Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outsourcing, R&D and the Pattern of Intra-metropolitan Location: The Electronics Industries of Madrid

The relationship between intra-metropolitan location, research and development (R&D) and the outsourcing of production is analysed to determine differences in, and the supportive character of, intra-metropolitan areas for high-technology production. Madrid's electronics industries have shown a remarkable resilience, in the face of extensive economic restructuring and the change in trade regimes that has accompanied continental integration. Much of the strength of the electronics sector may have been due to the metropolitan area's support for outsourcing, and the creative specialisation that it facilitated. The distribution of manufacturing establishments, their local sourcing characteristics, industrial district or agglomeration effects, and the role of R&D are evaluated to determine the intra-metropolitan context of production. Extensive statistical analyses of the relationship between R&D and productive performance, with various indicators of capital, costs, revenues and scale, are undertaken with establishment-level survey data. These analyses provide conclusive evidence of the influence of intra-metropolitan location on R&D and internal organisation.
Determinants of Wide Interest Margins in Ghana: Panel EGLS Analysis

Government, institutional investor, investors and the ordinary Ghanaian believe that the interest rate spread in Ghana is on the higher side. Financial institutions also on the other side claim the opposite. The perceived wide interest spread charged by banks in Ghana continues to ignite many debates as to whether the commercial banks are taking advantage of Ghana’s trade liberalization to make excessive profits or such banks are constrained to charge significant spreads due to economic variables that affect their operations. This study identifies the key factors affecting interest margins in Ghana and examines how such factors impact on the spread, using panel EGLS with a cross-section weights. The results show that operating cost, market share and previous year’s non-performing loans are sensitive to the definition of interest rate spreads. Concentration of the banking industry, GDP, inflation, treasury bills and exchange rate however do not have statistically significant influence on spread. It also came out that commercial banks respond to increases in reserve requirements by increasing the margin between lending and deposits rates.
Encouraging innovation in the public sector

The public sector has traditionally been considered inhospitable to innovation, particularly innovations initiated by middle managers and front‐line staff. Unlike the private sector, the public sector is characterized by asymmetric incentives that punish unsuccessful innovations much more severely than they reward successful ones, by the absence of venture capital to seed creative problem solving, and by adverse selection by innovative individuals against public service careers. A growing body of evidence based on applications to innovation awards reveals that, despite this inhospitable environment, frontline public servants and middle managers are responsible for many innovations. In addition, some public sector organizations have consistently produced a large number of innovations. Draws on this evidence to suggest ways of enhancing public sector organizations’ capacity for innovation.
Beyond the VaR

“Value at Risk has become a well-known and widely used approach to evaluating risk exposure, even though what VaR measures, in an important sense, is really the value not at risk. The 5% VaR level, for example, gives a lower bound on portfolio value that holds 95% of the time. But the VaR does not tell how large the loss is likely to be on the 5% of the occasions that the VaR level is penetratedÑonly that it will be worse than the 5% VaR value. To address this problem, Longin discusses a related concept, the expected value of the loss conditional on its being greater than the VaR, known as BVaR. For a lognormal distribution, there is a simple relationship between VaR and BVaR. But actual return distributions typically differ considerably from the lognormal, particularly in the extreme tails that are the focus of the VaR calculation. BVaR involves both the VaR and the shape of the entire tail of the distribution function. It is also better than VaR in taking account of the presence of securities with non-linear payoffs in the portfolio. Longin presents an analysis with historical data to show how VaR and BVaR calculations would differ for linear and non-linear positions based on the S&P 500 stock index and its options, under different assumptions about the returns distribution (e.g., lognormal, extreme value). ”
Centrally-mediated bombesin effects on gastrointestinal motility.

Administration of bombesin into the lateral cerebral ventricle (i.c.v.) of rats results in a dose-related delay in gastric emptying and small intestinal transit. Recordings of intestinal intraluminal pressure in this species show that the i.c. v. peptide produces a dose-related increase in the frequency of duodenal contractions, and a complex inhibitory/excitatory jejunal effect at low and high doses, respectively. Intrathecal (i.th.) or i.c. , but not intraperitoneal (i.p.), bombesin produces a dose-related slowing of gastrointestinal and colonic transit in mice. I.c. v. bombesin is 13.5 and 3406 times more potent in inhibition of gastrointestinal transit than when given by the i.th. or i.p. routes, respectively. Similarly, the i.c. v. peptide is 1.54 and over 11000 times more potent in slowing mouse colonic transit than when given by the i.th. or i.p. routes, respectively. The substance P analogue, D-Arg1, D-Pro2, D-Trp7,9, Leu11-Substance P (DAPTL-SP)(a reported bombesin antagonist in vitro) was not effective in blocking the gastrointestinal transit effects of the peptide in vivo. Transection of the spinal cord at the level of the second thoracic vertebra (T2) eliminates the gastrointestinal and colonic effects of i.th. , but not i.c. v. bombesin. Thus, bombesin can affect motor function of the gut via activity within the brain or spinal cord of rats and mice; the activity of the peptide when given at the supraspinal level depends on an intact vagus nerve and adrenal-pituitary axis, while the activity of the peptide given at the spinal level appears to depend on the integrity of ascending spinal-supraspinal pathways.
The mutual state: how local communities can run public services

