Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organizational Commitment, Public Service Motivation, and Performance Within the Public Sector

This study develops a performance management model by examining relations between various attributes that are assumed to enhance organizational commitment (OC) and public service motivation (PSM) and investigates the impact of these and other factors on employee performance. Structural equation modeling outcomes indicate that employee perception of how well the organization is managed is likely to result in higher OC, leading to a higher level of PSM and performance. The findings also show that job characteristics have a direct impact on both OC and PSM but a rather low, indirect effect on performance. Employees seem to need to prioritize tasks and be clearly informed of goals to avoid ambiguity and conflict, which have been found to have a negative impact on performance. Moreover, the empirical outcomes of our study indicate that informal performance measures may be suitable for assessment purposes in a public sector environment.
Is Pay a Matter of Values?

Public outrage over executive compensation reached an all‐time high during the financial crisis. Around the world, many argued that CEOs and boards were immoral in setting their pay and pressured governments to impose restrictions on executive pay. Using a unique sample of data on human values for CEOs, we show that CEOs and directors have different values than general members of the population. CEOs and directors place more emphasis on power and achievement values than members of the population, and they emphasize self‐direction values more. However, values appear to have little explanatory power for pay, in contrast to economic variables. While some CEOs may be unethical in setting their pay, our results suggest that pay is not a matter of values on average.
Permanent Injectable Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Dermal Filler for a Large Subcutaneous Defect Secondary to Lupus Panniculitis.

A 22-year-old woman presented with a 10-year history of erythematous tender nodules on the face, which had subsided in a course of 4 years, leaving behind multiple saucerized depressions. A biopsy from her lesion during the active stage showed lobular lymphocytic panniculitis. She did not complain of photosensitivity, oral ulcers, arthritis, or Raynaud phenomenon. Laboratory investigations revealed a positive antinuclear antibody, but, anti-dsDNA antibodies, complement levels, rheumatoid factor, and lupus anticoagulant antibodies were negative. Neurological and radiological examination showed no evidence of neuromuscular paralysis or bony abnormalities. Cutaneous examination revealed presence of 4 · 7 and 3 · 5 cm size depressed, hyperpigmented plaques on the right and left cheek, respectively. Hyperpigmented, atrophic plaque of size 3 · 5 cm was noted over the dorsum of the nose. Based on the clinical and histological findings, a diagnosis of lipoatrophy secondary to lupus panniculitis was made.
HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY IN THE VISEGRÁD GROUP

We examine healthcare systems efficiency in four countries of the Visegrad group during the period 2004-2010. For this purpose, we apply the Data Envelopment Analysis on data of 18 European countries. The number of practising physicians per 100 000 inhabitants, the number of hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants and the share of health expenditures to GDP are considered as inputs, and infant mortality and life expectancy for males at birth are considered as outputs. We calculate Super-SBM efficiency scores to rank countries and to suggest improvements for the Visegrad group. To measure efficiency changes over specified time period, Malmquist productivity indexes are computed from DEA scores. Standard decomposition of Malmquist index into frontier shift and catching up effect gives a deeper insight into the issue.
Reaching Real-Time Moving Targets: The Use of Digital Communications to Inform and Mobilize College Students

College professionals and faculty continually look for effective ways to inform and mobilize their students. In pursuit of this goal, the newly-established Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) embarked on a fact-finding process to determine the effectiveness of current digital communication methods, identify challenges, and ascertain student preferences for information dissemination. After reviewing appropriate literature, new social media strategies were developed and launched, resulting in CCEâs award-winning marketing and social networking initiatives. This article provides insight into the particular mediums students prefer, development and application of strategies, and their level of effectiveness in engaging young adults.
The Reversal of Abnormal Accruals and the Market Valuation of Earnings Surprises

If the market anticipates the reversing nature of abnormal working capital accruals, then the reported magnitude of earnings surprises that contain abnormal accruals will differ from the underlying magnitude that is priced by the market. We expect the market's perception of this difference to affect the ERCs associated with earnings surprises that contain abnormal accruals. We test our predictions using an abnormal accruals measure that captures the difference between reported working capital and a proxy for the market's expectations of the level of working capital required to support current sales levels. Consistent with our hypotheses, we find higher ERCs when abnormal accruals suppress the magnitude of earnings surprises, and lower ERCs when abnormal accruals exaggerate the magnitude of earnings surprises. We also find results consistent with analysts predictably considering the reversing implications of abnormal accruals in revising future earnings forecasts. These findings are consistent with market .
The Econometric Analysis of Models with Risk Terms

