Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign direct investment flows from the south to the east of the EU: dissecting the different effects of psychic distance stimuli

This paper examines the influence of psychic distance stimuli on foreign direct investment flows from countries located in the south of Europe towards the new members of the European Union from central and Eastern Europe. By applying panel data techniques, evidence of a negative relation is obtained for distance in democracy, whereas a positive one is obtained for per capita GDP and distance in education and industrial development, which demonstrates that these investment flows are characterised by an efficiency-seeking approach and low educational and technical requirements. This FDI motivation prompts firms to maximise cost advantages such as reduced salaries or input prices. Also interestingly, political risk does not seem an obstacle, in accordance with recent literature on political capabilities. The results highlight the fact that distance does not always constitute a barrier but an opportunity for the firm.
Learning from Schools: School Choice, Political Learning, and Policy Feedback

This article investigates the policy feedback and political learning effects of school vouchers. Of particular interest is how market-based policies affect the likelihood that program participants will connect their experiences with the policy to the government. I examine parent survey data from an evaluation of the Milwaukee school voucher program. I find that voucher parents are more likely than public school parents to perceive that the government has influenced their child's schooling and to believe that their experiences with their child's school have taught them about how government works. Further, voucher parents report that their experiences with the policy have made them more politically active. While majorities of voucher and public school parents support increased public school expenditures, there is some evidence that school vouchers may decrease support for public schools.
Inflation regimes and the stability of the pass-through of wages to consumer prices in Canada

This article has formally identified distinct historical inflation regimes in Canada since 1961 in order to facilitate an investigation of the impact of regime changes on the wage-price dynamics in the economy. Both in and out-of-sample evidence suggest that wage growth exerts an influence on inflation only during a high-inflation regime but inflation exerts a more systematic and quantitatively stronger influence on wage growth regardless of the prevailing inflation regime. Overall, the results do not support either the ‘cost-push’ view of inflation or the ‘new view’ that claims that increased globalization during the 1990s has reduced the feedback from wage growth to inflation by weakening the bargaining power of workers.
In the rat, citrullinated autologous fibrinogen is immunogenic but the induced autoimmune response is not arthritogenic

Conversion of arginyl to citrullyl residues (citrullination) is essential for the formation of the epitopes recognized by rheumatoid arthritis (RA)‐associated autoantibodies to citrullinated proteins (ACPA). ACPA are secreted by plasma cells of the rheumatoid synovial tissue where their major target, citrullinated fibrin, is abundant. Although numerous arguments suggest that ACPA play an important role in RA, their pathological relevance remains to be established. In the present study, we assessed the immunogenicity and arthritogenicity of complete Freund’s adjuvant‐emulsified autologous citrullinated (C‐rFBG) or non‐citrullinated (NC‐rFBG) fibrinogen in Lewis (LEW) and Brown–Norway rats, which exhibit drastic differences in their susceptibility to induced autoimmune diseases. NC‐rFBG induced no antibody response. In contrast, a single injection of C‐rFBG induced an IgG response directed mainly to citrullinated determinants of rFBG. However, all rat strains remained devoid of clinical and histological signs of arthritis up to 3 months after C‐rFBG inoculation. Next, in LEW rats, we tested whether autoimmunity to C‐rFBG could aggravate acute ankle arthritis triggered by intra‐articular injection of incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA). However, such arthritis evolved identically in the presence or absence of anti‐C‐rFBG autoantibodies. However, IFA‐injected joints were devoid of citrullinated fibrin deposits. Therefore, citrullination allows breakdown of immunological tolerance but the autoimmune response developed is not spontaneously arthritogenic. Whether or not it can aggravate arthritis with citrullinated fibrin deposits remains to be evaluated.
Comparison of In Vitro Activities of 17 Antifungal Drugs against a Panel of 20 Dermatophytes by Using a Microdilution Assay

ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of 17 antifungal drugs against a panel of 20 dermatophytes comprising 6 different species were determined using a microdilution assay according to the NCCLS M38-P method with some modifications. Terbinafine was the most potent systemic drug while tolnaftate and amorolfine were the most active topical agents.
Wage Offers and Full-Time and Part-Time Employment by British Women.

