Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cash, Paper, and Electronic Payments: A Cross-Country Analysis

The social cost of a payment system comprises between 1% to 1.5% of GDP. This cost can be reduced if non-cash payments shift from paper to electronics since the cost of an electronic payment is estimated to be from one-third to one-half that of a paper-based transaction. We examine the use of cash and five non-cash payment instruments in 14 developed countries over 1987-1993. Our purpose is (1) to outline the current use of check, paper giro, electronic giro, credit card, and debit card payments and (2) to determine why some payment instruments are used more intensively than others, especially electronic versus paper-based payments. Standard demand theory influences (own price and incomes, institutional factors, and simple availability measures across countries are examined, as is the effect of habit formation. Payment substitution relationships are also estimated and indicate that checks will decline with further growth of electronic payments while the instruments that make up electronic payments will tend to expand together rather than replace one another. Copyright 1996 by Ohio State University Press.
A Historical Perspective of Inflation in Latin America. A New Approach Based on Fractional Integration with a Structural Break

This paper deals with the analysis of inflation in Latin America across the 20th century. We use annual data from 18 countries using a methodology based on fractional integration. However, given the structure of the inflation rates in these countries, we allow for the possibility of a structural break that is endogenously determined by the model. The results show that for most of the countries the break-date takes place in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and the orders of integration are in all cases higher than 0.5 and, in many cases, smaller than 1, implying non-stationary mean reverting behaviour.
Co-Kurtosis and Capital Asset Pricing

This paper examines the impact of co-kurtosis on asset pricing using a four-moment capital asset pricing model. It is shown that, in the presence of skewness and kurtosis in asset return distribution, the expected excess rate of return is related not only to the systematic variance but also to the systematic skewness and systematic kurtosis. Investors are compensated in higher expected return for bearing the systematic variance and the systematic kurtosis risks. Investors also forego the expected excess return for taking the benefit of increasing the systematic skewness. Copyright 1997 by MIT Press.
Why Do Investors Buy Structured Products? A Behavioral Finance Explanation

People trade for both cognitive and emotional reasons, and the high demand for structured products raises many questions. For example, the costs in the form of lost dividend payments (if the hedge position is lost, or the bonus level is exceeded) and possible expensive secondary markets are examples of such questions. A better understanding of the reasons for the demand (such as underlying preferences) can help to reduce the number of issues and decrease costs, which can increase the efficiency of the certificate market. Overall, the author provides both theoretical and empirical evidence to clarify the demand for structured products based on the findings of prospect theory. The value function, in particular, from prospect theory provides plausible explanations for why structured products are attractive to investors, as shown with the example of bonus certificates. For further research, other explanations based on behavioral finance could be analyzed, such as mental accounting or myopic loss aversion. Using macro data, the author shows that bonus certificates are frequently demanded, as expected based on the theoretical analysis. But analyzing aggregated data to test theoretical hypotheses in behavioral finance is always problematic. It would be interesting to run some further experimental procedures to test the investors’ decision-making process.
Types of Foreign Capital Inflows and Economic Growth: New Evidence on Role of Financial Markets

This paper presents evidences on differential growth effects for three types of foreign capital inflows (foreign direct investment, portfolio equity and debt inflows). Two major results emerged from the application of threshold regression. First, we find strong evidence that the relationship between private foreign capital inflows and growth is characterised by a nonlinear relationship based on financial development. Second, the positive benefits of the three types of capital inflows are only found in countries having a level of financial market development beyond a threshold level. A deeper and more active financial sector is crucial for economic progress. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the nature, consequences and remedies of workplace incivility: No time for “nice”? Think again

Executive Overview Incivility, or employees' lack of regard for one another, is costly to organizations in subtle and pervasive ways. Although uncivil behaviors occur commonly, many organizations fail to recognize them, few understand their harmful effects, and most managers and executives are ill-equipped to deal with them. Over the past eight years, as we have learned about this phenomenon through interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, experiments, and executive forums with more than 2,400 people across the U.S. and Canada, we have found that incivility causes its targets, witnesses, and additional stakeholders to act in ways that erode organizational values and deplete organizational resources. Because of their experiences of workplace incivility, employees decrease work effort, time on the job, productivity, and performance. Where incivility is not curtailed, job satisfaction and organizational loyalty diminish as well. Some employees leave their jobs solely because of the impact of this subtle for.
POSSIBLE USE OF SPIDER WEBS FOR THE INDICATION OF ORGANIC ROAD POLLUTANTS

