Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Employee engagement: a sceptical analysis

– The purpose of this paper is to review the debates and evidence about employee engagement to assess its prospects of becoming a mainstream part of management activity in the long term. It sets out an agenda for policy and practice designed to increase its chances of sustainability. , – The paper is based on a review of the research and analytic literature. It outlines the origins, reasons for growth of popularity, main forms and evidence about the antecedents and impact of employee engagement. It draws a distinction between work engagement and organizational engagement. For the former it outlines a research agenda; for the latter, it presents an extensive critique and an agenda to address the issues raised. , – A distinction is highlighted between work engagement with its concern to improve employee well-being and organizational engagement with its focus on organizational performance. It is shown that these two approaches operate in “different worlds” and that this reflects a neglect of an evidence-based approach to management of employees since work engagement has much the stronger evidence base. , – As a review and analysis, the paper is inevitably selective and limited by space restrictions. However, it argues that while work engagement is now well-established among the academic community as a valid and useful construct, the same cannot be said for organizational engagement which lacks clear definition, measurement, high-quality evidence and clear policy implications. The paper therefore sets out a policy agenda and outlines how some of the shortcomings might be addressed. , – The paper highlights the need for a viable and integrated “engagement strategy” if organizational engagement is to thrive in the future and sets out the core elements of such an approach. , – The paper highlights the distinction between the two separate “engagement worlds” of work and organizational engagement and also highlights their different core aims. The problems with organizational engagement are analysed and a new agenda to improve its prospects of impact is outlined.
The extent of insider trading in Australia: A socio-legal account*

This article reports findings from a national empirical study of insider trading in Australia. The study is based upon in-depth interviews conducted with almost one hundred key actors involved in the Australian securities industry. The interviews were conducted in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra and involved stock exchange officials, brokers, merchant bankers, lawyers in large law firms, various other financial advisers and observers as well as national, state and territory corporate regulatory officials. Although it was not the intention of this study to seek to quantify the extent of insider trading, something which is probably not possible to achieve, it was found that as insider trading was seen by most observers to be commonplace in Australia, this was likely to be a good indicator of its extent. This research also found mat insider trading tended to be more prevalent in certain situations, such as in takeovers and in closely held corporations, and that it was more likely to occur amongst particular groups involved in the Australian securities industry.
Validation of a food frequency questionnaire in assessing the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake for Malays and Chinese elderly in Malaysia

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is crucial to prevent a wide range of chronic diseases from a global view point. However, no suitable dietary assessment tool is available for usage among Malaysian population. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity of interviewer-administered semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing the omega-3 PUFAs intake among the Malays and Chinese elderly individuals in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Thirty-seven elderly people (54.1% women and 45.9% men), aged 60 years and above, were recruited from a community setting. Omega-3 PUFAs intake for the past one month was assessed using a 45-food item FFQ and validated against 3 days Food Record (FR). Wilcoxon signed rank test indicated no significant mean intake difference between two assessment methods. Significant correlation was found for total omega-3 PUFAs (r=0.926), α-linolenic acid (ALA) (r=0.745), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (r=0.579) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (r=0.912). Bland-Altman analysis exhibited no apparent systematic bias between the two methods for total omega-3 PUFAs intake, while quartile analysis classified 73% subjects assigned into the same quartile. Conclusively, the newly-developed FFQ yielded a reasonable validity in the tested population and provided a convenient means to estimate omega-3 PUFAs intake within healthy Malays and Chinese elderly individuals. Further study to evaluate its validity and reproducibility for different age groups is required.
The Market for Subscription Television Service in the United States

This study develops a simultaneous equations model of the market for subscription television service consisting of analog and digital cable service. Beyond modeling the market for subscription television service and identifying the factors that impact the demand and supply of analog and digital cable service, an effort is made to determine the extent to which direct broadcast satellite service competes with cable television for subscribers in this market. The model consists of four equations: demand equations for analog cable service and digital cable service and supply equations for analog cable service and digital cable service. The model is estimated using the full information maximum likelihood technique. A number of factors clearly impact the demand and supply of analog and digital cable service, and this impact is quantifiable. The size of the market measured as the number of households passed is, not surprisingly, a dominant factor in explaining analog and digital cable service demand and supply. Probably the most significant result is that the estimates indicate that while changes in the relative price of analog or digital cable service have no quantifiable impact on the demand for analog cable service, they do have a statistically significant effect on the demand for digital cable service. Finally, as the penetration of DBS service increases, the number of analog cable service subscribers is reduced.
DNA Remodeling by Strict Partial Endoreplication in Orchids, an Original Process in the Plant Kingdom

