Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calendar effects in Eastern European financial markets: evidence from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia

This paper uses a new data set from three Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia) to investigate whether the so-called calendar effects are present in the newly developing financial markets in those countries. Five calendar effects are examined in both mean by OLS regression and variance by GARCH; the day of the week effect, the January effect, the half-month effect, the turn of the month effect and the holiday effect. In the empirical analysis, very weak evidence has been found for the calendar effects in the three countries, and these effects, where they exist, have different characteristics in the different stock markets.
The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and role of internal auditors in the ERM implementation: A review of related literature on measurement instruments

The primary objective of this study is to comprehensively review the literature concerning existing instruments on the measures of the ERM implementation and roles of internal auditing (IA) in the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) implementation. The study involves review of existing ERM instruments from 2001 to 2011. The present instrument were critically reviewed in which the contributions and limitations of each is appropriately identified and summarized. The review identified four main limitations of the existing ERM instruments that limit its applicability in academic setting. First, there is no consistency on the attributes used to tap the construct, that is, the ERM. Second, most of the instruments were not based on any well accepted ERM framework. Third, almost all of the instruments do not incorporate the roles of IA in the ERM. Finally, all of the instruments do not attempt to appropriately quantify the measurement of the ERM and this is evidenced by the use of categorical scales. This review could add value to academic research by providing analysis, comments and summary of various ERM instruments for ten years. This may assist more studies in this area that currently lack academic-based measurement tools. This present review could be among the significance source of reference for academic research especially on the measurement of the ERM implementation and IA roles in the implementation. It also could serve as guidance for the development of new academic-based instrument. Further, this review offers new solution to critical research questions concerning the structure, framework and measurement procedures. Key words: Enterprise risk management (ERM), internal auditing (IA), IA roles, COSO ERM framework, corporate governance, risk assessment tools.
Two novel mutations in severe factor VII deficiency

We have characterized the molecular defect in two families with severe factor VII (FVII) deficiency. In family I, the proband was found to be homozygous for a novel 18 bp deletion in exon 8 (g.10896‐10913del) resulting in the in‐frame deletion of six amino acids in the serine protease domain. Molecular modelling suggests the deletion is likely to disrupt folding of the FVII molecule. The reduced FVII antigen (21 U/dl) and negligible activity (0·4 U/dl) in the patient's plasma indicated that the deletion affected both the secretion/stability and function of the mutant protein. In family II, the proband was found to be a compound heterozygote for a novel missense mutation (g.7884G>A; FVII G117R) in exon 5 encoding the EGF2 domain of FVII and a nonsense mutation (g.8960C>T; FVII R152X) in exon 6. Extensive sequence comparison in a wide evolutionary context suggested that the Gly117 residue is critical for structure of FVII. The grossly reduced FVII antigen (1·1 U/dl) and activity (0·4 U/dl) plasma values indicate the mutation primarily affected the folding/secretion or stability of the protein.
Fundamental Indexation For Global Equities: Does Firm Size Matter?

Market capitalization is often used as the weighting methodology for broad market indexes to reflect the performances of large established firms in the market. The market capitalization of a firm is a price-sensitive measure of firm size that self-adjusts to reflect the firm’s intrinsic value in an efficient capital market. In the presence of investor overreaction, the price-sensitive capweighted indexes cease to be mean-variance efficient in that they overweigh overvalued assets and under weigh undervalued assets. Fundamental indexation, proposed by Arnott, Hsu and Moore (2005), argue that fundamental values of a firm such as book value, revenues and earnings are price-insensitive, and hence are not subject to the systematic overshooting of asset prices through noise trading. The aim of this paper is to test whether fundamental-weighted indexes are more mean-variance efficient proxies for large established firms in the global equity market compared to cap-weighted indexes over an extensive 18-year period from 1991 to 2008. Test results show that fundamental-weighted indexes outperform cap-weighted indexes over two sub-periods as well as the overall examination period, during an expansionary market and in turbulent times. A strong negative relationship between the degree of index concentration and the index performance is detected for cap-weighted indexes while no such relationship is detected for the fundamentalweighted indexes. Our results suggest that price-insensitive fundamental-weighted indexes are more mean-variance efficient proxies for the performances of large firms for global equities relative to cap-weighted indexes. By removing the price-element in measuring firm size, the small firm anomaly is not present in fundamental-weighted indexes.
Electoral participation in a South Indian context

