Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing Irish consumers' trust in internet shopping

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a study in which a previously validated measurement instrument is used to investigate the existence and importance of specific factors that are thought to predict the generation of consumer trust in internet shopping in Ireland.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 858 individuals was surveyed using a previously validated measurement instrument that focused on a number of key constructs identified in the literature as potential trust predictors.Findings – The study results provide evidence that Irish consumers' trust in internet shopping is the result of specific factors, the first of which relates to the vendor's perceived integrity, and the second of which relates to the vendor's perceived competence. The former encompasses social antecedents of trust, while the latter encompasses the technical antecedents of trust.Originality/value – The insights provided by this research make a valuable contribution not only to information systems research, but al.
Firm Image and Individual Investment Decisions

This paper documents the importance of firm image in individual investment behavior. We conduct three experiments designed to examine whether investment decisions are influenced by selective information disclosures that are intended to promote a positive or negative firm image. Importantly, the disclosures are not value-relevant. Participants actively make investment decisions that have real economic consequences. We find that participants invest more heavily in firms with a positive image than in firms with a negative image, controlling for industry membership and financial data. These results are consistent with economic models of choice that recognize that the financial outcome is not the only argument in a person's utility function.
Tobacco Use Prevalence and Factors Associated with Tobacco Use in New U.S. Army Personnel

ABSTRACT This study examined the prevalence of tobacco use and factors associated with pre-military service cigarette and smokeless tobacco use. From January 2000 to December 2006, military students arriving for Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army Ordnance School completed a questionnaire that asked about their use of tobacco products. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use from 2000 to 2006 for women generally decreased, as did the number of cigarettes smoked per day by men. For men and women, factors associated with cigarette use included younger age, Caucasian race, and use of smokeless tobacco. Factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among men included younger age, Caucasian race, and cigarette use. For women, cigarette use was the only factor associated with smokeless tobacco use. The identified factors in this study could be used to establish strategies in the future to reduce tobacco use in the military.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) policies, projects, and interventions are among the most prominent of recent attempts to mitigate climate change. Because REDD+ projects focus on forests, they simultaneously affect socioeconomic and ecological outcomes at local, subnational, national, regional, and global levels. This review assesses the promise of REDD+ for the continued ability of forests to provide multiple benefits to human societies at multiple scales. We survey REDD+ efforts at different levels, examining them through an actor-oriented approach. The article highlights the criticality of collaborative action to enhance desired outcomes of REDD+ efforts. In summarizing major REDD+ future trends, the paper emphasizes the need to learn from past forestry, agricultural, biodiversity, and development policies, and for adaptive policy making.
Comparison of the use of domperidone, droperidol and metoclopramide in the prevention of nausea and vomiting following gynaecological surgery in day cases.

The efficacy of domperidone 20 mg, droperidol 2.5 mg, metoclopramide 10 mg or placebo (saline) administered i.v. before induction of anaesthesia, was studied in 199 women undergoing gynaecological surgery as day cases. Following a standardized general anaesthetic technique, droperidol or metoclopramide significantly reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting; domperidone decreased the incidence of postoperative nausea alone. The occurrence of extrapyramidal reactions was similar in all groups. Patients treated with antiemetics were no more sedated than those given placebo. Those receiving droperidol complained of significantly less postoperative pain than those who had received domperidone or metoclopramide.
Do European Firms Behave as if they Converge Toward a Target Capital Structure?

Utilizing a large sample of European firms, we demonstrate that firms behave as if they converge toward a target capital structure (“leveraging process”), defined by traditional trade‐off variables. Moreover, we find that such behavior is evident regardless of firm size and ownership structure. We compare the degree of convergence among different groups of firms and find that medium‐sized firms, firms from the new EU member states, and firms from Southern Europe exhibit a stronger “leveraging process” than the rest of the sampled firms. Our results also highlight that the economic crisis, which began in the late 2008, impacted the leveraging dynamics; however, the general pattern of convergence remained unchanged.
THE COLLAPSE IN DEMAND FOR THE UNSKILLED AND UNEMPLOYMENT ACROSS THE OECD

