Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct-to-consumer advertising: public perceptions of its effects on health behaviors, health care, and the doctor-patient relationship.

PURPOSE To determine public perceptions of the effect of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medications on health behaviors, health care utilization, the doctor-patient relationship, and the association between socioeconomic status and these effects. METHODS Cross-sectional survey of randomly selected, nationally representative sample of the US public using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES numbers and proportions of respondents in the past 12 months who, as a result of DTCA, requested preventive care or scheduled a physician visit; were diagnosed with condition mentioned in advertisement; disclosed health concerns to a doctor; felt enhanced confidence or sense of control; perceived an effect on the doctor-patient relationship; requested a test, medication change, or specialist referral; or manifested serious dissatisfaction after a visit to a doctor. RESULTS As a result of DTCA, 14% of respondents disclosed health concerns to a physician, 6% requested preventive care, 5% felt more in control during a physician visit; 5% made requests for a test, medication change, or specialist referral, and 3% received the requested intervention. One percent of patients reported negative outcomes, including worsened treatment, serious dissatisfaction with the visit, or that the physician acted challenged. Effects of DTCA were greater for respondents with low socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS DTCA has positive and negative effects on health behaviors, health service utilization, and the doctor-patient relationship that are greatest on people of low socioeconomic status. The benefits of DTCA in terms of encouraging hard-to-reach sections of the population to seek preventive care must be balanced against increased health care costs caused by clinically inappropriate requests generated by DTCA.
John Law: Economic Theorist and Policy-Maker

John Law (1671-1729) left a remarkable legacy of economic concepts from a time when economic conceptualization was very much at an embryonic stage. Yet he is best known--and generally dismissed--today as a rake, duellist, and gambler. This intellectual biography offers a new approach to Law, one that shows him to have been a significant economic theorist with a vision that he attempted to implement as policy in early-eighteenth-century Europe. Law's style, marked by a clarity and use of modern terminology, stands out starkly against the turgid prose of many of his contemporaries. His vision of a monetary and financial system was certainly one of a later age, for Law believed in an economy of banknotes and credit where specie had no role to play. Ultimately Law failed as a policy-maker, in part because of the entrenchment of the financiers and their aristocratic backers and in part because of theoretical flaws in his vision. His struggle for power took place against the background of Europe's first major stock boom and collapse. The collapse of the Mississippi System, which he had conceived, and the South Sea Bubble led to a lasting impression of Law as a failure. It is this impression that Antoin Murphy seeks to dispel.
The Role of Public Infrastructure in C hina's Regional Inequality and Growth: A Simultaneous Equations Approach

Using a simultaneous equations approach, this paper empirically investigates the impact of two types of public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure and knowledge infrastructure, on industrial geography, regional income disparities, and growth across 286 cities in China. It is found that an improvement in transportation infrastructure that reduces trade costs on goods increases growth and decreases income gap at the expense of increasing industrial agglomeration between cities. Therefore, this paper confirms the existence of a trade-off between spatial equity (more even spatial distribution of economic activities) and spatial efficiency (higher growth rate). However, for knowledge infrastructure that reduces trade costs on ideas, it is found that it increases growth but also decreases income gap and industrial agglomeration simultaneously. Moreover, the impact of knowledge infrastructure is found to be larger in the case of high labor mobility.
Exercise effects on the strength of the rat anterior cruciate ligament

Seventy-five rats were divided into a control and four exercise groups of differing frequency and duration. After 8 weeks of endurance-type exercise on a motorized treadmill, the rats were sacrificed and the anterior cruciate ligaments were tested to failure on an Instron materials testing machine at a strain rate of 95% sec-1. Of the 121 ligaments tested, 119 failed by pure interstitial failure. There was significant increase in both the strength and stiffness of the anterior cruciate ligaments in the exercised rats but those rats exercised more frequently (daily vs. every other day) and for shorter duration (30 min rather than 60 min) had the greatest increase in strength. This study has shown that endurance-type exercise is bene ficial to the anterior cruciate ligament as both strength and stiffness are increased and functionally the ligament remains unchanged by exercise.
Ubuntu and corporate social responsibility: the case of selected Malawian organizations

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to operationalise the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the framework of Design/methodology/approach - The paper is a result of a qualitative research study conducted amongst nine sampled Malawian organisations. It utilized a semi-structured interview guide in the collection of data whereby key research questions were exploratory and descriptive in nature. Findings - This paper finds that in the cases under study, the concept of CSR is being applied within the framework of Research limitations/implications - CSR does not operate in a vacuum. Its application depends on the prevailing cultural context. In the cases under study, Originality/value - Despite the envisaged significance of
ON ESTIMATION OF THE CES PRODUCTION FUNCTION

