Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From Merlin to Oz: The strange case of failed lending targets in the UK1

ABSTRACT As a response to the crisis in the British banking system and reduced lending, the British government established Project Merlin, a series of lending targets aimed at boosting lending to the British economy, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular. Given the economic importance of the targets, however, this paper questions why the Merlin agreements were so ineffective. Three explanations are given: first, in light of the challenges in accessing wholesale funding for the largest UK-owned banks, there was a lack of capacity and incentive to lend more; second, the lack of decisive intervention by the British state to compel banks to lend was also a determinant; third, though, I argue that boosting actual lending figures was not the primary aim of Project Merlin. Instead, the targets were performative, rather than substantive. I argue that these three explanations have important implications for the varieties of capitalism (VoC) debate and the economic and political economic literature on foreign versus domestic bank ownership. To the first literature, the article explains the degree to which politics underpins the structure of even the UK's purportedly liberal market economy (LME), whilst to the second, it explores the limitations to political control over even domestically-owned banks.
The Internet and International Trade in Services

The scope for growth of trade in services is vast. Although services currently make up over 60 percent of world production, they account for only about 20 percent of world trade. A primary reason why international trade in services has been limited is that the performance of many services necessitates physical contact between producers and consumers, a condition that renders service provision to distant locations infeasible. New technology, in particular, the Internet, provides a medium of exchange that overcomes such historical trading hurdles for many services, effectively reducing transport costs from infinity to virtually nothing. There is ample anecdotal evidence that the Internet is having just this sort of an effect on services trade. The accounting firm Netlink maintains the books for 6,000 employees in Reyanosa, Mexico, from their offices in Manhattan. Infosys of India provides softwareconsulting services to international clients, including Apple Computers, Lucent Technologies, and Microsoft. A medical-transcription company in South Africa, ITS, receives digital recordings from abroad electronically and returns a transcribed text file the next day. Still, the question remains as to whether electronic sharing of information is an important enough development to alter significantly the geography of service provision. Indeed, many services need to be tailored to the consumer’s needs and monitored for quality, and these are likely to be more effective if the provider is close by and speaks the same language. In addition, in the event of a dispute, resolution will be less complicated if both parties are subject to the same legal system. Finally, there may be security concerns with allowing foreign access to some documents or systems. Thus, for some services, especially those where familiarity, communication, and non-standardization contribute to quality, the Internet would not be expected to have a large impact on international trade. To determine whether the Internet has significantly affected international service provision in practice, we estimate a general model of services trade across countries and examine whether the inclusion of data on Internet penetration, as measured by the number of Internet hosts in a country, is statistically significant. Overall, our results offer evidence that the Internet is related to growth in services trade. After controlling for GDP and exchange-rate movements, we find that a 10-percent increase in Internet penetration in a foreign country is associated with about a 1.7-percentage-point increase in export growth and a 1.1-percentagepoint increase in import growth. The results are robust to a number of alternative specifications.
MOCVD growth of GaAs nanowires using Ga droplets

We report on growth of GaAs nanowires on Si(111) substrates using Ga droplets by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). Appropriate growth conditions to achieve stabilization of small Ga droplets as well as Ga-assisted VLS growth of GaAs nanowires were found. This work facilitates comparative studies of crystalline quality and nanowire surfaces as a function of the droplet (catalyst) material.
Negative Selection of T Cells by Helicobacter pylori as a Model for Bacterial Strain Selection by Immune Evasion1

The majority of humans infected with Helicobacter pylori maintain a lifelong infection with strains bearing the cag pathogenicity island (PAI). H. pylori inhibits T cell responses and evades immunity so the mechanism by which infection impairs responsiveness was investigated. H. pylori caused apoptotic T cell death, whereas Campylobacter jejuni did not. The induction of apoptosis by H. pylori was blocked by an anti-Fas Ab (ZB4) or a caspase 8 inhibitor. In addition, a T cell line with the Fas rendered nonfunctional by a frame shift mutation was resistant to H. pylori-induced death. H. pylori strains bearing the cag PAI preferentially induced the expression of Fas ligand (FasL) on T cells and T cell death, whereas isogenic mutants lacking these genes did not. Inhibiting protein synthesis blocked FasL expression and apoptosis of T cells. Preventing the cleavage of FasL with a metalloproteinase inhibitor increased H. pylori-mediated killing. Thus, H. pylori induced apoptosis in Fas-bearing T cells through the induction of FasL expression. Moreover, this effect was linked to bacterial products encoded by the cag PAI, suggesting that persistent infection with this strain may be favored through the negative selection of T cells encountering specific H. pylori Ags.
Towards compilation of streaming programs into FPGA hardware

