Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socially responsible foreign direct investment: A challenge to TNCs in emerging markets

A widening gap between the rich and the poor is found in most, if not all, emerging market countries that have recently opened up to FDI and is threatening the sustainability of economic progress in these countries. The study finds strong evidence that FDI contributes to the widening gap between rich and poor regions through negative productivity spillovers in the largest emerging market of China, and provides some theoretical explanations. The study discusses implications of the findings for transnational corporations in making socially responsible investment and for emerging market countries in attracting foreign investors to poor regions.
When Institutional Logics Collide: Reinforcing Dominance in a Merged Government Department

Institutional logics have been the focus of researchers' interest as a means of comparing and contrasting groups within organizations and their influence and impact on each other. The findings often suggest that these groups may collaborate, compete, comingle or coexist. The interest for researchers is how such interaction between logics takes place and what the final outcome of their interaction is. But not all logics compete or collaborate in the ways suggested. This article examines how one logic dominates to the detriment of another during a merger between two government departments. Two questions underlie this research into merging institutional logics: how does a logic uphold its dominance when confronted by an alternative or competing logic and what is the wider influential institutional context?
Identifying and Measuring Urban Design Qualities Related to Walkability.

BACKGROUND In active living research, measures used to characterize the built environment have been mostly gross qualities such as neighborhood density and park access. This project has developed operational definitions and measurement protocols for subtler urban design qualities believed to be related to walkability. METHODS Methods included: 1) recruiting an expert panel; 2) shooting video clips of streetscapes; 3) rating urban design qualities of streetscapes by the expert panel; 4) measuring physical features of streetscapes from the video clips; 5) testing inter-rater reliability of physical measurements and urban design quality ratings; 6) statistically analyzing relationships between physical features and urban design quality ratings, 7) selecting of qualities for operationalization, and 8) developing of operational definitions and measurement protocols for urban design qualities based on statistical relationships. RESULTS Operational definitions and measurement protocols were developed for five of nine urban design qualities: imageability, visual enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity. CONCLUSIONS A field survey instrument has been developed, tested in the field, and further refined for use in active living research.
Idiosyncratic Risk Innovations and the Idiosyncratic Risk-Return Relation

Stocks with increases in idiosyncratic risk tend to earn low subsequent returnsfor a few months. However, high idiosyncratic risk stocks eventually earnpersistently high returns. These results are consistent with positively pricedidiosyncratic risk and temporary underreaction to idiosyncratic riskinnovations. Because risk levels and innovations are correlated, the relationbetween historical idiosyncratic risk and returns may reflect both risk premiumsand underreaction and yield misleading inference regarding the price of risk.The results reconcile previous work offering conflicting evidence on the priceof idiosyncratic risk and help to discriminate among explanations for theidiosyncratic risk-return relation.
Inertia in the attributional content of annual accounting narratives

Narrative disclosures in annual reports reflect explanatory activities in which specific attribution patterns can be identified. Research on corporate attributional behaviour within the context of financial accounting narratives has documented this behaviour and evidenced significant preferences for certain kinds of explanations in particular circumstances. This kind of research typically relies on cross-sectional data. There exist few statistically validated conclusions regarding the character and consequences of such verbal behaviour over time. This paper reports on a study investigating the change in narrative explanation practices over time. In this longitudinal research special attention is given to the relative strength of consistency and inertial forces on the attributional behaviour in annual reports. It is argued that there are a variety of forces that make that the explanatory patterns in annual reports are likely to be very similar year after year. Reporting practices can be to a great extent unadaptive, in the sense that they become programmed through the development of habit, precedents, traditions and formalized procedures. This is not to say that reporting practices do not change, but that changes even in the way corporate outcomes and actions are explained, are expected to be modest. The purpose of the research was to determine the extent to which the attributional content and framing in annual narrative reports changed over a period of eight years, and whether these changes were related to certain organizational characteristics of the reporting companies conceptualized as potential sources of inertial forces. Overall the results confirm a significant degree of consistency in the attributional content of accounting narratives over time. Evidence of an inertial effect of company listing status and performance history was convincingly present as to the assertiveness aspects of attributional behaviour and as to the differential use of accounting language in the explanation of financial accounting outcomes.
Gendered theory of planned behaviour and residents' support for tourism

