Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transferability of Management Innovation to Africa

Horwitz et al. (2006: 807) have argued that ‘the debate regarding convergence/divergence perspectives in the cross-cultural diffusion of human resource management (HRM) practices is a somewhat simplistic one. ’ The authors are of the view that because convergent similarity of HRM practice exists at a nominal level, the notions of hybridization and crossvergence are better in explaining HRM practices and their diffusion across countries. While the authors focused on exploring explanations of the differences in HRM practices, the article provocatively challenges researchers and experts to explore the question of whether Multinational Companies (MNCs) should adapt Human Resource Management Innovation (HRMI) and if so, why? And how? The main aim of this article is to investigate the following questions: (a) Given that MNCs transfer HRMI to developing countries, which policy should guide the transfer (polycentric or ethnocentric? ); and (b) Given that host-country nationals (HCNs) are not passive recipients of HRMI, what are the implications of the policy (polycentric or ethnocentric) for MNCs? The result of our investigation and the review of literature suggest that the MNCs’ performance management (PM) policies are partially ethnocentric, but the practice, as perceived by some HCNs (employees), is polycentric. For example, some HCNs perceive some degree of nepotism and patronage in the system. Also, many felt that their line managers were biased against them. Similarly, a significant number of HCNs felt that their views are not taken into account during PM review and they do not receive feedback from their managers. The implications of the findings are then discussed.
THE INFLUENCE OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION ON THE HEALTH CARE BEHAVIOUR OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN THE MERU DISTRICT OF KENYA

This paper examines the effects of road improvements on the utilization of three hospitals in Kenya. Three hypotheses, which assume that road improvements will intensify the use of health facilities, expand the catchment areas of health facilities and widen individual choice and use of health facilities, are tested. The main impact of the new road has been confined to changes in the geographical accessibility, bringing more people within easy travelling distance of the three hospitals. However, only a small number of the sampled households show any sign of being strongly influenced by such change. In particular, it is the wealthy minority that show the greater sensitivity to the shrinkage of distance brought about by the new road. For the majority, hospital choice seems to be conditioned by a range of factors, notably cost of treatment, religious affiliation and attitudes to the efficacy of each health care system. These influences were in existence before the new road and operate independent of it.
Emerging industry standard for managing next generation transport networks: TMF MTOSI

There are enormous business benefits to being able to separate the business logic from the massive technical complexity at the network level. One of the greatest challenges to being able to achieve this abstraction at the OS level has been the requirement to communicate and manage many different sets of vendor technologies. The main inhibitor to overcoming this challenge has been the lack of standards supporting both the interface from an OS to an EMS and also that between OSs. Building upon the successful multi technology network management (MTNM) CORBA/IDL interface, MTOSI has extended MTNM work to support XML/Web service interactions between various types of operations systems. MTOSI bridged the standard gap by defining a methodology and a framework to map the domain specific business activities into well defined TMF NGOSS contracts according to the service oriented architecture principles. This session introduces the key aspects of MTOSI and presents a real use case of MTOSI in BT
Down and Out in the Stock Market: The Law and Finance of the Delisting Process

Abstract Since 1995, more than 9,000 firms have delisted from U.S. stock markets, with almost half of these being involuntary. This paper examines the law and economics of the delisting process. We examine economic rationales for delisting, the legal rules that define it, and the causes of delisting. Using a sample of New York Stock Exchange firms delisted in 2002, we examine the effects of their delisting and subsequent trading on the Pink Sheets. We find huge costs to delisting, with percentage spreads tripling and volatility doubling but with volume being remarkably high. We also show that actual delisting times vary considerably, with some firms trading for months after failing the listing requirements. With exchanges transitioning to profit‐seeking status, we argue that the current delisting process also needs to change, and we suggest properties of an optimal delisting rule and approaches to achieve it.
Acquisition Announcement and Stock Price Behaviour: The Malaysian Experience

Kajian ini menyelidiki kesan pengumuman tentang pengambilalihan ke atas pergerakan harga saham syarikat penawar dan syarikut sasaran. Teknik kajian peristiwa berasaskan indeks tunggal atau model pasaran telah digunakan untuk mengira pulangan luar biasa. Walau bagalmanapun, dua model lagi, iaitu model penentuan harga aset modal (CAPM) dengan persilangan berkonstren dan tanpa berkonstren, dan model pasaran dengan parameter berkonstren a = 0 dun /3 = I juga digunakan untuk memastikan sama ada penentuan pulangan yang dikawal memberi kesan kepada keputusan yang diperolehi. Kesimpulannya tiada terdapat perbezaan yang ketara dalam menggunakan model yang berlainan. ABSTRACT This paper examines the effects of acquisztion announcement on the price behaviour of the Malaysian bidders and target firms. Event study technique is the method used to compute abnormal returns, based on the single index or market model. However, two other models, the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) with unconstrarned and constrarned intercept, and the market model with constrained parameters a = O and p = 1 are also included in this study to ascertain whether the specificatzon of control returns effect the results. There are no obvious difference in the conclusions from using diferent models.
How an IPO Helps in M&A

