Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tipping Perceptions: Taiwanese Tour Leaders' Perspectives

This study aims to investigate how tour leaders (TLs) in Taiwan perceive the issue of tipping, and to identify the factors which influence TLs to solicit tips. It also examines the impact of tipping in relation to the job performance of TLs. Data collection involved participant observations and interviews with travel agencies' managerial staff and TLs. This study found that TLs see tips as a significant source of income if they are not well-paid by their employers. This study suggested that selfish economic behavior has a significant impact on tips received. The consequences are mainly caused by travel agencies' operating policies regarding the price competition and low payment of TLs. TLs have a tendency to perceive tips as a service charge rather than a voluntary payment. Slowly, but not unanimously, including tips in the price of the tour might be an alternative for the future practice of travel agencies in Taiwan. It is expected that the results of the study can help travel agencies in Taiwan to draw up an appropriate tipping policy and to extend literature on service performance in the travel industry.
What service excellence can learn from business excellence models

Service excellence is recognised as a means to delight customers, enhance customer loyalty, and build long-term customer relationships. The existing service excellence models focus on the perspective of customers but fail to provide a systematic approach to implementation. On the other hand, business excellence models (BEMs), such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and Baldrige criteria for performance excellence (BCPE), provide a highly structured managerial approach. The purpose of this study is to investigate what service excellence can learn from the BEMs. This study mutually compares the three most prominent models – namely, the BCPE, the EFQM model, and Johnston's service excellence model. The findings show that Johnston's model provides basic steps for achieving service excellence, while the EFQM and BCPE models can provide a systematic approach to service excellence implementation. The article identifies room for improvement in the current service excellence approaches, and highlights the features of an ideal service excellence model. These areas have not been discussed in previous research.
Evolutionary Design of Neural Network Architectures Using a Descriptive Encoding Language

Evolutionary algorithms are a promising approach to the automated design of artificial neural networks, but they require a compact and efficient genetic encoding scheme to represent repetitive and recurrent modules in networks. We present a problem-independent approach based on a human-readable and writable descriptive encoding using a high-level language. This encoding is based on developmental methods and a modular neural network paradigm. Here, we show that our approach works effectively by demonstrating that it can specify the search space compactly for "n-partition problems" and for sequence generation problems requiring recurrent networks, and that the evolved neural networks are parsimonious, modular, and capable of high-performance. We conclude that this approach based on high-level descriptive encoding can be useful in designing hierarchical, modular networks which may have recurrent connectivity, and is effective in describing the evolutionary search space, as well as the final neural networks resulting from the evolutionary process
A pure primary transitional cell carcinoma of the ovary: A rare case report with literature review

Primary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the ovary is a rare and recently recognized subtype of ovarian surface epithelial-stromal cancer. Pure forms of the TCC ovary account for only 1% of surface epithelial carcinomas. The clinical presentation is indistinguishable from other types of ovarian cancers. They have a favorable response to chemotherapy than other surface epithelial cancers. We report a case of 55-year-old woman who presented with a hard mass in the abdomen. Computed tomography-diagnosed it as a carcinoma of the ovary. Tumor was immunoreactive with Wilms' tumor protein-1 and nonreactive with cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and CK20. Histopathology diagnosis of primary TCC of the ovary was made. These tumors are needed to be differentiated from metastatic TCC from other sites and undifferentiated carcinomas of ovaries. Clinical features and immunohistochemistry are helpful. Surgical resection is the primary therapeutic approach followed by standardized chemotherapy.
Product Liability, Research and Development, and Innovation

Product liability ideally should promote efficient levels of product safety, but misdirected liability efforts may depress beneficial innovations. This paper examines these competing effects of liability costs on product R & D intensity and new product introductions by manufacturing firms. At low to moderate levels of expected liability costs, there is a positive effect of liability costs on product innovation. At very high levels of liability costs, the effect is negative. At the sample mean, liability costs increase R & D intensity by 15 percent. The greater linkage of these effects to product R & D rather than process R & D is consistent with the increased prominence of the design defect doctrine.
Drug Delivery for Neuromuscular Blockade With Supervised Multimodel Adaptive Control