There is an increasing need for automated conversion of high-level design descriptions into hardware. We present a flow that converts a software application written in the Brook streaming language into a hardware description targeting FPGAs. We use a combination of our source-to-source compiler and a commercial C2H behavioral synthesis compiler. Our approach results in a significant through-put increase compared to software and ordinary C2H results (up to 8.9X and 4.3X, respectively). The throughput can be further increased by using more hardware resources to exploit data parallelism available in streaming applications.
E-business in professional SMEs: the case of New Zealand

Purpose – The aim of this study is to understand why some New Zealand firms in the professional services industries have been slow to embrace e‐business technologies.Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ a postal survey approach and involve a sample of 500 professional service small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand.Findings – The main conclusion derived from this study is that a combination of factors influences a firm's current and future level of e‐business adoption. These factors include: being able to understand potential e‐business benefits; being able to respond to customer and competitor practices; being prepared to develop staff skills and knowledge of internet‐based technologies (IBTs); and having a well justified and strategic orientation towards e‐business.Research limitations/implications – The research was restricted in scope to professional service sector SMEs in New Zealand. Further research is planned to provide valuable benchmarks of other country and sectoral .
Free and open source software (FOSS) as a vehicle for human development in Egypt: some evidence and insights

This paper is based on the hypothesis that free and open source software (FOSS) has a developmental potential in Egypt as it relies on a democratising technology and a collaborative liberalising knowledge production model that encourages smaller business structures rather than proprietary conglomerates. This hypothesis is tested through in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Fieldwork reveals a strong potential for FOSS, particularly towards enhancing different layers of human capital. As FOSS in Egypt is at its infancy stage, its developmental potential is stunted as market forces point towards reinforcing larger proprietary software models at the expense of smaller FOSS-based businesses. This is compounded by limited political will, lack of awareness and absence of FOSS from educational curricula, all of which pose additional challenges. This paper provides recommendations for action in the short and long-terms to promote FOSS as a vehicle for Egypt's development.
Tissue‐Toxic Effects of Phosphatidylcholine/Deoxycholate after Subcutaneous Injection for Fat Dissolution in Rats and a Human Volunteer

BACKGROUND The safety of the lipodissolution procedure for the cosmetic treatment of fat is unknown. OBJECTIVES The objective was to determine the subcutaneous tissue effects of phosphatidylcholine solubilized with deoxycholate (PC/DC) in rats and a human volunteer. METHODS Rats were treated subcutaneously three times with 50, 300, or 600 μL of PC/DC formula on the abdomen in a chronic study (30 days). A human volunteer undergoing elective liposuction was similarly treated. Cell membrane lysis, cell viability, and histologic status were determined on fresh biopsies of subcutaneous fat from the injection sites. RESULTS PC/DC dose-dependently reduced membrane integrity and cell viability. Histologic alterations induced by PC/DC included fibroplasia, bandlike fibrosis in the region of the cutaneous muscle, and partial muscle loss. The highest dose caused widespread fat necrosis, fat cyst formation, and necrotic changes of the walls of small blood vessels. Histologic sections of subcutaneous tissue from the human volunteer showed dose-dependent panniculitis, fat cysts, and vessel necrosis. DC (2.5%), tested for comparison in the rat, exerted membrane and histologic effects similar to those of PC/DC. Solvent controls caused negligible alterations. CONCLUSIONS Injection lipolysis with PC/DC causes tissue fibrosis and necrosis of adipose and vascular tissues in rat and man, making the long-term safety of PC/DC for nonsurgical treatment of subcutaneous fat deposits uncertain.
Contextualising design: Aspects of using usability context analysis and hierarchical task analysis for software design

Usability Context Analysis is part of ISO 9241-11 and, as such, is recommended for use in user-centred design. However, studies involving a critical assessment of usability context analysis within the software domain are scarce; this paper details two small studies that involved the use of usability context analysis (UCA) and hierarchical task analysis (HTA). The first system involved designing a small subsite of a larger website, while the second system was a small database designed as part of an exercise by UK university students. Post-design evaluation suggested that the use of both UCA and HTA, rather than one or the other, was beneficial in gathering and analysing user requirements.
Is Urban Sprawl Good for Minorities?

