Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
China-Malaysia’s Trading and Exchange Rate: Complementary or Conflicting Features?

Over the last decade, China and Malaysia have committed to export-led growth policy based on maintenance of their undervalued currencies. While both nations have recorded current account surplus and devoted for regional trade integration, it was lately claimed that the Chinese foreign exchange regime poses her as a formidable export competitor and offers further threat to the crowding out of other developing Asian, including Malaysia. Such scenario motivated us to examine the dynamic nexus of exchange rate impact on bilateral export and import flows between China and Malaysia. Our analysis contributed in using high frequency monthly data for the recent period from January 1990 to January 2008, based on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound testing procedure and generalised impulse response analysis. Our empirical findings reveal that the Marshall-Lerner condition holds in the long run but only the short run import demands adhere to the potential J-curve pattern. In brief, the study supports for the complementary role of China instead of conflicting (competing) features in the China-Malaysia bilateral trading.
Paternalistic and transactional HRM: the nature and transformation of HRM in contemporary China

Drawing on institutionalism and path dependency theory, this paper provides a conceptual framework to identify and explain the nature and transformation of Chinese human resource management (HRM). The framework is applied to case studies of three enterprises that are either state-owned or state-controlled. The paper groups HRM in contemporary China into three categories: Paternalistic; Transactional; and Differentiated with the last one involving a mix of paternalistic and transactional HRM policies and practices. The paper argues that, as China's economy has evolved from paternalistic socialism to market socialism in recent decades, Chinese HRM has responded, moving along the continuum from paternalistic to transactional HRM. The case studies reveal the impact on HRM practice of both the legacy of paternalistic socialism and three decades of marketization. The case study evidence clearly indicates that paternalistic HRM, common in state-owned enterprises in the pre-reform era, has evolved towards either transactional or diffe\rentiated HRM. Among the changes in HRM practice is a decline in the welfare benefits and employment security of workers, the former ‘masters of society’.
The Re-Engagement in Education of Early School Leavers

By OECD standards, the share of the Australian labour force with at least a secondary school qualification is low. One way to rectify this shortfall is to improve rates of re-engagement in education among early school leavers. This paper examines the patterns of re-engagement among early school leavers in the HILDA sample. A key finding is that the early years after leaving school are crucially important, with rates of re-engagement dropping dramatically in the first three years out from school. For those who enter the labour market after school, results suggest that finding work, especially satisfying work, is an important driver for returning to study.
Cuanto Explican las Reformas y la Calidad de las Instituciones el Crecimiento Chileno? Una Comparación Internacional

The main goal of the present paper is to evaluate the sources of growth in Chile and the world over the last decades, but stressing the role of complementarities in economic policies. Hence, we evaluate the growth determinants for a sample of 28 countries with information over the 1970-2000 period. In contrast to Gallego and Loayza (2002), we test directly the existence of complementarities between trade and financial liberalization policies with: a) the initial conditions of the economy, b) human capital policies, and c) the level of institutions.
Neuropeptide neuronal efferents from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central amygdaloid nucleus to the dorsal vagal complex in the rat

The lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTL) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) are amygdaloid nuclei that have similar affer‐ent and efferent connections within the brain. Previous studies have demonstrated that both regions send axonal projections to the dorsal vagal complex (dorsal motor nucleus and nucleus tractus solitarii). The present study used the combined retrograde fluorescence‐immunofluorescence method to examine whether cells contributing to this pathway contained any of the following neuropeptides: corticotropin‐releasing factor, neurotensin, somatostatin, substance P, enkephalin, or galanin. The inputs to the dorsal vagal complex originated mainly from ventral BSTL and medial Ce, although a significant number of neurons within the dorsal BSTL and lateral Ce also contributed. Corticotropin‐releasing factor, neurotensin, and somatostatin neurons mainly located within the dorsal BSTL and the lateral Ce contained retrograde tracer after injections into the vagal complex. Substance P neurons in the ventral BSTL and medial Ce provide a sparse input to the dorsal vagal complex. Enkephalin and galanin neurons within the BSTL and Ce did not appear to project to the dorsal vagal complex. Corticotropin‐releasing factor and neurotensin neurons within the lateral hypothalamus also project to the dorsal vagal complex. Approximately 22% of the Ce and 15% of the BSTL retrogradely labeled neurons were peptide immunoreactive. Thus, it is concluded the Ce and BSTL are sources of a significant peptidergic pathway to the dorsal vagal complex. However, it is also apparent that the majority of putative transmitter types within the amygdaloid vagal projection still are unknown. The results suggest that the dorsal and ventral BSTL and the lateral and medial Ce, respectively, are homologous zones with regard to chemoarchitecture and connections. The data is discussed considering the possible function of peptides within descending amygdaloid pathways to the brainstem.
EXPORT ZONES AND WELFARE: ANOTHER LOOK