Drawing from the theory of planned behaviour, which has not been widely used to study host behaviour towards tourism, this study attempts to contribute to the literature by developing a community support model for tourism. Based on the theory's postulates, overall attitude towards tourism, together with the perceived behavioural control and the subjective norms of the residents are proposed as the antecedents of support for the industry. Overall attitude is considered to be a function of the residents' perceived economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of tourism. Furthermore, drawing from the literature on development economics, the authors further propose that the gender of the resident moderates the perceived behavioural control over tourism development, allowing for an understanding of the applicability of the planned behaviour theory (TPB) in a gendered context. A number of propositions for further testing emerge from the theoretical framework of the study.
Fusarium and Candida albicans Biofilms on Soft Contact Lenses: Model Development, Influence of Lens Type, and Susceptibility to Lens Care Solutions

ABSTRACT Fungal keratitis is commonly caused by Fusarium species and less commonly by Candida species. Recent outbreaks of Fusarium keratitis were associated with contact lens wear and with ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens care solution, and biofilm formation on contact lens/lens cases was proposed to play a role in this outbreak. However, no in vitro model for contact lens-associated fungal biofilm has been developed. In this study, we developed and characterized in vitro models of biofilm formation on various soft contact lenses using three species of Fusarium and Candida albicans. The contact lenses tested were etafilcon A, galyfilcon A, lotrafilcon A, balafilcon A, alphafilcon A, and polymacon. Our results showed that clinical isolates of Fusarium and C. albicans formed biofilms on all types of lenses tested and that the biofilm architecture varied with the lens type. Moreover, differences in hyphal content and architecture were found between the biofilms formed by these fungi. We also found that two recently isolated keratitis-associated fusaria formed robust biofilms, while the reference ATCC 36031 strain (recommended by the International Organization for Standardization guidelines for testing of disinfectants) failed to form biofilm. Furthermore, using the developed in vitro biofilm model, we showed that phylogenetically diverse planktonic fusaria and Candida were susceptible to MoistureLoc and MultiPlus. However, Fusarium biofilms exhibited reduced susceptibility against these solutions in a species- and time-dependent manner. This in vitro model should provide a better understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of lens-related fungal keratitis.
Starting Wages Respond to Employer's Risk

Firms hiring fresh graduates face uncertainty on the future productivity of workers. Intuitively, one expects starting wages to reflect this. Formal analysis supports the intuition. We use the dispersion of exam grades within a field of education as an indicator of the heterogeneity that employers face. We find solid evidence that starting wages are lower if the variance of exam grades is higher and that starting wages are lower if the skew is higher: employers shift quality risk to new hires, but pay for the opportunity to catch the really good workers.
A Biodemographic Interpretation of Life Span

The life span of individuals and the life expectancy of the populations they comprise have always been topics of interest to scientists and the lay population. In modern times, forecasts of life span and life expectancy have become particularly important public policy issues because of their influence on the future solvency of age-entitlement programs. The authors present a brief discussion of the origin of the notion of life span, discuss its relevance and importance in light of recent developments in the emerging field of the biodemography of aging, and explore the theoretical and biological forces that influence the duration of life of sexually reproducing species. Copyright 2002 by The Population Council, Inc.
Biomarker development, from bench to bedside

Abstract This review describes studies performed by our group and other laboratories in the field aimed at development of biomarkers not only for cancer but also for other diseases. The markers covered include tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI), tumor-associated trypsin (TAT), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and their various molecular forms, their biology and diagnostic use. The discovery of TATI was the result of a hypothesis-driven project aimed at finding new biomarkers for ovarian cancer among urinary peptides. TATI has since proved to be a useful prognostic marker for several cancers. Recently, it has been named Serine Peptidase Inhibitor Kazal Type 1 (SPINK1) after being rediscovered by several groups as a tumor-associated peptide by gene expression profiling and proteomic techniques and shown to promote tumor development by stimulating the EGF receptor. To explain why a trypsin inhibitor is strongly expressed in some cancers, research focused on the protease that it inhibited led to the finding of tumor-associated trypsin (TAT). Elevated serum concentrations of TAT-2 were found in some cancer types, but fairly high background levels of pancreatic trypsinogen-2 limited the use of TAT-2 for cancer diagnostics. However, trypsinogen-2 and its complex with α1-protease inhibitor proved to be very sensitive and specific markers for pancreatitis. Studies on hCG were initiated by the need to develop more rapid and sensitive pregnancy tests. These studies showed that serum from men and non-pregnant women contains measurable concentrations of hCG derived from the pituitary. Subsequent development of assays for the subunits of hCG showed that the β subunit of hCG (hCGβ) is expressed at low concentrations by most cancers and that it is a strong prognostic marker. These studies led to the formation of a working group for standardization of hCG determinations and the development of new reference reagents for several molecular forms of hCG. The preparation of intact hCG has been adopted as the fifth international standard by WHO. Availability of several well-defined forms of hCG made it possible to characterize the epitopes of nearly 100 monoclonal antibodies. This will facilitate design of immunoassays with pre-defined specificity. Finally, the discovery of different forms of immunoreactive PSA in serum from a prostate cancer patient led to identification of the complex between PSA and α1-antichymotrypsin, and the use of assays for free and total PSA in serum for improved diagnosis of prostate cancer. Epitope mapping of PSA antibodies and establishment of PSA standards has facilitated establishment well-standardized assays for the various forms of PSA.
IN VITRO ROSETTE INHIBITION BY ANTIHUMAN ANTILYMPHOCYTE SERUM: CORRELATION WITH SKIN GRAFT PROLONGATION IN SUBHUMAN PRIMATES