1 Alternative versions of this paper have been prepared for the ILO Anniversary Seminar at the Department of Employment ( 16 September 1994) and the CEPR/Consorcio Zona Franca de Vigo Conference on 'Unemployment Policy' in Vigo, Spain (24-27 September 1994). We are grateful to Erik Brouwer, Juan Dolado, Bertil Holmlund, John Martin, Barbara Petrongolo, Toshiaki Tachibanaki, Jan van Ours, Jane Roberts, and Giles Hancock for help with the data, and to Bob Gordon, Wilfred Beckerman, Olivier Blanchard, Edmond Malinvaud, Derek Morris, Dennis Snower, Richard Layard, and Patrick Minford for helpful comments. We must also thank Andrew Glyn, Richard Freeman, and, particularly, Adrian Wood for stimulating our interest in this area. Finally, we are grateful to the ESRC for providing research funding under the auspices of the Centre for Economic Performance and to the ESRC Data Archive for use of the General Household Survey, released by permission of the Controller of H. M. Stationery Office. Berman et al., 1994) and competition from the Third World (for example, Wood, 1994, or Minford, 1994). Which is the more important is a matter of controversy. Furthermore, since technological change is, itself, driven by the forces of competi tio , including Third World competition, the dis inction is not clear-cut. However, it is the second question, the consequences, which is the subject of this paper. In particular, we shall be concerned with the xtent to which the decline in the relative demand for the unskilled can explain the overall rise in OECD unemployment over the last 20 years. Then, as a subsidiary issue, we shall discuss whether
‘Devolution is only for development’? Decentralization and elite vulnerability on the Kenyan coast

On the Kenya coast, it was widely hoped that devolution would address strict political functions – historical injustices and communal narratives of marginalization. However, newly elected county governors are finding themselves constrained in addressing this role due to ongoing operational logics of local governance and the limitation of the role of county governors by the central government to ‘less political' and ‘quieter’ functions of development. Based on field interviews, official reports, newspaper sources, and electoral data, this article advances a series of interrelated arguments. Firstly, to avoid political contestation from below, the central government frames devolution in technocratic (as opposed to political) terms of development. Secondly, county governments contest official de-politicization due to ongoing logics of patronage politics – where local county leaders have to show that they are able to protect local interests in terms of both immediate assistance and communal narratives of injustice. Thirdly – related to preceding arguments – county governors and executives find themselves vulnerable within incompatible expectations, differing from common analyses of decentralization across Africa that emphasize on ‘elite capture’ or re-centralization.
Asymmetric Market Reactions of Growth and Value Firms with Management Earnings Forecasts

We study the market reaction of Australian firms issuing management earnings forecasts (MEF). Specifically, we measure and distinguish between the immediate and post-earnings announcement impact of MEF. Our analysis is conditioned on growth/value characteristics and news surprise and we test for asymmetric effects on these two conditioning variables. We find that the 3-day returns following non-routine bad news forecasts are significantly more negative for growth firms than value firms. No significant differences are found for good news forecasts. In the post-earnings announcement period, both growth and value firms have significant negative post-earnings announcement drift following non-routine bad news forecasts but they are not significantly different from each other.
Palliatively treated cerebral arteriovenous malformations: follow-up results

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of palliative embolisation of patients with inoperable intracranial AVMs. It involved the analysis of the long-term clinical follow-up results of 27 patients with inoperable intracranial AVMs. Sixteen patients were treated medically and 11 patients received partial embolisation. The mean size of the lesions was 7.2 +/- 2.6 cm, and the mean follow-up period was 99 +/- 44 months (range 52-192 months). There were no significant statistical differences in the sex, age, size, venous drainage pattern, location of the lesions or presented symptoms. The analysis of the long-term clinical follow-up results showed no significant difference in either the risk of haemorrhage or clinical status of the patients in the two treatment groups. Of the 16 patients in the medical treatment group, 8 (50%) showed a clinical improvement, 3 no improvement and 5 (31%) deterioration. Of the 11 patients in the embolisation group, 5 (45.5%) showed clinical improvement, 3 no improvement and 3 (27.3%) deterioration (P = 0.871). Twenty-five percent (4 cases) of patients in the medical group and 45.5% (5 cases) of patients in the embolisation group suffered from haemorrhage during the follow-up period (P = 0.270). Complications related to embolisation occurred in three cases. This comparative study shows that palliative partial embolisation of intracranial AVMs, in all probability does not produce better clinical results than medical treatment.
Metastatic tumors of the uvea in 38 eyes.

BACKGROUND The reported incidence of metastatic uveal tumors has been increasing. The aim of this study is to report the clinical features, management, and prognosis of uveal metastatic tumors seen in a general oncology hospital. METHODS The records of 28 patients with uveal metastasis diagnosed between 1999 and 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS Uveal metastatic tumours were detected in a total of 38 eyes, uveal involvement included the iris in 4 eyes and the choroid in 37 eyes. Ten patients (35.7%) had bilateral uveal involvement. The primary cancer site was the breast in 24 patients, the lung in 2 patients, the ovary in 1 patient, and the gastrointestinal tract in 1 patient. While the most common symptom was blurred vision, 14.2% of patients were asymptomatic. Choroidal metastases typically were creamy yellow in color, plateau or dome-shaped, and associated with secondary retinal detachment in 56.8% of eyes. The mean time interval between ocular and systemic diagnosis was 41.07 months. At the time of ocular diagnosis, 75% of patients had systemic metastasis. Eight eyes were treated with chemotherapy and hormone therapy, and external beam radiotherapy was applied to 30 eyes. Lesions commonly responded well to therapy, but 22 patients died as a result of disseminated systemic disease. INTERPRETATION Patients with uveal metastasis generally present to ophthalmologists with visual symptoms but may be asymptomatic in some cases. Local tumor control can be managed with current therapy, but systemic prognosis is generally poor because of the disseminated stage of the malignant disease.
Chromosomal Localization of Ribosomal and Telomeric DNA Provides New Insights on the Evolution of Gomphocerinae Grasshoppers