In this paper, the authors show that the welfare effects of an export promotion zone can be divided into a factor terms-of-trade effect and a volume-of-trade effect. The first effect raises welfare, whereas the second is uncertain. To date, however, the literature has ignored the factor terms-of-trade effect, thereby creating a bias against export zones. In addition, the authors demonstrate that zones increase welfare for trade regimes that rely on quantitative restrictions. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.
Discriminatory zoning in colonial Hong Kong

Purpose – This paper seeks to argue that racially discriminatory zoning in Colonial Hong Kong could have been a form of protectionism driven by economic considerations.Design/methodology/approach – This paper was based on a review of the relevant ordinances, literature, and public information, notably data obtained from the Land Registry and telephone directories.Findings – This paper reveals that many writings on racial matters in Hong Kong were not a correct interpretation or presentation of facts. It shows that after the repeal of the discriminatory laws in 1946, an increasing number of people, both Chinese and European, were living in the Peak district. Besides, Chinese were found to be acquiring land even under the discriminatory law for Barker Road during the mid‐1920s and became, after 1946, the majority landlords by the mid‐1970s. This testifies to the argument that the Chinese could compete economically with Europeans for prime residential premises in Hong Kong.Research limitations/implications –.
Time-Series Properties and Diversification Benefits of REIT Returns

This study examines the potential of real estate investment trusts (REITs) to improve the investment opportunity set available to investors in the United States in an ex ante (i.e., asset allocation) context. The findings show that conditioning on lagged REIT returns offers investors an improved method to predict volatilities and correlations of REITs with other asset classes. The ex ante benefits of the diversification of REITs are shown to be related to ex post performance by using a dynamic asset allocation exercise with ex ante information. These portfolios, on average, involve substantial allocation to REITs and achieve mean-variance tradeoffs close to those attained by fixed-weight unconditional mean-variance portfolios.
Previously Hidden Dynamics at the TCR–Peptide–MHC Interface Revealed

A structural characterization of the interaction between αβ TCRs and cognate peptide–MHC (pMHC) is central to understanding adaptive T cell–mediated immunity. X-ray crystallography, although the source of much structural data, traditionally provides only a static snapshot of the protein. Given the emerging evidence for the important role of conformational dynamics in protein function, we interrogated 309 crystallographic structures of pMHC complexes using ensemble refinement, a technique that can extract dynamic information from the x-ray data. Focusing on a subset of human pMHC class I systems, we found that in many cases, ensemble methods were able to uncover previously hidden evidence of significant conformational plasticity, thereby revealing additional information that can build upon and significantly enhance functional interpretations that are based on a single static structure. Notable examples include the interpretation of differences in the disease association of HLA subtypes, the relationship between peptide prominence and TCR recognition, the role of conformational flexibility in vaccine design, and the discrimination between induced fit and conformational selection models of TCR binding. We show that the currently widespread practice of analyzing pMHC interactions via the study of a single crystallographic structure does not make use of pertinent and easily accessible information from x-ray data concerning alternative protein conformations. This new analysis therefore not only highlights the capacity for ensemble methods to significantly enrich the interpretation of decades of structural data but also provides previously missing information concerning the dynamics of existing characterized TCR–pMHC interactions.
Comparison of docetaxel and docetaxel-irinotecan combination as second-line chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a randomized phase II trial.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate whether docetaxel (taxotere) treatment with or without irinotecan improved patient outcomes with similar toxicity in recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with recurrent platinum-refractory NSCLC with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 were randomized to either docetaxel 30 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 60 mg/m(2) (days 1 and 8) or docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) (day 1), both administered every 3 weeks. RESULTS A total of 130 patients were randomized. The response rate (RR) (20% versus 14%), overall survival (6.5 months versus 6.4 months) and 1-year survival (37% versus 34%) were similar in the combination and docetaxel arms, respectively. The combination arm demonstrated a longer time to tumor progression (TTP) (5.6 versus 4.8 months; P=0.065). Grade 3-4 neutropenia and anemia were similar in the combination and docetaxel arms. Grades 3-4 non-hematological toxicity (except diarrhea) was mild and was similar in the two groups. Grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia (17% versus 6%; P=0.04) and diarrhea (12% versus 3%; P=0.05) occurred more frequently in the combination arm. CONCLUSIONS The administration of irinotecan with docetaxel in platinum-refractory NSCLC prolonged TTP, but did not improve significantly RR, median survival or 1-year survival. Second-line docetaxel monotherapy offers significant and reproducible efficacy in platinum-refractory NSCLC.
Journalism education in MENA: walking on eggshells