Strong evidence in support of the hypothesis that women receive lower wage offers in part-time jobs than in full-time jobs is provided by estimation of wage offer functions for British women, which control for self-selection into these two types of jobs. Analysis of married women's employment decisions indicates that the difference in a woman's expected wage offers between full-time and part-time employment is an important determinant of whether she works full time, while husband's income mainly affects the decision of whether to work. In addition, it appears that women who work despite having observed characteristics that discourage employment are much more likely to work part time.
An Evaluation of a Regional Development Agency's Grants in Terms of Deadweight and Displacement

For a number of decades considerable resources have been devoted to supporting Irish industrial policies. There has, however, been a distinct lack of evaluation of these policies. This is particularly pertinent to the Irish small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector given its employment potential and importance to the domestic economy. The Small Business Task Force reports that 98% of businesses in Ireland employ fewer than 50 persons and that these provide around half of the total employment in the private sector. There has, however, been a distinct lack of research into the additional impact of SME policy, and particularly the measurement of the twin concepts of deadweight and displacement. To help bridge this gap in Irish SME policy research, the author evaluates grants awarded to indigenous firms (91% of which are SMEs) by a regional development agency in the Shannon region of Ireland. Two components of additionality—deadweight and displacement—are used to aid this evaluation process. The prime methodological approach is that of the self-assessment approach, involving in-depth face-to-face interviews with the managing directors of 77 firms that received grants from the regional development agency in 1995. Data emanating from interviews are then used to obtain estimates of deadweight and displacement in the Shannon region of Ireland.
How Offshore Professionals' Job Dissatisfaction Can Promote Further Offshoring: Organizational Outcomes of Job Crafting

This paper investigates the process that leads from job dissatisfaction to new business opportunities in organizations that offshore R&D activities to emerging countries. Specifically, we investigate a major source of job dissatisfaction for offshore professionals: the misalignment between the work that they perform and their professional identity. Our findings indicate that offshore professionals react against the perception of a threat to work-identity integrity through individual and collective job crafting. A significant outcome of job crafting is the introduction of new markets, industries, and services, which in turn may change a professional's job design. The perceptions of the compatibility of organizational identity with professional identity and with new idea recognition on the one hand, and of distant and local social support on the other, act as intervening conditions in the process. We discuss theoretical contributions to the evolution of offshoring, job crafting, and the interplay between organizational and professional identity, together with managerial implications.
From P Economy to K Economy: An empirical study on knowledge-based quality factors

Knowledge management (KM) initiatives, projects and systems are just beginning to appear in organisations, there is little research and field data to guide the successful development and implementation of such systems or to guide the expectations of the potential benefits of such systems. Therefore, and due to the complex and integrated nature of KM, the investments involved, and the relatively high implementation failure rates, this paper attempts to fill this gap by investigating the critical success factors of KM implementation in organisations that have already implemented it, and learn from their practice. In this paper, an integrated model for effective implementation of KM projects based on a best practice perspective has been proposed. This paper aims to identify and empirically assesses the critical success factors (CSFs) in the KM implementation and the investigation of how the KM processes and these factors are being addressed and implemented in projects. This paper has identified a series of critical issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of a KM system project. However, most of these factors are not related to technology and almost entirely to the people and business processes, and they are highly interdependent. Although this study has reviewed a large body of relevant literature and collected a vast set of appropriate data from both primary and secondary sources, it is not possible to claim that the empirical investigation has come across all issues related to KM project implementation. The paper shows that by explicitly describing these knowledge assets, the KM activities within organisations can more effectively leverage knowledge and improve performance. In essence, adhering to the various levels of application of KM projects will ensure that organisations can derive maximum benefits from KM and that the decision-making process and the flow of information happen in a seamless, corporate-wide perspective. Finally, it is hoped that the theory and research findings presented in this paper can aid the development of the KM, as well as serving as a consultative tool for organisations in their KM implementations.
Visegrád: The Evolving Pattern of Coordination and Partnership After EU Enlargement

Multilateral, subregional partnerships are one of the defining features of contemporary European politics. The 2004 enlargement of the European Union introduced a new partnership entity to the mix—the Visegrád Group of states, comprising the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia—which offers its members a useful model to discuss and represent common interests in a collective manner within the regional and international political landscape. The article provides a reflection on the evolution of the Visegrád Group of states since 2004. It examines four key policy areas (institutional candidacy, energy policy, eastern neighbourhood and defence policy) where the group has either learned some difficult lessons or is seeking to apply those lessons. The article suggests that the Visegrád Group's greatest strength lies in its flexibility to become more responsive to the challenges it faces and it is likely therefore to remain appealing to its member states and to be a permanent feature within the wider cohort of European Union subregional partnerships.
Two Cases of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of Parotid Gland – Rare Papillary Cystic Variant: One Unusual Presentation in Older Male Patient

