Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Later–Generation Family Members’ Commitment to Family Enterprises

This study examines the antecedents of different bases of organizational commitment and intention to stay of later–generation family members who are currently working in their family firm. Evidence from 199 Canadian and Swiss firms indicates that when these individuals’ identity and career interests are aligned with their family enterprise, they experience affective commitment. Family expectations are associated with normative commitment. Individuals who are concerned about losing inherited financial wealth or who perceive a lack of alternative career paths stay with the family enterprise because of continuance commitment. Finally, individuals driven by desire or obligation exhibit low turnover intentions.
Explaining Foreign Bank Entrance in Emerging Markets

This paper provides a theoretical framework that can explain the empirical observation that foreign banks from industrialized countries tend to increase their involvement in emerging markets in periods of market instability. In this model, domestic banks have (through past lending operations) more soft information on their borrowers available compared to foreign banks. Foreign banks, however, have a superior screening technology that allows them to obtain more hard information about their borrowers’ investment projects. The model has an important implication: Foreign banks increase their market share when credit market conditions deteriorate. The rationale for this finding is that the comparative advantage of the domestic bank loses value in unstable credit market conditions. Thus, the advantage of having a screening technology becomes more important and allows the foreign bank to increase market share. In times of crisis hard information on projects is relatively more important than soft information on the borrower’s history.
Risk, Time-Varying Second Moments and Market Efficiency

The paper addresses two topics. First, it nests the consumption and static CAPM in a unified framework. Second, it tests for market efficiency. The first test is based on the idea that different models price risk on the basis of the covariance with different benchmark portfolios. The test of market efficiency is based on the idea that excess returns should be predictable only if risk, and therefore second moments, are predictable. The empirical results show that the static CAPM performs better than the consumption CAPM and that the former model accounts for the effects of dividend yields on expected returns.
Cigarette smoking and periodontal disease among 32-year-olds: a prospective study of a representative birth cohort.

BACKGROUND Smoking is recognized as the primary behavioural risk factor for periodontal attachment loss (AL), but confirmatory data from prospective cohort studies are scarce. AIM To quantify the association between cigarette smoking patterns and AL by age 32. METHODS Periodontal examinations were conducted at ages 26 and 32 in a longstanding prospective study of a birth cohort born in Dunedin (New Zealand) in 1972/1973. Longitudinal categorization of smoking exposure was undertaken using data collected at ages 15, 18, 21, 26 and 32. RESULTS Complete data were available for 810 individuals of whom 48.9% had ever smoked (31.5% were current smokers). Compared with never-smokers, long-term smokers (and other age-32 smokers) had very high odds ratios (ORs of 7.1 and 5.7, respectively) for having 1 +sites with 5 +mm AL, and were more likely to be incident cases after age 26 (ORs of 5.2 and 3.2, respectively). Two-thirds of new cases after age 26 were attributable to smoking. There were no significant differences in periodontal health between never-smokers and those who had quit smoking after age 26. CONCLUSIONS Current and long-term smoking in young adults is detrimental to periodontal health, but smoking cessation may be associated with a relatively rapid improvement in the periodontium.
A Survey of Institutional Frameworks for Financial Stability

The aim of this study is to get a better understanding of which financial stability responsibilities have been delegated to central banks (CBs), how these responsibilities are executed, and whether accountability arrangements are in place. For this purpose, a questionnaire was sent to all CBs in the OECD area. We find that there is no unambiguous definition of financial stability or systemic risk, and that, generally, the responsibility for financial stability is not explicitly formulated in laws. However, there seems to be a gradual trend towards clarifying the powers and functions of the CB. Moreover, there is considerable heterogeneity in the way CBs pursue the financial stability objective. Our results suggest that the accountability of the financial stability function of central banks is often poorly arranged.
Public sector cost management practices in The Netherlands