This article investigates the effect of urban sprawl, as measured by employment decentralization, on minority housing consumption gaps since the housing bust. Previous research contends that sprawl contributes to reducing the Black–White housing consumption gap by increasing the supply of land in housing markets and thereby increasing affordability. Antisprawl policies may therefore exacerbate the Black–White housing disparity. This research makes two contributions to the literature. First, the article examines how changes in sprawl may have varying influences on the Black–White housing gap, a previously unexamined facet of this relationship. In the vast majority of metropolitan areas in this sample, sprawl is predicted to exacerbate the Black–White housing gap until sprawl reaches a threshold. Only in a limited number of high-sprawl metropolitan areas does sprawl contribute to reducing the Black–White housing gap. Second, the article examines differences in housing gaps for three distinct minority groups—Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics—using recent data from the 2009 American Housing Survey. For Blacks, sprawl continues to have varying effects on housing consumption. For Asians, urban sprawl yields significant gains in housing consumption relative to Whites. However, no significant results occur for Hispanics. This article demonstrates that the independent effect of urban sprawl on U.S. minority housing consumption is a highly uneven process in the post–Great Recession economy. As such, arguments that antisprawl policies reduce minority gains in housing should be treated with considerable skepticism.
Country’s Development as a Determinant of Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity

Our study is built on the dependence of early-stage entrepreneurial activity on GDP per capita, GDP real growth rate, unemployment rate, inflation rate, investments and public debt of different countries. We divide the early-stage entrepreneurial activity into necessity-driven and improvement-driven opportunistic entrepreneurial activity. To establish the dependencies we have conducted the regression analyses. Our three main findings are: (a) early-stage entrepreneurial activity does depend on our predictors; (b) necessity-driven entrepreneurial activity is negatively correlated to country’s development; and (c) improvement-driven opportunistic entrepreneurial activity is positively correlated to country’s development.
Mode-locking dynamics in electrically driven vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We develop a novel description of electrically driven vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (VECSELs) mode-locked by saturable absorber mirrors. Our approach is based on an analytical solution of the bidirectional traveling-wave equations for fundamental transverse mode operation. The resulting time-domain equations describe the evolution of the electric fields and carrier-densities at the quantum-well layers of the emitter and absorber structures which are coupled through delayed boundary conditions. For the design considered, we obtain stable mode-locked pulses of few tens of picoseconds at 15-GHz repetition rate in agreement with recently reported experimental results.
The Threshold Effect of Exchange Rate Volatility on Trade Volume: Evidence from G-7 Countries

Abstract This paper uses a threshold model to examine a possible threshold effect in the impact of exchange rate volatility on trade volume for the bilateral trade volumes between the US and other G-7 countries. A grid-searching method is used to obtain the threshold points, and time-series econometric techniques are applied to estimate the long run stable relationships as well as short-run dynamics. The results support the existence of nonlinearity in the effect of exchange rate volatility, and indicate that trade volume tends to increase when exchange rate volatility surpasses a certain threshold point.
The interface of disciplinary practices and accounting: the case of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville, 1761-1790:

In recent years, many studies have confirmed the role played by techniques of calculation in facilitating business management. Although there is no agreement on precisely when and for what purposes they arose, it seems clear that they were important as control procedures. This paper studies the case of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville, Spain, in the period 1761 to 1790, and identifies and discusses the disciplinary character of the accounting techniques adopted. From the analysis of archival information, it is clear that various forms of discipline played an important part in critical management control methods. It is argued that the accounting system effectively transferred to the local production installations the patterns of employee behaviour stipulated in the Regulations issued by the top management located in distant Madrid.
The Prediction of Variability Occurring in Fluidized Bed Coating Equipment. I. The Measurement of Particle Circulation Rates in a Bottom-Spray Fluidized Bed Coater

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect that changes in design and process variables had on the movement of particles around a fluidized bed coating apparatus. To measure the mean and variance of the particle cycle time distribution (CTD), the number of passages taken by a magnetic tracer particle through the spray zone was measured by a detector coil wound around the partition. The reproducibility of the measurement technique was tested by taking repeated measurements of the tracer particle movement, using similar bed operating conditions, and the method was found to give reproducible results. A series of experiments was carried out by varying operating conditions such as the partition gap, fluidizing air rate, and partition diameter and length, and measuring the change in the rate at which the tracer particle circulated in the coating device. The results of the experiments showed that, over the range of parameters tested in this work, the partition gap had the strongest influence on the rate of particle circulation. Moreover, for the 6-in. -diameter Wurster process used in the current work, the mean circulation time for the 1.1-mm-diameter Nu-Pareil particles was found to vary over the range of 2.2–10.4 sec. In addition, the mean and standard deviation of the CTD could be linearly correlated over a wide range of operating conditions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.80. Finally, an estimate of the variability in mass coating uniformity was made based on the results from the cycle time distributions. It was concluded that the effect of variability in the CTD could account for only a small fraction of the variability in the observed mass coating distribution.
Revisiting Resolution and Inter-Layer Coupling Factors in Modularity for Multilayer Networks

