Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political Instability, Investment and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper explores the relationship between political instability and economic growth in Sub-Saharan African nations. A more comprehensive measure of political instability than has previously been developed is used in combination with a simultaneous equations model and dynamic panel estimation approach to produce several interesting inferences. First, the statistically significant inverse relationship between political instability and economic growth identified by earlier studies is confirmed by the estimates presented here. Second, the estimated system of equations indicates that economic growth and political instability are jointly endogenous. Third, in addition to the direct impact that political instability has upon growth, estimates confirm the hypothesis that political instability indirectly decreases economic growth by decreasing long-run capital accumulation. Fourth, failure to account for the dynamic nature of growth equations as well as the endogeneity of explanatory variables may produce biased effects of political instability on growth. Fifth, the broad measure of political instability we use in this study can better capture the effects of political instability on economic growth than `elite` instability that has been used by earlier researchers. Finally, principal components estimation is used to develop a measure of political instability that can serve as an alternative to the arbitrary weighting scheme used in previous research.
The effects of orthodontic bonding steps on biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans in the presence of saliva

Abstract Objective. To investigate the effects of various orthodontic bonding steps on biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans in the presence of saliva. Materials and methods: Hydroxyapatite (HA) and orthodontic adhesive (AD) disks were prepared to a uniform size. HA disks were etched with 37% phosphoric acid gel in the etched group (HE). In the primed group (HP), Transbond XT primer was applied to the etched HA surface and light-cured. For biofilm formation, Streptococcus mutans was grown on each specimen in a biofilm medium with either glucose or sucrose in the presence of fluid-phase UWS (F-UWS) or surface adsorbed saliva (S-UWS). The adherent bacteria were quantified by enumeration of the total viable counts of bacteria. Biofilms formed on each surface were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Results. When glucose was used, both F-UWS and S-UWS suppressed biofilm formation of S. mutans. Compared to HA and HE, biofilm formation was significantly inhibited on HP and AD in the presence of glucose. Biofilm-forming patterns that were inhibited by saliva were restored in a sucrose-containing medium. F-UWS promoted biofilm formation on HA and HE, while S-UWS significantly promoted biofilm formation on HP. S. mutans developed biofilm better on HA and HE than on AD when sucrose was used as the sole carbohydrate source. Conclusions. This study suggests that the biofilm development by S. mutans is significantly influenced by the orthodontic bonding procedure. Biofilm formation of S. mutans was inhibited on AD more than other surfaces, irrespective of the presence of saliva or a carbohydrate source.
Effect of copper level and source (copper lysine vs copper sulfate) on copper status, performance, and immune response in growing steers fed diets with or without supplemental molybdenum and sulfur.

One hundred twenty-six crossbred steers (218 kg initial BW) were used to determine the availability of Cu from copper lysine (CuLys) relative to CuSO4. Steers were assigned to pens (four replicates per treatment) based on BW and initial plasma Cu concentration and fed a corn silage-based diet supplemented with 0 or 5 ppm of Cu from either CuSO4 or CuLys. Half of the steers in each treatment were supplemented with 5 ppm of Mo and . 2% S. Molybdenum and S supplementation increased (P < .10) growth rate during the first 21 d. Steers receiving CuSO4 gained more during the first 21 d than did control steers (P < .10) and steers receiving CuLys (P < .01). Growth, feed efficiency, and feed intake were not affected over the entire 98-d trial. Molybdenum and S supplementation decreased (P < .05) plasma Cu concentrations. Plasma Cu concentration was not affected by Cu source. Humoral immune response to ovalbumin was measured on d 7 and 77. Dietary treatment did not affect antibody production at either time. Cell-mediated immunity was measured in vivo on d 7 and 77 using phytohemagglutinin. In vivo cell reactivity was not affected by treatment on d 7 but was reduced (P < .10) by Mo and S supplementation on d 77. In vitro cell reactivity was measured on d 98 using a lymphocyte blastogenesis assay. Unstimulated lymphocytes from steers supplemented with Mo and S had lower (P < .10) uptakes of [3H]thymidine. There were no differences among treatments when lymphocytes were stimulated with pokeweed mitogen or phytohemagglutinin. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Terms of Trade Shocks and Endogenous Search Unemployment: A Two‐Sector Model with Non‐Traded Goods

We develop a simple and tractable two-sector search model featuring a non-traded sector and endogenous search unemployment to examine the impact of terms of trade shocks on unemployment. We show that changes in terms of trade will not only lead to employment reallocation across sectors, as in the traditional trade models, but, more importantly, impact upon search unemployment within each sector. Specifically, we show that an improvement (deterioration) of terms of trade reduces (increases) unemployment rates in both traded and non-traded sectors.
Developing Countries’ Net-migration: The Impact of Economic Opportunities, Disasters, Conflicts, and Political Instability