A major issue in drug delivery systems is the high level of uncertainty due to inter- and intrapatient variations in the dynamics of drug absorption and metabolism. This paper proposes an approach to tackle this problem based on supervised multimodel adaptive control (SMMAC). Although the specific case of neuromuscular-blockade-level control of patients subject to general anesthesia is considered, the overall procedure can be applied to the control of other physiological variables. Design guidelines to implement SMMAC are presented, together with clinical cases of patients undergoing general anesthesia, where atracurium is used as the blocking agent. The important role played by the selection of the observer polynomial in the supervisor is demonstrated.
Lower incidence of hypotension following spinal anesthesia with 6% hydroxyethyl starch preload compared to 9 ‰ saline solution in caesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND Hypotension is a common complication following spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Techniques to prevent hypotension include preloading intravenous fluid. AIM To compare the effect of two preloading regimens: 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) and 9‰ saline solution, to prevent hypotension after spinal anesthesia in cesarean delivery. METHODS 105 patients undergoing intrathecal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery were randomized and allocated to receive a preload of 500 ml HES 130/0.4 (HES Group) or a preload of 1500 ml 9‰ saline solution (CR group). Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at baseline and after spinal anesthesia (every minute for the first 10 min, every 3 min for the next 10 min, and then every 5 min for the last 20 min). The primary outcome was to compare the incidence of hypotension (defined as a 20% reduction in systolic arterial pressure from baseline) between the two preloading regimens. Vasopressor requirements (i.v. bolus of 6 mg ephedrine) were also compared. RESULTS The incidence of hypotension was 87% in the CR group and 69% in the HES group (p= 0.028). Ephedrine requirement, incidence of nausea, and/or vomiting and neonatal outcome did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION The incidence of hypotension was lower after preloading of 500 mL of HES 130/0.4 than preloading with 1500 mL of 9‰ saline solution.
The evolution of social discounting in hierarchically clustered populations

The expression of a social behaviour may affect the fitness of actors and recipients living in the present and in the future of the population. When there is a risk that a future reward will not be experienced in such a context, the value of that reward should be discounted; but by how much? Here, we evaluate social discount rates for delayed fitness rewards to group of recipients living at different positions in both space and time than the actor in a hierarchically clustered population. This is a population where individuals are grouped into families, families into villages, villages into clans, and so on, possibly ad infinitum. The group‐wide fitness effects are assumed to either increase or decrease the fecundity or the survival of recipients and can be arbitrarily extended in space and time. We find that actions changing the survival of individuals living in the future are generally more strongly discounted than fecundity‐changing actions for all future times and that the value of future rewards increases as individuals live longer. We also find that delayed fitness effects may not only be discounted by a constant factor per unit delay (exponential discounting), but that, as soon as there is localized dispersal in a population, discounting per unit delay is likely to fall rapidly for small delays and then slowly for longer delays (hyperbolic discounting). As dispersal tends to be localized in natural populations, our results suggest that evolution is likely to favour individuals that express present‐biased behaviours and that may be time‐inconsistent with respect to their group‐wide effects.
Political Surfing Over Economic Waves: Parliamentary Election Timing in India

This paper develops a political-economic interaction model for India for the 1960-91 sample period. India presents an ideal case for testing the political business cycle theory in the context of a parliamentary democracy with endogenous election timing. Using a mixed qualitative and continuous variable simultaneous equation estimation procedure, the paper considers the two-way interaction that results from the control by the cabinet over election timing. Several conclusions can be derived from this study. First, the results indicate the presence of business cycle-electoral interaction in India. Second, there is strong support for the surfing hypothesis, implying that the Indian cabinet tends to ride on natural business waves. Third, no support is found for the manipulative hypothesis.
Analysis of process impact on local variability thanks to addressable transistors arrays

We designed an addressable transistors array to analyse local variability at the wafer scale. On FDSOI substrates, we measure no impact of the silicon thickness variations on short channel transistors, and demonstrate that the impact on large area transistors is no more visible when the Tsi is well controlled.
The Creation and Capture of Rents: Wages and Innovation in a Panel of U. K. Companies

This paper examines the impact of technological innovation on wages using a panel of British firms. A head-count measure of major innovations between 1945 and 1983 is combined with share price and accounting information. Innovating firms are found to have higher average wages, but rival innovation tends to depress own wages. This appears consistent with a model where wages are partly determined by a sharing in the rents generated by innovation. In other words, innovation may be a good instrument for proxies for rents such as profitability, quasi rents, or Tobin's (average) Q. Instrumental variable estimates of the elasticity between wages and quasi rents are about 0.29.
Environmental disclosures in the annual report: Extending the applicability and predictive power of legitimacy theory

