Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Port competition between Shanghai and Ningbo

The objective of this paper is to analyse the relative competitiveness of the neighbouring container ports of Shanghai and Ningbo in China and to develop a view of the likely future outcome of the competition between them. After assessing the demand for their services within what is hypothesized as a shared hinterland, current supply and future expansion plans are detailed and considered within the two ports’ wider development strategies. The relative competitiveness of the two ports is then evaluated on the basis of price and quality of service, as embodied within the concept of generalized cost as incurred by customers. A critical political dimension is a necessary element of this analysis. It is concluded that continued economic development in the hinterland, central government policies on regional development and China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will all contribute to growing demand for port services. However, Ningbo will continue to gain greater market share as the result of advantages in its natural endowments (particularly depth of water), price (especially in terms of recovering the cost of capacity expansions) and quality of service improvements that are predicted to emerge as the result of currently planned enhancements to inland transport infrastructure and logistical systems.
An Empirical Investigation of the "Dynamic McFadden" Model of Purchase Timing and Brand Choice: Implications for Market Structure

Purchase timing and brand-choice decisions of households are jointly investigated using the 'dynamic McFadden' model of J. Heckman and B. Singer. The hazard of brand purchase is decomposed into the category purchase hazard and the probability of brand choice conditional on category purchase. The former is modeled using the hazard-function approach and the latter using a logit model. Unobserved heterogeneity in brand preferences, marketing effects, and baseline hazard parameters is accounted for in the empirical analysis. The distribution of preference heterogeneity identifies the locations of brands in multiattribute perceptual space and the distribution of attribute importance weights across households.
Dividends and Losses

An annual loss is essentially a necessary condition for dividend reductions in firms with established earnings and dividend records: 50.9 percent of 167 NYSE firms with losses during 1980-85 reduced dividends, versus 1.0 percent of 440 firms without losses. As hypothesized by Merton H. Miller and Franco Modigliani, dividend reductions depend on whether earnings include unusual items that are likely to temporarily depress income. Dividend reductions are more likely given greater current losses, less negative unusual items, and more persistent earnings difficulties. Dividend policy has information content in that knowledge that a firm has reduced dividends improves the ability of current earnings to predict future earnings. Copyright 1992 by American Finance Association.
ANTECEDENTES Y BARRERAS A LA COMPRA DE PRODUCTOS ECOLÓGICOS

The aim of this work is to try to understand the mechanisms that explain the ecological purchase through estimation of a structural equation model, in order to provide practical and useful information for firms. This way, on the one hand, the factors that determine a favorable environmental behavior are analyzed. On the other hand, it is also studied to what extent different types of environmental performance might affect specific environmental purchase behavior, taking into account, in addition, possible barriers to ecological purchase. One important conclusion of this work is that if the target is to popularize the consumption of ecological products, it will be necessary for firms satisfy the needs of a majority of consumers who are environmentally aware but who do not mobilize towards the ecological consumption.
Emerging eosinophilic (allergic) esophagitis: increased incidence or increased recognition?

CONTEXT Eosinophilic esophagitis is a disease of the esophagus with distinct histologic features (prominent intraepithelial eosinophils, particularly superficial with clustering) and characteristic endoscopic features (trachealization, white plaques). The presence of intraepithelial eosinophils had been recognized since 1982 as indicative of reflux esophagitis but little attention was initially paid to their numbers or location. Eosinophilic esophagitis has been recently described and there have been a number of reports that its incidence is on the rise. It had been our impression that eosinophilic esophagitis was being seen more frequently, perhaps resulting from some environmental change. OBJECTIVE To investigate the increased prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis. DESIGN We analyzed a similar group of cases from 2005 (n = 150) as compared with 1990 (n = 115). Consecutive patients with mucosal esophageal biopsies from May through June of the respective years were included in the analysis. Patients with Barrett metaplasia or with carcinoma were excluded. The highest density of intraepithelial eosinophils for each patient was recorded as the number of intraepithelial eosinophils per single high-power field. The patients were categorized by the number of intraepithelial eosinophils per high-power field with those cases with greater than 20 intraepithelial eosinophils per high-power field representing eosinophilic esophagitis. RESULTS There was no difference in the incidence of eosinophilic esophagitis between 1990 and 2005. CONCLUSIONS The apparent increased incidence of eosinophilic esophagitis is largely a result of an increase in recognition rather than an increase in disease resulting from an environmental factor.
A Model for Stock Return Distribution

