Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Matters: The Effect of Tactical Descriptions on Negotiation Behavior and Outcome

The impact of tactical knowledge on negotiator behaviors and joint outcomes was examined. It was hypothesized that the availability of written descriptions of negotiation tactics would provide negotiators with the knowledge necessary to apply in a mixed-motive negotiation and that, as a result, these negotiators would engage in different behaviors leading to higher joint outcomes than would negotiators without this knowledge. Ninety dyads engaged in a multi-issue joint venture negotiation: 45 dyads were provided tactical descriptions, and the other 45 were not. Dyads with tactical knowledge engaged in more integrative behaviors and achieved higher joint outcomes, with integrative behaviors serving as mediators of the knowledge-outcome effect. Distributive behaviors were found to be negatively related to joint outcome but were not influenced by tactical knowledge. Although negotiations occur every day, people often fail to reach agreements that maximize joint gain, even when negotiating simple conflicts (Neale & Northcraft, 1986; Pruitt, 1981; Raiffa, 1982). When agreements are reached, there are frequently other solutions that exist which could further benefit either or both parties. In more formal terms, negotiators often do not achieve Pareto optimal solutions on tasks with integrative potential. Although people often think they have done the best they could in a negotiation, they are frequently mistaken. The problem of suboptimal negotiated solutions has been examined from both cognitive (e.g., Carroll, Bazerman, & Maury, 1988; Neale & Bazerman, 1991 ) and social interaction perspectives (Lewis & Fry, 1977; Putnam & Jones, 1982; Putnam & Wilson, 1989; Schultz & Pruitt, 1978). Although separate examination of social and cognitive processes has provided insight into specific aspects of the negotiation process, the present research is unique in that it considers these processes concurrently and in the context of a general problem-solving framework. Viewing these processes as problem solving provides a unifying framework that explains negotiation processes principally in terms of knowledge being applied to tasks. In the current study, negotiator knowledge was influenced through the use of a simple intervention: We provided negotiators with written descriptions of negotiation tactics in an attempt to influence tactical behavior and quality of the agreement.
Returns to scale in a matching model: evidence from disaggregated panel data

The returns to scale in the matching function play an important role in models with endogenous search effort. Due to positive externalities, increasing returns to scale in matching can support high or low activity equilibrium in the labour market. In this study, we examine this issue using panel data from Finnish employment offices. The study finds that the results from the Cobb–Douglas and translog specification are qualitatively different. The CD specification of the matching function exhibits constant returns to scale. The translog specification, in turn, exhibits increasing returns to scale. The elasticity estimate for returns, using the preferred specification and minimum and maximum sample values for job seekers and vacancies, fall in the range of 1.1 to 1.6.
Public Pensions: To What Extent Do They Account for Swedish Wealth Inequality?☆

Sweden's distribution of disposable income is very even, with a Gini coefficient of just 0.31. Yet, the wealth distribution is extremely unequal, with a Gini coefficient of 0.79. Moreover, Swedish wealth inequality is to a very large extent driven by the large fraction of households with zero or negative wealth. In this paper, we ask to what extent the resditributive public pension scheme is responsible for these features of the data. To address this question, we study the properties of two overlapping generations economies with uninsurable idiosyncratic risk. The first has a pension system modeled o the actual one, the second has no public pension scheme at all. Our findings support the view that the public pension scheme is to a large extent responsible for the features of the data that we focus on. (Copyright: Elsevier)
Caregiver characteristics and economic cost of home-based care: a case study of Maun and Gumare villages in North West District, Botswana

The home-based care programme in Botswana was initiated partly to augment hospital or clinical care by reducing the healthcare costs associated with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS. A number of studies have pointed to the psyco-social impacts of home based care, however there has been few attempts to quantify the direct and indirect costs associated with home based care. This study was carried out in the North West District of Botswana, which is noted for a relatively larger proportion of households with critically ill persons. The objectives of the study were to identify the characteristics of the caregivers and their patients; to estimate the direct and indirect costs of home-based care; and to estimate caregivers’ willingness to pay for care services. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire addressed to 120 primary caregivers and analyzed using SPSS. The economic cost of caregiving was estimated using the replacement cost method. The annual value per caregiver was estimated at P31 320 (US$4818.46). The study also revealed that more often than not, women are involved in caregiving activities.
On the AC 0 Complexity of Subgraph Isomorphism Yuan Li