state, public services face a crisis of identity. Governments – both Labour and Conservative – talk increasingly of market forces and privatisation. State control is seen as synonymous with bureaucracy. Users are in many cases voting with their feet – opting out of state system, flocking to private health or education providers and forcing a new nervousness amongst politicians about pledges to raise taxes for the common good.
Insolvency administration as a strategic response to financial distress

This study considers whether the strategic decision to enter voluntary administration (VA) rather than to trade the company’s business for a protracted period of declining performance is systematically related to the effective monitoring of management decision-making. Analysis that tests the association between strategic entry into VA and the likelihood that a company will reorganize in VA is also presented. We find about half of the companies in our sample entered VA as a strategic choice. The likelihood of strategic entry to VA increased with the proportion of independent board directors, the existence of an audit committee and a dual CEO/chair board structure. Subsequent analysis of reorganization outcomes suggests that strategic entry into VA improves prospects for a successful reorganization.
Gold allergy in North America.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of allergic reactions to gold among patients tested by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) from 1996 to 1998. METHODS This is a prospective analysis of patch test results from the 12 centers that comprise the NACDG. Gold was tested as gold sodium thiosulfate (0.5% in petrolatum [pet]), along with 49 other screening allergens, in patients presenting with possible contact dermatitis. RESULTS Of 4,101 patients tested, 388 (9.5%) had a positive patch test result to gold. Women accounted for 62.8% of the subjects tested and 90.2% of patients positive to gold (P < .0001). The most common sites of dermatitis in gold-allergic patients were the hands (29.6%), face (19.3%), and eyelids (7.5%). Nickel and cobalt allergies, respectively, also were present in 33.5% and 18.3% of gold allergic individuals, as compared with 14.2% and 9.0% of the total population. Gold was the only positive reaction in 15.2% of the 388 patients. CONCLUSION Gold is a more common allergen than previously reported and might cause facial and eyelid dermatitis. Hypersensitivity to gold is statistically linked to female gender and to allergic reactions to nickel and cobalt.
Modulation of Aortic Protein Phosphatase Activity by Polylysine

The Ca2+-regulatory mechanism for contraction of smooth muscle involves phosphorylation of the 20,000-Da myosin light chains. In the fully relaxed muscle the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ is low (<10-9 M) and no interaction between the contractile proteins, actin and myosin, is evident. Following excitation, however, release of Ca2+ from intracellular storage sites and influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular space through voltage-dependent and receptor-operated channels in the sarcolemma results in a marked increase in the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ (>10-6 M). Subsequently, formation of the Ca2+-calmodulin complex results in activation of myosin light-chain kinase and phosphorylation of the regulatory light chains. In this form, actin-myosin interaction is activated resulting in hydrolysis of ATP and cross-bridge cycling. The physiological correlate of these biochemical events is contraction of the smooth muscle cell (see (1–4) for reviews). Although recent studies suggest that cross bridges may remain attached after dephosphorylation of the light chains (5), cyclic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation appear to be requisite for recurring contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle. Phosphorylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in glycogenosis, is also phosphorylated during contraction of a variety of smooth muscles (6–9). Moreover, recent studies suggest that glycogenosis may participate in generating ATP required for contraction of vascular smooth muscle (10). Accordingly, phosphatases which are effective in dephosphorylating phosphorylase a and the myosin light chains may function in coordinating metabolism and contractility in smooth muscle (11–13). Smooth Muscle Phosphatases. Gizzard. At least four phosphatases, designated SMPI-IV, have been identified in the smooth muscle of turkey gizzard (14–17). Two of these have been purified to apparent homogeneity: SMPI consists of three subunits (M r = 65,000; 50,000; 38,000) and SMPII is a Mg2+-dependent monomelic enzyme (M r = 43,000) which appears to be closely related to a phosphatase isolated from rat liver (18) and bovine myocardium (19).
Firm Value and the Quality of Sustainability Reporting in Australia

This paper investigates the relationship between firm value and the quality of Australian listed corporations’ sustainability reporting. We examine whether firms that make higher-quality sustainability disclosures exhibit systematically higher equity prices, through either (or both) cost of capital or expected future performance effects. Using proprietary data obtained from a specialist responsible investment research firm, we document a significant negative association between quality sustainability reporting and the cost of equity capital for ASX 200 firms from 2003–2005, and a significant positive association between expected future performance and the quality of sustainability reporting. We also test for industry-specific associations and find that our main results are driven heavily by the reporting behaviour of, and market response to, firms in environmentally sensitive industries.
Effects of different burs on dentin bond strengths of self-etching primer bonding systems.