DNA remodeling during endoreplication appears to be a strong developmental characteristic in orchids. In this study, we analyzed DNA content and nuclei in 41 species of orchids to further map the genome evolution in this plant family. We demonstrate that the DNA remodeling observed in 36 out of 41 orchids studied corresponds to strict partial endoreplication. Such process is developmentally regulated in each wild species studied. Cytometry data analyses allowed us to propose a model where nuclear states 2C, 4E, 8E, etc. form a series comprising a fixed proportion, the euploid genome 2C, plus 2–32 additional copies of a complementary part of the genome. The fixed proportion ranged from 89% of the genome in Vanilla mexicana down to 19% in V. pompona, the lowest value for all 148 orchids reported. Insterspecific hybridization did not suppress this phenomenon. Interestingly, this process was not observed in mass-produced epiphytes. Nucleolar volumes grow with the number of endocopies present, coherent with high transcription activity in endoreplicated nuclei. Our analyses suggest species-specific chromatin rearrangement. Towards understanding endoreplication, V. planifolia constitutes a tractable system for isolating the genomic sequences that confer an advantage via endoreplication from those that apparently suffice at diploid level.
Modelling size and illiquidity in West African equity markets

This article assesses the effectiveness of traded turnover and Amihud (2002) metrics in measuring illiquidity, as used in a multifactor Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The performance of this model is contrasted with Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) and simple stochastic drift models on a new sample of five West African equity markets: Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco and Tunisia, together with the developed markets in London and Paris. Analysis of portfolio characteristics reveals that investment strategies based on Francophone markets outperform those of Anglophone markets in Africa, despite their lower mean returns. There is some evidence of limited benefits to investors from including assets from the small and highly illiquid Cote d’Ivoire and Ghanaian markets.
A Stochastic Model of Waste Management with on and Off Site Storage

When the regulatory threshold which specifies the maximum amount of waste that can be stored on site is exceeded, a waste generating firm must move waste to an off site location. Given that off site storage is costlier than on site storage, how much waste ought a firm - operating in a probabilistic environment - to produce in the time period of interest? This salient question has received insufficient theoretical attention in the extant literature. Therefore, we analyze a stochastic model with on and off site storage that is relevant to the management of a broad class of wastes. We first derive a representative waste generating firm's long run expected cost function. Next, we conduct comparative statics exercises to demonstrate the impact of key parameter changes on the firm's long run expected cost. Finally, we show that the optimal waste production level we seek is the solution to a specific cost minimization problem.
The Recent Asian Wave in Tourism Research: The Case of the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing

This paper presents the findings of a review of research papers that were published in the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing from January 2011 to December 2013. Content analysis was used to analyze 159 research papers. The results revealed that, out of the eight research areas identified, consumer behavior, brand management, and e-marketing are the three most popular research topics among studies that collected data from Asian and non-Asian countries/regions. One notable exception is that research related to demand models and pricing seems to be dominated by research in Asian countries/regions. The study concludes with a general discussion of the implications, trends in tourism marketing research, and study limitations.
Ridge Estimators for Probit Regression: With an Application to Labour Market Data

In this paper we propose ridge regression estimators for probit models since the commonly applied maximum likelihood (ML) method is sensitive to multicollinearity. An extensive Monte Carlo study is conducted where the performance of the ML method and the probit ridge regression (PRR) is investigated when the data are collinear. In the simulation study we evaluate a number of methods of estimating the ridge parameter k that have recently been developed for use in linear regression analysis. The results from the simulation study show that there is at least one group of the estimators of k that regularly has a lower mean squared error than the ML method for all different situations that have been evaluated. Finally, we show the benefit of the new method using the classical Dehejia and Wahba dataset which is based on a labour market experiment.
Why investors should be cautious of the academic approach to testing for stock market anomalies

This paper uses the well known pre-holiday stock market anomaly to clarify the uses and limitations of the academic approach to testing for such anomalies with respect to the differing requirements of academics and investors. The approach is not designed to produce information suitable for making investment decisions but to inform academic debate. The results produced by the approach could lead to highly inappropriate trading if acted upon by investors. The paper illustrates the types of problem that can arise and offers some possible solutions.
Apoptosis mediated by the TNF‐related cytokine and receptor families