We provide regressions for the net immigration flows of developing countries. We show that (i) savings finance emigration and worker remittances serve to make staying rather than migrating possible; (ii) lagged dependent migration flows have a negative sign in the presence of migration stock variables; (iii) stocks of migrants in six OECD countries and in the developing countries have non-linear effects. Some of the non-linear effects of the economic variables vanish if indicators for disasters, conflicts and political instability are taken into account but new ones come in for these latter variables.
Regulation of Escherichia coli RelA Requires Oligomerization of the C-Terminal Domain

ABSTRACT The E. coli RelA protein is a ribosome-dependent (p)ppGpp synthetase that is activated in response to amino acid starvation. RelA can be dissected both functionally and physically into two domains: The N-terminal domain (NTD) (amino acids [aa] 1 to 455) contains the catalytic domain of RelA, and the C-terminal domain (CTD) (aa 455 to 744) is involved in regulating RelA activity. We used mutational analysis to localize sites important for RelA activity and control in these two domains. We inserted two separate mutations into the NTD, which resulted in mutated RelA proteins that were impaired in their ability to synthesize (p)ppGpp. When we caused the CTD inrelA+ cells to be overexpressed, (p)ppGpp accumulation during amino acid starvation was negatively affected. Mutational analysis showed that Cys-612, Asp-637, and Cys-638, found in a conserved amino acid sequence (aa 612 to 638), are essential for this negative effect of the CTD. When mutations corresponding to these residues were inserted into the full-length relA gene, the mutated RelA proteins were impaired in their regulation. In attempting to clarify the mechanism through which the CTD regulates RelA activity, we found no evidence for competition for ribosomal binding between the normal RelA and the overexpressed CTD. Results from CyaA complementation experiments of the bacterial two-hybrid system fusion plasmids (G. Karimova, J. Pidoux, A. Ullmann, and D. Ladant, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:5752–5756, 1998) indicated that the CTD (aa 564 to 744) is involved in RelA-RelA interactions. Our findings support a model in which RelA activation is regulated by its oligomerization state.
Method Development for Identifying and Analysing Stakeholders in Climate Change Adaptation Processes

It is now widely recognized that stakeholder interaction and dialogue is essential to improve decisions about and awareness of climate change. The term ‘stakeholder’ is broad and researchers and practitioners may have interrelated and contrasting views on who is a stakeholder or who is (or should be) responsible for adaptation to climate change. To engage stakeholders in research or other projects on adaptation thus requires a careful mapping of the stakeholder landscape and identification of relevant actors at different levels. Through a case study approach, based on studies of two Swedish urban regions, Stockholm and Gothenburg, this paper proposes a systematic method to analyse and identify roles and responsibilities in the stakeholder landscape. The initial mapping exercise was complemented by participatory studies of local and regional stakeholders’ perceptions of who is, or should be, involved in adaptation and their significance for climate change adaptation in the respective regions. The results indicate the value of careful stakeholder analysis for sustainable, effective, planned adaptation that is flexible, but also systematic enough to fulfil practical and scientific requirements for the study and advancement of ongoing adaptation processes and implementation.
Why Have Lending Programs Targeting Disadvantaged Small Business Borrowers Achieved So Little Success in the United States?

Small business lending programs designed to move disadvantaged low-income people into business ownership have been difficult to implement successfully in the U.S. context. Based in part on the premise that financing requirements are an entry barrier limiting the ability of aspiring entrepreneurs to create small businesses, these programs are designed to alleviate such barriers for low net-worth individuals with limited borrowing opportunities. The authors’ analysis tracks through time nationally representative samples of adults to investigate the role of financial constraints and other factors delineating self-employment entrants from nonentrants. Paying particular attention to lines of business most accessible to adults lacking college credentials and substantial personal net worth, the authors’ analysis yields no evidence that financial capital constraints are a significant barrier to small-firm creation.
Decision to Invest Abroad: The Case of South Korean Multinationals

Recent firm-based empirical studies examine whether firms serving foreign markets either through exports or foreign direct investment (FDI) are more efficient than their domestically-oriented counterparts. The purpose of the present paper is to study the link between performance of multinational firms and the choice to participate in foreign investment. In so doing, this paper explicitly differentiates exports and FDI decisions. Using firm-level data for large South Korean manufacturing firms, I provide evidence that the premium for FDI is huge compared to exports, and that good firms undertake FDI. Studying performance across firms, I find that firms that engage in FDI outperform other firms in the future in all possible dimensions; they are larger, pay higher wages, and are also more productive. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that good firms self-select to engage in FDI. I also find clear evidence that past FDI experience has a strong positive effect on the probability of current investment abroad. This implies that the sunk cost involved in FDI plays a role in current decisions to undertake FDI.
Can Shareholder Litigation Discipline CEO Bonuses in the Financial Sector? The Role of Securities Class Actions