Much of the extant research into why companies disclose environmental information in the annual report indicates that legitimacy theory is one of the more probable explanations for the increase in environmental disclosures since the early 1980s. Legitimacy theory is based on the idea that in order to continue operating successfully, corporations must act within the bounds of what society identifies as socially acceptable behaviour. The purpose of the practical research undertaken and reported in this paper is to extend the applicability and predictive power of legitimacy theory by investigating to what extent annual report disclosures are interrelated to: attempts to gain, maintain and repair legitimacy; and the choice of specific legitimation tactics. The quasi‐experimental method adopted utilised semi‐structured interviews with senior personnel from three large Australian public companies. The findings indicated support for legitimacy theory as an explanatory factor for environmental disclosures. Moreover, findings about the likelihood of specific micro‐legitimation tactics being used in response to legitimacy threatening environmental issues/events, and dependent on whether the purpose of the response is designed to gain, maintain or repair legitimacy, are reported.
Dividend payout and executive compensation: theory and Canadian evidence

Purpose - This paper seeks to present and test a model of the association between dividend payout and executive compensation. Design/methodology/approach - The authors develop a model based on Bhattacharyya whereby managerial quality is unobservable to shareholders, and therefore first-best contracts are not possible. In the second-best world, compensation contracts motivate high quality managers to retain and invest firm earnings, while low quality managers are motivated to distribute income to shareholders. These hypotheses arising from the model are tested on data for Canadian firms' dividend payouts over the period 1993-1995 using tobit regression analyses. Findings - Consistent with the predictions of the Bhattacharyya model, the results show that, Research limitations/implications - The Canadian data provide only limited information on the components of executive compensation. A more useful test would be possible with more detailed information on, for example, salary, bonus, and benefits. Originality/value - Several recent papers have documented an association between dividends and executive compensation. This paper presents and tests a model that provides a potential explanation for this link.
Genome Report : Whole genome sequence of the heterozygous clinical isolate Candida 1 krusei

Genome Report: Whole genome sequence of the heterozygous clinical isolate Candida 1 krusei 81-B-5 2 3 Christina A. Cuomo, Terrance Shea, Bo Yang, Reeta Rao, Anja Forche 4 1 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA 5 2 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Biology & Biotechnology, Worcester, MA 01609 USA 6 3 Bowdoin College, Department of Biology, Brunswick, ME 04011 USA 7 *corresponding authors: cuomo@broadinstitute.org, aforche@bowdoin.edu 8 9 Data access: All genome sequence data (reads, assembly, and annotation) is available in 10 GenBank under BioProject PRJNA381554. 11 12 G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics Early Online, published on July 10, 2017 as doi:10.1534/g3.117. 043547
The predictability of industry portfolio returns

This article studies the predictability of stock returns from industry portfolios. Consistent with the habit formation framework of Campbell and Cochrane (1999, 2000), we find that reasonably large portions of predictability of long-horizon industry portfolio returns are explained by the ratio of aggregate consumption in surplus of habit or its instrument, the consumption–wealth ratio. The time-varying βs and, more importantly, time-varying market risk premium associated with either the surplus consumption ratio or the consumption–wealth ratio help explain the predictable variation of long-horizon expected returns on over half of the industry portfolios. The conditional Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) with βs varying with the proposed conditioning variable performs better than the static CAPM, but not as well as the Fama–French (1993, 1997) three-factor model in explaining the time-series variability of returns.
The Effects of Human Resources Management Practices on the Organizational Performances of Canadian Financial Co-Operatives

Reading through academic literature with a critical eye shows that the relation between human resources management (HRM) and the performance of the firm is a relatively unknown phenomenon. This relation is sometimes described as a "black box". Far from claiming to have closed the debate, this article sets forth an original approach that represents an undisputable input which allows a better understanding of this phenomenon. Even if there are many theories that try to explain this relation, only the universalistic approach of human resources will be of interest. While using both a qualitative and a quantitative approach, our research shows that some HRM practices do seem to give a competitive advantage to Canadian financial co-operative enterprises.
Clinical profile of parkinsonian disorders in the tropics: Experience at Kano, northwestern Nigeria