Chromosome location of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and telomeric repeats was analysed in mitotic chromosomes of 15 species of Gomphocerinae grasshoppers belonging to the tribes Arcypterini, Gomphocerini, Stenobothrini, and Chrysochraontini. Two types of rDNA distribution were found in the Gomphocerini tribe. Type 1, found in 9 species, was characterized by the presence of rDNA in the short arm of the long biarmed chromosomes 2 and 3 and, in some species, also in the X chromosome. Type 2 was found only in Aeropus sibiricus and Stauroderus scalaris and consisted in the presence of pericentromeric rDNA blocks in all chromosomes. A comparison of rDNA distribution in Gomphocerini species with 2n♂ = 23, 2n♂ = 21, and 2n♂ = 17 suggested the possible involvement of chromosome 6 in the ancestral karyotype (2n♂ = 23) in 1 of the 3 centric fusions that decreased the chromosome number in these species. In the tribe Stenobothrini, Stenobothrus eurasius carried a single rDNA cluster in the X chromosome, likewise 2 Spanish species previously analysed, but Omocestus viridulus unusually showed a single rDNA cluster in the longest autosome. Telomeric repeats were located primarily on the ends of chromosome arms. In 2 species, however, we observed the presence of interstitial clusters outside telomeric regions. The first one, Aeropus sibiricus, exhibited a polymorphic interstitial site of telomeric repeats in chromosome 6 as a consequence of a paracentric inversion. Most remarkably, Chorthippus jacobsoni showed the presence of telomeric repeats in the pericentric regions of the 3 biarmed chromosome pairs originated by centric fusion, thus suggesting that these rearrangements were not of the Robertsonian type but true centric fusion with a probable generation of dicentric chromosomes.
Application of RAPD markers in fish: Part I - some genera (Tilapia, Sarotherodon and Oreochromis) and species (Oreochromis aureus and Oreochromis niloticus) of Tilapia

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied to the four-tilapia species (three genera): redbelly tilapia (Tilapia zillii), white tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus), blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Twenty random primers - fifteen (10-mer) and five (20-mer) - were used to assay polymorphisms among three genera and between two species. Different RAPD fragment patterns were observed for different genera species. Results showed that there are great differences among the three genera of tilapia fish. Also, data demonstrated that RAPD markers are useful for the systematic investigation at the level of tilapia species.
Obesity, Food Demand, and Models of Rational Consumer Behaviour - Econometric Analyses and Challenges to Theory

High BMI and obesity contribute to the Russian health crisis. Previous studies have shown that weight status varies along socioeconomic lines but remains largely unaffected by economic shocks over time. This study is the first that explicitly analyses the impact of food prices on adult BMI and obesity in the Russian Federation. Using panel data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey from 1994 to 2005, that included 10.551 urban respondents over 18 years, a reduced form weight demand function is estimated. Controlling for individual heterogeneity by a fixed-effects model, price-weight elasticities are derived. The main result is that food prices are not the essential determinants of BMI and obesity in Russia. Elasticities of BMI with respect to single food prices are low and show absolute values smaller than 0.01. However, some products like chicken meat, milk, onions and butter show significant price effects on body mass. A 20 % increase in the price of chicken meat would cause a reduction in body weight of 112 g on average. In contrast to the United States, it is mainly high-income households that show significant weight reactions to food prices in Russia. Separate regressions by gender showed significant effects of milk and butter prices on male BMI and of onion prices on female BMI. The risk of being obese is even less affected by price.
ACCOUNTING DETERMINED AND MARKET DETERMNED RISK MEASURES: SOME TESTS OF ASSOCIATION AND PREDICTIVE ABILITY

This paper examines the degree of association between certain measures of risk that commonly feature in the accounting literature, and the β coefficient, the risk measure given by the capital asset pricing model. Tests were applied to a subset of New Zealand listed public company securities. A weak association was found. Tests of the predictive ability of an accounting based regression model showed that its performance was inferior to other commonly assumed predictive models.
Rating Banks: Risk and Uncertainty in an Opaque Industry

