Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The life insurer Risk-Based Capital ratio : panel data analysis

Many studies suggest the ability of the NAIC Risk-Based Capital ratio (RBC ratio) to predict insurer insolvency. Based on the US life insurer (insurer) data for the period of 2005 to 2008, this study finds explanatory variables that have a statistically significant relationship with the RBC ratio. Advantages of panel data over cross-sectional and time series data analysis are exploited to make valid inference on coefficients of the explanatory variables. Testing for unobserved insurer and time effects and for dependence between these effects and the explanatory variables indicates the appropriateness of the fixed insurer and time effects model. Based on the ordinary least squares estimates, it is found that insurers’ size, capital-to-asset ratio, and return on capital have a statistically significant relationship with the RBC ratio. Additionally, health product, annuity product, opportunity, and regulatory risks of insurers are related to the RBC ratio. Accounting for heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation for a given insurer yields the same coefficient estimates, but increased standard errors.
The lysosomal‐mitochondrial axis in free fatty acid–induced hepatic lipotoxicity

Impaired mitochondrial function is largely thought to be a core abnormality responsible for disease progression in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the molecular mechanisms resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction in NAFLD remain poorly understood. This study examined the effects of excessive accumulation of free fatty acids (FFAs) in liver cells on mitochondrial function and the role of the lysosomal‐mitochondrial axis on lipotoxicity. Primary mouse hepatocytes, HepG2 and McNtcp.24 cells, were treated with varied concentrations of FFAs with different degrees of saturation for up to 24 hours. Mitochondrial function was monitored by real‐time imaging, cytochrome c redistribution, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The temporal relationship of lysosomal and mitochondrial permeabilization was established. Activity of the lysosomal protease cathepsin B was suppressed by genetic and pharmacological approaches. Cathepsin B–knockout mice and wild‐type animals were place on a high‐carbohydrate diet for 16 weeks, and mitochondrial function and liver damage were assessed. Exposure of liver cells to saturated FFAs resulted in mitochondrial depolarization, cytochrome c release, and increased ROS production. Lysosomal permeabilization and cathepsin B redistribution into the cytoplasm occurred several hours prior to mitochondrial dysfunction. Either pharmacological or genetic inhibition of cathepsin B preserved mitochondrial function. Finally, cathepsin B inactivation protected mitochondria, decreased oxidative stress, and attenuated hepatic injury in vivo. Conclusion: These data strongly suggest excessive accumulation of saturated FFAs in liver cells directly induce mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Our data further suggest this process is dependent on lysosomal disruption and activation of cathepsin B. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)
Potential indicator species of climate changes occurring in Québec, Part 1: the small brown lacewing fly Micromus posticus (Walker) (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae)

Abstract Micromus posticus (Walker) is a small brown lacewing fly rarely collected in Canada and represented in collections by only a limited number of specimens. Indeed, fewer than 50 specimens were captured in Québec and Ontario over the last century, all within a small area delimited by the northern shore of Lake Erie, Ottawa and Montréal. Aylmer, located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, northwest of Ottawa, is a new, most southwestern locality record of this species for Québec. The Aylmer specimens were collected 1-7 days later than any of the known specimens collected elsewhere in Québec or in Ontario, and 16-22 days later than in the neighbouring localities, indicating an apparent phenological shift.
Breast Cancer Fatalism: The Role of Women’s Perceptions of the Health Care System

Cancer fatalism, which can be understood as the belief that cancer is a death sentence, has been found to be a deterrent to preventive cancer screening participation. This study examines factors associated with breast cancer fatalism among women. We analyzed data from a 2003 survey of women 40 years of age. The survey collected information about respondents’ knowledge and attitudes regarding breast health. Analyses compared the characteristics of women who reported and those who did not report a fatalistic attitude. Women with a fatalistic attitude were more likely to be African American, to have a family history of breast cancer, to rate their quality of care as fair or poor, to believe that not much could be done to prevent breast cancer, to believe that breast cancer could not be cured if found early, and to believe that treatment could be worse than the disease.
A Framework for Human Capital Indicators in Knowledge-Based Industries: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Industry