Background: No data exists on Parkinson's disease (PD) and secondary Parkinsonism in Northwestern Nigeria. This study was designed to create a database, document the clinical profile of PD in Kano, northwestern Nigerian, and compare this to prior observations within and outside Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A database was documented on prospective patients presenting consecutively to the Neurology out-patients clinic of the two tertiary health facilities in Kano northwestern Nigeria over a period of 4 years. Demographic and clinical data at presentation were documented for all patients. Cases were classified as PD or secondary Parkinsonism. The severity at presentation and at last visit was classified using the H and Y scale. Results: Over a period of 4 years, out 1153 a total of 96 patients comprising 74 males and 22 females were enrolled. Eighty (83.3%) of them had clinically diagnosed PD while 16 (16.7%) had clinical features compatible with secondary Parkinsonism. The mean age at onset of symptoms in the PD patients (mean 58.2 ± 6.72 yrs ) was more than in secondary Parkinsonism (mean 51.4 ± 10.04 and P = 0.001). There was male preponderance in both idiopathic Parkinsonism (PD) (m:f = 3.2:1) and secondary Parkinsonism (m:f = 4.3:1). Out of the patients with secondary Parkinsonism, 10 (62.5%) and 5 (31.3%) had vascular Parkinsonism and drug-induced Parkinsonism, respectively. Duration of symptoms prior to presentation ranged between 3 months and 16 years. The mean (SD) time interval from the onset of motor symptoms to diagnosis of PD was 3.6 ± 3.4 yrs and time interval for men and women (male 3.8 ± 3.7; female 2.8 ± 2.1; P = 0.249). Conclusions: Clinical profile of patients with PD and secondary Parkinsonism in Kano is similar to that from other populations within Nigeria and other developing countries. However, delayed presentation, less frequent family history, lower frequency of Young-onset PD as well as treatment challenges occasioned by poverty, inadequacy of expert, and lack of newer drugs and treatment options contrasts the situation in western populations.
Macroeconomic Policy, Wage Setting, and Employment--What Difference Does the EMU Make?

The likely impact of the EMU on the variability and level of employment is analysed. The major conclusions are as follows. (i) Although an inflation-target regime will constrain monetary policy of a non-participant in the EMU, it still leaves considerable scope for exchange-rate changes in the case of country-specific demand shocks, provided that there is some nominal price and wage flexibility. (ii) Variations in payroll taxes can be used as a substitute for exchange-rate changes in the EMU, but it will be an imperfect substitute. (iii) Money-wage flexibility is likely to be larger inside than outside the EMU, but probably not by much. (iv) There are various mechanisms through which the EMU may affect the incentives for labour-market reform to reduce equilibrium unemployment, but the net impact is highly uncertain. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
Hispanic Doctoral Students Challenges: Qualitative Results

Fifty doctoral students and graduates of a doctoral program in education on the Mexico border responded to six open ended questions which are part of the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate(CID). According to the CID developers, Walker, Golde, Jones, Bueschel and Hutchings, “the purpose… is to examine the relationship between student experiences in a doctoral program and the outcomes of doctoral education. The responses address the full range of responsibilities which may be expected of a holder of the doctorate, including research, teaching, and the application of knowledge and skills in the discipline to practical problems in the world outside the university. ” Preliminary analysis of findings indicate that Hispanic doctoral students feel more supported with a structured format to assist them in the development of their proposals, social events to promote bonding of members, and structuring classes to keep cohorts moving forward together through core courses and specialization clusters.
Industrial Lending by English Commercial Banks, 1860s–1914: Why Did Banks Refuse Loans?

English commercial banks have suffered severe criticism for their alleged failure to support industrial activity, to provide ‘industrial finance’. They are said to compare unfavourably with their European counterparts. In this article we explore this issue by examining how in the years before 1914 these banks treated loan applications from industrialists, specifically analysing the extent of refusals and the reasons given for refusals. The results confirm that the banks operated their lending business within general constraints imposed by the principles of prudent banking. However, it is also clear that the banks gave very careful consideration to all applicants, applied a set of reasonable criteria, and approved the great bulk of all applications for industrial lending.
Focusing on Relationship Dimensions to Improve the Quality of Chinese–Western Business-to-Business Exchanges

Abstract The article reports on a number of items that have been assembled to compare business relationships involving Western and Chinese counterparts. Whilst the extant buyer–seller and channel management literature has tended to focus on Western or Chinese relational forms in isolation, an attempt has been made here to broaden our understanding by providing a comparative overview of these two perspectives. By focusing on several key items that appear significant, yet may also imply different forms of relevance in a Chinese and Western context, several managerial implications are extracted, and these are considered useful in the quest to help firms improve the quality associated with managing and developing such hybrid international relations.
Asymmetries in international environmental agreements

Abstract This paper considers self-enforcing international environmental agreements when countries are asymmetric with respect to emission-related benefits and environmental damage. Considering these asymmetries simultaneously yields large stable coalitions, also without the option of transfers between signatories. However, these large stable coalitions are only possible if they include countries that have relatively high marginal benefits and a relatively low marginal environmental damage. This type of countries hardly contributes to the common good and the gains of cooperation from including this type of countries in the stable coalition are small. This confirms a persistent result in this literature that large stable coalitions usually go hand in hand with low gains of cooperation. Without the option of transfers it is always better to have a small stable coalition with countries that matter than a large stable coalition with countries that do not matter. Only with transfers might a large stable coalition be able to perform better.