Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management cultures and regional development: High performance management and the location of new manufacturing plants

In-depth case studies of new manufacturing plants are used to motivate a new business location model that incorporates management practices and cultures as location factors. This model is tested using US data on the location of new manufacturing plants. It is found that plants that adopt high performance management practices and cultures rely on different criteria when making their location decisions from those plants that are managed in more traditional ways. Omitting management culture from studies of business location may result in biased estimates of the importance of various traditional location factors. By demonstrating that location decisions are differentiated according to the management practices of firms, it is argued that regional development planning should pay more attention to specific business characteristics and that regional development policy include programmes that strengthen complementarities between management practices and the regional economic environment.
A Comparative Study on Vietnamese Text Classification Methods

Text classification concerns the problem of automatically assigning given text passages (or documents) into predefined categories (or topics). Whereas a wide range of methods have been applied to English text classification, relatively few studies have been done on Vietnamese text classification. Based on a Vietnamese news corpus, we present two different approaches for the Vietnamese text classification problem. By using the Bag Of Words - BOW and Statistical N-Gram Language Modeling - N-Gram approaches we were able to evaluate these two widely used classification approaches for our task and showed that these approaches could achieve an average of >95% accuracy with an average 79 minutes classifying time for about 14,000 documents (3 docs/sec). Additionally, we also analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each approach to find out the best method in specific circumstances.
A natural disasters management system based on location aware distributed sensor networks

This paper deals with a natural disasters management system based on location aware distributed sensor networks. Optimal path discovery for routing of information packets is an essential means to achieve maximum life-time in wireless sensor networks. The authors propose a system based on hierarchical transmission of packets from sensor nodes to the base station by identifying a path from one head to a subsequent head along the route. The algorithm divides the entire sensor network into logical concentric zones based on energy of transmission whereby the packet is transmitted from a head-node to one of the head-nodes in the next zone with lesser depth. This is done on the basis of local angular deviation between two communicating heads, with the least deviant node being preferred. This leads to local route discovery and alternative path information maintenance, with the locations of only those heads in the subsequent zone to which the packet can be communicated within transmission-energy constraints, recorded and maintained. Over a period of time 'data highways' are formed and packets are routed automatically along previously discovered routes once they reach any head which is a part of a previously discovered route. The implementation heavily uses the location awareness of sensor nodes for optimal routing and hence is applicable only to those situations where such data can be made available at the time of installation. We further provide the concept of multiple memberships of sensor nodes to different heads within its area of reach thereby handling disaster conditions where a head fails without notification to its primary members
Happiness: A History

Today, human beings tend to think of happiness as a natural right. But they haven t always felt this way. For the ancient Greeks, happiness meant virtue. For the Romans, it implied prosperity and divine favor. For Christians, happiness was synonymous with God. Throughout history, happiness has been equated regularly with the highest human calling, the most perfect human state. Yet it s only within the past two hundred years that human beings have begun to think of happiness as not just an earthly possibility but also as an earthly entitlement, even an obligation. In this sweeping new book, historian Darrin M. McMahon argues that our modern belief in happiness is the product of a dramatic revolution in human expectations carried out since the eighteenth century.In the tradition of works by Peter Gay and Simon Schama, "Happiness" draws on a multitude of sources, including art and architecture, poetry and scripture, music and theology, and literature and myth, to offer a sweeping intellectual history of man s most elusive yet coveted goal. "
Genetic Testing and Repulsion from Chance

A central theme in the international debate on genetic testing concerns the extent to which insurance companies should be allowed to use genetic information in their design of insurance contracts. We analyze this issue within a model with the following important feature: A person's well-being depends on the perceived probability of becoming ill in the future in a way that varies among individuals. We show that both tested high-risks and untested individuals are equally well off whether or not test results can be used by insurers. Individuals who test for being low-risks, on the other hand, are made worse off by not being able to demonstrate this to insurers. This implies that verifiability dominates nonverifiability in an ex-ante sense.
Operative versus nonoperative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture

One hundred eleven patients with acute rupture of the Achilles tendon were included in a prospective trial and randomly assigned to groups for operative (56 patients) or nonoperative (55 patients) treatment. All of the patients were followed with clinic evalua tions at 4 months and 1 year after the rupture. The major complications in the operative treatment group were three reruptures and two deep infections as com pared with seven reruptures, one second rerupture, and one extreme residual lengthening of the tendon in the nonoperative group. There were fewer minor com plications in the nonoperative group than in the opera tive group. The operatively treated patients had a significantly higher rate of resuming sports activities at the same level, a lesser degree of calf atrophy, better ankle movement, and fewer complaints 1 year after the ac cident. The conclusion we reached through this randomized prospective study is that operative treatment of rup tured Achilles tendons is preferable, but nonoperative treatment is an acceptable alternative.
An Inferred Valuation Method