SUMMARY: Antihuman antilymphoeyte sera inhibit, in vitro the formation of rosettes between human peripheral lymphocytes and sheep red blood cells. This inhibition is increased by the presence of complement. Eighteen horse antilymphocyte sera have been tested in vitro for leukoagglutination, lymphocytotoxicity, and rosette inhibition without information on their in vivo effect. The rosette inhibition titres, measured in the presence of complement, were always much higher than leukoagglutination and cytotoxic titres. The immunosuppressive potency of the 18 sera, which had been evaluated by measuring the prolongation of allogenic skin graft survival in macaques and chimpanzees, was well correlated with the rosette inhibition titres. Conversely, the correlation was not satisfactory for leukoagglutination and cytotoxicity titres. The simple and easily reproducible rosette inhibition test can apparently be used for evaluation of imnumosuppressive activity of antihuman sera, but. it cannot predict their toxicity.
Purine base transport in Neurospora crassa

Observations presented in this paper point to the presence of dual transport mechanisms for the base adenine in Neurospora crassa. Competition for transport, as well as growth inhibition studies using an ad-1 auxotroph, show that the purine bases adenine, guanine, and hypoxanthine share at least one transport mechanism which is insensitive to adenosine, cytosine, and a variety of other purine base analogues. On the other hand, uptake of adenine by an ad-8 mutant strain unable to transport [8-14C]hypoxanthine at any concentration was not inhibited by guanine or hypoxanthine. This observation demonstrates the existence of an adenine-specific transport system which was also found to be insensitive to inhibition by other purine base analogues, adenosine or cytosine. Recombination analysis of ad-8 by wild-type crosses showed that the inability to transport [8-14C]hypoxanthine was a consequence of the ad-8 lesion or a closely linked mutation. Saturation plots of each system gave intermediary plateaus and nonlinear reciprocal plots which, based on comparison with pure enzyme kinetic analysis, suggest that either each system consists of two or more uptake systems, at least one of which exhibits cooperativity, or that each system is a single uptake mechanism which possesses more than two binding sites where the relative affinity for the purine base first decreases and then increases as the sites are filled.
Behavioral/Lifestyle and Immunologic Factors Associated with HPV Infection among Women Older Than 45 Years

Background: Cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) detection increases after menopause, but its determinants need clarification. Methods: In a case–control study nested within a 10,049 women cohort, we evaluated women 45 to 75 years old who acquired HPV infection and were HPV positive 5 to 6 years after enrollment (N = 252), and HPV-negative women as matched controls (N = 265). Detailed sexual behavior and cellular immune response were investigated. Odds ratios (OR) and attributable fractions were estimated. Results: Women with 2+ lifetime partners had 1.7-fold (95% CI = 1.1–2.7) higher risk than monogamous women, with similar findings if their partners had other partners. Women with 2+ partners after last HPV-negative result had the highest risk (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.2–12.4 compared with 0–1 partners). Weaker immune response to HPV-16 virus-like particles increased risk (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.1–2.7 comparing lowest to highest tertile). Among women with no sexual activity in the period before HPV appearance, reduced immune response to phytohemagglutinin was the only determinant (OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 0.94–8.8). Twenty-one percent of infections were explained by recent sexual behavior, 21% by past sexual behavior, and 12% by reduced immune response. Conclusions: New infections among older women may result from sexual activity of women and/or their partners or reappearance of past (latent) infections possibly related to weakened immune response. Impact: HPV infections among older women are associated with current and past sexual exposures and possibly with immune senescence. The risk of cancer from these infections is likely to be low but could not be fully evaluated in the context of this study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(12); 3044–54. ©2010 AACR.
The nature of anti-immigrant sentiment in post-socialist Russia

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether the competition and cultural theoretical models that have received solid empirical support in the context of Western European societies can explain anti-foreigner sentiment in post-socialist Russia as a society searching for new national identity borders. Data obtained from the third round of the European Social Survey (2006) indicate a high level of anti-foreigner sentiment in contemporary Russia – more than 60% of Russians claimed that immigrants undermine the cultural life of the country, and almost 60% claimed that immigration is bad for the economy of the country. Our multivariate analysis showed that the two sets of individual-level predictors of anti-foreigner sentiment – the socioeconomic position of individuals (as suggested by the competition model) and conservative views and ideologies (as suggested by the cultural model) – are not meaningful in predicting anti-foreigner sentiment in post-socialist Russia. The results are discussed from a comparative sociology perspective and in the context of the Russian society.
Effects of HMGB1 on proliferation and apoptosis of human brain glioma CD133 cells.