The pattern of disagreement between bond raters suggests that bank and insurance firms are inherently more opaque than other firms. Moody's and Standard and Poor's split more frequently over these financial intermediaries, and the splits are more lopsided, as theory here predicts. Uncertainty over the banks stems from their assets, loans and trading assets in particular, the risks of which are hard to observe or easy to change. Banks' high leverage, which invites agency problems, compounds the uncertainty over their assets. Our findings bear on both the existence and reform of bank regulation.
Cellulite: a review of its physiology and treatment

Cellulite affects 85–98% of post‐pubertal females of all races. While not a pathologic condition, it remains an issue of cosmetic concern to a great number of individuals. Despite its high prevalence, there have been few scientific investigations into the physiology of cellulite. There have only been a few dozen peer‐reviewed articles devoted to cellulite in the medical literature in the past 30 years. There is no definitive explanation for its presentation. This greatly complicates the ability to treat or improve it. The four leading hypotheses that purport to explain the physiology of cellulite include: sexually dimorphic skin architecture, altered connective tissue septae, vascular changes and inflammatory factors. Treatment modalities can be divided into four main categories: attenuation of aggravating factors, physical and mechanical methods, pharmacological agents and laser. There are no truly effective treatments for cellulite.
Effect of donor age on the outcome of living‐related kidney transplantation

The study compared the results of kidney transplantation from living‐related donors older and younger than 60 years. The 273 kidney graft recipients were divided into group 1 (115 recipients of older grafts) and group 2 (158 recipients of younger grafts). The frequency of acute rejection (AR) episodes was similar in both groups but slow graft function occurred more frequently in group 1. The frequency of chronic renal allograft dysfunction in the first post‐transplant year was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2. Patient and graft survival was significantly worse in group 1. Risk factors for graft loss were the difference between donor and recipient age and AR. Donor age and graft function were risk factors for patient death. Although kidneys from older donors provide a statistically poorer transplant outcome, they are clinically acceptable, especially when waiting time is prolonged and access to dialysis limited.
Bribes and ballots: The impact of corruption on voter turnout in democracies

While officials involved in graft, bribery, extortion, nepotism, or patronage typically like keeping their deeds private, the fact that corruption can have serious effects in democracies is no secret. Numerous scholars have brought to light the impact of corruption on a range of economic and political outcomes. One outcome that has received less attention, however, is voter turnout. Do high levels of corruption push electorates to avoid the polls or to turn out in larger numbers? Though of great consequence to the corruption and voter-turnout literature, few scholars in either area have tackled this question and none has done so in a broad sample of democracies. This article engages in this endeavor through an analysis of the broadest possible sample of democratic states. Through instrumental variable regression we find that as corruption increases the percentage of voters who go to the polls decreases.
Understanding visitors' image of the oldest marine park in Africa

In successful tourism development and destination marketing, an important factor is individuals' tourist destination image (TDI). A review of the literature revealed a dearth of studies on the image of national parks as tourist destinations in less-developed countries (LDCs). To help alleviate this lack, visitors to the oldest marine park in Africa – the Tsitsikamma National Park (TNP) in South Africa – were surveyed to investigate their image of the TNP. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 165 day visitors. Subsequently, independent t-tests and ANOVA were performed on the collected data. The contribution of this study to the literature on TDI was twofold. First, it analysed the image of a national park in an LDC as a tourist destination. Tourism in protected areas is an important and growing sector of the worldwide tourism industry, particularly in developing countries where a large portion of the world's biodiversity is concentrated and where tourism can really be a tool for poverty alleviation. Second, it contributed to the TDI-formation process by investigating the relationship between the respondents' TNP image – overall, cognitive and affective dimensions – and a set of their personal factors. This relationship is an issue that needs to be resolved by empirical studies, especially with regard to the cognitive but also the affective image components and its overall image.
A survey method for identifying key drivers of guest delight

Purpose – Key drivers of guest delight are attributes that have a surprise value and a direct relationship with customers' repeat visit intent and thus a business' overall success. It is an important strategic task to determine what those critical attributes are. The aim of this paper is to provide a method for identifying those key drivers that contribute to guest delight.Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopted two survey questions from Pritchard and Havitz to obtain liked and disliked service attributes, and two additional questions to identify the delighted and highly satisfied guests as measured by their overall satisfaction and intent repeat visit. Drawing from a sample of guests to a food and wine festival, this research purports a simple but inherently useful tool to identify key drivers of guest satisfaction and delight through four survey questions.Findings – The four questions could be an economic and useful way to discover the key drivers of guest delight. The questions and their furt.