SUMMARY In this paper we have attempted to provide an integrated approach to the estimation of models with risk terms. It was argued that there exist orthogonality conditions between variables in the information set and higher-order moments of the unanticipated variable density. These could be exploited to provide consistent estimators of the parameters associated with the risk term. Specifically, it was recommended that an IV estimator should be applied, with instruments constructed from the information set. Four existing methods commonly used to estimate models with risk terms are examined, and applications of the techniques are made to the estimation of the risk term in the $US/$C exchange market, and the effects of price uncertainty upon production.
Report on the CCEM comparison of 10 pF capacitance standards

This paper describes the recent Comite Consultatif d'Electricite et Magnetisme (CCEM) comparison of 10 pF capacitors. This comparison of electrical standards between the regional metrology organization will establish the relationship of the capacitance unit, the farad, for national metrology institutes from several metrology regions.
Cognitive and Brain Profiles Associated with Current Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Neuroimaging biomarkers, namely hippocampal volume loss, temporoparietal hypometabolism, and neocortical β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, are included in the recent research criteria for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how to use these biomarkers is still being debated, especially regarding their sequence. Our aim was to characterize the cognitive and brain profiles of elders classified as positive or negative for each biomarker to further our understanding of their use in the preclinical diagnosis of AD. Fifty-four cognitively normal individuals (age = 65.8 ± 8.3 years) underwent neuropsychological tests (structural MRI, FDG-PET, and Florbetapir-PET) and were dichotomized into positive or negative independently for each neuroimaging biomarker. Demographic, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging data were compared between positive and negative subgroups. The MRI-positive subgroup had lower executive performances and mixed patterns of lower volume and metabolism in AD-characteristic regions and in the prefrontal cortex. The FDG-positive subgroup showed only hypometabolism, predominantly in AD-sensitive areas extending to the whole neocortex, compared with the FDG-negative subgroup. The amyloid-positive subgroup was older and included more APOE ε4 carriers compared with the amyloid-negative subgroup. When considering MRI and/or FDG biomarkers together (i.e., the neurodegeneration-positive), there was a trend for an inverse relationship with Aβ deposition such that those with neurodegeneration tended to show less Aβ deposition and the reverse was true as well. Our findings suggest that: (1) MRI and FDG biomarkers provide complementary rather than redundant information and (2) relatively young cognitively normal elders tend to have either neurodegeneration or Aβ deposition, but not both, suggesting additive rather than sequential/causative links between AD neuroimaging biomarkers at this age. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neuroimaging biomarkers are included in the recent research criteria for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how to use these biomarkers is still being debated, especially regarding their sequence. Our findings suggest that MRI and FDG-PET biomarkers should be used in combination, offering an additive contribution instead of reflecting the same process of neurodegeneration. Moreover, the present study also challenges the hierarchical use of the neuroimaging biomarkers in preclinical AD because it suggests that the neurodegeneration observed in this population is not due to β-amyloid deposition. Rather, our results suggest that β-amyloid- and tau-related pathological processes may interact but not necessarily appear in a systematic sequence.
Approaching V-BLAST Capacity With Adaptive Modulation and LDPC Encoding

This paper presents a practical implementation of the vertical Bell Laboratories layered space-time (V-BLAST) type system, in which the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) open-loop capacity can be approached with conventional scalar coding, using adaptive modulation with appropriate channel codes, e.g., low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and optimum successive detection (OSD). The density evolution technique is employed to determine the maximal achievable rate of an LDPC code for each transmit antenna for a given channel realization at a given signal-to-noise ratio. Numerical results will show that the average sum rate of the adaptively modulated LDPC encoded system is quite close to the V-BLAST capacity with both rate and power adaptations. Considering the performance degradation caused by error propagation due to the imperfect feedback and relatively long decoding delay in the OSD, we use parallel interference cancellation followed by minimum mean square error filtering in the bit error rate (BER) performance simulation. Simulation results will show that a target BER of 10-5 can be achieved by the optimally designed LDPC codes. To simplify the code design, we replace the LDPC codes, optimally designed for each channel realization, with rate-compatible punctured LDPC codes, at the cost of a slight sum rate loss. If the fading process is nonergodic, the outage capacity corresponding to a given outage probability is used to measure the channel performance. As an example, we design the LDPC codes for an adaptively modulated 2times2 V-BLAST system to approach its outage capacity for a given outage probability.
Financial Development and Economic Growth: An Empirical Research about Greece-Cointegration Test