The dynamics of executive compensation represents a critical issue, especially in the financial industry. There is evidence that even during the recent financial crisis CEOs were rewarded with disproportionate bonuses, a phenomenon that stands in vivid contrast with the wave of securities litigation that took place in that period as a consequence of managerial misbehaviour. This paper empirically investigates the relationship between securities class actions and the growth of CEO bonuses for financial intermediaries included in the S&P500 index in the period 1999-2010. We use an instrumental variable related to court behaviour in order to address problems arising from the endogenous nature of securities class actions with respect to CEO compensation. The analysis shows that the former are likely to moderate the dynamics of the latter, although the effect does not seem to persist through time.
Power and politics in multinational corporations: towards more effective workers’ involvement1

Sometimes researchers have the luck to see behind the curtain. A few years ago one of the authors of this short essay happened to interview the CEO of a subsidiary just a few hours after this person, a 45-year-old manager strongly committed to his subsidiary, was communicated the corporate decision to close down production at his subsidiary. A few days later the head of the subsidiary’s works council was similarly interviewed. Both interviewees were furious about the decision. One reason was that corporate management had not deemed it necessary to communicate the closure in person but had conveyed the bad news in a conference call, even though headquarters executives had often visited the subsidiary in the preceding months. What is more, corporate management left it completely up to the subsidiary’s CEO to break the news to the workforce. A second, probably more important reason for the deep frustration both of the subsidiary’s CEO and the workforce were ‘dashed hopes’. Acquired some 10 years previously, the subsidiary had done a very good job both in terms of developing the local market and of enhancing workforce skills. This had resulted in a steady flow of profits to corporate headquarters and in the subsidiary’s quite successful lobbying for a constant modernizing of the production facilities. Emerging hopes to develop into a regional production hub for Europe, however, were completely dashed by the conference call. A last reason for the workforce’s fury was the feeling of being unfairly treated, with production being relocated to a plant neighbouring corporate headquarters. This move was not only seen as devoid of any strategic foresight but also as a direct outcome of that plant’s constant lobbying of headquarters and of ‘cronyism’. Even though it was beyond our scope to look into these accusations in detail, the case nevertheless shows that power and politics do matter in multinational corporations (MNCs). There are many different actors in and around multinational corporations with vested interests, arising from them belonging to different subunits of the multinational corporation. Once something of importance to one of these actors is at stake, power and politics come to the fore, with political manoeuvring (or politicking, to use another word) starting and other actors being drawn into the game. This, in our view, is the raw truth of any organization, and in particular of MNCs. This is a view however that strongly deviates from the mainstream international business and
Growth and stagnation in social housing: What is ‘social’ in the social rented sector?

Abstract Many West European countries are currently reducing their social rented sector. New construction of social rented housing is avoided, while the sale of social rented dwellings is advocated. This paper is an attempt to explain the stagnation in social rented housing, which in some countries has reached crisis point. In addition, the changes within the social rented sector are dealt with. In many places, we observe a move towards a more market‐oriented social housing sector. This leads us to ask what is ‘social’ in the changing social rented sector. Finally, a differentiated tenant mix in social rented housing is suggested as a means to prevent stigmatisation of this tenure.
19.7 A 65nm CMOS ADPLL with 360µW 1.6ps-INL SS-ADC-based period-detection-free TDC

Several research studies have considered replacing traditional analog PLLs with an all-digital PLL (ADPLL). In such studies, a key topic relates to the resolution and linearity of the TDC. Power-hungry techniques, such as a Vernier delay line (VDL) and a time amplifier (TA) [1,2], have been proposed to improve time resolution. Recently, a digital-to-time converter (DTC) has been employed to enable power reductions of the VDL and TA-based TDCs by minimizing the number of VDLs and TAs [3,4]. However, the nonlinearity of the DTC remains a problem, since it is much larger than the time resolution of the TDCs and becomes a significant source of fractional spur in the ADPLL. In [3], the effect of the nonlinearity is decreased by utilizing a dithering technique at the expense of a long calibration time (> 100ms). The DTC requires inherently more calibration effort for full-scale-delay detection and normalization, since the difference between the full-scale delay and the DCO period also increases the fractional spur significantly. On the other hand, time-to-amplitude-conversion-based TDCs may be another candidate for a high-resolution low-power TDC [5]. However, issues surrounding the nonlinearity of the charge pump (CP) and the full-scale-delay detection limit their utility.
Presentation slides generation from scientific papers using support vector regression