Purpose – During the last decade, intellectual capital (IC) has been widely considered as a critical tool to deliver successful business in an intensive knowledge environment. The main goal of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize human capital indicators as an important component of IC in knowledge-based industries.Design/methodology/approach – Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed. In order to data gathering, it was sent out to 108 participants from academic and university who qualified well in pharmaceutical practice. Besides statistical analysis, we also used fuzzy TOPSIS technique as a MADM model in order to exact prioritization of indicators. Findings – The analysis indicates that there is little difference between academic and university respondents. Furthermore, the fuzzy TOPSIS results show that participants remark high concerns especially about knowledge and skills of managers and employees.Research limitations/implications – The findings offer valuable insights in order to evaluation of human capital state as a key component of IC in knowledge-based industry.Practical implications – There is an immediate need that the policy makers and corporate managers wake up to the need and start to measure and disclosure the intangible assets of firms. Intellectual capital measurement is of primary interest for top executives of pharmaceutical firms in Iran as well.Originality/value – This is an initial and pioneering study to develop a valid tool to evaluate IC in Iranian pharmaceutical industry. The present study provides a new aspect of performance measurement for research-based industries in emerging economies and would be a good topic for further research.
Bureaucratic corruption and anti-corruption strategies in Nigeria: an overview

This paper derives from the contemporary concern facing good governance and the sustainability of democratic government in Nigeria. The phenomenon of corruption i.e. bureaucratic corruption has negative implications on the nation and therefore capable of terminating our nascent democracy, hence, the need to curb or reduce to the bearest minimum the menace of corruption in the country. The paper examines the effects of bureaucratic corruption on the socio-economic as well as the political development of the nation and concludes that no democracy can thrive or survive where pervasive corruption is an enduring feature of such a nation, hence, recommends among others the need to “fight” corruption at all levels of government. This fight must be a collective responsibility of all Nigerians and not an exclusive preserve of the government. By so doing, the country will attain a higher level of development in the 21 st century and beyond. Keywords : bureaucratic corruption, anticorruption, socio-economic,strategies in Nigeria Global Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 4(1&2) 2005: 21-25
A factor analysis of international portfolio diversification

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between stock market returns of 13 countries based upon monthly data spanning December 1987 to April 2007. Design/methodology/approach - Specifically, the principal component (PC) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods are used to examine any discernable patterns of stock market co-movements. Findings - Factor analysis provides evidence that stock returns in a number of Asian countries are highly correlated and, based on the resulting robust factor loadings, they form the first well-defined common factor. The paper also finds consistent results (based on both the PC and ML methods) suggesting that the stock market returns of developed countries are also highly correlated, and constitute our second factor. Practical implications - The paper concludes that, Originality/value - Very few previous studies have investigated the benefits from portfolio diversification by using the PC and ML methods.
Biodiversity and ecosystem productivity in a fluctuating environment: the insurance hypothesis.

Although the effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning has become a major focus in ecology, its significance in a fluctuating environment is still poorly understood. According to the insurance hypothesis, biodiversity insures ecosystems against declines in their functioning because many species provide greater guarantees that some will maintain functioning even if others fail. Here we examine this hypothesis theoretically. We develop a general stochastic dynamic model to assess the effects of species richness on the expected temporal mean and variance of ecosystem processes such as productivity, based on individual species' productivity responses to environmental fluctuations. Our model shows two major insurance effects of species richness on ecosystem productivity: (i) a buffering effect, i.e., a reduction in the temporal variance of productivity, and (ii) a performance-enhancing effect, i.e., an increase in the temporal mean of productivity. The strength of these insurance effects is determined by three factors: (i) the way ecosystem productivity is determined by individual species responses to environmental fluctuations, (ii) the degree of asynchronicity of these responses, and (iii) the detailed form of these responses. In particular, the greater the variance of the species responses, the lower the species richness at which the temporal mean of the ecosystem process saturates and the ecosystem becomes redundant. These results provide a strong theoretical foundation for the insurance hypothesis, which proves to be a fundamental principle for understanding the long-term effects of biodiversity on ecosystem processes.
Benchmarking: a longitudinal study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use and effect of benchmarking in manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 23 companies were interviewed longitudinally in 1993, 2004 and 2010. For the study a standard questionnaire was used, and the questions asked concerned the best practices used in the companies and their operational performance.Findings – The use of benchmarking has changed a lot over the last 15 years. It grew a lot after the first study was made, but by the time of the third study it had shrunk to the same level as in 1993. There may be several reasons for that, but, as the data indicates, there is no clear relation between the use of benchmarking and operational results, which may be one reason.Research limitations/implications – Due to the small sample size the results are only indicative and more research is needed in this area. Furthermore, there may also be several other reasons affecting the performance of companies. It is always risky to claim tha.
When are Profitable Earnings Low Enough to Trigger a Liquidation Option?