Let P be a fixed graph (hereafter called a “pattern”), and let Subgraph(P ) denote the problem of deciding whether a given graph G contains a subgraph isomorphic to P . We are interested in AC-complexity of this problem, determined by the smallest possible exponent C(P ) for which Subgraph(P ) possesses bounded-depth circuits of size n . Motivated by the previous research in the area, we also consider its “colorful” version Subgraphcol(P ) in which the target graph G is V (P )-colored, and the average-case version Subgraphave(P ) under the distribution G(n, n−θ(P ), where θ(P ) is the threshold exponent of P . Defining Ccol(P ) and Cave(P ) analogously to C(P ), our main contributions can be summarized as follows. • Ccol(P ) coincides with the tree-width of the pattern P within a logarithmic factor. This shows that the previously known upper bound by Alon, Yuster, Zwick [3] is almost tight. • We give a characterization of Cave(P ) in purely combinatorial terms within a multiplicative factor of 2. This shows that the lower bound technique of Rossman [26] is essentially tight, for any pattern P whatsoever. • We prove that if Q is a minor of P then Subgraphcol(Q) is reducible to Subgraphcol(P ) via a linear-size monotone projection. At the same time, we show that there is no monotone projection whatsoever that reduces Subgraph(M3) to Subgraph(P3 +M2) (P3 is a path on 3 vertices, Mk is a matching with k edges, and “+” stands for the disjoint union). This result strongly suggests that the colorful version of the subgraph isomorphism problem is much better structured and well-behaved than the standard (worst-case, uncolored) one.
The Role of Agricultural Productivity on Structural Change

Many authors have estimated and found that the productivity growth in agriculture is higher than that in non-agriculture in today's richest countries. Several papers suggested that growth in agricultural productivity was essential for today's richest countries to take off early. However, few articles noticed that growth in agricultural productivity is critical in driving structural change in today's richest countries. This paper studies a two-sector neoclassical growth model with subsistence agricultural consumption and shows that growth in agricultural productivity plays a more important role than growth in non-agricultural productivity in governing massive structural change in today's richest countries.
Cystic Transformation of End-Stage Kidneys in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

We studied 32 patients with chronic renal failure for cystic transformation of the diseased kidneys. All patients had been maintained on hemodialysis and none had primary cystic kidney disease. On necropsy, 15 patients were found to have developed cysts in their kidneys. Cystic transformation was not necessarily associated with an increase in size or weight of the kidneys. The main determinant of the cystic changes were duration of kidney disease and the length of time on dialysis. The acquired cysts seemed to lack significant exocrine and endocrine activities.
Do Social Capital Building Strategies Influence the Financing Behavior of Chinese Private Small and Medium–Sized Enterprises?

Using data from 65,485 Chinese private small and medium–sized enterprises over the period 2000–2006, we examine the extent to which firms can improve access to debt by adopting strategies aimed at building social capital, namely entertaining and gift giving to others in their social network, and obtaining political affiliation. We find that although entertainment and gift–giving expenditure leads to higher levels of total and short–term debt, it does not enable firms to obtain greater long–term debt. In contrast, we demonstrate that obtaining political affiliation allows firms greater access to long–term debt.
Shopping on the Internet–Online Purchase Behavior of New Zealand Consumers

ABSTRACT The Internet provides an evolving channel for both business people and consumers to achieve their mutual aims. The rapid growth of Internet users in New Zealand provides a developing prospect for E-marketers. New Zealand has literate, educated, technology savvy “netizens” who are willing to spend time and money over the Internet. If E-marketers know the demographics of online New Zealand purchasers and the relationships between these demographics and online buyers' behavior, then they can further develop their marketing strategies to convert potential customers into active ones, while retaining the existent online customers. This paper provides an insight into the demographic profile of New Zealand's online purchasers. Some implications are also provided in this research.
A pilot study of lithium carbonate plus divalproex sodium for the continuation and maintenance treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder.

BACKGROUND This pilot study compared the efficacy of lithium plus divalproex sodium with the efficacy of lithium alone for the continuation and maintenance treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder. METHOD Twelve patients with bipolar I disorder as defined by the DSM-III-R were recruited and followed prospectively for up to 1 year. Each subject received lithium at serum levels of 0.8 to 1.0 mmol/L and a management/education session weekly or every 2 weeks. By random assignment, subjects received either divalproex sodium or placebo in conjunction with lithium. Divalproex sodium was adjusted to achieve a serum concentration of 50 to 125 micrograms/mL. Adjunctive medications were used on an as needed basis to treat psychosis, depression, and anxiety. The course of illness was monitored through use of the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Examination. RESULTS Subjects treated with the combination of lithium and divalproex were significantly less likely to suffer a relapse or recurrence (p = .014), but were significantly more likely to suffer at least one moderate or severe adverse side effect (p = .041). There was no significant difference between groups in the use of adjunctive medication. CONCLUSION These results provide preliminary evidence of the risks and benefits of combining lithium with divalproex sodium for the continuation and maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder.
Labour Crisis and Innovation in Developing Countries: An Analysis of Locum Program for Health Personnel in Malawi