THE ORIGINAL SPECIFICATION of the constant-elasticity-of-substitution (CES) production function by Arrow, Chenery, Minhas, and Solow [1] was restricted to the case of constant returns to scale. With this restriction it is possible to estimate the elasticity of substitution from the marginal productivity condition by regressing the value of production per worker on wage rate (both variables measured in logarithms). If, however, the CES production function is generalized to allow for the possibility of non-constant returns to scale, this method of estimation is no longer feasible. The purpose of this paper is to consider estimation procedures applicable to the generalized version of the CES function under various circumstances. An obvious starting point is to consider estimates obtained by fitting the production function to observations on output and inputs alone. These estimates are consistent if the input variables are non-stochastic or, if stochastic, independent of the disturbance in the production function. The CES function can be written in the form
Add-On Pricing in Retail Financial Markets and the Fallacies of Consumer Education

We analyze the consequences of consumer education on prices and welfare in retail financial markets when some consumers are naive about shrouded add-on prices and banks try to exploit this. Allowing for different information and pricing strategies we show that education is unlikely to push banks to full price disclosure, which would be efficient, but instead to a new equilibrium in which banks discriminate between consumer types. Welfare analysis reveals that education, while positive for consumers who learn to make better financial decisions, imposes a negative externality on other consumers when banks respond by setting higher prices. Overall, the welfare effects of consumer education can be negative. Our results identify important pitfalls policy makers should take into account when considering the seemingly harmless intervention of consumer education.
Examining teachers' goals and classroom instruction around the science and engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards

This qualitative study examined teachers’ described and observed classroom instruction around the science and engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Seven secondary science teachers were surveyed and interviewed about their understanding and use of the science and engineering practices in their classroom teaching and then were observed to document their actual use of these practices. This study sought to describe (1) the variety of goals that teachers pursue in their classroom instruction and (2) the variety of instructional strategies teachers use to pursue those goals. Findings suggest that there were varying degrees of alignment between the teachers’ described and observed classroom instruction and between their classroom instruction and the goals of the NGSS. For example, it was easier for many teachers to describe instruction around the science and engineering practices that aligned with the goals of the NGSS than it was to enact instruction that aligned with the NGSS. I suggest that the difficulty teachers experienced with enacting these practices emerged from teachers’ misunderstanding of and misalignment with the goals of the NGSS. In order to address the challenges teachers faced in incorporating the science and engineering practices into their classroom instruction, I recommend some key features of professional development that may support teachers in refining their understanding, goals, and classroom instruction around these practices.
Barriers to HACCP implementation: evidence from the food processing sector in Ontario, Canada

This study explores the barriers that impede the adoption of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) by food processing firms in Ontario, Canada. The study identifies four broad groupings of barriers to HACCP implementation, namely perceptions that HACCP is of “questionable appropriateness” to the firm, the scale of change required to achieve implementation, low priority given to enhancement of food safety controls, and financial constraints. The severity of these identified barriers differs significantly between firms that have implemented HACCP and those that have not. In particular, HACCP implementation is impeded significantly by barriers related to financial constraints. The most important driver promoting implementation is customer requirements for HACCP to be implemented in supplier facilities. lEconLit citations: D210, L600, L660r. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Demographic and Occupational Correlates of Workaholism

Drawing on a convenience sample of 9,160 Dutch employees, the present study examined whether commonly held ideas about the associations between demographic, professional, and occupational characteristics and workaholism would be observed. For example, it is sometimes assumed that managers are more likely to display workaholic tendencies than others. Analysis of variance was used to relate workaholism scores (measured as the combination of working excessively and working compulsively) to participant age, sex, employment status (self-employed or not), profession, and occupational sector. Relatively high average scores on workaholism were obtained by workers in the agriculture, construction, communication, consultancy, and commerce/trade sectors, as well as managers and higher professionals. Low scores were found for those in the public administration and services industry sectors, and for nurses, social workers, and paramedics. The other characteristics were not or only weakly related to workaholism.
The Determinants of Variations in Local Service Contracting

