Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leukotactic activity and reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by neutrophil granulocytes from patients with streptococcal skin infection.

To determine whether leukocyte responsiveness is related to the typical rapid localization that occurs in streptococcal skin infection, the leukotactic responses of neutrophil granulocytes from 20 patients with streptococcal pyoderma were compared with those of 20 age-matched controls. An increased response in unidirectional movement toward a chemotactic stimulus without evidence of increased nitroblue tetrazolium reduction was found in leukocytes from patients with active streptococcal skin infection. Increased leukotactic activity of circulating neutrophils appears to be an early and sensitive response to streptococcal invasion of the skin. The hyperactive leukotactic response may contribute to the rapid localization of streptococci to the skin.
Inter-Relationship between Profitability, Growth and Size: A Case of Non-Financial Companies from Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth description of the inter-relationship between firm size, growth, and profitability of non-financial companies listed at Karachi stock exchange. The study is based on the sample of 70 (seventy) non-financial companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange of Pakistan, selected on the basis of their market capitalization. Panel data techniques were employed using 700 observations of each of the variables of study; size (log natural of total assets), growth (sustainable growth rate for firm) and profitability (return on assets). Observations are collected for ten years (2001-2010). The study concluded that there is study reveals that all the profitability has strong positive relationship with the growth of the firm; however size has less significant and negative impact on the profitability. One suggestion for further research would be to replicate the study in order to get more cases. Furthermore, it would be valuable to take a more long-term focus to examine the described relationships in the long run. The paper highlights the importance of these measures which are generally used for performance evaluation. Paper sets out the criteria that under which situations the company should focus which of the measure, so that company may derive its strategies on that way. This paper improves our preferences about the three major measures of the firm. Moreover, it contributes to the literature of financial management that how these three measures have trade-off between them.
Fundamentals and Volatility: Storage, Spreads, and the Dynamics of Metals Prices

The theory of storage implies that inventory and demand conditions affect (1) the variances and correlations of commodity spot and forward prices and (2) the spread between spot and forward prices. For four industrial metals and one precious metal over the 1986-92 period, the observed relations between the spread and the variances and correlations of spot and forward prices are consistent with the theory. Since the close connection between spreads and real supply-and-demand conditions is well documented, the results strongly suggest that fundamental factors determine the dynamics of metals prices. Copyright 1994 by University of Chicago Press.
The Complementary Nature between Technological Progress and Capital Accumulation in India's Long‐Run Growth Transitions

type="main"> This article develops a multiple-regime, learning-by-doing model, in which technological progress and capital accumulation are complementary factors in long-run growth transitions. The model accurately predicts India's long-run growth transitions over the period 1953–2007, with the first phase (1980–2002) being ‘technology’ driven and the second phase (2003–2007) capital accumulation driven. Given the complementary nature between technological progress and capital accumulation, one of the main challenges facing Indian policy makers in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis is to maintain high saving/fixed investment rates. The analysis also provides a critique of the ‘total factor productivity view’ of India's growth performance.
Selection Criteria in Coordination Games: Some Experimental Results

We study the selection of an equilibrium for coordination games: symmetric, simultaneous move, complete information games which have multiple, Pareto-ranked Nash equilibria. We design and experiment to explore regularities in the observed outcomes for this class of games. With replication, we find that the Nash equilibrium concept accurately predicts the strategies chosen by players in these games. However, the equilibrium outcome is not always the Pareto-dominant equilibrium so that coordination failures can arise. Moreover, we find that altering the payoffs of a dominated strategy can influence the selection of a Nash equilibrium. Our results are consistent with a modified version of Harsanyi's tracing procedure in which players initially place some positive probability that their opponent is a cooperative player even though the cooperative strategy may be dominated by another strategy.
Does the Provision of Nonaudit Services Affect Investor Perceptions of Auditor Independence

A number of recent studies examine whether the joint provision of audit and nonaudit services (NAS) impairs auditor independence, and yield mixed results. We examine whether investors perceive auditor independence as being impaired when auditors supply nonaudit services, by investigating the association between fee‐based measures of nonaudit service purchases and the earnings response coefficient (ERC). We find that the nonaudit fee ratio and the level of nonaudit fees were negatively associated with ERCs in 2001. When we use unexpected fees (a measure of over‐ or underpayment of nonaudit fees), we find a negative association between NAS purchases and ERC, but this occurs mainly in the second and third quarters following the release of the proxy. Further investigation reveals that the quarterly differences may be driven by the increasing flow of information (i.e., the first‐time disclosures of fees and media analyses of these disclosures) that became available to investors during our sample period. We spe.
Information technology governance: an evaluation of the theory‐practice gap