An initial public offering (IPO) can often provide a powerful stimulus to private companies seeking to pursue an acquisition-driven growth strategy Based on a comprehensive analysis of U.S. IPOs, the authors show that newly public companies are prolific acquirers. Over 30% of companies conducting an IPO make at least one acquisition in their IPO year, and the typical IPO firm makes about four acquisitions during its first five years as a public company. IPOs facilitate M&A not only by providing infusions of capital but also by creating ongoing access to equity and debt markets for cash-financed deals. In addition, IPOs create an acquisition currency that can prove valuable in stock-financed deals when the shares are attractively priced. The authors also argue that IPOs improve the ability of companies to conduct M&A by resolving some of the valuation uncertainty facing privately held companies.
New Leisure Class and Conspicuous Politics in Urban Regeneration Initiatives 1 Work in Progress

New forms of urban regeneration and social innovation have been based on strong citizen involvement and support and, thus, are rarely directly challenged by politicians. While in this process cultural policies have been seen as a driver for social cohesion, it has the face of the new urban leisure class – urban professionals, designers, intellectuals, etc. – who create the agenda for citizen-led regeneration activities. While previous studies have shown that the new leisure class is more attuned to tolerance, diversity and inclusiveness, the force of homophily seems to prevail in these initiatives leading to higher levels of segregation between different populations within the city. We argue that this leads to conspicuous politics: new leisure class participatory activities attract (media, popular) attention and create competitive emulation among various groups among this class. Thus, while the city governments try to reach their social, economic and political goals in austere times through citizen-led initiatives this may be the wrong forum for increasing social sustainability. This article analyses the new urban regeneration setting in terms of aligning diverse interests and actors. The wider context for the discussion is post-Soviet urban development; a case of the Urban Idea – a citizen-led collaboration framework with the city of Tallinn – is analysed as a case study of how new leisure class participatory practices lead to conspicuous urban politics.
Dynamic Nature of Destination Image and Influence of Tourist Overall Satisfaction on Image Modification

The objective of this study is to examine the dynamic nature of tourist destination image and the influence of tourists’ overall satisfaction on image modification. The empirical data were collected in Seoul, a major tourism destination in South Korea. A total of 520 usable survey data were analyzed using paired t-test and analysis of variance. The results supported the proposed research hypotheses: (1) there were statistically significant differences with respect to all image dimensions between their pretrip and posttrip images at the α = . 01 level, and (2) tourists’ satisfaction was statistically related to the extent of destination image modification. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed based on the study findings, and recommendations for future research were presented.
Moving Towards More Effective Seed Aid

Abstract Seed aid is increasingly applied as an emergency response throughout Africa. This article describes its rise, its goals and the seed security principles which should shape it. Drawing on evidence of the effects of disaster, the article reviews the appropriateness of current seed aid responses and suggests ways to link the type of seed security problem with the type of response employed. Direct seed distribution, the dominant form, seems suited for a subset of conditions when farmers procure seed through formal channels and when seed is not sufficiently available in an area. Seed vouchers and fairs may be more widely applicable as this approach strengthens channels that farmers normally use (both formal and informal) and addresses the more common problem of farmers' lack of access to seed. Key for improving seed aid is a better understanding of how local seed markets function, as these provide a core of seed security in normal and stress periods.
Labor Supply Effects of Social Insurance

This chapter examines the labor supply effects of social insurance programs. We argue that this topic deserves separate treatment from the rest of the labor supply literature because individuals may be imperfectly informed as to the rules of the programs and because key parameters are likely to differ for those who are eligible for social insurance programs, such as the disabled. Furthermore, differences in social insurance programs often provide natural experiments with exogenous changes in wages or incomes that can be used to estimate labor supply responses. Finally, social insurance often affects different margins of labor supply. For example, the labor supply literature deals mostly with adjustments in the number of hours worked, whereas the incentives of social insurance programs frequently affect the decision of whether to work at all. The empirical work on unemployment insurance (UI) and workers' compensation (WC) insurance finds that the programs tend to increase the length of time employees spend out of work. Most of the estimates of the elasticities of lost work time that incorporate both the incidence and duration of claims are close to 1.0 for unemployment insurance and between 0.5 and 1.0 for workers' compensation. These elasticities are substantially larger than the labor supply elasticities typically found for men in studies of the effects of wages or taxes on hours of work. The evidence on disability insurance and (especially) social security retirement suggests much smaller and less conclusively established labor supply effects. Part of the explanation for this difference probably lies in the fact that UI and WC lead to short-run variation in wages with mostly a substitution effect. Our review suggest that it would be misleading to apply a universal set of labor supply elasticities to these diverse problems and populations.
Propofol and Remifentanil Effect-site Concentrations Estimated by Pharmacokinetic Simulation and Bispectral Index Monitoring During Craniotomy With Intraoperative Awakening for Brain Tumor Resection