Purpose – The purpose of this research project is to validate the claim that recent developments in the public sector have increased the demand for and use of cost management information in public sector organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a survey of financial managers in public sector organizations in The Netherlands.Findings – The findings indicate that the design and use of cost management systems differs across branches. In addition, the results suggest that information from cost management systems is used to legitimate the organization's activities to external stakeholders rather than to manage public sector organizations. Finally, cost management information is used mostly by financial managers yet hardly used by political managers. The results defy claims that cost management information has become important in managing public sector organizations.Research limitations/implications – All limitations of survey research apply. The survey is based on a non‐random sample o.
IL-34 is overexpressed in the inflamed salivary glands of patients with Sjogren's syndrome and is associated with the local expansion of pro-inflammatory CD14(bright)CD16+ monocytes.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the expression of IL-34 in labial salivary glands (LSGs) of patients with primary SS (p-SS) and its role in inducing a pro-inflammatory monocyte phenotype. METHODS LSG biopsies were obtained from 20 patients with p-SS and 10 patients with non-Sjögren's sicca syndrome (n-SS). The expression of IL-34, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17 and IL-23 was assessed by real-time PCR. IL-34 expression was also investigated in LSGs by immunohistochemistry. The frequencies of subpopulations of CD14(+) monocytes were evaluated by flow cytometry among isolated mononuclear cells from peripheral blood and salivary glands from both patients and controls. The role of recombinant IL-34 on isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells was also evaluated. RESULTS IL-34 m-RNA was overexpressed in the inflamed salivary glands of p-SS and associated with increased expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-17 and IL-23p19. The increased expression of IL-34 was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded salivary glands from p-SS patients. IL-34 expression was accompanied by the expansion of pro-inflammatory CD14(bright)CD16(+) monocytes in the salivary glands. In vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with IL-34 induced the expansion of both CD14(+)CD16(-) cells and CD14(bright)CD16(+) cells in p-SS and non-SS subjects. CONCLUSION IL-34 seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of salivary gland inflammation in p-SS.
Chemical warfare between microbes promotes biodiversity

Evolutionary processes generating biodiversity and ecological mechanisms maintaining biodiversity seem to be diverse themselves. Conventional explanations of biodiversity such as niche differentiation, density-dependent predation pressure, or habitat heterogeneity seem satisfactory to explain diversity in communities of macrobial organisms such as higher plants and animals. For a long time the often high diversity among microscopic organisms in seemingly uniform environments, the famous “paradox of the plankton,” has been difficult to understand. The biodiversity in bacterial communities has been shown to be sometimes orders of magnitudes higher than the diversity of known macrobial systems. Based on a spatially explicit game theoretical model with multiply cyclic dominance structures, we suggest that antibiotic interactions within microbial communities may be very effective in maintaining diversity.
Women and Equality: The Capabilities Approach

It is obvious that the human eye gratifies itself in a way different from the crude, non-human eye; the human ear different from the crude ear, etc. . The sense caught up in crude practical need has only a restricted sense. For the starving man, it is not the human form of food that exists, but only its abstract being as food; it could just as well be there in its crudest form, and it would be impossible to say wherein this feeding activity differs from that of animals.
The First Transmembrane Domain of the P2X Receptor Subunit Participates in the Agonist-induced Gating of the Channel*

Based on pharmacological properties, the P2X receptor family can be subdivided into those homo-oligomers that are sensitive to the ATP analog αβ-methylene ATP(αβmeATP) (P2X1 and P2X3) and those that are not (P2X2, P2X4, P2X5, P2X6, and P2X7). We exploited this dichotomy through the construction of chimeric receptors and site-directed mutagenesis in order to identify domains responsible for these differences in the abilities of extracellular agonists to gate P2X receptors. Replacement of the extracellular domain of the αβmeATP-sensitive rat P2X1 subunit with that of the αβmeATP-insensitive rat P2X2 subunit resulted in a receptor that was still αβmeATP-sensitive, suggesting a non-extracellular domain was responsible for the differential gating of P2X receptors by various agonists. Replacement of the first transmembrane domain of the rat P2X2 subunit with one from an αβmeATP-sensitive subunit (either rat P2X1 or P2X3 subunit) converted the resulting chimera to αβmeATP sensitivity. This conversion did not occur when the first transmembrane domain came from a non-αβmeATP-sensitive subunit. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that the C-terminal portion of the first transmembrane domain was important in determining the agonist selectivity of channel gating for these chimeras. These results suggest that the first transmembrane domain plays an important role in the agonist operation of the P2X receptor.
Analysis of Survival Rates of Patients Diagnosed With Incipient Esophagic Cancer