T lymphocytes use several specialized mechanisms to induce apoptotic cell death. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐related family of membrane‐anchored and secreted ligands represent a major mechanism regulating cell death and cell survival. These ligands also coordinate differentiation of tissue to defend against intracellular pathogens and regulate development of lymphoid tissue. Cellular responses are initiated by a corresponding family of specific receptors that includes two distinct TNFR (TNFR60 and TNFR80), Fas (CD95), CD40, p75NTF, and the recently identified lymphotoxin β‐receptor (LTβR), among others. The MHC‐encoded cytokines, TNF and LTα, form homomeric trimers, whereas LTβ assembles into heterotrimers with LTα, creating multimeric ligands with distinct receptor specificities. The signal transduction cascade is initiated by transmembrane aggregation (clustering) of receptor cytoplasmic domains induced by binding to their multivalent ligands. The TRAF family of Zn RING/finger proteins bind to TNFR80; CD40 and LTβR are involved in induction NFκB and cell survival. TNFR60 and Fas interact with several distinct cytosolic proteins sharing the “death domain” homology region. TNF binding to TNFR60 activates a serine protein kinase activity and phosphoproteins are recruited to the receptor forming a multicomponent signaling complex. Thus, TNFRs use diverse sets of signaling molecules to initiate and regulate cell death and survival pathways. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A research agenda for social entrepreneurship

Purpose – To study the nature of social entrepreneurship from the viewpoint of activities associated with the perception of opportunities to create social value and the creation of social purpose organizations to pursue them.Design/methodology/approach – The ways in which social enterprises adopt financially sustainable strategies to pursue social aims and address a wide a range of social problems, such as unemployment and inequalities in access to health and social care services, are discussed. Applies the results of existing research to summarize the size of the social enterprise sector in the UK, Europe and US. Proposes eight research themes for social enterprises research and endorses the need for researchers to build on current knowledge and to work together to generate a theory and produce valid, reliable and comparable data capable of being shared by researchers, policy makers and those with an interest in social entrepreneurship.Findings – The eight research themes identified by the study comprise.
The impact of Over-education and Under-education on Earnings: Egypt in a Post Revolutionary Era

Previous research has mainly addressed the impact of over/under-education on wages in developed countries. Therefore, this paper attempts to fill the void gap in the literature by empirically examining the impact of over-education and under-education on wages in a developing country, namely Egypt, using the 2012 Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS). In order to do so, actual years of educations are divided into years of required-education, over-education, and under-education using the realized matches approach. Two modified specifications of the semi-logarithmic Mincer equation are used to estimate the returns: the ORU specification proposed by Duncan and Hoffman (1981) and the dummy variables specification proposed by Verdugo & Verdugo (1989). We contribute to the literature by employing an instrumental variable approach in order to account for the endogeneity of the three components of education. Our results indicate that using the conventional OLS method leads to an under-estimation of the returns to over-education because of ability bias. It is found that returns to over-education are positive and in fact they are higher than returns to adequate education, which contradicts previous literature findings. It is also found that there is a trade-off between over-education and years of experience.
Indirect employment effects of Foreign Direct Investment into the UK

This paper examines some of the employment consequences, broadly defined, associated with foreign inward investment. A foreign firm entering an industry in the UK will have a degree of firm-specific advantage over the incumbent firms. This advantage is assumed to manifest itself in terms of a productivity differential over the domestic sector. As such, foreign entry will create factor market disequilibrium in the domestic sector. It is shown that such investment generates 'employment substitution' away from UK firms, equivalent to approximately one-fifth of all the jobs created by inward investment. Copyright 1999 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research
Capital requirements, bank behavior and monetary policy: A theoretical analysis with an empirical application to India

The paper addresses the issue of monetary policy transmission through the banking sector in the presence of a bank capital regulation. A model of bank behavior is presented, which shows how a monetary policy shock affects both deposit and lending, in the short run (when equity capital is assumed to be fixed) as well as in the long run (when equity is endogenous). The analysis is extended to incorporate a salient feature of Basel II incorporating loans with differential risk weights. The basic spirit of the model is empirically examined using data on Indian banks for 1993-2004. The findings indicate that constrained banks raises lending to less risky borrowers in response to a monetary contraction.
EVALUATION OF HEMATOLOGICAL AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL PROFILES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUPPLEMENTATION OF ZILPATEROL HYDROCHLORIDE TO FEEDLOT HEIFERS