Different anesthetic techniques have been suggested for craniotomy with intraoperative awakening. We describe an asleep-awake-asleep technique with propofol and remifentanil infusions, with pharmacokinetic simulation to predict the effect-site concentrations and to modulate the infusion rates of both drugs, and bispectral index (BIS) monitoring. Five critical moments were defined: first loss of consciousness (LOC1), first recovery of consciousness (ROC1), final of neurologic testing (NT), second loss of consciousness (LOC2), and second recovery of consciousness (ROC2). At LOC1, predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol and remifentanil were, respectively, 3.6±1.2 μg/mL and 2.4±0.4 ηg/mL. At ROC1, predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol and remifentanil were, respectively, 2.1±0.3 μg/mL and 1.8±0.3 ηg/mL. At NT, predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol and remifentanil were, respectively, 0.9±0.3 μg/mL and 1.8±0.2 ηg/mL. At LOC2, predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol and remifentanil were, respectively, 2.1±0.2 μg/mL and 2.5±0.2 ηg/mL. At ROC2, predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol and remifentanil were, respectively, 1.2±0.5 μg/mL and 1.4±0.2 ηg/mL (data are mean±SE). A significative correlation was found between BIS and predicted effect-site concentrations of propofol (r2=0.547, P<0.001) and remifentanil (r2=0.533, P<0.001). Multiple regression analysis between BIS and propofol and remifentanil predicted effect-site concentrations at the different critical steps of the procedure was done and found also significative (r2=0.7341, P<0.001).
How Does Size Affect Mutual Fund Behavior

If actively managed mutual funds suffer from diminishing returns to scale, funds should alter investment behavior as assets under management increase. Although asset growth has little effect on the behavior of the typical fund, we find that large funds and small-cap funds diversify their portfolios in response to growth. Greater diversification, especially for small-cap funds, is associated with better performance. Fund family growth is related to the introduction of new funds that hold different stocks from their existing siblings. Funds with many siblings diversify less rapidly as they grow, suggesting that the fund family may influence a fund's portfolio strategy.
A 0.004mm2 single-channel 6-bit 1.25GS/s SAR ADC in 40nm CMOS

A 6-bit 1.25GS/s single-channel asynchronous SAR ADC skipping the comparator metastability is presented. A delay-shift technique is proposed to shift the comparator delay to generate the 1.5-bit redundancy range and to accelerate the comparison speed. It compensates the dynamic offset by the redundancy. This ADC in 40nm CMOS technology achieves 37.1dB peak SNDR and consumes 5.3mW at 1.2V supply. It results in an FoM of 73fJ/conversion-step. Due to no extra calibration circuit, the core circuit only occupies an area of 0.004mm2.
An association between metabolic syndrome and the estimated glomerular filtration rate.

OBJECTIVE Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health problem. However, few studies have examined the significance of MetS as a risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general Japanese population. METHODS Study participants without a clinical history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, angina, or renal failure (1,158 men, aged 61+/-15 years and 1,606 women, aged 63+/-12 years) were recruited from a single community. We examined the cross-sectional relationship between MetS and renal function as evaluated by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). RESULTS The presence of MetS was consistently associated with reduced eGFR, with the level of reduction proportional to the number of MetS components present. Multiple linear regression analysis using eGFR as an objective variable showed that BMI, DBP, antihypertensive drug use, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, antilipidemic drug use and fasting blood glucose, which were components of MetS, were significantly and independently associated with eGFR, in addition to age and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Individuals with MetS showed a multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 1.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.13) for CKD compared to those without MetS. CONCLUSIONS MetS was significantly associated with decreased eGFR in the general population.
Minimally invasive therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the new millennium: long-term data