Although estimates of people’s values for public goods are often needed to conduct costbenefit analysis, existing value elicitation methods are prone to a number of well-documented biases. We argue that some of these biases result because people derive utility from the act of saying they are willing to pay for a good. To counteract this phenomenon, we consider an approach that asks people to predict or infer others’ values for a good instead of asking people to state their own value. Both a conceptual model and results from a laboratory experiment lend support for the new approach. (JEL H41, Q51)
Arbitrage Risk and the Book-to-Market Anomaly

This paper shows that the book-to-market (B/M) effect is greater for stocks with higher idiosyncratic return volatility, higher transaction costs and lower investor sophistication, consistent with the market mispricing explanation for the anomaly. The B/M effect for high volatility stocks exceeds that for the low volatility stocks in 20 of the 22 sample years. Also, volatility exhibits significant incremental power beyond the transaction costs and investor sophistication measures in explaining cross-sectional variation in the B/M effect. These findings are consistent with the Shleifer and Vishny (1997) thesis that risk associated with the volatility of arbitrage returns deters arbitrage activity and is an important reason why the B/M effect exists.
The development and regional significance of the automotive industry: supplier parks in western Europe

Supplier relationships in the automotive industry have changed considerably in recent decades. Increasing levels of outsourcing and modular production combined with just-in-time deliveries have increased the demand for logistical coordination of the manufacturing process. This article specifically looks at the use of supplier parks in the automotive industry. Five supplier parks located in Sweden, Germany and Spain are analysed using case studies. One observation is that the logic of proximity in these cases is highly linked to the use of sequential synchronous just-in-time deliveries. This is combined with a high degree of modular production as well as outsourcing strategies. Together, these factors have pushed supplier companies to establish themselves in supplier parks. The cases also reveal very limited links to the local and regional economy. Most companies have the sole function of serving the adjacent customer with reliable deliveries. One further observation is that investment in infrastructure is to a great extent made through public funding, as supplier parks are typically 'produced spaces' in order to support the car-makers in the region. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.
Is entrepreneurship a leading or lagging indicator of the business cycle? Evidence from UK self-employment data

Previous studies provide suggestive evidence that entrepreneurship varies with the state of the business cycle. This article extends the knowledge base by exploring whether the rate of self-employment – a widely used measure of entrepreneurship – is a lagging or leading indicator of the business cycle. The study, which utilizes time series UK data on aggregate output, unemployment and self-employment rates, is robust to structural breaks in the cyclical relationships between these variables. The study finds evidence of significant bi-directional causality: that is, entrepreneurship both causes and is caused by business cycles. The covariance of entrepreneurship is positive with respect to output and negative with respect to unemployment.
Evidence for a link between iron metabolism and Nramp1 gene function in innate resistance against Mycobacterium avium

In the mouse, the progression of the Mycobacterium avium infection is highly dependent on the Nramp1 gene. Strains of mice that express the Nramp1D169 allele are highly susceptible to M. avium infections, while Nramp1G169 strains of mice can control them. Recently, the Nramp1 gene has been cloned and characterized as coding a transmembrane protein, probably involved in divalent cation transport. One possible function of this protein could be the transport of iron out of the parasite‐harbouring phagosome. Previous work in our lab has shown both in vitro (in macrophage cultures) and in vivo, that the growth rate of M. avium is highly dependent on the amount of iron available in the system. To try to correlate this with the Nramp1 gene function, BALB/c (susceptible) and C.D2 (resistant) congenic mice were treated for 20 days with different doses of iron‐dextran, so as to induce different degrees of iron overload, and infected with M. avium 2447. Iron administration increased M. avium growth in infected organs in a dose‐dependent manner at the same time as it decreased the difference in mycobacterial growth between the two mouse strains. These results indicate that an excess of iron hampers Nramp1‐encoded function, strongly suggesting a direct involvement of the Nramp1‐encoded protein in the transport of this cation.
Impact of Maillard reaction products on nutrition and health: Current knowledge and need to understand their fate in the human digestive system

ABSTRACT The Maillard Reaction (MR) is a non-enzymatic chemical reaction which results in the linkage between the amino group of amino acids and the carbonyl group of reduced sugars. MR products (MRPs) are common components of processed foods, mainly as a result of heating, especially in the Western diet. MRPs are classified as into three stages: initial, intermediate, and final stages, indicative of increased complexity and size, incurring different flavor, aroma, and texture. MRPs presence is known to reduce the nutritional quality of foods, particularly by reducing protein digestibility. Early reports have linked MRPs, especially advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) present in high concentration in the typical Western diet, to health conditions and diseases. However conflicting data has since been reported, and only a few (acrylamide, heterocyclic amines and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural) MRPs have documented potential toxic or carcinogenic effects. High molecular weight MRPs are not available for direct absorption in the higher gastrointestinal tract, and are thus mostly metabolized by resident colonic microbes. MRPs have been the subject of sparse research interest in comparison with other non-digestible dietary elements. In this review, we outline the state of knowledge on MRPs in nutrition and health, and highlight the need to develop the limited knowledge on their impact on the gut microbiota and which metabolites derive from MRPs fermentation.
The duration of unemployment : stocks and flows on regional labour markets in the Netherlands