The objective of this study is threefold. Our primary objective is to determine the point at which earnings become low enough to trigger a liquidation (abandonment) option during the 1998 fiscal year on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq. Second, we investigate whether that earnings level is intertemporally stable by investigating the valuation significance of earnings and book value during two pooled time periods from 1994 to 1998 and from 1989 to 1998. Third, we seek to determine whether the decreased valuation significance in earnings is associated with a simultaneous increase in the valuation significance of book value during all three time periods examined. Key Words: Earnings; Book value of equity; Valuation; Abandonment option
Development for whom? Social justice and the business of ecotourism

This paper reports on long-term research conducted in Lombok, Indonesia into the social and socio-economic outcomes of tourism development within a heterogeneous community of migrant settlers and native residents. It explores the outcomes of international development agency work in the area. It explains how while most of the case study's tourism attractions are part of the indigenous heritage of the wetu telu Sasak, they derive few economic benefits from that heritage. Local women in particular struggle to access the new development opportunities that tourism offers. Benefits tend to flow to incoming migrant groups and to men. The prevailing conditions of culture, education, ethnicity, gender, politics, history, location, mobility, socio-economy, tourism skills and knowledge constitute key barriers. Further constraints, often overlooked, result from an “institutional culture” within aid projects that promotes business ahead of social development.
Dual channel imaging of two‐dimensional electropherograms in Bacillus subtilis

The allocation of proteins to stimulons and regulons is an essential step towards the understanding of the global regulation of the expression of entire genomes. The computer‐aided evaluation and matching of two‐dimensional protein gels loaded with radioactively labeled proteins from exponentially growing or stressed cells is a useful but time‐consuming procedure for the description of stimulons and regulons. This paper describes the dual‐channel image analysis that offers the opportunity to visualize the content and synthesis rate of a whole set of bacterial proteins on a single electropherogram. By pulse‐labeling with L‐[35S]methionine, the protein synthesis pattern (red color) can be directly compared with the protein level pattern (green color). Because matching of other gels can be avoided, this new technique is useful for the rapid search for proteins that belong to different stimulons or regulons. This approach was tested for the identification of proteins of heat stress or oxidative stress stimulons. Proteins that were induced by heat or oxidative stress colored red while proteins whose synthesis was switched off by the stress factor colored green. Proteins that were continuously synthesized before and after the imposition of stress retained their yellow color. The advantages and possible pitfalls of the technique are discussed.
South America and a new financial architecture

The new monetary and financial architecture in South America rests on two important premises: a financial argument built around the creation of a new development bank, the Banco del Sur, and a monetary argument, founded on the notion of monetary regional integration, independent of the use of the U.S. dollar. This architecture contrasts with the main model of regional monetary integration that consists of two possible solutions: full monetary union or dollarization. The second model of regional monetary integration, however, is more consistent with Keynes and Post Keynesians. It rests on the creation of a common currency—or a unit of account—that does not supersede the existence of national currencies. This currency would be used solely for settling interregional payments, much like Keynes's bancor.
The use and pricing of convertible bonds

This paper provides an overview of the main results of the literature on pricing convertible bonds. It covers simple convertible bonds which are non-callable and can be converted only at maturity as well as more complicated callable and puttable convertible bonds under stochastic interest rates. The paper also reviews the main results in the literature on why firms issue convertible bonds. The two most often cited rationales for issuing convertible bonds - as delayed equity, and to sweeten debt - are discussed in the context of both asymmetric information and agency models of capital structure. Finally, the paper provides some thoughts on incorporating strategic issues into the pricing of convertible bonds.
Intraoperative High-Dose Epinephrine Infiltration in Cleft Palate Repair