In this research we attempt to study empirically the casual relation among the degree of openness of the economy, the financial and economic growth using a multi-variate autoregressive model VAR. The Cointegration test results define the long-term relation among GDP, the financial development and the degree of openness of the economy.
Serum Levels of Biomarkers of Immune Activation and Associations With Neurological Impairment in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients During Remission

Introduction: Although much is known about cytokines and adhesion molecules during an active course of multiple sclerosis (MS), there is limited information about their serum levels during remission. Objective: This study aimed to (1) compare peripheral levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), soluble interleukin-2 receptor α (sIL-2Rα), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) in MS patients during clinical remission with those of healthy controls and (2) explore possible relationships between the levels of these cytokines and adhesion molecules and neurological impairment. Methods: Initially, 92 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who were in clinical remission and 30 healthy controls were recruited for this study. The severity of neurological impairment was assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Serum concentrations of TNF-α, sIL-2Rα, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were determined using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) technique and compared between patients and controls. In a subset of RRMS patients (n = 67), the levels of these cytokines and adhesion molecules were compared between subgroups of patients based on scores on the EDSS subscales, which measure disability level for specific neurological functions. Results: The MS patients’ TNF-α, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin levels were markedly lower than those of the controls, while their sIL-2Rα level was higher. The serum sICAM-1 concentration was positively associated with EDSS total score (ρ = .291, p = .017) as well as with the EDSS pyramidal (ρ = .267, p = .029) and cerebellar subscores (ρ = .303, p = .013). In the patients with cerebellar deficits and severe brain stem dysfunction, sICAM-1 levels were upregulated. Conclusion: Although a decreased sICAM-1 concentration was observed in RRMS patients in remission as compared to healthy controls, sICAM-1 seemed to reflect neurological impairment and clinical disability. These data suggest that increasing serum sICAM-1 levels may be associated with progression of cerebellar or brain stem perturbations. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings in a larger population of RRMS patients.
Role of Common blaOXA-24/OXA-40-Carrying Platforms and Plasmids in the Spread of OXA-24/OXA-40 among Acinetobacter Species Clinical Isolates

ABSTRACT The spread of OXA-24/OXA-40 (OXA-24/40)-producing Acinetobacter spp. in the Iberian Peninsula has been strongly influenced by clonal expansion, but the role of horizontal gene transfer has scarcely been explored. blaOXA-24/40-carrying plasmids and genetic environments were characterized in representative (n = 15) Acinetobacter species clinical isolates (obtained between 2001 and 2007) by Acinetobacter baumannii PCR-based replicon typing, sequencing, hybridization, and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Besides the identification of blaOXA-24/40 within the chromosomes of some isolates, the circulation of common blaOXA-24/40-carrying plasmids (30-kb repA_AB; 10-kb aci2) and genetic backbones among Acinetobacter spp. was demonstrated.
Photonic nano-antennas: Directive emission and quantum state transformation

We consider the general concept of quantum field quantization in the nano-antenna modeled as an atomic chain. We show that the transformation of quantum near-field to the far-field is accompanied by the transformation of the quantum state of light. As a result, transmitting and receiving antennas cannot be considered separately, which has no analogs in classical antennas. Such behavior stems from the transmitting antenna quantum state destruction via the signal detection by the receiving antenna.
Adoption of ISO 9000 management standard in EU's transition economies: the case of the Baltic states

This article analyzes the dissemination of the main global management standards, the ISO 9000, within the transition economies of the European Union (EU). In the article, the specific case of the Baltic States is analyzed in depth. The work refers to the diffusion of the ISO 9000 standard in the Baltic States in terms of its certification intensity and sectorial distribution. Likewise, the work refers to the huge increase of certifications achieved by the countries and the other transition economies in the previous years of their adhesion to the European Union in years 2004 and 2007. The conclusions drawn in the article may be of interest both for academic and professional spheres of activity but, overall, for public-decisors.
Preparing the Economic and Financial Committee and the Economic Policy Committee for Enlargement