Empirical evidence on the determinants of variations in service contracting across U.S. local governments is evaluated. Four main categories of explanatory variables are analyzed: fiscal stress, scale and market structure, public preferences, and the power of public employees. The evidence contains fundamental deficiencies that include poor measures of the theoretical constructs, reciprocal relationships between contracting out and the explanatory variables, and additive tests of mediative theories. The consequence is that the determinants of service contracting remain largely undetected. Furthermore, the empirical studies add very little to the existing body of knowledge on the reasons for policy variations across local governments.
Different Classes of Proteoglycans Contribute to the Attachment of Borrelia burgdorferi to Cultured Endothelial and Brain Cells

ABSTRACT The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, infects multiple tissues, such as the heart, joint, skin, and nervous system and has been shown to recognize heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate proteoglycans. In this study, we examined the contribution of different classes of proteoglycans to the attachment of the infectiousB. burgdorferi strain N40 to several immortalized cell lines and primary cultured cells, including endothelial cells and brain cells. Bacterial attachment was inhibited by exogenous proteoglycans or by treatment of host cells with inhibitors of proteoglycan synthesis or sulfation, indicating that proteoglycans play a critical role in bacterial binding to diverse cell types. Binding to primary bovine capillary endothelial cells or a human endothelial cell line was also inhibited by digestion with heparinase or heparitinase but not with chondroitinase ABC. In contrast, binding to glial cell-enriched brain cell cultures or to a neuronal cell line was inhibited by all three lyases. Binding of strain N40 to immobilized heparin could be completely inhibited by dermatan sulfate, and conversely, binding to dermatan sulfate could be completely blocked by heparin. As measured by 50% inhibitory dose, heparin was a better inhibitor of binding than dermatan sulfate, regardless of whether the substrate was heparin or dermatan sulfate. These results are consistent with the hypotheses that the species of proteoglycans recognized by B. burgdorferivary with cell type and that bacterial recognition of different proteoglycans is mediated by the same bacterial molecule(s).
Constructing a Multifactor Model for the Shanghai Stock Exchange

ABSTRACT We examine the validity of five factor models for explaining the time-series and cross-sectional variations in stock returns in the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The factor models include four models proposed by previous literature. Moreover, we propose a four-factor model (comprising market, size, book-to-market, and sales-to-price factors) to explain variations of stock returns in the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The results show that the Shanghai stock market exhibits size, book-to-market, and sales-to-price effects. Both the adjusted coefficient of determination and regression model intercepts indicate that the proposed four-factor model explains variations of stock returns in the Shanghai Stock Exchange more effectively in comparison with other multifactor models.
Modelling Social Infrastructure and Economic Growth

This paper develops a growth model with a public sector and a human capital sector to explore the impact of social infrastructure on investment in physical capital, the accumulation of skills, output, and consumption. We show that the implications of the model are consistent with the empirical observations of Hall and Jones (1999). Economies where government policies and institutions encourage production over diversion have a larger ‘stock’ of social infrastructure, conditional on population size and sophistication of diversion technologies, which raises output per worker by increasing the extent of participation in market, rather than diversive, activities. The magnitude of these effects depends on economic agents’ inherent propensity for rent-seeking. In addition, economies with unstable governments may suffer from an under-provision of social infrastructure and, consequently, have reduced levels of capital and output per worker.
Stress and the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract Stress, defined as an acute threat to homeostasis, evokes an adaptive or allostatic response and can have both a short‐ and long‐term influence on the function of the gastrointestinal tract. The enteric nervous system is connected bidirectionally to the brain by parasympathetic and sympathetic pathways forming the brain–gut axis. The neural network of the brain, which generates the stress response, is called the central stress circuitry and includes the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala and periaqueductal gray. It receives input from the somatic and visceral afferent pathways and also from the visceral motor cortex including the medial prefrontal, anterior cingulate and insular cortex. The output of this central stress circuit is called the emotional motor system and includes automatic efferents, the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis and pain modulatory systems. Severe or long‐term stress can induce long‐term alteration in the stress response (plasticity). Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a key mediator of the central stress response. Two CRF receptor subtypes, R1 and R2, have been described. They mediate increased colonic motor activity and slowed gastric emptying, respectively, in response to stress. Specific CRF receptor antagonists injected into the 0 block these visceral manifestations of stress. Circulating glucocorticoids exert an inhibitory effect on the stress response by receptors located in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Many other neurotransmitters and neuroimmunomodulators are being evaluated. Stress increases the intestinal permeability to large antigenic molecules. It can lead to mast cell activation, degranulation and colonic mucin depletion. A reversal of small bowel water and electrolyte absorption occurs in response to stress and is mediated cholinergically. Stress also leads to increased susceptibility to colonic inflammation, which can be adaptively transferred among rats by sensitized CD4+ lymphocytes. The association between stress and various gastrointestinal diseases, including functional bowel disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease, is being actively investigated. Attention to the close relation between the brain and gut has opened many therapeutic avenues for the future.
Top management turnover and organizational performance: A test of a contingency model