One of the most contradictory media scenes is the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), which is a reflection of its rather contrasting, and troubled societies that suffer from the negative effects of imposed democracies, and the internal tripled-edged syndromes of illness, poverty and illiteracy. Using the metaphor of walking on egg shells, the author discusses the depiction of the perplexity of the MENA in which societies just never knowing when they will run afoul of some unknown rules, expectations, and even suffering more when they do. Such rhetoric resonates with how the public in MENA has become victims of the Borderline Personality Disorder (B.P.D.).
Stabilization of the Canadian Dollar: 1975-1986

The authors extend their earlier work on Canadian intervention in the foreign-exchange market in three ways: (1) use daily data from 1975 to 1986 to see if results for the 1950s hold during the current float; (2) extend their original model to include both stock and flow versions of the foreign-exchange market; and (3) compare estimates using published Canadian holdings of U.S. dollars to estimates using actual intervention, which is confidential. Canadian authorities continue to lean against the wind, but their lagged response is longer and more variable. Published data effectively reflect intervention.
Political and Developmental Correlates of Social Media Participation in Government: A Global Survey of National Leadership Websites

This study examines the extent to which national governments are using Web-2.0 applications to increase transparency and engage citizens in decision-making processes. Based on a typology of governmental websites that distinguishes among executive office sites, government web portals and personal websites of heads of government, 160 websites from 82 different countries were examined, and results show that 70 percent of the websites do not offer any participatory services and surprisingly no positive relationships were found between e-participation and variables traditionally associated with e-government implementation. However, a difference between broadband and Internet penetration levels was found: whereas Internet was positively related to e-participation, broadband was only related to the release of information by governments, which is consistent with citizen pressure models of policy change.
Bing-Neel syndrome, a rare complication of Waldenström macroglobulinemia: analysis of 44 cases and review of the literature. A study on behalf of the French Innovative Leukemia Organization (FILO).

Central nervous system involvement by malignant cells is a rare complication of Waldenström macroglobulinemia, and this clinicopathological entity is referred to as the Bing-Neel syndrome. There is currently no consensus on the diagnostic criteria, therapeutic approaches and response evaluation for this syndrome. In this series, we retrospectively analyzed 44 French patients with Bing-Neel syndrome. Bing-Neel syndrome was the first manifestation of Waldenström macroglobulinemia in 36% of patients. When Waldenström macroglobulinemia was diagnosed prior to Bing-Neel syndrome, the median time interval between this diagnosis and the onset of Bing-Neel syndrome was 8.9 years. This study highlights the possibility of the occurrence of Bing-Neel syndrome without any other evidence of progression of Waldenström macroglobulinemia. The clinical presentation was heterogeneous without any specific signs or symptoms. Biologically, the median lymphocyte count in the cerebrospinal fluid was 31/mm3. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed abnormalities in 78% of the cases. The overall response rate after first-line treatment was 70%, and the overall survival rate after the diagnosis of Bing-Neel syndrome was 71% at 5 years. Altogether, these results suggest that Bing-Neel syndrome should be considered in the context of any unexplained neurological symptoms associated with Waldenström macroglobulinemia. The diagnostic approach should be based on cerebrospinal fluid analysis and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spinal axis. It still remains difficult to establish treatment recommendations or prognostic factors in the absence of large-scale, prospective, observational studies.
Mapping key antecedents of employee-driven innovations

Research on employee-driven innovation (EDI) is still in its infancy, and as yet there is no independent body of literature on the topic. The aim of this paper is to review existing insights into the key antecedents of EDI in other research contexts. In particular, we focus on: leader support, autonomy, collaboration, and organisational norms of exploration. The main contribution of this paper is to discuss how these key antecedents apply to the specific case of EDI and to identify an agenda for new research.
A Pilot Study of Inexpensive Sleep-Assessment Devices

Polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard sleep-assessment methodology, is impractical for many applications. Although alternative assessment methodologies are available, it is not clear which most correlates with PSG measures. This study compared sleep log (SL), actigraphy (ACT), and the REMview (RV) device for estimating PSG sleep measures. Thirty-three participants with various sleep-disorder diagnoses underwent 1 night of monitoring with PSG, RV, ACT, and SL. RV provided accurate estimates of most sleep variables. The accuracy of ACT and SL estimates depended on the sleep variable. These findings indicate that the selection of an alternative methodology should consider the sleep measure of interest in addition to the relative merits and drawbacks of each device.
The identity construction experiences of early career English language teachers in Hong Kong. Great expectations and practical realities

