study found that top management commitment and stakeholder pressure positively influence sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and that sustainable environmental manufacturing practice has a direct positive influence on environmental performance. The study also established that perceived benefits moderates the relationship between sustainable environmental manufacturing practice and operational performance, while the relationship between sustainable environmental manufacturing practice and environmental performance is moderated by environmental regulation. In addition, it was found that sustainable environmental manufacturing practice is still regarded as ethical behaviour and yet to be considered as a strategic factor of firms in Malaysia. Hence, important implication f this study to the environmental regulatory policy makers, academics and manufacturing practitioners in Malaysia is to create more awareness on the perception of SEMP as a strategic factor towards achieving better firm performance. It also reveals the need for environmental policy makers and the concerned authorities to revisit the environmental regulations on manufacturing practices to provide supportive environmental policies that will enhance a better firm performance in the Malaysian manufacturing industry.
Drug Discovery and Target Validation

Recent drug discovery has been driven largely by a genomics-based approach. This revolution in pharmaceutics is based on localized expression of either a novel gene or homologue of a known gene found in cDNA libraries made from normal versus diseased tissue. The choice and quality of cDNA library is critical for the success of this approach. Expression is normally verified at the cellular level by either immunocytochemistry or in situ hybridization. Activity of the recombinant protein in secondary cell-based assays allows highthroughput screens to be formulated to identify small-molecule effectors of this protein. More recently, a proteomics approach has also been incorporated into this process. This technology directly measures proteins whose expression is localized in disease tissue as the basis for cell-based screens to look for either activators or inhibitors, of this activity. The majority of screens are designed to look for inhibitors. Activity of small-molecules found by screening gives rise to pharmacokinetic studies and verification of activity in animal models of the disease. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) optimization of these small-molecules allows for suitable oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, resulting in compounds progressing from discovery to development. Based on these strategies, we have developed inhibitors of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and are currently screening for bone anabolic agents. In addition, we have also developed small-molecule caspase inhibitors which prevent chondrocyte apoptosis and retain cell function in an attempt to find therapeutic agents to either prevent or treat osteoarthritis. These agents may well have utility in the treatment of temporomandibular joint diseases.
The impact of the economic crisis on the EU labour market: a comparative perspective

The objective of this paper is to explore why some countries perform better than others in managing the current economic crisis, which started in 2007 in the US financial sector. I will elaborate on this question using the Crisis Management Index, taking into consideration GDP and labour market performance among European Union member states. My findings conclude that countries which performed better during the economic crisis of 2007-2011 are countries which do not have a flexible labour market and have managed to keep stable employment levels. These countries combine a very good mix of economic policies and social institutions oriented to stabilize the level of consumption and the aggregate demand. Coordination mechanisms, higher level of financial regulation and monitoring are also important features of these economies. Clearly, this group of countries identifies better, in the EU, a coordinated market economy model.
Participatory Development of an Occupational Health Hazard Reduction Program in the Wood Furniture Industry

The purpose of this participatory action research was to develop and evaluate anOccupational Health Hazards Reduction Program in the wood furniture industry. Researchparticipants included 83 workers, the owner of a wood furniture factory, and an occupationalhealth nurse responsible for worker health in San Kam Phaeng District in Chiang Mai Province,Northern Thailand. The study involved two main phases: 1) collaboratively developing andimplementing the Program and an action plan with participants, and revising the plan until theProgram was appropriate for the work context; and 2) evaluating Program implementation, byusing the Workplace Hazards and Safety-based Behaviors Questionnaire. Data were analyzedusing descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test.The Program, collaboratively developed by the participants and the researchers,and consisted of: 1) interactive safety training on building the capacity of lead workers tocommunicate the importance of using personal protective equipment; and 2) establishing andposting safety rules and regulations in work areas. An evaluation of program effectivenesswas performed at weeks 8 and 16 following program implementation. Results indicated thatthe personal protective equipment use significantly increased from baseline (p<.01), and thata collaborative effort involving management and workers was effective in reducing risk andincreasing safety-based workplace behaviors. Collaborative efforts created a sense of ‘ownership’and ‘partnership’ by working together. We conclude that a participatory approach can be usedby occupational health nurses and health and safety workers to resolve similar or differentoccupational health problems in other wood factories.
Istree Digital Watermarking Algorithm Based on Contourlet Transform

In order to protect the copyright of the image, in this paper proposed a novel important sub-tree (Istree) digital watermarking algorithm based on contourlet transform. First, Shuffling is applied by watermarking image for increasing robustness. Second, the original image are decomposed three levels by contourlet transform, and then analysis sub-bands in all directions, according to various levels sub-bands in all direction structure like tree. And find important sub-tree, then Scrambling after the watermark image sequence is embedded in important sub-tree. The experimental results show that the algorithm has a certain degree of robustness and can resistance attack.
The Equity Risk Premium Across European Markets: An Analysis Using the Implied Cost of Capital