The Laplace mixture distribution for stock share returns is derived from conditional N(0,x2) distribution. The conditioning variable, x2, is assumed to be an exponentially distributed random variable. This offers a natural stochastic interpretation of the risk involved with the stock share. Maximum likelihood estimates for returns of the twenty most traded shares and the aggregate index of the Helsinki stock market in late 1980's do not reject the Laplace distriburion model. The results extend to returns over longer periods than one day.
The Returns to Acquiring Firms in Tender Offers: Evidence from Three Decades

M Extensive empirical evidence supports the view that takeovers are beneficial to the shareholders of target firms.I Virtually every study has found that these shareholders receive large premiums, averaging about 30%, for their shares. The wealth effects on shareholders of acquiring firms, however, are much more puzzling. Researchers measuring these wealth effects have found them to average close to zero and to be negative for some categories of offers. The same logic that argues that large premiums paid in takeovers are evidence that takeovers benefit shareholders of target firms, also leads some to argue that the absence of stock price increases (and the existence of stock price declines in some cases) for bidding firms reflects neutral (or bad) investments by management of bidding firms. In this study, shareholder wealth effects in tender offers are examined and, more specificly, characteristics of tender offer bids that may determine the returns earned by the shareholders of acquiring firms are explored. For more than 450 tender offers from 1963-1986, We thank Paula Moolhuyzen, Ken Lehn, Jeffry Netter, and the referees of this journal for many helpful comments and suggestions. The SEC, as a matter of policy, disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement by any of its employees. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission of of the authors' colleagues on the staff of the Commission.
Public Sector Pension Funds in Australia: Longevity Selection and Liabilities

This paper assesses the cost and risk faced by public sector, defined benefit plan providers arising from uncertain mortality, including longevity selection, mortality improvements, and unexpected systematic shocks. Using longitudinal micro data on Australian pensioners, we quantify the extent of longevity selection at both aggregate and scheme level. We also show that as the age-membership structure in a pension scheme matures, scheme-specific longevity selection risk and systematic shocks become quantitatively more important and have larger consequences for plan liabilities than aggregate selection risk or the impact of mortality improvements.
Union Membership and Job‐Related Training: Incidence, Transferability, and Efficacy

This study examines the relationship between union membership and (i) the incidence of training, (ii) the degree to which training is transferable to firms other than the one providing the training and (iii) the degree to which workers perceive that training improves job performance. Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, I find that union members are more likely to receive employer-sponsored training than their non-union counterparts. I also find that male union members are more likely than non-members to report that training improved job performance. Union membership was not related to transferability of skills between employers.
Hepatic Metastasis at Diagnosis in Patients With Wilms Tumor is not an Independent Adverse Prognostic Factor for Stage IV Wilms Tumor: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group/National Wilms Tumor Study Group

Objective:To determine event free survival (EFS) of children with Wilms tumor (WT) and metastatic liver disease at diagnosis. Summary and Background Data:We reviewed patients with stage IV Wilms tumor treated on National Wilms Tumor Study 4 and 5 to ascertain if they have a worse prognosis than other Stage IV disease. Methods:A total of 742 patients (pts) with stage IV disease were assessed for EFS (95% confidence interval [CI]) at 5 years after diagnosis. Cohorts included those who underwent resection of the liver lesions compared with those who received only chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Results:A total of 742 patients with stage IV Wilms tumor were enrolled on NWTS-4 and 5, 111 of who had liver metastases. Of these, 96 had favorable histology disease and are the focus of this analysis. Twenty-two patients had a primary liver resection (wedge resection, 18 and lobectomy, 4). After chemotherapy and/or radiation, 13 patients underwent liver resection (wedge resection, 7; lobectomy, 5; and trisegmentectomy, 1). Seventy-one patients (67%) did not undergo surgery for their liver disease. In 14 patients, the liver disease disappeared with chemotherapy only. Eighty-two patients received abdominal radiation. EFS for the patients with metastatic FH Wilms tumor was 75% (95% confidence interval [CI]: (71%, 78%), EFS by Stage IV category was: lung only 76% (95% CI: 72%, 80%) (513 patients); liver, not lung 76% (95% CI: 58%, 87%) (34 patients), liver and lung 70% (95% CI: 57%, 80%) (62 patients), and other sites 64% (95% CI: 42%, 79%) (25 patients). There were no significant differences among stage IV groups (P = 0.60). EFS (95% CI) for the patients with primary resection of the liver metastases (22 patients) was 86% (63%, 95%) compared with 68% (56%, 78%) (P = 0.09) for the 74 with no primary resection of liver metastases. There was no significant difference in EFS for patients with FH Wilms tumor treated with chemotherapy compared with that of patients treated with chemotherapy and radiation (P = 0.63). The EFS (95% CI) for each of the subsets was; no abdominal radiation: 64% (34%, 83%); abdominal radiation, no boost: 77% (55%, 89%); abdominal radiation, boost: 72% (58%, 82%) (P = 0.05). Conclusion:Liver metastasis at diagnosis is not an adverse prognostic factor for stage IV metastatic FH WT.
The rise and rise of the B2B brand