234 pp. Tables, Illustrations, Appendix, Bibliography, Index. $16.00 This book is a fine scholarly analysis of the determinants of political participation in the pre1975 era of Indian politics. Using the Indian Institute of Public Opinion surveys (eight polls extending from 1961 to 1970, which are at the Roper Public Opinion Research Center), Goel examines a set of interrelated questions about political activity: "What kind of people are likely to participate in politics in India? How does political participation vary over major socio-economic and psychological groups? What kind of factors influence such political behavior as voting, discussing politics, attending political rallies, and contacting public officials? " (p. vii) A paragon of clear organization, the book is comprised of four sections: The first is a discussion of data sources, and the variables to be analyzed. The second and third present the findings—analyzing, respectively, the effects of socioeconomic and attitudinal factors on political participation. These two sections consider the impact of a range of variables (urban-rural and male-female differences, income, religion and caste, party preferences, political efficacy, etc.) on various forms of political participation. The analysis is presented as percentage breakdowns without measures of statistical association. The fourth section offers a concise summary of the study's major findings, some general observations on modernization and participation, a brief speculative comment on the "future of democracy," and a note on possibilities for future research.
How are public transaction costs in regional agri-environmental scheme delivery influenced by EU regulations?

Implementing agri-environmental schemes (AES) induces private and public transaction costs (TCs). To date, research has investigated TCs stemming from the relationship between (regional) administrations and farmers. However, implementing AES within the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) offers partial reimbursement of payments but implies an additional transaction and TCs. This paper investigates the effects of EU regulations on occurrence and composition of regional public TCs qualitatively by using Hesse, Germany, as a case study. Using insights from political science theories, I present results from interviews with administrative units: EU-required structural and procedural prerequisites shape the regional implementation and draw the focus towards expense of EU-based TCs. Moreover, there are spillovers onto farmers’ TCs. Thus, the CAP framework is an important influencing factor, and resulting TCs may reduce the budgetary benefit obtained from the reimbursement.
Short Communication ADDICTION TO SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES AND ITS EFFECT ON LIFECOURSE OF COLLEGE GOING STUDENTS IN SURAT CITY

INTRODUCTION Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighbourhood subdivision. if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the workplace, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users and develop friendships and business relationships, too. We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semipublic profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Internet gives people all around the world, access to social networking sties. This means that although you are in India, you could develop an online friendship with someone in Norway or Mexico. However, once you are inside this online community, you can begin to create your own network of friends and eliminate members that do not share common interests or goals. This study is an attempt for better understanding and knowing perceptions of college going students regarding social networking websites.
Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreak and Carriage Evaluation at a College — Rhode Island, 2015

On February 2, 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Health was notified of a case of meningococcal disease in a male undergraduate student at Providence College. Three days later, a second case was reported in a male undergraduate with no contact with the first student, indicating an attack rate of 44 cases per 100,000 students, nearly 500 times higher than the national incidence of 0.15 cases per 100,000 among persons aged 17-22 years (Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, unpublished data, 2013). Both cases were caused by a rare outbreak strain of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (ST-9069); neither case was fatal. In response to the outbreak, potential contacts received antibiotic chemoprophylaxis, and a mass vaccination campaign with a recently licensed serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine was implemented. In collaboration with CDC, the first phase of a meningococcal carriage evaluation was undertaken.
Environmental auditing: A tool in ecotourism development

The concept of ecotourism is seen to be quite synonymous with that of alternative forms of tourism. Its development in recent years has proved that further enlargement of ecotourism’s segment, in the future, is possible. Despite this growth, the definitional approaches of the concept have been misleading and have often created a confusion among practitioners in the industry. It is these confused theories of ecotourism that have presumably contributed to the prevailing attitude in managing the concept. Taking into consideration the fragility of the environment in conjunction with the sensitivity of ecotourism visits to sites, the use of environmental auditing is important. Environmental auditing concentrates its application on identifying the present and potential environmental impacts on the ecosystems. Starting with a description of the basic environmental elements (water, waste etc) environmental auditing progresses to detail the impacts to each element through the use of environmental indicators. In overall terms, this technique can assist the resources’ managers to safeguard their assets within the sites, and to implement their ecotourism strategies. This paper describes and views the concept of ecotourism as a sub-component of natural tourism. It will outline the need to exercise environmental auditing as a technique which monitors the environmental impacts throughout the tourism life cycle of a site, while safeguarding and sustainably managing the resources. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Alternative Exchange Rate Regimes for MENA countries: Gravity Model Estimates of the Trade Effects *