This article interrogates the dynamics of public sector innovation within the context of labor crisis in a developing country environment. It finds that to minimize the impacts of labor shortage in the health sector, Malawi uses a locum program where health workers are encouraged to work extra hours and are paid overtime allowances accordingly. The article observes that although the program has been pivotal in motivating the existing staff to go the extra mile and attempt to cover up for the labor shortages, it is rocked with several challenges which usually disrupt effective service delivery. These include delayed payments, sustainability problems, governance challenges, work ethics challenges, and negative effects of the quality of services delivered. Taking a qualitative approach, the analysis combines the use of primary and secondary data.
Commitment Through Specific Investment in Contractual Relationships

The effectiveness of stipulated damages in inefficiently excluding competitors can be undermined by the penalty doctrine and by the possibility of renegotiation. Recent works show that investment by the breached-against party can restore the effectiveness of stipulated damages. The authors investigate a model in which the breaching party makes a specific investment and show that (1) the breaching party's overinvestment can be an effective commitment device without need to use stipulated damages, (2) the commitment through overinvestment does not suffer from the penalty doctrine nor from the possibility of renegotiation, and (3) the availability of stipulated damages creates no additional effect.
Seizures and the Natural History of World Health Organization Grade II Gliomas: A Review

OBJECTIVE:The majority of adults with low-grade gliomas have seizures. Despite the frequency of seizures as initial symptoms and symptoms of later disease, seizures in relation to the natural course of low-grade gliomas have received little attention. METHODS:In this review, we provide an update of the literature on the prognostic impact of preoperative seizures and discuss the tumor- and treatment-related factors affecting seizure control at later stages of the disease. RESULTS:Seizures occur most frequently at disease presentation and predict a more favorable outcome. Initial seizures are correlated with tumor location and possibly indirectly to the molecular profile of the tumor. About 50% of all patients with seizures at presentation continue to have seizures before surgery. Maximal tumor resection, including resection of epileptic foci, is a valuable strategy for improving seizure control. In addition, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as single therapies or in combination with surgery, have shown beneficial effects in terms of seizure reduction. Recurrent seizures after macroscopically complete tumor resection may be a marker for accelerated tumor growth. Recurrent seizures after an initial transient stabilization after radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may be a marker for anaplastic tumor transformation. CONCLUSION:Preoperative seizures likely reflect, apart from tumor location, intrinsic tumor properties as well. Change in seizure control in individual patients is frequently associated with altered tumor behavior. Including seizures and seizure control as clinical parameters is recommended in future trials of low-grade gliomas to further establish the prognostic value of these symptoms and to identify the factors affecting seizure control.
Host Recognition of Bacterial Muramyl Dipeptide Mediated through NOD2

NOD2, a protein associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease, confers responsiveness to bacterial preparations of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan, but the precise moiety recognized remains elusive. Biochemical and functional analyses identified muramyl dipeptide (MurNAc-l-Ala-d-isoGln) derived from peptidoglycan as the essential structure in bacteria recognized by NOD2. Replacement of l-Ala for d-Ala ord-isoGln for l-isoGln eliminated the ability of muramyl dipeptide to stimulate NOD2, indicating stereoselective recognition. Muramyl dipeptide was recognized by NOD2 but not by TLR2 or co-expression of TLR2 with TLR1 or TLR6. NOD2 mutants associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease were deficient in their recognition of muramyl dipeptide. Notably, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals homozygous for the major disease-associated L1007fsinsC NOD2 mutation responded to lipopolysaccharide but not to synthetic muramyl dipeptide. Thus, NOD2 mediates the host response to bacterial muropeptides derived from peptidoglycan, an activity that is important for protection against Crohn's disease. Because muramyl dipeptide is the essential structure of peptidoglycan required for adjuvant activity, these results also have implications for understanding adjuvant function and effective vaccine development.
New Quadrature-Based Approximations for the Characteristic Function and the Distribution Function of Sums of Lognormal Random Variables