In this paper flows into and out of the stock of umemployed are estimated by means of a statistical method using aggregate data of incomplete unemployment spells. A distinguishing feature of this method is that it is not based on stationarity assumptions of the stock of unemployed. Results are presented for The Netherlands from the period 1983–7. Speical attention is paid to inter-regional differences in inflow-outflow patterns of unemployed. An effort is made to explain the observed regional differences in the average length of completed spells of unemployment by differences in professional and demographic patterns and in the number of vacancies per region. It appears that the number of vacant jobs in a region has a favourable influence on the duration of unemployment.
Screening out a virus-like agent from the testicular suspension of the Nichols pathogenic T. pallidum with observations on certain characteristics of the agent.

As described in previous papers (Gudjonsson and Skog, 1968: Jorgensen, 1968; Hederstedt, 1968; Gudjonsson, 1970; Gudjonsson, Newman, and Turner, 1970), rabbits inoculated with 'the Stockholm substrain' of the Nichols pathogenic Treponema pallidum in testicular emulsion prepared for the TPI test developed high fever and an increasing death rate. Pleural effusion was among the common findings post mortem. Studies made in Baltimore in January and February, 1970, showed that the T. pallidum was not the sole cause of this syndrome, and strongly incriminated a contaminating viral agent (Gudjonsson and others, 1970). Since subsequent evidence also suggests that the Stockholm agent is a virus-like agent, it will be so designated in this paper. The purpose of this paper is to describe a procedure for separating T. pallidum from the viruslike agent by the passage of lymph nodes after the acute disease has subsided. It is also shown that the virus-like infection can be passed serially in rabbits in the absence of T. pallidum. Further preliminary observations on the characteristics of the virus-like agent are also described.
Plasma growth hormone (GH) response to GH-releasing factor (SM-8144) in children of short stature and patients with GH deficiency.

Synthetic human GRF (hGRF (1-44) NH2; SM-8144) was administered as an iv bolus to 141 normal children of short stature (NSC), 73 patients with severe idiopathic GH deficiency (IGD; group A), 30 patients with mild idiopathic GH deficiency (IGD; group B), 29 patients with secondary GH deficiency, 3 patients with primary hypothyroidism, 21 patients with Turner's syndrome and 25 patients with various other disease. Their height was below normal for their age and sex, and they were all below 25 years old without obesity. The maximal GH responses (M+SEM) were 39.5 +/- 2.2, 7.2 +/- 0.9, 27.2 +/- 3.7, 5.2 +/- 0.8, 9.7 +/- 4.4, 25.1 +/- 2.8 and 32.3 +/- 4.8 ng/ml, respectively (significance from the NSC, ; p less than 0.05, ; p less than 0.001). The GH responses to hGRF were greater than those elicited by standard pharmacological tests. There was a negative correlation between bone age and peak plasma GH response to hGRF in patients with idiopathic GH deficiency (IGD) but not in normal children (NSC). In twenty-two percent of the patients with IGD in group A the response was above 10 ng/ml and in 57% of the patients with IGD in group B the response was above 20 ng/ml, suggesting that a large percentage of patients with idiopathic GH deficiency lack hypothalamic GRF. The side effect of flushing was observed in 15.2% of all subjects. These results indicate the potential usefulness of hGRF (1-44) NH2 (SM-8144) in inducing GH release from the pituitary.
HOW COMPETITIVE IS AGRIBUSINESS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD COMMODITY CHAIN

The competitiveness of sixteen selected food commodity chains in South Africa was calculated using the Revealed Comparative Advantage method of Balassa. The majority of commodity chains are marginally competitive. Except for the maize, pineapple, and apple chains, the competitiveness index generally decreases when moving from primary to processed products. This implies that benification or "value adding" opportunities in South Africa are restricted. To compete in a global economy strategies should be followed that improve the competitiveness of the whole food supply chain. It is i.e. not good enough for farmers to be able to compete globally at farm gate level, whilst the locally processed commodities that is sold to the consumer is not competitive in the world market.
Order Size, Order Imbalance and the Volatility–Volume Relation in a Bull Versus a Bear Market