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of information technology (IT) governance, from both a theory and practice perspective, and to identify current theory‐practice gaps within the organisations studied.Design/methodology/approach – This study developed a complementary and collaborative model of IT governance and used a multiple case approach in which IT governance is examined against the model in four major universities. Case study research is qualitative in nature enabling insights into the “how” and “why” of IT governance to be gained.Findings – Based on underlying theory, the study was able to develop propositions regarding IT governance practices, observe current practices within the participating universities and establish gaps between theory and practice. The study identified theory‐practice gaps in each of three IT governance dimensions: structure, process and people. Gaps ranged in significance from small to large. Two large gaps existed which require attention: they are.
Measuring Preferences by Subjective Well-Being

The measurement of preferences is an ongoing challenge for economists. New insights can be won by relying on reported subjective well-being in addition to observed behaviour. Empirical estimates of well-being functions, based on a sample of 5500 Swiss residents, find that unemployed persons are much unhappier than employed ones. Differences in life satisfaction between income classes are quite small and improvements in financial situation hardly raise happiness. Moreover, well-being functions are valuable in revealing the utility derived from constitutional conditions. Our econometric estimates suggest that more extended citizens' participation possibilities in the democratic process tend to raise subjective well-being.
Affluence and the Dynamics of Spending in Britain, 1961–2004

There is considerable debate among historians and sociologists over the periodisation of the social dynamics of mass consumption in the second half of the twentieth century. During the immediate period following post-war austerity, journalists and other commentators focused on greater affluence and the relative reduction in spending on ‘necessary’ items. Sociologists, however, often emphasised the continued role of class in shaping consumer preferences. In this paper, I use evidence from the Family Expenditure Survey,1 conducted by the UK government since the 1950s, to capture relative differences in the weekly spending patterns of all households. I compare expenditure data for the year 1961 for detailed categories of consumer goods and services, with respect to differences in income, class and age, and compare these data with the results for 1971, 1981 and 2004. Using a multi-dimensional approach more conventionally used in lifestyle research and brand marketing allows us to examine how consumption is structured by inequality, though in subtly changing ways.
Essay Reviews

Till now, the only comprehensive history of the most famous asylum in the Englishspeaking world has been a rare volume produced by the hospital's one-time chaplain E G O'Donoghue, The story of Bethlehem Hospitalfrom itsfoundation in 1247, which was published in 1914.1 To coincide with the institution's 750th anniversary, Routledge have produced another one-volume history, the product this time of the collective labours of two very famous social historians, Roy Porter and Asa Bfiggs, and three younger colleagues. Eighty years ago, the charity's governors purchased and distributed 2,000 copies of O'Donoghue's idiosyncratic romp through their institution's past. It is extremely doubtful that their present-day successors will follow suit, not because the professional historians' production is less hagiographic and flattering to their sensibilities-though at least intermittently it is-but rather on purely financial grounds. Astonishingly, and in an appalling demonstration of self-defeating rapaciousness, Routledge have elected to charge a stratospheric price for a plainly produced volume of some 750 pages, accompanied by less than three dozen black and white illustrations. At retail, one would be expected to pay the princely sum of £300,000 for a couple of thousand copies of their product! At this price, in a few years' time,
The Role of Islamic Financial Institutions in the Socio-economic Development in Malaysia