Over the last decade, a number of minimally invasive therapies have been investigated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Most of these therapies use thermal energy to ablate prostatic tissue. The major common problem with all these new minimally invasive therapies has been the lack of long-term data concerning efficacy, re-intervention rates and side-effects. We present here the available long-term data on these alternative minimally invasive therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia and their current place in the urologist's armamentarium.
The incidence and risk factors for occurrence of arm lymphedema after treatment of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND The arm lymphedema is reported as being the most frequent late reaction and complication that influences breast cancer patients' quality of life after lymph node dissection and radiotherapy. The aim of the study is to identify the risk factors in arm lymphedema occurrence in breast cancer patients who performed radical conservatory surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analysed 305 breast cancer patients who underwent treatment in the "Sf. Ap. Andrei" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Galati, Radiotherapy and Oncology Department, between the 1st of January 2010 and 31st of December 2012. We tried to find the risk factors for arm lymphedema development after treatment of breast cancer: the association of adjuvant radiotherapy with surgery, chemotherapy,hormonal therapy, number of removed lymph nodes,and number of lymph nodes with metastases, the co-morbid illnesses (obesity, diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure). RESULTS Our study evidences that the association of adjuvant radiotherapy, including the lymph node regions, with radical or conservatory surgery with lymph node dissection represents a statistically significant risk factor, with relative risk, RR =1.87, 95%C.I. =1.39-3.51, p<0.001. The number of removed lymph nodes was found to be a risk factor with statistical significance. For more than 25 removed lymph nodes, the relative risk for arm lymphedema development was RR=1.95(95%C.I. =1.79-4.51) and for 16-25 removed lymph nodes the relative risk, RR = 1.78, 95% C.I. = 1.46 - 3.23. Other analysed risk factors, which did not influence lymphedema development, were: associated chemotherapy or hormonal therapy,presence of co-morbid illnesses. CONCLUSIONS The development of arm lymphedema is an unpredictable occurrence that can happen years after axillary surgery.Breast and arm oedema continue to be late reactions that can be reduced by use of biopsy sentinel technique with avoiding of axillary lymph node dissection, when the sentinel lymph node is negative, knowing that lymphedema risk after sentinel lymph node is 5% comparative with lymphedema risk after axillary lymph node dissection which is 16%, by avoiding obesity, and performing modern therapy techniques.
Knowledge representation and reasoning based on entity and relation propagation diagram/tree

The entity and relation recognition, i.e. (1) assigning semantic classes (e.g., person, organization and location) to entities in a sentence, and (2) determining the relations (e.g., born-in and employee-of) held between the corresponding entities, is an important task in areas such as information extraction and question answering. Subtasks (1) and (2) are typically carried out sequentially, and this procedure is problematic: errors made during subtask (1) are propagated to subtask (2) with an accumulative effect; and in many cases information that becomes available only during subtask (2) (e.g., the class of an entity corresponds to the first argument of relation born-in (X, China)) would be helpful for subtask (1) (e.g., the class of the entity cannot be a location but a person). To address problems of this kind, this paper develops a novel method, which allows subtasks (1) and (2) to be linked more closely together. The procedure is separated to three stages. Firstly, employ two classifiers to perform subtasks (1) and (2) independently. Secondly, the semantic class of each entity is determined by taking into account the classes of all the entities in the sentence, as computed during the previous step. This is achieved using a special model dubbed "entity relation propagation diagram" and "entity relation propagation tree". Thirdly, each relation is then assigned a class by considering the semantic classes of the entities produced at the previous step. Our experimental results show that the method improves not only relation recognition but also entity recognition in some degree.
Tunable acoustic energy harvester using Helmholtz resonator and dual piezoelectric cantilever beams

A tunable acoustic energy harvester consisting of dual piezoelectric cantilever beams and a Helmholtz resonator with a perforated backplate is proposed. The tunability of the operation frequency band can be achieved not only via simply adjusting the radius (r) of the aperture due to the strong dependence of resonance frequencies of the Helmholtz resonator on the acoustic impedance affected by r, but also by changing the distance (d) between piezoelectric cantilever beams because of their magnetic force interaction. Experimental results show that as r (or d) increases from 0 (or 1.4) to 1.0 (or 3.4) cm, the frequency band is broadened and varies from 175.5~198 (or 175.5~213) Hz to 170.5~221 (or 161~203) Hz. The average ratio of the adjusted frequency bandwidth to r (or d) can reach 28 (or 2.25) Hz/cm over the range of 125~250 Hz.
How Institutional Incentives and Constraints Affect the Progress of Science 1

Abstract Scholars studying science policy have long wondered how the progress of science is affected by scientists' motives, and by the incentives and constraints that scientific institutions create. This paper aims to answer two objections to the soundness and applicability of the ‘economics of science’ that arise from such issues. I argue that the progress of science can occur even if scientists exhibit a wide range of motives; but that the pace of scientific progress will depend, in part, on the incentives and constraints provided by scientific institutions. I also discuss the implications of path dependence for the epistemological status of science.
Do Confidence Indicators Help Predict Economic Activity? The Case of the Czech Republic

We examine whether confidence indicators—and their underlying components—improve the forecasts of future economic activity. Using quarterly data from the Czech Republic in 1999–2011, we estimate a vector autoregression model of the Czech economy (consisting of several commonly used macroeconomic variables) and compare its forecasting performance with models that additionally contain domestic and foreign confidence indicators. Our results suggest that although confidence indicators are contemporaneously well correlated with GDP, they fail to improve the GDP forecasts vis-? -vis the model based on macroeconomic variables only or vis-? -vis autoregressive models.