The objective of this study was to evaluate hematological and serum biochemical profiles associated with supplementation of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) to feedlot heifers. Heifers (n=20; 556±7 kg BW) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: 1) Control (CON: no ZH supplementation), or 2) Zilpaterol (ZH: supplemented ZH at 8.33 mg/kg per feed on a DM basis). Heifers in the ZH treatment group were supplemented with ZH for 20 d, followed by a 3 d withdrawal period. The trial was conducted over a 25 d period (-2 to 23 d, ZH supplementation beginning on d 1), with three serial blood collection periods: -2 to 4 d, 13 to 16 d, and 20 to 23 d (withdrawal period). Blood samples were collected and serum was separated then stored at -80oC until analyzed for serum biochemical profile. Each d, at 1200 h a whole blood sample was collected in 4mL tubes for hematological analysis. Heifers were harvested and tissue samples were collected from the liver, longissimus muscle (LM), and biceps femoris (BF) for analysis of vitamin E. There was a treatment effect for serum concentrations of calcium (P = 0.008) with concentrations being greater in CON heifers than when compared with ZH. A treatment effect was observed for serum concentrations of bicarbonate (P = 0.03), with ZH having greater concentrations than CON heifers. A treatment x time interaction was observed for glucose (P = 0.02), BUN (P < 0.001), Cl (P = 0.04), CREAT (P ≤ 0.001), and CK (P≤ 0.001). Overall CREAT, CK, and Cl serum concentrations were greater in ZH compared to CON group whereas glucose and BUN concentrations were decreased in the ZH treated heifers. There were no differences in the liver enzymes aspartate transaminase (AST; P = 0.08) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SBD; P = 0.46), however; there was a treatment x time interaction for alkaline phosphatase (ALP; P < 0.001) and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT; P = 0.004). Overall, concentrations of ALP were increased in CON compared to ZH heifers. Overall, GGT concentrations were greater in ZH treated heifers. In the CBC, there was an overall treatment
5-Lipoxygenase upregulation by dexamethasone in human mast cells.

In spite of intensive research, our understanding of the regulation of expression of 5-LO (the key enzyme in the leukotriene metabolism) remains fragmentary. We investigated the effects of dexamethasone on the expression of this gene in a binary model consisting of two clones of the human mast cell line HMC-1, one with a 5-LO-negative and the other with a 5-LO-positive phenotype, respectively. When dexamethasone was included in the culture medium at a physiologically relevant concentration, biosynthesis of 5-LO derivatives increased considerably not only in the 5-LO-negative HMC-1 cells (approx 10-fold) but also in the 5-LO-positive cells, characterized by an already substantial enzyme activity. Consistently, Northern blot analysis revealed that a dramatic increase in the abundance of 5-LO mRNA occurred when the cells were exposed to dexamethasone. Likewise, a significant increase in the immunoreactive 5-LO protein was detected by Western blotting. In contrast, dexamethasone seemed to have no effect on the expression of two other genes of pivotal importance in leukotriene biosynthesis, viz. FLAP and LTC(4) synthase. We conclude that in human mast cells glucocorticoids effectively and selectively upregulate the expression of 5-LO.
Entrepreneur behaviors, opportunity recognition, and the origins of innovative ventures

This study traces the origins of innovative strategies by examining the attributes of ‘innovative entrepreneurs. ’ In an inductive grounded theory study of innovative entrepreneurs, we develop a theory that innovative entrepreneurs differ from executives on four behavioral patterns through which they acquire information: (1) questioning; (2) observing; (3) experimenting; and (4) idea networking. We develop operational measures of each of these behaviors and find significant differences between innovative entrepreneurs and executives in a large sample survey of 72 successful and unsuccessful innovative entrepreneurs and 310 executives. Drawing on network theory, we develop a theory of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition that explains why these behaviors increase the probability of generating an idea for an innovative venture. We contend that one's ability to generate novel ideas for innovative new businesses is a function of one's behaviors that trigger cognitive processes to produce novel business ideas. We also posit that innovative entrepreneurs are less susceptible to the status quo bias and engage in these information-seeking behaviors with a motivation to change the status quo. Copyright © 2009 Strategic Management Society.
Continuous monitoring of arthritis in animal models using optical imaging modalities

Abstract. Given the several difficulties associated with histology, including difficulty in continuous monitoring, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of optical imaging modalities—cross-polarization color (CPC) imaging, erythema index (EI) imaging, and laser speckle contrast (LSC) imaging—for continuous evaluation and monitoring of arthritis in animal models. C57BL/6 mice, used for the evaluation of arthritis, were divided into three groups: arthritic mice group (AMG), positive control mice group (PCMG), and negative control mice group (NCMG). Complete Freund’s adjuvant, mineral oil, and saline were injected into the footpad for AMG, PCMG, and NCMG, respectively. LSC and CPC images were acquired from 0 through 144 h after injection for all groups. EI images were calculated from CPC images. Variations in feet area, EI, and speckle index for each mice group over time were calculated for quantitative evaluation of arthritis. Histological examinations were performed, and the results were found to be consistent with those from optical imaging analysis. Thus, optical imaging modalities may be successfully applied for continuous evaluation and monitoring of arthritis in animal models.