Middle East and North African (MENA) countries have traditionally anchored their currencies largely on the US dollar, but the creation of the euro means that there is now for the first time a real alternative numeraire and anchor available. This paper estimates the effect of a menu of exchange rate regimes on trade within a gravity model, using the Baier & Bergstrand (2006) Taylor expansion technique to allow for multilateral trade resistance. This approach allows simulations of the effects of changes in the exchange rate regime for a particular country or region which explicitly take into account the associated changes in multilateral and world trade resistance. Results are presented for eight different scenarios: pegging to the dollar, dollarising, pegging to the euro and euroising, each of these on an individual country basis and when the MENA countries all implement the change together. We find that in terms of the trade effects for most MENA countries it would be better to anchor on the euro than on the dollar, but for some others (typically small oil exporters with large exports to Asian countries) it would be better to continue to anchor on the dollar.
Inflammatory Optic Neuritis: From Multiple Sclerosis to Neuromyelitis Optica

Abstract Inflammatory optic neuritis represents a frequent clinical situation in neurology and ophthalmology. In those parts of the world where multiple sclerosis is common, it is the condition most discussed as the cause of optic neuritis. However, the risk for conversion from optic neuritis to multiple sclerosis is evaluated at only around 50% after 15 years of follow-up. The risk is higher in cases in whom abnormalities typical of multiple sclerosis are found on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and oligoclonal bands found on cerebrospinal fluid protein electrophoresis with no corresponding bands in serum. When these investigations are normal, optic neuritis is usually considered as “idiopathic” with a suspected viral aetiology, but in some cases, a systemic disease such as sarcoidosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, or Sjögren syndrome may be diagnosed. In rare cases, either recurrent optic neuritis or myelitis may occur without any evidence for multiple sclerosis. In the first case, it corresponds to a recently characterised disorder referred to as chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy and in the second case to a recently better identified entity, neuromyelitis optica. In the present paper, the differential diagnosis of inflammatory optic neuritis is presented from multiple sclerosis to infectious optic neuritis, systemic disease, and neuromyelitis optica.
Gastropleural Fistula with Aortic Intramural Involvement

Gastropleural fistula is a relatively rare complication that can be seen as a result of traumatic, nontraumatic, benign, and neoplastic etiologies. Most commonly, these are found in patients with diaphragmatic herniation or prior thoracic surgery. Aortoenteric fistulas are rare communications typically between the abdominal aorta and bowel. We present a rare case of an 88-year-old male who developed a gastropleural fistula with erosions into the wall of the descending thoracic aorta. Computed tomography (CT) is a leading modality in evaluation of suspected gastropleural or aortoenteric fistulas given the quick scan time and widespread availability. Prompt diagnosis is essential and requires an understanding of appropriate CT protocols and CT imaging appearance.
A Case Study in Performance Appraisal System Development: Lessons from a Municipal Police Department

This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a successful performance appraisal system for probationary police officers for a medium-sized (330,000) Mid-Atlantic city. The case study summarizes the factors that contributed to the adoption of the performance appraisal system and the elements that contributed to the system's effectiveness. These factors include significant user participation in the system's development; thorough rater training; a clear articulation of the system's rationale, goals, and objectives; a rating format that is compatible with the organization's culture and congruent with the objectives of the appraisal system.
Evaluation of Hypoglycemic Activity and Toxicity Profiles of the Leaves of Ficus deltoidea in Rodents

Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) leaf extract is used as an antidiabetic in traditional medicine. Its widespread usage is reflected by the available preparations in the present commercial market. The efficacy of other Ficus species has not been entirely satisfactory and many antidiabetic herbs have demonstrated poor safety profiles. This study examined hypoglycemic and toxicity profiles of F. deltoidea leaf extract in rodent models. Extracts of dried powdered leaves were obtained using methanol solution, n-hexane, chloroform, and n-butanol. These extracts were orally administered to rodents. Their blood glucose and insulin levels, acute and subchronic toxicity, biochemical and histological profiles of liver and kidney were determined. Methanol extract exhibited blood glucose lowering activity in mildly insulin resistant diabetic rats as well as in normoglycemic mice unlike hydrophilic butanol subextract which only expressed its activity in normoglycemic mice. Methanol extract could contain both insulin receptor sensitization and secretagogue constituents. Different from toxic chloroform and hexane subextracts, hydrophilic methanol extract gave zero percent mortality up to 6400 mg/kg in 14 days. It did not induce liver and kidney toxicity upon four-week consumption at 200 mg/kg. The methanol extract possessed mixed antidiabetic actions and exhibited a low level of oral toxicity.
Natural selection in action during speciation