Background Esophagic cancer incidence is extremely variable worldwide. Also, the global survival rate has not oscillated significantly since last decade. Most of the worse prognoses are found among patients with advanced stages. Despite that, around 10% of cases occur in patients with initial stage, which strongly associate these patients with unfavorable prognosis. We sought to analyze the impact of time free of disease and global survival rates of patients with initial stage of esophagic cancer. Methods We studied 18 patients with initial stage of esophagic cancer (stage 0 and I), examined and treated at Hospital de Cancer de Barretos between 1990 and 2005. Results The vast majority of patients were male (83.3%) with age up to 49 yarest old (77.8%), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (88.9%) and stage I (83.3%). Most of them were smoker (60.0%) and etilist (62.5%). There were 38.9% of the patients with comorbities like dysphagia and epigastralgia correlated to other pathological conditions. We found free disease rates of 100% and 82.5%, respectively for 12 and 36 months. The significant prognostic evidence was the age, epigastralgia symptoms and chemotherapy. From 18 patients, 6 passed away during the period of 36 months follow up due to cancer consequences. The probabilities of global survival were 76.7% and 64.4% after 12 and 36 months, respectively, and none of the analyzed variables influenced in theses rates. Conclusions Our data ratifies those from previous reported. The global survival rates were worse than reported by literature, maybe in consequence of the poor clinical condition of many patients which limited the option for more aggressive therapy.
Acoustic preferences and localization performance of blood-sucking flies (Corethrella Coquillett) to túngara frog calls

Mating signals that increase attractiveness of males to females can also increase conspicuousness of the signaler to predators and parasites. We investigated the acoustic preference of species of blood-sucking flies of the genus Corethrella (Diptera: Corethrellidae), which eavesdrop on the sexual advertisement signals of tungara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus). Male frogs of this species facultatively produce 2 types of mating calls: simple (whines alone) and complex (whines and chucks). We tested the acoustic preference of the flies and their ability to locate their host when the frogs produce simple or complex calls. The flies exhibited phonotaxis to both types of calls but were preferentially attracted to complex calls. We show that acoustic information alone is sufficient for the flies' accurate localization of calling frogs. Complex calls, however, were not approached at closer distance or with decreased landing error (i.e., proportion of landings outside the target) than simple calls, suggesting that call structure does not influence localization performance. Female tungara frogs and frog-eating bats (Trachops cirrhosus) also prefer complex to simple tungara frog calls. Thus, intended and unintended receivers with different ear morphologies exhibit the same preference for a specific tungara frog call type. This result is discussed in the context of the evolution of call attractiveness in a communication network. Copyright 2006.
Impact of different inhibitor reactivities with commercial factor VIII concentrates on thrombin generation

Summary. In order to describe the haemostatic role of a variation in inhibitor reactivity with different factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates, we have compared inhibitor titres against a panel of FVIII concentrates and correlated titre with the capacity to inhibit thrombin generation. Three plasma‐derived concentrates were tested in vitro in mixing experiments with inhibitor plasmas from 11 patients with severe haemophilia A: Fanhdi, which contains von Willebrand factor (VWF) with a final ratio of approximately 1:1 (VWF IU per IU FVIII:C); Haemate‐P with a ratio of 2.5:1 and Hemofil‐M containing only trace amounts of VWF. In addition, the recombinant FVIII concentrate Kogenate Bayer containing no VWF was included. Inhibitor titres and the capacity to generate thrombin were measured. A statistically significant difference in measured titres was found with the highest titres recorded against Hemofil‐M. The inhibitor titres needed to inhibit 50% maximum thrombin generation were the lowest for Kogenate Bayer and the highest and similar for Fanhdi and Haemate‐P with intermediate titres needed for inhibition of Hemofil‐M. In this study, the thrombin generation assay provides additional indications for the role of VWF in the treatment of patients with inhibitors. The VWF‐containing concentrates Fanhdi and Haemate‐P, added to FVIII‐deficient plasma with the presence of inhibitor, generate more thrombin than do the purified concentrates Hemofil‐M and Kogenate Bayer.
Estimating the Social Rate of Return to Education for Indigenous Australians

The present paper compares estimates of the social rate of return to education for Indigenous Australians with those for non-Indigenous Australians. The social rate of return measures the net benefits to society of educating its citizens. If education is treated as an investment by society in its people, then Australian society will be made better off by an increase in educational investment as long as the social rate of return is higher than that for other public investments. This paper provides a discussion of the concept of the social rate of return to education and some estimates for Indigenous Australians. Higher levels of education, in general, lead to an increased probability of finding employment and higher levels of income in employment. Hence, an increased level of education for an Indigenous person would be of advantage in economic terms; the private rate of return to education is likely to be quite high. In addition, we argue that increasing education has important social benefits (so-called 'externalities') for Indigenous people, and society in general: improved education would lead to better nutrition, to better living conditions, to better access to health services, and hence to a longer and healthier life. This means that productivity would be higher for Indigenous people and they would have higher incomes over a longer period of time. In addition, we argue that improved levels of education have the capacity to contribute to a decrease in the numbers of Indigenous people who are imprisoned, and thus lead to a direct reduction in the costs of imprisonment. Thus, increased education increases the earnings span, decreases prison costs and hence increases the social rate of return. We find that the social rate of return for education is generally higher for Indigenous Australians than for non-Indigenous Australians. This suggests, from a public policy perspective, that government should allocate increased funding for the education of Indigenous people since this social rate of return is greater than the Department of Finance recommended cut-off rates for government investment projects.
Accountability and accounting regulation: the case of the Spanish environmental disclosure standard