This article reports the results of a multiple qualitative case study which investigated the challenges that seven early career English language teachers in Hong Kong confronted as they constructed their professional and personal identities. A series of in-depth interviews with participants during the entire first year of their full-time teaching experience provided a longitudinal perspective on the teachers’ experiences of becoming teachers. A contribution of this study is to examine such experiences using the analytical lens of teacher identity. The case studies illustrate that these teachers faced considerable challenges in constructing teacher identities as they negotiated the dominant discourses of teaching and learning within individual Hong Kong schools. It is argued that school-based support for early career teachers should include the problematisation of the identity positions available to all teachers within the profession as a whole in order to support the construction of the professional and personal identities that these teachers place a premium upon. Implications for teacher education and future research are also discussed.
MODELING MID-INFRARED DIAGNOSTICS OF OBSCURED QUASARS AND STARBURSTS

We analyze the link between active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and mid-infrared flux using dust radiative transfer calculations of starbursts realized in hydrodynamical simulations. Focusing on the effects of galaxy dust, we evaluate diagnostics commonly used to disentangle AGN and star formation in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We examine these quantities as a function of time, viewing angle, dust model, AGN spectrum, and AGN strength in merger simulations representing two possible extremes of the ULIRG population: one is a typical gas-rich merger at z ∼ 0, and the other is characteristic of extremely obscured starbursts at z ∼ 2–4. This highly obscured burst begins star-formation-dominated with significant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, and ends with a ∼109 yr period of red near-IR colors. At coalescence, when the AGN is most luminous, dust obscures the near-infrared AGN signature, reduces the relative emission from PAHs, and enhances the 9.7 μm absorption by silicate grains. Although generally consistent with previous interpretations, our results imply none of these indicators can unambiguously estimate the AGN luminosity fraction in all cases. Motivated by the simulations, we show that a combination of the extinction feature at 9.7 μm, the PAH strength, and a near-infrared slope can simultaneously constrain the AGN fraction and dust grain distribution for a wide range of obscuration. We find that this indicator, accessible to the James Webb Space Telescope, may estimate the AGN power as tightly as the hard X-ray flux alone, thereby providing a valuable future cross-check and constraint for large samples of distant ULIRGs.
Exploring Marketing Research

EXPLORING MARKETING RESEARCH deals with the design, collection, analysis, and reporting of marketing research data relevant to a firm's current and future needs. The text focuses on students as managers, not practitioners, of marketing research. Students learn about traditional types of marketing research, such as designing questionnaires, as well as the latest technological developments that facilitate marketing research including data collection devices, data analysis tools, and practical approaches to data analysis. In addition, this edition places more emphasis on ethical and international issues relating to marketing research.
Persistence of Helicobacter pylori in the oral cavity after systemic eradication therapy.

AIM The present study aimed to evaluate if the oral cavity of chronic periodontitis patients can harbor Helicobacter pylori after systemic eradication therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Samples of 30 patients (15 with gingivitis and 15 with chronic periodontitis) positive for H. pylori in the stomach were evaluated. Samples were collected 3 months after triple systemic antibiotic therapy from saliva, microbiota from the dorsum of the tongue, supra- and sub-gingival plaque as well as gastric biopsies. DNA of each sample was extracted by the boiling method and used as a template in polymerase chain reaction with the primers JW22/23. RESULTS Eighteen patients (60%) harboured H. pylori in their mouths. Five patients (16.6%) were positive in saliva, two (6.6%) on the dorsum of the tongue, nine (30%) in supra-gingival plaque, 14 (46.6%) in sub-gingival plaque and three (10%) in the stomach. There was no statistically significant difference between study groups. CONCLUSION Eradication of H. pylori after therapy was more effective for the stomach than for the mouth (p<0.001). Mouths of patients with gingivitis or with chronic periodontitis, who are positive for H. pylori in their stomachs, may be considered as reservoirs of these bacteria.
Employee volunteerism: an exploratory study of recruiting volunteers in the workplace

As the need for volunteers accelerates and supply remains stagnant, it becomes imperative for charitable organisations and the non-profit sector to find new sources from which to recruit volunteers. Many volunteer organisations have identified the workplace as a primary under-tapped source of volunteer labour. This study examines possible methods or recruiting volunteers from the workplace by interviewing 27 individuals employed with one of six corporations. The semi-structured interviews led to discussions regarding employees’ views on corporate sponsorship of volunteer programmes, agents promoting volunteerism, methods of recruiting volunteers, motives for volunteering, and reasons for not volunteering. The findings indicate that corporate support for volunteering was not a strong influencing factor, but personal benefits in the form of social camaraderie, companionship, and connections with others were the primary motivating factors for volunteering. Employee propensity to volunteer, based on a perceived positive social outcomes, suggests a focus for practice as well as further research.