This study evaluated the effects of cutting dentin with different types of burs on tensile bond strength using three self-etching primer bonding systems (Clearfil Liner Bond 2 [LB2], Clearfil Liner Bond 2V [2V] and Clearfil SE BOND [SE], Kuraray, Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan). Thirty-six intact extracted human third molars were ground flat to expose occlusal dentin, followed by polishing the dentin surfaces with #600 SiC paper. The teeth were divided into four groups according to bur type and grit: fine cut fissure steel bur (SB600), cross cut fissure steel bur (SB703), regular grit diamond bur (DB). Controls were abraded with #600 grit SiC paper (AP#600). The dentin surfaces of the SB600, SB703 and DB groups were cut under copious air-water spray with the respective burs mounted in a dental handpiece. The teeth were treated with one of three adhesive systems, then composite buildups were created with Clearfil AP-X (Kuraray Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan). After soaking in water at 37 degrees C for 24 hours, serial vertical sections (0.7 mm thick, 7-8 slices per one tooth) were made, trimmed to form an hour-glass shape with a 1.0 mm2 cross-section and tensile bond strengths were determined at a cross-head speed of 1 mm/min. Statistical analysis was made using one and two-way ANOVA and Fisher's PLSD test (p<0.05). Eight additional molars were prepared. Burs or abrasive paper were used for SEM observations of the dentin surfaces of each group before and after treatment with the self-etching primers. All adhesive systems yielded the same ranking of bond strengths to the surfaces prepared with different abrasives: from highest to lowest, AP#600 > SB600 > SB703 > DB. This ranking reached statistical significance using Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (p<0.05). Therefore, when cutting dentin, selecting the adequate bur type is important for improved bonding of adhesive systems using self-etching primer to dentin.
Increasing Returns in the Railway Industry

T rHE concept of increasing returns has been employed by economists to describe the cost behavior of railways and other industries characterized as natural monopolies. It is the purpose of this paper to analyze increasing returns and indicate their application to economic theory and economic policy. In particular, two questions will be examined: 1. Are the statements on increasing returns in the literature internally consistent; are they consistent with statistical findings on the subject? 2. What assumptions about railway cost behavior are made by regulatory agencies? What evidence is there to suggest that these assumptions are, in fact, fulfilled? In his work on overhead costs, Professor J. M. Clark has given this subject most careful attention.2 However, his discussion of several points is incomplete. I suspect that this is because he wrote before the introduction of the envelope curve into economics. With the use of the envelope curve, operational significance can be given to many of the concepts dealt with by Clark. Furthermore, new and radically different meaning must be given to the statistical findings
Direct Respiration of Lipids During Heat Production in the Inflorescence of Philodendron selloum

Respiration in the heat-generating, sterile florets of Philodendron selloum was examined by electron microscopy and carbon isotopic analysis of respired carbon dioxide. After the spathe unfolded, the florets switched from carbohydrate oxidation to lipid oxidation, which persisted during heating and for at least 2 days thereafter. The scarcity of glyoxysome-like organelles and the low catalase activity in this tissue indicate that the lipid was respired directly and not after conversion to carbohydrate by the glyoxylate shunt. Thus, lipid metabolism in this heat-generating plant tissue appears to mimic aspects of the biochemistry and physiology of heat production in some animal tissues.
THE EFFECT OF HIGH-MOBILITY GROUP BOX 1 PROTEIN ON ACTIVITY OF REGULATORY T CELLS AFTER THERMAL INJURY IN RATS

The aim of the present study was to investigate in vivo the effect of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) on activity of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the influence on T-cell-mediated immunity after thermal injury. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: sham burn group, burn group, burn with ethyl pyruvate treatment group, and burn with antireceptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) antibody treatment group, and they were killed on postburn days 1, 3, 5, and 7, respectively, with eight animals at each time point. Magnetic cell sorting microbeads were used to isolate splenic Tregs and a column of nylon wool to obtain T cells. Phenotypes, including cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), forkhead/winged helix transcription factor p3 (Foxp3), RAGE, and IL-2R&agr;, were analyzed by flow cytometry. Levels of HMGB1, IL-10, IL-2, IL-4 and interferon &ggr; were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect mRNA expression of IL-10, IL-2, and IL-2R&agr;. Serum HMGB1 levels were significantly elevated during postburn days 1 to 7. In the burn group, CTLA-4 and Foxp3 expression levels of Tregs were strongly enhanced in comparison to the sham-injured group, and the capacity of Tregs to produce IL-10 was markedly increased. Administration of ethyl pyruvate to inhibit HMGB1 or anti-RAGE antibody could significantly decrease expression levels of CTLA-4, Foxp3 on Tregs, and IL-10 production after burns. Simultaneously, proliferative activity and expression levels of IL-2 and IL-2R&agr; of T cell were restored. The excessively released HMGB1 might stimulate CD4+CD25+Treg activity via binding RAGE on the surface of Tregs and trigger a shift of TH1 to TH2 with suppression of T-lymphocyte immune function after burn injury.
Evidence that Market Participants Assess Recognized and Disclosed Items Similarly when Reliability is Not an Issue