Mandatory environmental reporting has been seen as a way of increasing accountability of organizations, regarding environmental issues. This paper is concerned with one standard, which requires all the Spanish companies to include environmental disclosures in their financial statements. From the survey of the rationale of the disclosure requirements we suggest that more sound environmental initiatives are obscured by an end-of-pipe emphasis. Additionally, from the research of the reporting activity of a sample of companies a low compliance level results, with roughly 80% of companies not providing any environmental information. In addition, those companies who are reporting some environmental information neglect those aspects of the regulation that are not in their interests to report. The interpretation of these findings, using the theoretical distinction between administrative and institutional reforms, leads us to conclude that the Spanish standard on environmental disclosure is insufficient to enable new accountability relationships and to empower stakeholders.
Any Data or None at All?

Accuracies of self-reports of household energy consumption were examined among a sample of 2090 electricity and 1699 fuel oil and natural gas consumers. Information obtained from self-reports allowed an increase in response of 37% over what could be obtained from utility company files. Errors in measures as a result of self-reporting occurred, ranging between 10.5% and 12.6% and 24.6% and 29.3%, depending upon fuel type and respondents' use of household receipts. There was no apparent tendency toward systematic over-or underreporting, with the exception of underreporting among larger users. Selfreports correlated more highly with actual consumption than did scores computed to replace missing data. Relationships among variables did not vary significantly between subgroups of respondents for which utility records were and were not obtained. It is concluded that no great error is introduced into findings by researchers' use of self-reports of household energy consumption, either in terms of parameter estimation or in the calculation of relationships among variables. At the sametime, use of self-reports allows the number of missing observations to be reduced.
Structure of the C‐terminal end of the nascent peptide influences translation termination.

The efficiency of translation termination at NNN NNN UGA A stop codon contexts has been determined in Escherichia coli. No general effects are found which can be attributed directly to the mRNA sequences itself. Instead, termination is influenced primarily by the amino acids at the C‐terminal end of the nascent peptide, which are specified by the two codons at the 5′ side of UGA. For the penultimate amino acid (‐2 location), charge and hydrophobicity are important. For the last amino acid (‐1 location), alpha‐helical, beta‐strand and reverse turn propensities are determining factors. The van der Waals volume of the last amino acid can affect the relative efficiency of stop codon readthrough by the wild‐type and suppressor forms of tRNA(Trp) (CAA). The influence of the −1 and −2 amino acids is cooperative. Accumulation of an mRNA degradation intermediate indicates mRNA protection by pausing ribosomes at contexts which give inefficient UGA termination. Highly expressed E.coli genes with the UGA A termination signal encode C‐terminal amino acids which favour efficient termination. This restriction is not found for poorly expressed genes.
The changing face of work and learning in the context of immigration: the Canadian experience

Through the accounts of the experience of recent Chinese immigrants in Canada, this study examines the changing nature of work and learning in the context of immigration. Its findings reveal the precarious nature of work and learning for immigrant professionals, characterised by part time, low wages, job insecurity, high risks of ill health and limited social benefits and statutory entitlements. The study also shows that immigrants’ foreign credentials and knowledge have been racialised on the basis of ethnic and national origins. As a consequence, they suffered unemployment and underemployment, poor economic performance and downward social mobility. The racialised experience of Chinese immigrants demonstrates how racial and socio-cultural differences have been used to entrench social inequality in immigrants’ transitions. Through the process of deskilling and re-skilling, learning has become a vehicle to colonising immigrants into the dominant norms and values of the host society. The study urges government organisations, professional associations, educational institutions and prior learning assessment agencies to adopt an inclusive framework which fully embraces all human knowledge and experience, no matter which ethnic and cultural backgrounds they emerge from.
Are Australian Organizations Paying More Attention to Asia

Changes in the amount of attention Australian companies and managements paid to Asia over the period 1986-92 are assessed by counting the frequency of references to Asia in companies' annual reports over this period. The number of references to Asia are also compared with the number of references to Europe and North America. It is found that attention to Asia increased significantly over the period while attention to Europe and North America remained constant, so that by the end of the period Asian references exceeded those to the other two regions. There was also evidence of emerging industry differences in Asian focus over this period and an association between company performance and extent of Asian focus. The sample for the study comprises 68 large Australian organizations.