The results of the research assessing the possibility of using spider webs for the indication of organic pollutants (PAHs) in the long period of time in the air polluted with road traffic emissions are presented. It was proved that webs could be used for the indication of pollutants of this type. Because of the great availability and dense structure of webs belonging to representatives of Agelenidae family, they can serve as a very effective tool. What is more, the secluded location of webs is favorable and influences the accuracy and credibility of results, since deposited pollutants are not washed off with rain, neither are they decomposed by microorganisms or sunlight. The influence of co-existing contaminants is also minimized.
The state of total quality management: a review

As quality is seen as becoming a competitive mandate, many organizations are said to be embracing the practice of total quality management (TQM) as an improvement strategy. In this paper, we will be examining the extent to which quality management (QM) - TQM in particular-has been adopted by organizations. Just as there are companies that claim that QM is benefiting them, the concept is also increasingly being criticized for not bringing about the promised results, and in the following review, studies that have highlighted this disparity in opinions will be reviewed. Increasingly, doubts have been raised as to whether partial quality management - and not TQM - is being practised in organizations. This paper will also examine the difficulties companies may be faced with in their attempts to embrace TQM.
Small Businesses and Exporting: A Literature Review

Kurt J. Miesenbock is a lecturer at the University of Economics, Vienna, Austria. The present literature on international business falls into two main categories: the first covers multinational corporations, their development, organisational and marketing problems, and strategies; the second comprises the internationalisation of small and medium-sized businesses. Early publications on this issue appeared in the early 1 960s and since then the issue has gained more and more importance. However, the extensive literature based on empirical studies is full of inconsistencies and a conclusive theory of small business internationalisation is far from available. In addition to this the relevant literature is widely scattered and difficult to obtain with the result that few analysts appear to be aware of more than a proportion of what has been written. The aim of this paper is to compile, systematise and compare all those empirical studies on the export behaviour of small and medium-sized firms to provide a useful basis for further research.
Diversity Management in the Canadian Workplace: Towards an Antiracism Approach

Most diversity management programs in Canada maintain that enhancing workforce diversity is of tremendous significance for business organizations in today’s competitive global urban markets. Since well-meaning diversity management initiatives have been largely ineffective thus far in dealing with workplace discrimination and racism in the Canadian workplace, this paper underscores the need to decenter the focus of diversity management from a business imperative to an antidiscrimination and social justice imperative. Within this latter perspective, the paper examines the strengths and limitations of the antiracism approach that has been implemented in various developed countries in recent years. The antiracism approach is an action-oriented strategy for institutional and systemic change that has at its core the interrogation of privilege, power disparities, and other forms of inequity within the organization. Drawing from the lessons of various initiatives that have utilized this approach, the present paper emphasizes the need for a nuanced antiracism approach in the multicultural Canadian society if diversity management is to attain its goal of greater inclusion of all individuals in informal networks and formal organizational programs.
Hepatic arterial infusion plus systemic irinotecan in patients with unresectable hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer previously treated with systemic oxaliplatin: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND Response rates to systemic chemotherapy are low after tumor progression on oxaliplatin regimens. Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) therapy in patients with tumor progression is a viable alternative. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-nine heavily pre-treated patients (all receiving prior oxaliplatin) with unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases were treated with systemic CPT-11 and concurrent HAI floxuridine (FUDR) and dexamethasone (DEX). RESULTS Partial responses were seen in 44% of patients. Median time to hepatic progression was 8.6 months, and median time to overall progression was 6.5 months. Median survival from time of initiation of HAI was 20.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.9-21.4] and from the initiation of treatment of metastatic disease, 32.01 months (95% CI 29.1-34.6). After a median follow-up of 19.1 months, seven patients (18%) proceeded to potentially curative surgery. Grade 3/4 toxic effects included neutropenia (13%), diarrhea (15%), intra-abdominal hemorrhage (2%), and bleeding duodenal ulcer (2%). Elevated liver function tests were seen, including bilirubin concentration >3 mg/dl (7%), alkaline phosphatase 2X baseline (20%), and aspartate aminotransferase >3X baseline (26%). CONCLUSIONS HAI FUDR/DEX plus systemic CPT-11 achieves a response rate of 44% and a median overall survival of 20 months in heavily pre-treated patients with colorectal hepatic metastases all receiving previous oxaliplatin; 18% of patients proceeded to surgical resection or ablation.
Generation Y's Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism and Hospitality