ABSTRACT : We provide evidence that disclosed items are not processed differently from recognized items when the disclosures are salient, not based on management estimates, and amenable to simple techniques for imputing as-if recognized amounts. For a sample of firms with both capital and operating leases, we find that as-if recognized amounts for leases are generally reliable and that both recognized lease obligations and disclosed lease obligations are associated with proxies for costs of debt and equity. The magnitudes of these associations are not statistically different across accounting treatments, suggesting that market participants impound as-if recognized operating lease obligations and recognized capital lease obligations similarly into costs of capital. Conditioning on the reliability of as-if recognized operating lease obligations, we find a difference in the association between recognized versus as-if recognized lease obligations and proxies for the costs of debt and equity when the operatin.
Effectiveness of a Multifactorial Handwashing Program to Reduce School Absenteeism Due to Acute Gastroenteritis

Background: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is one of the most common diseases among children and an important cause of school absenteeism. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a handwashing program using hand sanitizers for the prevention of school absenteeism due to AGE Methods: A randomized, controlled and open study of a sample of 1341 children between 4 and 12 years of age, attending 5 state schools in Almería (Spain), with an 8-month follow up (academic year). The experimental group (EG) washed their hands with soap and water, complementing this with the use of a hand sanitizer, and the control group (CG) followed the usual handwashing procedure. Absenteeism rates due GI were compared between the 2 groups through the multivariate Poisson regression analysis. Percent days absent in both groups were compared with a Z-test Results: 446 cases of school absenteeism due to AGE were registered. The school children from the EG had a 36% lower risk of absenteeism due to AGE (IRR: 0.64, 95% confidence interval: 0.52–0.78) and a decrease in absenteeism of 0.13 episodes/child/academic year (0.27 of EG vs 0.40 CG/episodes/child/academic year, P < 0.001). Pupils missed 725 school days due to AGE and absent days was significantly lower in the EG (EG: 0.31%, 95% confidence interval: 0.28–0.35 vs. CG: 0.44%, 95% confidence interval: 0.40–0.48, P < 0.001) Conclusions: The use of hand sanitizer as a complement to handwashing with soap is an efficient measure to reduce absent days and the number of school absenteeism cases due to AGE.
The high frequency of non-aspartic acid residues at HA222 in influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic viruses is associated with mortality during the upsurge of 2015: a molecular and epidemiological study from central India

SUMMARY Influenza A(H1N1) viruses of the 2009 pandemic (A(H1N1)pdm09) continue to cause outbreaks in the post-pandemic period. During January to May 2015, an upsurge of influenza was recorded that resulted in high fatality in central India. Genetic lineage, mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene and infection by quasi-species are reported to affect disease severity. The objective of this study is to present the molecular and epidemiological trends during the 2015 influenza outbreak in central India. All the referred samples were subjected to qRT–PCR for diagnosis. HA gene sequencing (23 survivors and 24 non-survivors) and cloning were performed and analyzed using Molecular Evolutionary Genomic Analyzer (MEGA 5·05). Of the 3625 tested samples, 1607 (44·3%) were positive for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, of which 228 (14·2%) individuals succumbed to death. A significant trend was observed in positivity (P = 0·003) and mortality (P < 0·0001) with increasing age. The circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 virus was characterized as belonging to clade-6B. Clinically significant mutations were detected. Patients infected with the quasi-species of the virus had a greater risk of death (P = 0·009). This study proposes a robust molecular and clinical surveillance program for the detection and characterization of the virus, along with prompt treatment protocols to prevent outbreaks.
Technology capabilities, marketing capabilities and innovation ambidexterity

ABSTRACT Linking the literature of resource-based view (RBV) with ambidexterity, we construct an integrative framework of technology capabilities, marketing capabilities, innovation ambidexterity, and organisational performance. Using data from a sample of 190 Chinese hospitals, we find that both technology capabilities and marketing capabilities have an inverse U-shape relationship with innovation ambidexterity. And they can complementarily improve innovation ambidexterity, which further enhances organisational performance. This study deepens our understanding of RBV and ambidexterity by investigating the antecedent roles of technological and marketing capabilities on innovation ambidexterity. We also investigate their interactive role on improving innovation ambidexterity.