Modularity for multilayer networks, also called multislice modularity, is parametric to a resolution factor and an inter-layer coupling factor. The former is useful to express layer-specific relevance and the latter quantifies the strength of node linkage across the layers of a network. However, such parameters can be set arbitrarily, thus discarding any structure information at graph or community level. Other issues are related to the inability of properly modeling order relations over the layers, which is required for dynamic networks. In this paper we propose a new definition of modularity for multilayer networks that aims to overcome major issues of existing multislice modularity. We revise the role and semantics of the layer-specific resolution and inter-layer coupling terms, and define parameter-free unsupervised approaches for their computation, by using information from the within-layer and inter-layer structures of the communities. Moreover, our formulation of multilayer modularity is general enough to account for an available ordering of the layers and relating constraints on layer coupling. Experimental evaluation was conducted using three state-of-the-art methods for multilayer community detection and nine real-world multilayer networks. Results have shown the significance of our modularity, disclosing the effects of different combinations of the resolution and inter-layer coupling functions. This work can pave the way for the development of new optimization methods for discovering community structures in multilayer networks.
Getting inside the HRM-performance relationship.

This paper argues that employee attitudes and behaviour need to be explicitly incorporated into models of HRM and performance and into related empirical studies if we are to improve our understanding of the HRM – performance relationship. At the same time, employee concerns have been neglected in the stream of research on HRM and performance. A simple model is presented and two large-scale crosssectional empirical studies conducted in Britain are reported. Both provide some support for the role of employee attitudes and behaviour, confirming their value as explanatory variables. However they also raise new methodological issues and these are also discussed.
Associations Between a Voluntary Restaurant Menu Designation Initiative and Patron Purchasing Behavior

Background. Restaurant initiatives provide an efficient opportunity to impact large numbers of patrons. The purpose of this study is to measure patron purchasing behaviors during the ¡Por Vida! menu designation initiative. Method. This study used a cross-sectional design and survey data to assess 23 restaurants throughout Bexar County and 152 restaurant patrons. The Patron Awareness Questionnaire assessed if patrons noticed the logo; believed nutrition, cost, and taste were important in making purchasing decisions; and purchased a ¡Por Vida! item. Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results. Most (93.4%) patrons considered taste very important when deciding what to eat. Cost was very important to 63.8% and nutrition was very important to 55.9% of the sample. The strongest predictors of purchasing a ¡Por Vida! item were the patrons’ ages being between 18 and 35 years (odds ratio = 1.474; confidence interval = 0.017, 0.812; p < .05) and if patrons saw the logo (odds ratio = 4.327; confidence interval = 1.696-11.036; p < .01). Discussion/Conclusion. Menu logo designation initiatives can potentially influence patron purchasing behaviors among a segment of the population when the logo is visible.
The endogeneity of optimum currency area criteria – lessons from history for European monetary union

Purpose – Assesses whether the current pattern of relative wage rigidity and labour inertia in Europe is a problematic factor in the successful functioning of the European monetary union as viewed by many observers given the absence of interregional fiscal transfer payments. Design/methodology/approach – Uses econometric methods to test whether the onset of monetary integration in the US and the gold standard in selected countries has increased the pro-cyclical behaviour of real wages. Findings – Finds suggestive empirical evidence that indeed a Lucas Critique argument applies such that credibly fixed exchange rate regimes might induce wages to carry the burden of macroeconomic adjustment in lieu of independent monetary policy and/or fiscal transfers. Originality/value – Makes a novel contribution to the literature by attempting to test for the existence of endogenous adjustment mechanisms based on historical monetary unions analogous to EMU.
Modeling nonsynaptic communication between neurons in the lamina ganglionaris of Musca domestica

Using anatomy of Musca domestica's (the housefly) first optic ganglion, the lamina ganglionaris, a biologically inspired artificial neural network is presented. This paper focuses on communication phenomena and activity between specific neurons in the lamina and models nonsynaptic communication between neurons. Test results demonstrate that nonsynaptic communication between neurons can achieve results similar to synaptic connections in early vision systems.
Forecasting Hourly Peak Call Volume for a Rural Electric Cooperative Call Center

This research forecasts peak call volume of a centralized after-hours call center for rural electric cooperatives to help the call center determine staffing levels. A Gaussian copula is used to capture the dependence among non-normal distributions. Using a centralized call center reduces costs by approximately 75% compared to having individual call centers at each cooperative. Adding cooperatives to the centralized call center is projected to further decrease costs per member. An out-of-sample forecasting exercise after the call center expanded validated the model's forecast that additional cooperatives could be added without a proportional increase in the peak number of calls. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.