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and perceptions of current undergraduate tourism and hospitality students in Australia towards careers in the industry. The study is exploratory and based on a quantitative approach. Areas that students have concerns over include respondent's relationship with their managers, promotion opportunities, career paths, and the pay and conditions on offer within the industry. Possibly the most alarming finding to come out of this study is that more than 50% of respondents are already contemplating careers outside the industry. Of those with work experience in the industry, 38.1% claim that they will not work in the tourism and hospitality industry after graduation, with 91.7% of these respondents’ citing working experience in the industry as the main reason for this decision.
The Norm Theory of Capital Structure: International Evidence

Akerlof proposes that the norms of decision makers can bridge the gap between New Classical economic theories and conflicting empirical evidence. We apply his framework to cross‐country capital structure decision making and propose a norm theory of capital structure. Consistent with its predictions, we find that two principal components that represent the manager–subordinate relationship and the manager–environment relationship in a national culture are significantly and negatively related to the median leverage ratio at the country level. This study is among the first to provide a direct link between national culture and capital structure as made operational through managerial norms.
Stopping sports injuries in kids: an overview of the last year in publications

Purpose of review Sports participation is common among children and adolescents throughout the United States; along with that participation comes risk of injury, sometimes serious. Over 4 million sports or recreational injuries are sustained by school-age children per year in the USA. This injury prevalence has led to significant interest in prevention strategies. In this review, we examine the last year of publications related to sports injury prevention in the pediatric population. Recent findings Pediatric and adolescent athletes differ from adults in significant ways that often render them more susceptible to injury. Concussion is a particular problem, as are injuries to the thrower's elbow and injury to the female athlete's knee. Recognition, proper rest, and attention to mechanics may assist in decreasing the incidence and severity of these issues. Summary Further inquiry into the nature, prevalence, causes, and, in particular, sequelae of pediatric sports injuries is required. In the interim, attention to proper technique, core and neuromuscular conditioning, and helmet use are important preventive measures; avoidance of overtraining and providing adequate rest for recovery are essential for pediatric and adolescent athletes.
Police reform in Russia: the policy process in a hybrid regime

Do hybrid regimes have policy processes distinct from other regime types? This article explores this issue through a case study of police reform in Russia, focusing specifically on the adoption of a new Law on the Police from 2009 to 2011. Drawing on concepts from the comparative policymaking literature, the study traces the policy enactment process and shows how the public parts of the process were largely (but not entirely) a façade behind which the real policy process took place.
The Restructuring of the Nordic Labour Process and the Variegated Status of Workers in the Labour Market

New dynamics of the division of work and employment relations are emerging in the Nordic labour market. The use of flexi-time and agency and posted workers, typically of foreign origin, is becoming more widespread. Simultaneously, certain parts of manufacturing and construction processes are being standardized and relocated abroad. The present analysis reveals that there is a new regime emerging, intertwined with the international disintegration of production, which relies upon the inequality of different parts of the labour process and ‘spaces of exception’ and is rendered possible by European Union provisions of free movement of services. Hence, the Finnish — and the Nordic — consensual labour market model is under attack. Although it is too early to draw conclusions as to whether Finland has turned into a more ‘free-market’ model, the crucial question is the extent to which negotiations on labour relations remain in the grasp of labour unions in the coming years.
Power system transient stability: The critical clearing time

Energy and Lyapunov methods, termed direct methods, have been developed for the study of transient stability of power systems. Although they reduce the amount of computations involved, they have been found to be conservative, i.e. the critical clearing time predicted by these methods is found in most cases to be too small compared to the critical clearing time obtained via the conventional integration routines. Here we address the conservativeness problem and seek to remedy the direct methods approach to remove this obstacle. First we restate and prove a theorem upon which the analysis of the Lyapunov methods in the power system context have been based. The theorem originally is due to Willems but for which there has been no proof in the literature. We discuss the existing methods such as the controlling UEP and the PEBS (Potential Energy Boundary Surface), identify the sources of conservativeness in these methods and carefully illustrate these issues using a one machine-¿ bus example. A new view that aims at resolving the pessimistic (sometimes over optimistic) results of direct methods is presented, then a new approach which is based on parameterizing a "piece" of the boundary associated with the "Controlling" UEP is introduced. The concept of Controlling UEP appears to offer a feasible approach that can be made analytically sound. Finally, the new approach is applied to the one machine-¿ bus for the purpose of an illustration.
Folate and prevention of colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis

Patients with ulcerative colitis are at greater risk of developing colorectal cancer than the general population. Prophylactic colectomy is the only certain method of avoiding this risk. To avoid indiscriminate surgery, efforts have focused on colonoscopic surveillance in order to select for prophylactic surgery only patients at ultra-high risk. However this policy has not always been proven to reduce mortality for colorectal cancer in these patients. Recently, there has been growing interest in chemoprevention using folate. Folate maintains the normal DNA methylation process and steady-state levels of DNA precursors. These properties indicate that folate has potential as chemopreventive agent.
Managing Human-Wildlife Interaction

Abstract Human-wildlife interactions occur regularly at the fringes of urban development. These encounters are meaningful experiences for humans, who react in a variety of ways. The encounters tend to have an impact on the individual animal, as well. The natural resources administrative community in Los Angeles works constantly on several different aspects of controlling this interaction, but often the encounters spill over into residential neighborhoods. People living near the urban/wildlife boundaries often appreciate the opportunity for encounters but also the management techniques that promote safety. This article explores the developing administrative knowledge and theory of human-wildlife interactions on the urban fringe, blending in a discussion of the mythic understandings of human-wildlife encounters. The aim is to add a dimension to our understanding of a phenomenon of increasing frequency and concern.
Treatment of Impending Tumor Lysis with Single-Dose Rasburicase

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience of using rasburicase as a single-dose treatment for childhood leukemia presenting with hyperuricemia. CASE SUMMARIES: Three children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with hyperuricemia received rasburicase as a single intravenous dose just prior to the start of chemotherapy. This was followed by rapid reduction of serum uric acid levels within 24 hours, which remained low throughout induction therapy while allopurinol and hydration therapy without urinary alkalinization ensued. Subclinical tumor lysis was evidenced by the appearance of hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia in all cases and hyperkalemia in 1 patient. These abnormalities were transient, and each patient's renal function gradually improved from pretreatment baseline without requiring dialysis. DISCUSSION: Our experience suggests that hyperuricemia in children at risk for tumor lysis can be managed with a briefer regimen of rasburicase than the recommended 5- to 7-day course. CONCLUSIONS: A shorter course of rasburicase treatment, including single-dose injection, is feasible and will improve the cost-effectiveness profile of the otherwise expensive compound.
Adiponectin and its receptor signaling: an anti-cancer therapeutic target and its implications for anti-tumor immunity

Introduction: Adiponectin (APN), produced by adipocytes, has direct anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Circulating APN levels are lower in obesity, a disease state that is often associated with several malignancies. Area covered: Increasingly, clinical data suggests that serum APN may have an important protective role in carcinogenesis. Certain cancer cell types express APN receptors and their downstream signaling pathways may influence cancer biology, possibly by regulating cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. However, APN’s role in the immune system, in particular to the anti-tumor response, remains elusive. Therefore, this review critically addresses all controversies associated with the effect of APN on the immune system. Expert opinion: Currently, the promise of interfering with APN and its receptor axis as a novel anti-cancer therapeutic target is rather encouraging. Greater understanding of the immunological side effects following this interference is crucial for the development of effective therapeutic strategies against obesity-associated malignancies. APN receptor signaling on immune cells can blunt anti-tumor immunity and induce tumor-specific tolerance. This may also have far-reaching consequences on the application of APN as an anti-cancer agent.
Micro biochemical engineering to accelerate the design of industrial‐scale downstream processes for biopharmaceutical proteins

The article examines how a small set of easily implemented micro biochemical engineering procedures combined with regime analysis and bioprocess models can be used to predict industrial scale performance of biopharmaceutical protein downstream processing. This approach has been worked on in many of our studies of individual operations over the last 10 years and allows preliminary evaluation to be conducted much earlier in the development pathway because of lower costs. It then permits the later large scale trials to be more highly focused. This means that the risk of delays during bioprocess development and of product launch are reduced. Here we draw the outcomes of this research together and illustrate its use in a set of typical operations; cell rupture, centrifugation, filtration, precipitation, expanded bed adsorption, chromatography and for common sources, E. coli, two yeasts and mammalian cells (GS‐NSO). The general approach to establishing this method for other operations is summarized and new developments outlined. The technique is placed against the background of the scale‐down methods that preceded it and complementary ones that are being examined in parallel. The article concludes with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of the micro biochemical engineering approach versus other methods. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;100: 473–487. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.