This paper revisits the volume–volatility relationship documented in Chan and Fong (2000) in a bull versus a bear market by using data from the period surrounding the subprime crisis in 2008. The relationship is predicted to be asymmetric because of the greater cost of short positions, the lack of liquidity and the differing trading strategies adopted in a bearish market. Our analysis shows the trading patterns in the bull and bear markets are different. Particularly, in a falling market characterised by higher volatility and lower liquidity, the frequency of order placement has doubled but orders are smaller in size. This provides evidence of investors’ shift of trading strategy in relation to the status change of the market. Furthermore, we find evidence to support the proposition that volume is more informative in a bear market than in a bull market.
Do Firms Seek Symmetric Alliance Partners? An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Partner selection is one of the key aspects of alliance strategy. Selection of appropriate partners can have a significant impact on the success of an alliance. In this study, we examine whether firms seek symmetric alliance partners. Symmetry is examined in respect of several criteria such as goals, management style, size, experience, power and dependence. Based on the responses of 179 Singapore managers, we find that, in most respects, firms indeed seek symmetric partners. Our results are quite robust across sub-samples consisting of firms with different performance levels in previous alliances and having varying levels of prior alliance experience.
Unbiased Disagreement and the Efficient Market Hypothesis

Can investors with irrational beliefs be neglected as long as they are rational on average ? Does unbiased disagreement lead to trades that cancel out with no consequences on prices, as implicitly assumed by the traditional models ? We show in this paper that there is an important impact of unbiased disagreement on the behavior of financial markets, even though the pricing formulas are "on average" (over the states of the world) unchanged. In particular we obtain time varying, mean reverting and countercyclical (instead of constant in the standard model) market prices of risk, mean reverting and procyclical (instead of constant) risk free rates, decreasing (instead of flat) yield curves in the long run, possibly higher returns and higher risk premia in the long run (instead of a flat structure), momentum in stock returns in the short run, more variance on the state price density, time and state varying (instead of constant) risk sharing rules, as well as more important and procyclical trading volumes. These features seem consistent with the actual (or desirable) behavior of financial markets and only result from the introduction of unbiased disagreement.
Marisediminicola antarctica gen. nov., sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from the Antarctic.

Strain ZS314(T) was isolated from a sandy intertidal sediment sample collected from the coastal area off the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station, east Antarctica (6 9° 22' 13″ S 76 ° 21' 41″ E). The cells were Gram-positive, motile, short rods. The temperature range for growth was 0-26 °C and the pH for growth ranged from 5 to 10, with optimum growth occurring within the temperature range 18-23 °C and pH range 6.0-8.0. Growth occurred in the presence of 0-6 % (w/v) NaCl, with optimum growth occurring in the presence of 2-4 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain ZS314(T) had MK-10 as the major menaquinone and anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) as major fatty acids. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type was B2β with ornithine as the diagnostic diamino acid. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The genomic DNA G+C content was approximately 67 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity showed that strain ZS314(T) represents a new lineage in the family Microbacteriaceae. On the basis of the phylogenetic analyses and phenotypic characteristics, a new genus, namely Marisediminicola gen. nov., is proposed, harbouring the novel species Marisediminicola antarctica sp. nov. with the type strain ZS314(T) (=DSM 22350(T) =CCTCC AB 209077(T)).
Market power, competition and post-privatization regulation: Evidence from changes in regulation of European airports

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between privatization, competition, and regulation drawing on data from a wide sample of European airports. Privatization policies may involve a shift in the way governments are able to intervene in markets, while airports – unlike network infrastructures – are subject to mixed degrees of competition and monopoly characteristics. In this regard, our main hypothesis is that the impact of privatization on regulatory reform will be dependent on the competition scenario that prevails in each airport. We provide empirical evidence that the stringency of regulatory reform is related to the level of existing competition. Large airports, with substantial market power, tend to be subject to highly prescriptive regulation and airports that have nearby competing airports tend to be subject to less prescriptive regulation.
Lysozyme excretion as a measure of renal tubular dysfunction in children.

1. Activity of the low molecular weight enzyme lysozyme was measured in the plasma and urine of healthy adults and children and of children with renal disease. 2. No difference was detected between lysozyme excretion (expressed as the lysozyme/creatinine clearance ratio) of healthy adults and neonates, implying that the proximal tubular function of protein reabsorption is mature in the neonate. 3. The lysozyme/creatinine clearance ratio was not elevated in the nephrotic syndrome: thus a heavy load of filtered albumin does not interfere with low molecular weight protein reabsorption. 4. Very high values of lysozyme/creatinine clearance were observed in children with the Fanconi syndrome; there was no overlap with any other group studied. 5. Children with pyuria had a very slight increase in urine lysozyme/creatinine concentration ratio.