It is a truism to say that the financial sector plays a critical role in the socio-economic development of any country. Financial institutions provide for effective mobilisation and allocation of savings and this contributes effectively towards socio-economic development. Malaysia, which is, as of now, perhaps the fastest growing country in the third world, is characterised by a well-developed fmancial system. What, however, is unique about Malaysia is that, as in some other Muslim countries, conventional and Islamic fmancial institutions exist side by side, interacting with one another. The development of Islamic fmancial institutions in Malaysia has the potential to play a leading role in serving the Muslim Ummah and contribute towards socio-economic development of the country in conformity with Islamic se~ibilities. Yet their market share is rather insignificant in comparison with the conventional fmancial institutions. As elsewhere, financial institutions in Malaysia provide four distinct types of intermediation in the process of exchanging funds and fmancial instruments among the surplus units and the deficit units - viz., denomination intermediation, maturity intermediation, risk diversification intermediation, and liquidity intermediation.
Modelling the service antecedents of favourable and unfavourable behaviour intentions in life insurance services in India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the key conceptual and empirical inter‐relationships between service encounter variables of perceived agent service quality, overall customer satisfaction and perceived value and their relationships with behavioural outcomes of repurchase, recommendation and complaint intentions in the life insurance services in India.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 258 valid responses were generated from existing customers of life insurance services on the selected variables. The relationships were tested by structural equation modeling using AMOS version 4.0. The initial hypothesized model was rejected and a model was modified till acceptable fit was achieved.Findings – The results provide empirical support for the comprehensive nature of direct and indirect effects of service quality, value perceptions and overall satisfaction on future behavioural intentions (BI). The study identifies the key agent service quality attributes of product knowledge, .
Markets, Bureaucracy and Public Management: The NHS: Quasi-market, Quasi-hierarchy and Quasi-network?

It has been argued that the British National Health Service (NHS) has moved from a hierarchical and bureaucratic organization to a market and, more recently, towards a network. The authors believe that this view is too simplistic: the three organizational forms have co-existed and continue to do so. It is more accurate to view moves over time as a changing mix between quasi-hierarchies, quasi-markets and quasi-networks.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with reading disabilities: preliminary genetic findings on the involvement of the ADRA2A gene.

BACKGROUND Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) tend to co-occur and quantitative genetic studies have shown this to arise primarily through shared genetic influences. However, molecular genetic studies have shown different genes to be associated with each of these conditions. Neurobiological studies have implicated noradrenergic function in the aetiology of ADHD that is comorbid with RD. This paper examines the neurobiological evidence and presents preliminary testing of the hypothesis that the ADRA2A receptor gene is contributing to ADHD and comorbid RD. METHODS One hundred and fifty-two children (140 boys, 12 girls) of British Caucasian origin, aged between 6 and 13 years and with a diagnosis of ADHD, were recruited. The children's reading ability was tested. Children were identified as having ADHD or ADHD plus RD (n=82). DNA was available for 110 parent child trios and 42 parent child duos. Genotyping was undertaken for an ADRA2A polymorphism. RESULTS For those with ADHD plus RD there was evidence of association with the alpha 2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) polymorphism with the G allele being preferentially transmitted. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary evidence together with other neurobiological research findings suggests that the ADRA2A gene may contribute to comorbid ADHD and RD and needs to be properly examined.
Risk Factors for Symptom Relapse in Collagenous Colitis After Withdrawal of Short-term Budesonide Therapy

Background:Oral budesonide has been proven effective in short- and long-term treatment of collagenous colitis; however, symptom relapse frequently occurs after drug withdrawal. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for symptom relapse in patients with collagenous colitis after withdrawal of short-term budesonide therapy. Methods:One hundred twenty-three patients from 4 randomized controlled studies who achieved clinical remission after short-term treatment with budesonide (9 mg/d) were analyzed, including 40 patients receiving subsequent budesonide maintenance therapy (6 mg/d) for 6 months and 83 patients without active maintenance treatment. Variables available for analysis were age, sex, baseline stool frequency, duration of diarrhea, collagenous band thickness, and lamina propria inflammation. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by Cox proportional hazard model. Results:The overall symptom relapse rate was 61%. By multivariate analysis, a baseline stool frequency >5 per day (HR, 3.95; 95% CI, 1.08–14.39), history of diarrhea >12 months (HR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.04–3.03), and the absence of budesonide maintenance therapy (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.37–5.38) were associated with symptom relapse. The time to relapse was shorter in patients with a baseline stool frequency >5 per day (56 versus 199 d, P = 0.024), as in those with history of diarrhea >12 months (56 versus 220 d, P = 0.009). Budesonide maintenance therapy delayed the time to relapse (56 versus 207 d, P = 0.005). Conclusions:Our data demonstrate that a high stool frequency at baseline and a long duration of diarrhea are risk factors for symptom relapse in collagenous colitis, whereas budesonide maintenance therapy is a protective factor against symptom relapse.
The CLERP 9 Audit Reforms: Benefits and Costs Through the Eyes of Regulators, Standard Setters and Audit Service Suppliers