Characterizing the distribution of the sum of lognormal random variables (RVs) is still an open issue. This paper proposes simple and new quadrature-based approximations of the characteristic function (CF) and the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the sum of independent and correlated lognormal RVs. Exploiting the recent Hermite-Gauss quadrature-based approximation, which is provided for the CF of a single lognormal RV, this paper proposes expressions that are given in terms of quadrature nodes and weights, as well as in terms of the parameters of individual lognormal RVs and the covariance matrix for the correlated RV case. More importantly, the developed expression for the cdf does not require prior knowledge of the actual cdf or the employment of specialized numerical integration methods. Numerical examples and comparisons with approximation techniques for the cdf of the sum found in the literature are provided. The examples show that while most of the known approximation techniques are valid for either small or large values of the abscissa, but not both, the proposed cdf formula provides reasonable approximation over a wide range of the abscissa. Furthermore, the study shows that as the actual cdf of the sum departs from the straight-line shape and its concavity increases, when plotted on a normal probability scale, even techniques that specialize in approximating the low-end tail of the cdf start to produce higher errors. The proposed formula continues to accurately approximate the actual cdf.
Who Do You Trust? Comparing People-Centered Communications in Disaster Situations in the United States and China

Abstract We use a theoretical sampling approach to investigate and compare communications in two crisis situations – the Sichuan earthquake in China and Hurricane Katrina in the US. We propose to re-conceptualize crisis communications, with the possibility of recognizing non-hierarchical and reciprocal interactions between authorities, traditional and social media, and individuals in crisis planning policy. We bring the issues of political and social trust and disaster information authentication into the overall picture of crisis communications and suggest they serve as mediating factors. Finally, we propose development of an iterative credibility-seeking model during a crisis.
Bank ownership and productivity developments: evidence from Turkey

Purpose - This paper analyzes the responsiveness of different ownership forms to changing business environment by drawing on Turkish experience. Design/methodology/approach - This study is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the paper uses Malmquist index theory, to estimate the total factor productivity change, technological change, efficiency change, pure efficiency change and scale efficiency change indexes for the Turkish banks. In the second stage, utilizing the generalized least regression format, it examines the significance of the productivity differences between different ownership forms after controlling for size and changes in the macro-economy. Findings - Under the “traditional banking definition,” productivity growth during the period was 1.2 percent for state banks, 3.9 percent for private banks and 14.2 percent for foreign banks. Under the “non-traditional banking definition,” the productivity gain over the period was 2.9 percent for state banks, 9.5 percent for private banks and 17.0 percent for foreign banks. Research limitations/implications - The future research can extend the data set and may include more explanatory factors to characterize the bank forms that record the fastest productivity growth. Practical implications - Private ownership appears to be more adaptive to new environment. Foreign banks can be used as a policy instrument to induce efficiency and productivity improvements in local banking industries. Liberalization of markets through competition boosts economic performance. Originality/value - In analyzing impacts of reforms, the significance of inter-temporal change should be tested to better guide regulators, investors and managers.
Large Datasets, Small Models and Monetary Policy in Europe

Nowadays a considerable amount of information on the behaviour of the economy is readily available, in the form of large datasets of macroeconomic variables. Central bankers can be expected to base their decisions on this very large information set. Yet the academic profession has shown a clear preference for using small models to highlight stylized facts and to implement policy simulation exercises. Omitted information is then a potentially relevant problem. Recent time-series techniques for the analysis of large datasets have shown how vast an amount of information can be captured by few factors. In this paper we combine factors extracted from large datasets with more traditional small-scale models to analyse monetary policy in Europe. In particular, we model hundreds of macroeconomic variables with a dynamic factor model, and summarize their informational content with a few estimated factors. These factors are then used as instruments in the estimation of forward-looking Taylor rules, and as additional regressors in structural VARs. The latter are then used to evaluate the effects of unexpected and systematic monetary policy.
Leadership and management effectiveness: A multi‐frame, multi‐sector analysis

Bolman and Deal (1984, 1991) have developed four perspectives, or frames, for understanding organizations and leadership: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. This paper reports two studies that operationalize that model. The first study uses critical incidents written by managers to assess how many and which frames they use. Most incidents show the use of one or two frames; very few contain all four. In every population, the structural frame was used frequently while the symbolic frame was rarely evident. Across different populations, the use of the human resource and political frames varied substantially. The second study used survey instruments to assess managers' frame orientations. Regression analyses show that their orientations, as perceived by colleagues, are differentially related to perceived effectiveness as manager and leader. Managerial effectiveness is related to an emphasis on rationality and organizational structure. Leadership effectiveness is linked to symbols and culture. For men and women in comparable positions, gender is unrelated to leadership orientations or to their effectiveness as managers or leaders.