As the presentation slides are of vital importance in a person's career, a significant amount of time is spent for its preparation. An automatic paper-summarizer will reduce the amount of time and human effort. Presently, tools exist for formatting and designing themes for slides, but not for content generation. This paper proposes a summarization system that automatically generates presentation slides from scientific papers. The proposed system accepts scientific papers as input and prepares presentation slides, which includes text, images and graphs present in them. Papers and slides are learned and trained using Support Vector Regression model. It calculates and predicts the regression scores. Based on the regression scores, the relevant content of the paper is selected for generating summary. The generated summary is used for making slides using Integer Linear Programming along with the images present in papers.
Do Patriotism and Multiculturalism Collide? Competing Perspectives from Canada and the United States

Abstract. The relationship of national identifications to preferences about immigration is a subject of empirical controversy. The hypothesis we explore here through a comparison of Canada and the United States is that the normative content of national identity—how people define the meaning of patriotism in their country—mediates the relationship between national pride and sentiment about immigration and multiculturalism. How political elites construct what citizens should be proud of matters. In comparisons based on the 2003 International Social Survey Program's “National Identity Module,” Canadians seem more divided than Americans over their nationality and generally less chauvinist. Canadians are more receptive to maintaining the current level of immigration and see newcomers as less threatening to economic and cultural values. The relationship between identification with the country and support for immigration and multiculturalism diverges sharply between the countries: where in Canada the relationship is positive, in the US it is negative. Résumé. Le lien entre l'identification à la nation et les préférences quant à l'immigration est un sujet de controverse. À travers une comparaison du Canada et des Etats-Unis, l'hypothèse que nous explorons ici est que le contenu normatif de l'identité nationale, c'est-à-dire le sens donné par la population au patriotisme envers leur pays, joue un rôle intermédiaire dans la relation entre la fierté nationale et les sentiments vis-à-vis l'immigration et le multiculturalisme. La façon dont les élites politiques construisent ce en quoi les citoyens devraient être fiers revêt donc une importance particulière. À titre comparatif, en se basant sur le « Module Identité Nationale » du International Social Survey Programme de 2003, les Canadiens semblent plus divisés que les Américains sur la signification de leur identité nationale et, de façon générale, sont moins chauvins. Les Canadiens sont également plus réceptifs à l'idée de maintenir l'immigration à son niveau actuel et voient les nouveaux arrivants comme étant moins menaçants pour leurs valeurs économiques et culturelles. La relation entre l'identification au pays et le support pour l'immigration et le multiculturalisme diverge nettement entre les deux pays. Alors qu'au Canada la relation est positive, aux Etats-Unis elle est négative.
Image stack management and data access control for multi-authority cloud storage

Cloud computing nowadays are gaining high importance from government services, private users and public sectors. The rise in cloud computing is due to the provided facilities such as flexibility, disaster recovery, security, etc. Moving data into cloud servers provide great convenience to users because they just have to upload their data and not care about the hardware management and security. But, the sensitive or privacy relevant data has some major implications. The techniques used so far for storage security are the cryptographic methods and some compression techniques such as compression sensing, JPEG compression technique, etc. to make more space for future data. In this paper we propose a system so that the cloud storage can be made more secure. To increase the efficiency, we are using DCT algorithm for compression and AES for encryption. The main concept of the proposed system is to increase the security so we are splitting the image in chunks. This Image splitting method, lowers the risk of image being retrieved by attacker as we upload the chunks instead of image.
A Note on Population Size, Industrial Diversification, and Regional Economic Instability

This study investigates the relationships among city size, economic stability, and various measures of industrial diversification. It was prompted by the conflicting findings of previous researchers concerning the above relationships. It finds different relationships between city size and various diversification measures. Therefore, part of the past disagreement may be due to the use of different definitions of diversification. The study also shows that a portfolio measure of diversification is highly significant in explaining instability. Instability can also be partly explained by measures of the equality of employment distribution. Finally, holding diversification measures constant, instability decreases with larger city size.
Performance Indicators for Quality with Costly Falsification

Performance indicators are increasingly used to regulate quality in health care and the public sector. We develop a model of contracting between a purchaser and a provider under the following assumptions: (a) providers have private information about their own ability and (b) they can engage in costly manipulation of quality measures. If the contract is separating, manipulation reduces the optimal quality effort but increases the quality targets. If the purchaser's benefit from quality is sufficiently concave, then pooling of high-ability types (or all types) turns out to be optimal. (Partial) pooling provides a rationale for quality ceilings and minimum quality standards.