A crucial test of whether “management matters” is whether changes in the team at the top of an organization make a difference. Focusing on turnover in the collective senior team rather than successions of individual chief executives, this article argues that the impact of leadership succession is contingent upon prior organizational performance. The evidence on English local government shows that changes in the top management team lead to improvements when initial performance is bad, but result in deterioration when initial performance is good. The results support the view that high-performing organizations should attempt to retain members of their senior management team, whereas low performers should seek to replace them.
Allocative efficiency vs. X-Efficiency

Examines empirical evidence on allocative efficiency in economics. Comparison of the merit of allocative efficiency with X-efficiency, an unindentified type of efficiency which has motivation as its major element; Analysis of the magnitude and nature of X-efficiency; View that firms and economies do not operate on an outer-bound possibility surface consistent with their resources. (Из Ebsco)
ENTEROBACTER ENDOPHTHALMITIS: Clinicomicrobiologic Profile and Outcomes

Purpose: To report the clinical presentations, antibiotic sensitivities, management, and outcomes of Enterobacter endophthalmitis. Methods: This is a retrospective, consecutive, noncomparative, interventional case series. The medical records of culture-proven Enterobacter endophthalmitis cases from the endophthalmitis registry between January 1995 and March 2006 were reviewed. Results: Enterobacter was the causative agent in 36 culture-proven cases. The causative event was cataract surgery in 11 and trauma in 25 patients. The presenting visual acuity was light perception in 26 eyes (72.2%). Polymicrobial infection was detected in 7 patients (19.4%). Enterobacter organisms were most sensitive to ciprofloxacin (n = 34; 94%), followed by amikacin (n = 31; 86%) and ceftazidime (n = 28; 78%). In postoperative endophthalmitis, final visual outcome of ≥20/200 was achieved in 3 patients (27%) and of ≥5/200 in 5 patients (45%). The eyes became phthisical in 3 patients (27%) and evisceration was carried out in 1 patient. In posttraumatic endophthalmitis, final visual outcome of ≥20/200 was achieved in 5 patients (20%) and of ≥5/200 in 7 patients (28%). The eyes of 11 patients (44%) became phthisical and evisceration was carried out in 1 patient. Conclusion: Enterobacter organisms are mostly susceptible to ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and ceftazidime. Despite this coverage, the visual outcome is often poor.
How leading companies create, measure and achieve strategic results through “line of sight”

Aligning employees with the organization’s strategic goals has become increasingly important as organizations struggle to gain or sustain a competitive advantage. This article defines “line of sight” as employee understanding of organizational objectives and how to contribute to those objectives. There has been much discussion among academics and practitioners, yet we have limited knowledge about what line of sight is, how to measure it, how it can be enhanced, and what it makes happen. Human resource professionals from leading organizations completed surveys and participated in focus groups to begin to explore these critical issues. Fruitful directions for future research and innovative practice are discussed.
Performance status rather than age is the key prognostic factor in second‐line treatment of elderly patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Intravenous cytostatic agents as second‐line treatment of epithelial ovarian carcinoma have been withheld from many elderly patients because of fear of toxicity. The purpose of the study is to compare the toxicity and efficacy between elderly (older than 65 years of age) and younger (younger than 65 years of age) patients receiving intravenous second‐line treatment of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.
Conferences as Sequential Arenas for Creating New Sustainable Fields

The field-configuring events (FCE) literature has deemed conferences to be important in the emergence of fields. Yet little is still known about how they serve as interventions for deliberately creating new sustainable fields. Emerging sustainable technologies are typically not competitive on the market and are likely to be ruled out by established industries counteracting their development. Hence, they are in need of two types of measures: those that promote the single innovation and measures that generate “disruptive” systemic change (i.e. bring about a transition toward increased sustainability in the technologies, rules and roles that govern established industries). The article applies the FCE literature to a novel empirical context: the creation of a field for solar technology in an especially challenging environment. Based on observations, interviews and archival data on a conference sequence in 2011–2014, the findings show that the conferences triggered processes promoting the innovation that, then, generated steppingstones for processes of “disruptive” systemic change. The study contributes to the FCE literature by arguing that conferences can be fruitful arenas for furthering sustainable fields, as they have the potential to address the two aspects of sustainable field creation simultaneously.