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate to leaders of business‐to‐business (B2B) organizations the value of using brand management disciplines and tools to accelerate growth. The premise is that B2B organizations need robust, coherent brands if they are to operate successfully and grow as fast as they tell shareholders they will.Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses empirical studies, mini profiles and research into the Fortune 500's stated rebranding initiatives to show that branding disciplines are joining the line‐up of management tools that can help drive business success and rekindle growth in industrial companies.Findings – The paper finds that in more and more industrial sectors, companies view strong brand management as a powerful mechanism for expanding into adjacent markets, acquiring and retaining scarce talent and counterbalancing the strength of downstream customers. The paper opens with an anecdote about Johnson Controls, draws on Lippincott research showing the percent.
Measurement of ventilatory mechanical impedance in infants using a head pressure generator

Two methods of measuring ventilatory mechanical impedance (Z) by forced oscillations between 6 and 20 Hz were compared in 24 infants aged 2 to 49 months: (1) the application of pressure oscillations at the airway opening (Z1); and (2) the application of pressure oscillations around the head (Z2). The latter has been recently proposed to minimize the influence of compliant upper airway walls (Peslin et al., J Appl Physiol. 1985, 59:1790–1795). Ventilatory resistance and compliance (Rsb, Csb) were also obtained with the single breath method. The real part of Z1 (R1) was markedly lower than that of the corresponding Z2 (R2), at any frequency. R1 exhibited a systematic negative frequency dependence, in contrast with R2. At any frequency, the slope of the regression equation on Rsb was closer to unity for R2 than for R1. The imaginary part of Z1 (X1) was negative over the whole frequency interval, and negative values of inertance were derived from X1. X2 was negative at low and positive at high frequencies. Resonant frequency (mean ± SD = 10.5 ± 3.5 Hz) was always reached with Z2 and correlated negatively with body weight (r = −0.61). Inertance estimated from X2 was positive and correlated negatively with body height (r = −0.66). The compliance derived from Z1 (C1 = 3.35 ± 2.32 103 L·cm H2O−1) was not significantly different from that derived from Z2 (C2 = 2.99 ± 2.02 10−3 L·cm H2O−1). The marked difference observed between Z1 and Z2 is related to the importance of the upper airway shunt and may be explained by inaccuracies of both methods. The ventilatory system impedance (Zrs) is underestimated by Z1 because some of the flow through the flowmeter does not reach the airway, and is overestimated by Z2 because some of the flow from the subject does not reach the flowmeter. The latter effect is negligible in mouth breathers, but becomes quite substantial in nose breathers. Although computer simulations suggest that the error in estimating Zrs from Z2 appears to be lower than that resulting from Z1, the potential benefit offered by the routine use of a head generator in infants remains to be established. Pediatr Pulmonol 1989; 7:209–216.
Sexually transmitted infections in young pregnant women in Bangui, Central African Republic

In early 1996, 481 women visiting the antenatal services of the 3 major governmental health centres in the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR) were included in the study. All study participants underwent the health centre's routine gynaecological examination, including laboratory diagnosis of trichomoniasis, candidiasis, gonorrhoea, syphilis and bacterial vaginosis. Cervical secretions and blood samples from study participants were sent to the National STD Reference Centre for diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Candida albicans, Treponema pallidum, and HIV. Overall, 34% of the study women were diagnosed with at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI) (3.1% N. gonorrhoeae, 6.2% C. trachomatis, 9.9% T. vaginalis, 6.7% T. pallidum, 12.2% HIV-1). In addition, 29.1% of women were diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis and 46.6% with candidiasis. Only a small proportion of these women had sought treatment during the weeks before, despite the recognition of genital symptoms. Self-reported and health worker recognized symptoms, signs and laboratory results exhibited only low sensitivities, specificities, and positive predictive values in the diagnosis of STIs. These findings confirm the high vulnerability of young African women to STIs and emphasize the need for specific control interventions which should include affordable and user friendly services. Moreover, these results call for more effective quality control in case of laboratory-based STI control strategies and question the validity of syndromic STI management strategies in women attending antenatal care services in Africa.
Logistics performance management in action within a humanitarian organization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the design and testing procedure of the “Development Indicator Tool” – a tool developed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to guide and monitor the continuous performance improvement of their (regional) logistics unit(s) on a daily basis.Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows a descriptive approach. It starts with a description of the situational background of the IFRC. In a second step, it briefly portrays the theoretical concepts of continuous improvement and of the Balanced Scorecard and highlights the extension of existing literature on performance measurement in general and humanitarian logistics in particular. Next the paper summarizes the objectives of the tool and describes the four development phases as well as the tool design including the dashboard and the selected indicators. It concludes with indications on key success factors, challenges met along the way, expected impact and the future persp.
How protective are the lead aprons we use against ionizing radiation?