ObjectiveLocal infiltration of epinephrine before surgical procedures is a well-accepted technique to promote vasoconstriction. Typically, the dose of epinephrine is limited by the co-administration of local anesthetic as well as the risk for arrhythmogenesis and hemodynamic changes. In addition, some controversy exists regarding the acceptable dose of epinephrine given to children. This retrospective review examines the use and safety of “high-dose” epinephrine in palatoplasty at our cleft-craniofacial center. DesignA retrospective review of epinephrine use in primary palatoplasty at a tertiary children’s hospital from 2003 to 2007 was performed. Operative and anesthetic records were reviewed for hypertension (systolic blood pressure, >120 or diastolic blood pressure, >70) and tachycardia (>190 beats per min) as defined by the American Heart Association guidelines, as well as dysrhythmias, intraoperative complications, and postoperative complications. ResultsA total of 102 patients who underwent consecutive primary palatoplasties performed by a single surgeon were identified. After the induction of anesthesia and before incision, the patients received an initial epinephrine infiltration (without local anesthetic) up to a maximum 10 &mgr;g/kg. The average total dose of epinephrine administered during palatoplasty was 12.8 &mgr;g/kg (range, 3.2–75.0 &mgr;g/kg). Doses up to a maximum of 10 &mgr;g/kg were administered as needed at 30-minute intervals. No instances of clinically unstable tachycardia or hypertension occurred. A total of 21.6% of the patients (22/102) experienced an instance of hypertension, and only 13.7% of these (14/102) were related to epinephrine administration. One (1%) postoperative fistula was identified. ConclusionsLocally infiltrated high-dose epinephrine during palatoplasty can be safely used as a means of vasoconstriction. Doses reaching a maximum of 10 &mgr;g/kg, administered as needed at 30-minute intervals, do not seem to be a significant risk for hemodynamic instability, intraoperative complications, or postoperative complications.
A Competitive Theory of Employment Dynamics

We develop a model of search and unemployment in an economy consisting of a large number of spatially separated local competitive labour markets and aggregate uncertainty. If aggregate shocks are positively autocorrelated, the implied cyclical behaviour of the aggregate variables match those of empirical studies: worker movement and job creation are procyclical while total unemployment, job destruction and job reallocation are countercyclical.
Randomized algorithms for generalized Hermitian eigenvalue problems with application to computing Karhunen–Loève expansion

We describe randomized algorithms for computing the dominant eigenmodes of the generalized Hermitian eigenvalue problem Ax = λBx, with A Hermitian and B Hermitian and positive definite. The algorithms we describe only require forming operations Ax,Bx and B−1x and avoid forming square roots of B (or operations of the form, B1/2x or B−1/2x). We provide a convergence analysis and a posteriori error bounds and derive some new results that provide insight into the accuracy of the eigenvalue calculations. The error analysis shows that the randomized algorithm is most accurate when the generalized singular values of B−1A decay rapidly. A randomized algorithm for the generalized singular value decomposition is also provided. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on computing an approximation to the Karhunen–Loève expansion, which involves a computationally intensive generalized Hermitian eigenvalue problem with rapidly decaying eigenvalues. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The High Cost of Leaving: An Analysis of the Cost of Teacher Turnover

The cost of teacher turnover to schools and school districts has only recently been studied. This research reveals that when high-quality teachers leave the classroom, the effect on both student performance and school and district fiscal operations is significant and deleterious. The implications for study in this area include the planning of teacher induction programs that can improve teacher retention and student achievement, and educational finance reforms that have the potential to increase the efficiency of school district finances and operations. In this article, the two fiscal measurement instruments used to determine the cost of teacher attrition are compared and critiqued—the School Turnover Analysis and the Teacher Turnover Cost Calculator. The article concludes with recommendations for future research and policy reform, and encourages the increased use of teacher attrition cost measurement tools in schools and school districts.
Internationalisation incentives and problems: insight from Malaysian SMEs

As an area of study, internationalisation has received limited research attention in the Malaysian context. More specifically, the review of the small business literature reveals that research on internationalisation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia has not been emphasised. The purpose of this study is to address this issue. This study examines the incentives and problems of internationalisation among 73 SMEs in the manufacturing sector. The results of the study suggest that the SMEs in the study in general agreed that the internationalisation incentives had contributed to their success in exporting. In addition, the SMEs reported that their firms encountered 20 pressing internationalisation problems.
Pro-poor tourism: residents' expectations, experiences and perceptions in the Kakum National Park Area of Ghana

This paper examines Ghana's evolving tourism policies with special reference to its spatial and pro-poor impacts. Using a sample of 182 respondents around the Kakum National Park in Ghana's Central Region, an area which is rich in tourism assets but economically poor, it examines residents’ expectations, experiences and perceptions about tourism development in the area. While some expectations were too much, others had been met, if only somewhat. Residents’ experiences in terms of direct socio-economic benefits were modest. But largely on account of indirect gains from a range of pro-poor interventions, the majority had a fairly positive perception of tourism in the area. Respondents of communities beyond the Park's reception area had gained more from associated interventions rather than from tourism. Age and place of birth were also found to be key variables that influenced residents’ perspectives on tourism development in the area. Nevertheless, residents’ overall perception suggests that sustainable tourism development requires an approach that simultaneously improves the tourism product and enhances residents’ livelihood options. The need for residents to be involved in decision-making if pro-poor tourism is to be successful was underlined.