OBJECTIVE To understand the effects of HMGB1 recombinant lentivirus vector on proliferation and apoptosis on CD133 cells after transfecting a human glioma cell strain CD133. METHOD The CD133 human glioma cell strain cultured in vitro was transfected with HMGB1 lentiviral vector and empty vector, respectively, while CD133 cells cultured normally were used as the blank control. Changes in HMGB1 protein level were detected with western blot hybridization; apoptosis was detected with a flow cytometer; the cell proliferation was analysed with MTT method. RESULTS The results from the western blot hybridization indicated that the expression level of HMGB1 protein in the group infected with HMGB1 recombinant over-expressed lentiviral vector increased significantly (p<0.05) compared with the blank control and CD133 cells transfected with the empty vector. The absorbance value of cell proliferation in the group infected with HMGB1 over-expressed lentiviral vector increased gradually on days 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but the difference was significant on day 2 after infection and later compared with the blank control group and negative control group (p<0.05). Based on detection with a flow cytometer, the apoptosis rate of CD133 cells transfected with HMGB1 over-expressed viral vector was significantly higher than that in the blank control group and negative control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The lentiviral expression vector has very high transfection efficiency in human glioma cell line CD133 and the infection is able to significantly up-regulate the expression and activation of HMGB1. Over-expression of HMGB1 is able to inhibit proliferation of tumor cells and promote apoptosis (Tab. 2, Fig. 6, Ref. 30).
Productivity Spillovers from FDI in Malaysian Manufacturing: Evidence from Micro‐panel Data*

Using an establishment-level panel dataset for the Malaysian manufacturing industries for 2000-2004, we argue that differences in the proxies and degrees of foreign shareholdings in measuring foreign presence lead to opposite signs and/or significance of spillover effects. The results show significant evidence of positive productivity spillovers to local establishments in the same industry, based on a broad measure of foreign presence. However, there is no evidence of positive spillover when employment share is used as a proxy for foreign presence. Furthermore, significant negative spillover effects are related to higher employment shares of wholly foreign-owned establishments. Although there is no significant difference in labor productivity between wholly foreign-owned and locally-owned establishments, both majority and minority foreign-owned establishments have significantly lower levels of labor productivity than locally-owned establishments in Malaysia. Copyright 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation 2009 East Asian Economic Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Has entry to the European Union altered the dynamic links of stock returns for the emerging markets?

This article investigates the impact of the entry to the European Union (EU) on the dynamic links between the stock market indices of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia vs. those of the euro-zone by utilizing the international version of the feedback-trading model. Prior to entry, there was evidence of feedback trading with the euro-zone, however, this disappeared in the post-entry period with the exception of Slovakia. Evidence appears to demonstrate the emergence of financial integration of these transition economies within the EU.
The Burden of Proof in a Game of Persuasion

Abstract An arbitrator faces the task of deciding the level of compensation to be received by a plaintiff from a defendant. The arbitrator must rely on the verifiable submissions of the two interested parties. Because the information of the interested parties is not verifiable, the "unravelling argument" has no force. Nevertheless, a class of equilibria of this game gives rise to a particularly simple decision rule for the arbitrator which appeals to a probability distribution over the payoff-relevant state space alone. The uncertainty concerning the precision of the disputants′ information enter as parameters in this distribution. This parametrization yields an answer to how the arbitrator′s decision rule should be modified as the information of the disputants changes. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D78, D82, L51.
Dientamoeba fragilis, One of the Neglected Intestinal Protozoa

ABSTRACT Dientamoeba fragilis is a single-celled protozoan, closely related to the trichomonads. Reported worldwide as causing human gastrointestinal symptoms, D. fragilis is very common and is second only to Blastocystis spp. Dientamoebiasis equals or exceeds the incidence of giardiasis. This minireview includes diagnostic options, clinical relevance, therapy, an animal model, the confirmed cyst stage, and sequencing data. The development of a rodent model, fulfilling Koch's postulates, and the confirmation of a cyst stage have clarified transmission routes, including fecal-oral transmission. The prevalence of D. fragilis varies between 0% to over 82%; results depend on the geographic location, group studied, and diagnostic methods used.