Using a large data set of companies from 16 European countries over the period between January 1994 and May 2011, we estimate the equity risk premiums applying an implied cost of capital approach. We find estimates that are consistently larger than those in previous studies, ranging from 4.4% to 6.9% across countries. Our main conclusion is that a positive trend over our sample period is responsible for the high estimates in comparison to previous studies. The trend is accompanied by declining risk-free rates over our estimation period, suggesting a much greater stability in the absolute return on equity than often assumed by classical asset pricing models.
Assessing the Impact of Retail Price Promotions on Product Substitution, Complementary Purchase, and Interstore Sales Displacement

The author investigates the impact of retail price promotions on consumer purchasing patterns and the performance of competing retailers. A conceptual framework for retail promotional effects that includes brand substitution effects, interstore sales displacements, and the effects of promotions on complementary goods is developed. The framework is tested with store-level scanner data. Results are generally supportive of the framework and show that retail price promotions created significant complementary and substitution effects within the store. Interstore promotional effects also were detected in several cases as the promotions of products in one store significantly decreased sales of substitutes and complements in a competing store. Implications of the results for retail and manufacturer promotional strategies are discussed and several directions for future research are offered.
Neurology Patient Education Materials: Do Our Educational Aids Fit Our Patients' Needs?

&NA; The purpose of this study was to assess the suit ability of various neurology patient education brochures, as well as neurology information on the World Wide Web, to determine whether they were appropriate for patients with low literacy. A convenience sample of 520 patients in university‐ based public and private neurology clinics participated. In this cross‐sectional study, the patients' reading levels were assessed by using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine. Forty‐three patient education materials were assessed for read ing level by using the Fog Index and for suitability character istics (including content, type and relevance of graphics, layout, type size and fonts, and motivating qualities) by using the Suitability Assessment of Materials. The mean education level of patients was 12th grade; however, the mean reading level was 7th‐8th grade. Of the assessed materials, 91% were written at a 9th‐grade level or above, even though only 58% of patients read at a 9th‐grade level. Only 14% of the materials were considered to have superior suitability, whereas 58% were adequate, and 28% were determined not suitable. Thus, the available neurology patient education aids are not matched to the patient population or to the average U.S. reading levels. Ideally, information needs to be written at a 9th‐grade level or below. Instructional graphics, simpler words, patient interac tion, and cultural sensitivity improve material suitability.
Financial Statement Fraud Detection Using Ratio and Digital Analysis

Financial statement fraud has had the most significant monetary impact on companies compared to the other categories of fraud. Over half of the financial statement frauds were committed through improper revenue recognition. According to a survey of 652 companies, revenue provides the greatest risk and impact to financial statements. The revenue recognition rules published by IFRS will not alleviate this concern. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether two analytical procedures described in fraud examination textbooks correctly identify known earnings manipulators. FINANCIAL STATEMENT FRAUD
A Further Empirical Investigation into “Up To” Advertising Claims: The “As Low As” Claim

For many years the Federal Trade Commission has sought to prevent deceptive advertising under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC’s focus has encompassed not only false advertising claims, but also advertising claims that, while literally true, tend to deceive consumers. “Up to” claims fall under this scrutiny since they can be misunderstood as promising consumer benefits (e.g. “up to 50% savings”) that might not be realized by all consumers. This paper presents the results of research conducted with 600+ members of a commercial consumer panel to evaluate a variant of this type of claim, the “As Low As” claim, and to extend prior research by examining how interpretation of the claim varies with audience characteristics. Implications for advertising practitioners are discussed.
Correction for geometric distortion and N/2 ghosting in EPI by phase labeling for additional coordinate encoding (PLACE)

Echo‐planar imaging (EPI) is vulnerable to geometric distortion and N/2 ghosting. These artifacts can be analyzed with an intuitive k‐t space tool, and here we propose a simple method for their correction. In a slightly modified additional EPI acquisition, we sample the k‐t space with a shift in ky by adding a small area to the phase‐encoding (PE) gradient. Physically, the added gradient area creates a relative phase ramp across the object and directly encodes the undistorted original y‐coordinate of each voxel into a phase difference between two distorted complex images, in a method called “phase labeling for additional coordinate encoding” (PLACE). The phase information is then used to map the mismapped signals back to their original locations for geometric and intensity correction. Smoothing of expanded complex data matrix effectively reduces noise in the differential phase map and allows subpixel warping. The two acquired images can also be averaged to effectively suppress the N/2 ghost. Efficient correction for both artifacts can be achieved with three acquisitions. These acquisitions can also serve as reference scans to correct for geometric distortion and/or N/2 ghost artifacts on all images in a time series. The technique was successfully demonstrated in phantom and animal studies. Magn Reson Med 57:731–741, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.