PURPOSE To evaluate, in terms of their protective features, the lead aprons used in areas working with ionizing radiation at a hospital by analyzing qualitative and quantitative aspects using a variety of methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-five protective lead aprons used in our hospital's clinics to work with ionizing radiation were analyzed in the radiology unit. Each apron was identified by registering the unit from which it had been obtained and by how long it had been used, its storage condition, and its lead thickness. X-ray films of the aprons, controlled according to their appearances, durability and cleanliness, were taken to evaluate their internal structure; their permeability was measured with electronic dosimeters in terms of their absorbent features. All of these data were compared with the results acquired from brand-new, Turkish Standards Institution approved aprons having different lead thicknesses. RESULTS Regarding internal structure homogeneity, only 13 (15.3%) of 85 aprons were found to be at normal levels and usable. A total of 14 (16.5%) of the remaining 72 aprons' radiation absorptions were at normal levels, but folds were observed in their protective lead layers. The remaining 58 aprons (68.2%) were found to be defective. All of the aprons were considered to be defective in terms of their radiation permeability. CONCLUSION All of the aprons were found insufficient for protection and were more radioparent than the defined limits; it was concluded that they must be replaced by new ones.
Employee perceptions towards web-based human resource management systems in Sri Lanka

Despite the great volume of theoretical foundations on technological influence on human resource management (HRM), there has been little empirical evidence in the area of web-based electronic HRM systems. Further, all such empirical research attempts have been taken in the Western world. In the context of globalization of business operations and interlocking supply chains, research on web-based HRM systems in Sri Lanka is interesting, relevant and timely since there is an increasing interest in understanding technological influence on workers in non-Western cultures, especially in an emerging economy that has a reputation for information technology outsourcing. The purpose of the study was to investigate employee perceptions towards web-based electronic HRM systems in Sri Lanka. For the research, 30 firms with web-based HRM systems as a stand-alone automation serving employees' HRM needs belong to service and manufacturing sectors operating in Sri Lanka were surveyed. The findings suggested that system usage is high and user satisfaction is moderate. The level of complexity of the system is moderate and it significantly correlates with system usage. When the age of the system in operation is younger, it is more likely that the users were to be satisfied with it. Further, users did not perceive web-based electronic HRM system as a method of shifting administrative responsibilities of HRM activities to them.
The Internationalization of Chinese Family Enterprises and Dunning's Eclectic MNE Paradigm

This paper applies Dunning's eclectic paradigm of Ownership, Location and Internalization (OLI) advantages to the international activity and performance dynamics of the Chinese family enterprise (CFE). Through the lens of Dunning's paradigm, we trace the role of cultural and economic factors in the success of this important form of organization. In demonstrating the relevance of a theory that originated in the analysis of Western multinational firms to this indigenous Chinese type of firm, the paper supports the larger effort to expand the scope of received theory to include Chinese as well as other non-Western forms of organization.
IFN-γ–Mediated Induction of an Apical IL-10 Receptor on Polarized Intestinal Epithelia

Cytokines secreted at sites of inflammation impact the onset, progression, and resolution of inflammation. In this article, we investigated potential proresolving mechanisms of IFN-γ in models of inflammatory bowel disease. Guided by initial microarray analysis, in vitro studies revealed that IFN-γ selectively induced the expression of IL-10R1 on intestinal epithelia. Further analysis revealed that IL-10R1 was expressed predominantly on the apical membrane of polarized epithelial cells. Receptor activation functionally induced canonical IL-10 target gene expression in epithelia, concomitant with enhanced barrier restitution. Furthermore, knockdown of IL-10R1 in intestinal epithelial cells results in impaired barrier function in vitro. Colonic tissue isolated from murine colitis revealed that levels of IL-10R1 and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 were increased in the epithelium and coincided with increased tissue IFN-γ and IL-10 cytokines. In parallel, studies showed that treatment of mice with rIFN-γ was sufficient to drive expression of IL-10R1 in the colonic epithelium. Studies of dextran sodium sulfate colitis in intestinal epithelial-specific IL-10R1–null mice revealed a remarkable increase in disease susceptibility associated with increased intestinal permeability. Together, these results provide novel insight into the crucial and underappreciated role of epithelial IL-10 signaling in the maintenance and restitution of epithelial barrier and of the temporal regulation of these pathways by IFN-γ.