The role of natural selection in speciation, first described by Darwin, has finally been widely accepted. Yet, the nature and time course of the genetic changes that result in speciation remain mysterious. To date, genetic analyses of speciation have focused almost exclusively on retrospective analyses of reproductive isolation between species or subspecies and on hybrid sterility or inviability rather than on ecologically based barriers to gene flow. However, if we are to fully understand the origin of species, we must analyze the process from additional vantage points. By studying the genetic causes of partial reproductive isolation between specialized ecological races, early barriers to gene flow can be identified before they become confounded with other species differences. This population-level approach can reveal patterns that become invisible over time, such as the mosaic nature of the genome early in speciation. Under divergent selection in sympatry, the genomes of incipient species become temporary genetic mosaics in which ecologically important genomic regions resist gene exchange, even as gene flow continues over most of the genome. Analysis of such mosaic genomes suggests that surprisingly large genomic regions around divergently selected quantitative trait loci can be protected from interrace recombination by “divergence hitchhiking. ” Here, I describe the formation of the genetic mosaic during early ecological speciation, consider the establishment, effects, and transitory nature of divergence hitchhiking around key ecologically important genes, and describe a 2-stage model for genetic divergence during ecological speciation with gene flow.
Meat and Meat Mutagens and Risk of Prostate Cancer in the Agricultural Health Study

Meats cooked at high temperatures, such as pan-frying or grilling, are a source of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We prospectively examined the association between meat types, meat cooking methods, meat doneness, and meat mutagens and the risk for prostate cancer in the Agricultural Health Study. We estimated relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for prostate cancer using Cox proportional hazards regression using age as the underlying time metric and adjusting for state of residence, race, smoking status, and family history of prostate cancer. During 197,017 person-years of follow-up, we observed 668 incident prostate cancer cases (613 of these were diagnosed after the first year of follow-up and 140 were advanced cases) among 23,080 men with complete dietary data. We found no association between meat type or specific cooking method and prostate cancer risk. However, intake of well or very well done total meat was associated with a 1.26-fold increased risk of incident prostate cancer (95% CI, 1.02-1.54) and a 1.97-fold increased risk of advanced disease (95% CI, 1.26-3.08) when the highest tertile was compared with the lowest. Risks for the two heterocyclic amines 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo-[4,5-f]quinoxaline and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo-[4,5-b]quinoxaline were of borderline significance for incident disease [1.24 (95% CI, 0.96-1.59) and 1.20 (95% CI, 0.93-1.55), respectively] when the highest quintile was compared with the lowest. In conclusion, well and very well done meat was associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer in this cohort. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(1):80–7)
Social functioning of patients with schizophrenia in high-income welfare societies.

OBJECTIVE The study assessed the level of reintegration into the community of patients with schizophrenia in Oslo, Norway, a country with a well-developed social welfare system and low unemployment rates. METHODS Eighty-one patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia treated in 1980 and in 1983 in a short-term ward of a psychiatric hospital were followed up after seven years. Seventy-four of 76 patients alive at follow-up agreed to participate. Social functioning was measured by the Strauss-Carpenter Level of Functioning Scale and the Social Adjustment Scale. RESULTS At follow-up 78 percent of patients lived independently, 47 percent were socially isolated, and 94 percent were unemployed. Thirty-four percent had lost employment in the follow-up period. A poor outcome in terms of social functioning and community reintegration was associated with loss of employment. A good outcome was predicted by short periods of inpatient hospitalization, high levels of education, being married, male gender, and not having a late onset of psychosis. CONCLUSIONS The level of homelessness among these patients with schizophrenia was encouragingly low, which may have been expected in a high-income welfare society. However, insufficient efforts were aimed at social and instrumental rehabilitation, and the level of unemployment was alarmingly high.