ACCs are usually low grade, well‐differentiated neoplasms that constitute 2.5%–4% of parotid gland tumors. [1] The mean age of occurrence is in the fifth decade, but the papillary cystic variant is reported to occur in younger patients compared to the classic type. The most favored site is the parotid (86%), occasionally the submaxillary gland, minor salivary glands. [1] ACC is a neoplastic growth of epithelial cells showing serous acinar differentiation shows a female predilection. [2]
Regulation of FOXO3 by phosphorylation and methylation in hepatitis C virus infection and alcohol exposure

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection produces chronic liver injury that is significantly exacerbated by alcohol consumption. While multiple mechanisms contribute to this synergy, a viral‐induced loss of antioxidant responses has been shown to play an important role. This study examined the effects of HCV infection and alcohol on the regulation of the transcription factor FOXO3, an important regulator of Mn‐superoxide dismutase (SOD2) expression, a tumor suppressor, and a component of the hepatic antioxidant response system. FOXO3 was activated by either HCV or alcohol alone but suppressed by the combination. To understand this paradoxical result, we applied a capillary isoelectric focusing (IEF) method to determine the pattern of FOXO3 posttranslational modifications (PTMs) induced by HCV and alcohol. We observed the presence of multiple different nuclear and cytosolic species of FOXO3 and used antiphosphoserine, acetyl‐lysine, methylarginine, and ubiquitin antibodies to identify the PTM patterns present in each species. HCV caused multiple changes including phosphorylation of FOXO3 at S‐574, a novel c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) site, which promoted nuclear translocation and transcription. Ethanol suppressed arginine‐methylation of FOXO3 promoting nuclear export and degradation of the JNK phosphorylated form. Human liver biopsy samples showed the presence of the HCV‐specific form of FOXO3 in HCV‐infected livers but not in normal liver or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Conclusion: The development of this novel IEF method for the simultaneous quantification of differently modified FOXO3 species allowed us to demonstrate how HCV and alcohol combine to modify a complex pattern of FOXO3 PTMs that contribute to pathogenesis. This approach will allow further dissection of the role of protein PTMs in viral liver disease. (Hepatology 2014;58:58–70)
Translating strategy into practice: the role of communities of practice

Purpose – This empirical paper aims to show how communities of practice have been used as a tractable management tool to operationalize strategy in practice. The analysis shows how CoPs can be used in business to find traction in order to achieve strategic goals.Design/methodology/approach – A two‐year longitudinal case study approach was adopted employing semi‐structured interviews, participant observations and document analysis for data collection. The findings were verified with the participants in the study during feedback events organised for that purpose.Findings – The study provides in‐depth insights into the challenges of translating strategy into practice in complex work settings. In this case, uneven outcomes were attributed to three critical contributing factors: the leadership and governance structures, the meaningful ways in which members can participate and interact with others; and their identity and sense of belonging.Research limitations/implications – Although a single case study only pr.
The impact of total quality management on front-line supervisors and their work

A survey of 221 front-line supervisors was conducted, to investigate their perceptions of the impact of total quality management (TQM) programmes on their jobs and satisfaction. Two key findings emerged in the results. First, front-line supervisors perceived that the TQM programmes had led to a variety of changes that made their jobs more demanding, requiring greater individual skill and accuracy. Second, front-line supervisors did not seem to like this change, stating that TQM programme did not make their job more interesting and important. As a whole, most of the front-line supervisors claimed that TQM had not increased their satisfaction with their job. The importance of these findings is discussed in the context of the need to provide employee satisfaction in TQM.
C‐fos and c‐jun in the paraventricular nucleus play a role in regulating peptide gene expression, oxytocin and glutamate release, and maternal behaviour