Abstract The European Union’s Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) and Economic Policy Committee (EPC) are crucial forums for close policy dialogue between the member states, the Commission and the European Central Bank. In preparing the work of the Council and providing policy expertise, the committees exercise considerable influence over decision‐making in the field of European economic policy coordination. Enlargement has been a challenge to the functioning of these two expert groupings, which are often characterized as closed and secretive. In response to an enlarging membership, both committees revised their formal membership rules. This article argues, however, that analysing the impact of enlargement on the functioning of the two committees requires close attention to the set of informal practices and routines which have characterized the working methods applied prior to enlargement. Factors such as the turnover rate in membership and the transparency of the organizational structure therefore become increasingly important. The article cautions against a further formalization of decision‐making procedures in response to potential problems in the post‐enlargement context.
A Political Ecology of Shrimp Aquaculture in Thailand1

ABSTRACT This paper uses themes from political ecology to develop insights into the billion dollar shrimp aquaculture sector in Thailand. We find that corporations can exercise only limited control over shrimp production and that there is no clear trend toward larger operations. We explain the continued viability of small owner-operated farms by looking at how shrimp farming is located in physical and social space, and at the ability of owner-operators to work within the highly unstable socio-ecological processes of shrimp production. We also find that shrimp farming has induced a spatially-uneven increase in state territorial regulation. The spatial distribution of regulation is shaped by differences in how landscapes become politicized, and the degree of jurisdictional clarity. We conclude that industry self-regulation has limited prospects for containing the social and environmental problems of shrimp farming in Thailand, but that expanded state regulation that mobilizes the participation of local people might be effective.
La modélisation macro-économétrique dynamique

This paper presents the recent developments of macro-econometric modeling and discusses their advantages and limits. We first present the Sims critique and the Lucas critique. These two critiques have opened two new ways of macro-modeling. On the one hand, the Structural VAR approach allows to simply represent aggregate data with a small number of restrictions and to easily conduct various quantitative exercises (forecasting, dynamic multipliers of economic policy). On the other hand, the DSGE approach considers structural dynamic models wherein reduced forms are deduced from dynamic optimization problems (households, firms,.) with respect to a set of constraints. We thus present various quantitative methods and we discuss their advantages and limits.
Back to the future: adoption and diffusion of innovation in retro-industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the emergence and existence of retro-industries. The paper proposes using a multidisciplinary approach to define the concept of retro-industries and to identify its specificities. Design/methodology/approach – Literature reviews in marketing and economics were used to create a model of innovation adoption and diffusion in retro-industries. Findings – The paper provides theoretical insights about the factors that foster retro-industries such as heritage, tradition, nostalgia and revival. The paper suggests that these factors influence innovations mechanisms and explain the use of the past to manage the challenges of the future. Originality/value – The paper enriches an identified need to analyse industry from retro perspective; and to identify the factors that foster the emergence of such industries.
Time-domain approaches to multichannel optimal deconvolution

Using the modern time series analysis method, based on the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) innovation model and white noise estimators, two time-domain approaches to multichannel optimal deconvolution are presented. In the first approach, the multichannel optimal deconvolution estimators are given in the ARMA innovation filters form, where the solution of the Diophantine equations is required. Their global and local asymptotic stability is proved. In the second approach, the multichannel ARMA recursive Wiener deconvolution filters without the Diophantine equations are presented, which have asymptotic stability. The relationship between the ARMA innovation filters and ARMA Wiener deconvolution filters is discussed. Each approach can handle the deconvolution filtering, smoothing and prediction problems in a unified framework. An illustrative example and two simulation examples show their effectiveness.
A Serial Concatenation-Based Coding Scheme for Dimmable Visible Light Communication Systems

Dimming control is desirable for visible light communication (VLC) systems to provide different levels of brightness. In this letter, we propose a new coding scheme for dimmable VLC systems based on serial concatenation of column-scaled (CS) low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and constant weight codes (CWCs). In the proposed scheme, the cardinality of the finite field on which the CS LDPC code is defined varies adaptively according to the CWC. Hence, transformation between symbol metrics and bit metrics is avoided. Other advantages of the proposed scheme are described as follows: 1) its coding rates are not constrained by the dimming range as error control and dimming control are decoupled; 2) it can be easily configured to support a wide range of dimming targets; and 3) it requires essentially the same hardware architecture to implement the encoder/decoder pair. Hence, the proposed coding scheme provides an attractive candidate for VLC systems with both error and dimming control.