Over the past decade or more Australia amongst other jurisdictions has experienced substantial reforms to auditing regulation in an effort to boost public confidence in the auditing profession. This paper aims to examine whether these changes in the Australian regulatory environment for audits have (a) provided enhanced confidence in reported financial data, (b) impacted audit costs and (c) not limited competition in the market for audit services. Using qualitative interview data, this study reports on the perceptions of auditors, auditing standard setters and regulators in relation to the CLERP 9 reforms to the Australian auditing regime in the later part of the 2000s. A theoretical framework is developed to evaluate whether these reforms are substantive enough in nature to effect public confidence in reported financial data and market competition in audits.
Is transient poverty different? Evidence for rural China

We define ‘transient poverty’ as the component of time‐mean consumption poverty at household level that is directly attributable to variability in consumption; this can be thought of as a measure of vulnerability to falling consumption. The non‐transient component then depends solely on mean consumption over time, and we call this ‘chronic poverty’. Using robust semi‐parametric methods and household panel data for rural China, we test whether transient poverty is determined by a process that is similar to chronic poverty. Commonly identified causes of poverty in this setting have weak explanatory power for transient poverty and some of the factors determining transient poverty do not matter to chronic poverty, or even have the opposite effect. Successful policy responses to chronic poverty may still leave considerable transient poverty.
Corporate governance and investment

This article contributes in at least three ways to the investment‐cash flow literature. First, it finds that the corporate governance environment of a firm affects the relationship between investment and cash flow. Second, it allows for both asymmetric information and managerial discretion explanations for positive investment‐cash flow coefficients, thereby overcoming most of the ambiguities in this interpretation. Finally, by using a GMM estimator most of the problems with traditional OLS models are avoided. It is found that family‐controlled firms appear to suffer from cash constraints as evidenced by a positive and robust relationship of investment to cash flow. State‐controlled firms also exhibit a positive and significant cash flow sensitivity, which we explain by managerial discretion.
Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance – Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation

As environmental protection has become a critical factor in achieving sustainable development, organizational stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in corporate environmental performance (CEP). Many organizations evaluate their CEP but few academic studies have sought to evaluate it. This study undertakes CEP evaluation using an environmental performance measurement (EPM) model consisting of four managerial performance indicators (MPIs: organizational system, stakeholder relations, operational countermeasures and environmental tracking) and two operational performance indicators (OPIs: inputs and outputs). Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used to test model reliability and construct validity. The relationship between MPIs and OPIs has also been analysed using correlation coefficients among the six indicators. Results indicate that there were multiple dimensions to measure under an organizational system as opposed to ideally a single factor. No single model can be effectively used due to different geographical locations and differences between companies from various industry sectors. EPM is more dependent on its organizational system and stakeholder relations than operational countermeasures and environmental tracking. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
On the transferability of “traditional” satisfaction theory to non‐traditional employment relationships: temp agency work satisfaction

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to identify sources of temp agency work satisfaction and discuss whether or not these sources differ from those well‐known to traditional satisfaction research (i.e. those appropriate for employees with a permanent contract). Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a qualitative study (semi‐structured interviews and fieldwork) among low and medium skilled metalworkers (welders and fitters) in two Dutch companies. The authors were able to identify sources for temp agency work satisfaction: organizational conditions, central personality constructs, labour market experiences, and layoff experiences.Findings – The findings in the paper conclude that satisfaction theory is transferable to temp agency workers, but that future satisfaction research should include less studied factors such as labour market and layoff experiences, as well.Research limitations/implications – The paper is a qualitative case study research within two Dutch companies and involved a certain.
Inclusive workplaces and older employees: an analysis of companies' investment in retaining senior workers

The inception of the so-called Tripartite Agreement on a More Inclusive Working Life (the IW Agreement) in 2001 marks a shift in Norwegian welfare and labour market policy. This has resulted in employers now being targeted by government initiatives supposed to prevent the exclusion of older employees. The initiatives are purely voluntary and rely on companies' willingness to adopt and support them. The main goal of this article is to identify and explain differences in the propensity of private sector companies to adopt an active policy in line with this strategy. Data used are based on a survey conducted in 2005 of a representative sample of 713 Norwegian companies. The findings show that positive attitudes towards older workers held by the management, a focus on human resource management and a feeling of moral obligation to combat early retirement increase the probability that the companies adopt an active ageing policy. However, economic considerations and labour shortage also influence their policies, especially their willingness to retain older workers of age 62 and above.