In sheep, birth leads to the induction of maternal behaviour through brain oxytocin release. Associated with these events is an upregulation of oxytocin, opioid and corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) gene expression, as well as that of the immediate early gene c‐fos in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. We investigated the role of c‐fos dimerizing with c‐jun in controlling the induction of maternal behaviour, altered peptide gene expression, and oxytocin and amino acid release in this region at birth. Fluorescence‐labelled antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) against c‐fos/c‐jun were infused bilaterally in the PVN, via microdialysis probes with 100 kDa cut‐off membranes, and were incorporated into 50–60% of the cells. Compared with the control (scrambled) sequences, they significantly reduced basal concentration of glutamate (to 31.7% of baseline after 10 h) and prevented birth‐induced release of aspartate. In addition, antisense treatment reduced the birth‐induced increase in oxytocin concentration in the PVN, but not in blood. Although all the animals were fully maternal, the antisense treatment did reduce the peak expression of two components of maternal behaviour: low‐pitched bleats; and lamb sniffing. Finally, in situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that the antisense treatment significantly reduced the birth‐induced upregulation of c‐fos, oxytocin, CRH and preproenkephalin mRNA expression in the PVN, whilst not affecting that of arginine vasopressin. These results suggest that c‐fos/c‐jun transcription factors play a role in the birth‐induced upregulation of oxytocin, CRH and preproenkephalin gene expression, as well as on glutamate and oxytocin release in the sheep PVN.
Macroeconomic Vulnerabilities in the Twentyfirst Century Economy: A Preliminary Taxonomy

Our current information technological revolution is, by crude metrics, two to three times the relative size of previous industrial revolutions which transformed the economy and the world. However, at the moment, it is anyone’s guess what changes in macroeconomic vulnerabilities and opportunities our current industrial revolution will bring. It seems highly likely that it will bring a better-performing labour market. It also seems highly likely that it will bring larger swings in asset prices and investment demand, which will call for more aggressive counter-cyclical monetary policy. It is possible that it will bring a reduction in the size of the inventory-driven component of the business cycle, and that it will add to the difficulties of financial regulation as complexity increases the government’s task while euphoria diminishes its competence. © Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 2002. 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA International Finance 5:2, 2002: pp. 285–309 *I thank the University of California at Berkeley for financial support, and Olivier Blanchard, Chad Jones, Daniel Sichel and Robert Waldmann for helpful discussions. 07_IF5_2_DeLong_D5L 4/12/02 2:05 pm Page 285
Infrastructure Access and Household Welfare in Rural Ghana

type="main" xml:lang="en"> Empirical evidence in the literature on the extent to which access to different infrastructure services contribute to enhancing household economic welfare remains limited. Our paper contributes to fill in the gap by assessing the influence of access to public infrastructure on welfare in rural areas of a developing country such as Ghana, taking into account the heterogeneity in household endowment. Based on pseudo panel modelling and using three waves of nation-wide household living standard surveys between 1991 and 2006, the empirical findings suggest that access to public transport, electricity and water infrastructure has important but differential impacts on household welfare.
Long lags or seasonal mis-specification? A note on co-integration testing and the consumption function

Writing in this journal, Sumner (2004) advocates use of long lag lengths when conducting co-integration tests. Replication of Sumner's consumption model suggests long lag lengths are a mis-specification: the true underlying model is periodic. We test for periodically distributed unit roots – unit roots that differ with the season and vary with past behaviour. Co-integration between income and consumption, based on a periodic error correction model, is rejected. A PADL specification is preferred for modelling the income–consumption relationship, using seasonally unadjusted data.
Sometimes Happy People Focus on the Trees and Sad People Focus on the Forest

Research indicates that affect influences whether people focus on categorical or behavioral information during impression formation. One explanation is that affect confers its value on whatever cognitive inclinations are most accessible in a given situation. Three studies tested this malleable mood effects hypothesis, predicting that happy moods should maintain and unhappy moods should inhibit situationally dominant thinking styles. Participants completed an impression formation task that included categorical and behavioral information. Consistent with the proposed hypothesis, no fixed relation between mood and processing emerged. Whether happy moods led to judgments reflecting category-level or behavior-level information depended on whether participants were led to focus on the their immediate psychological state (i.e., current affective experience; Studies 1 and 2) or physical environment (i.e., an unexpected odor; Study 3). Consistent with research on socially situated cognition, these results demonstrate that the same affective state can trigger entirely different thinking styles depending on the context.
Reaction of Overnight Rate to Its Determinants Under 'Normal' Situation and During the Financial Turmoil of 2007-2009

We analyze the reaction of the spread between the overnight rate and the target rate to Central Banks’ instruments during normal time and the Subprime crisis. By using US, UK and Euro area data, we estimate the dynamic of these spread with an asymmetric EGARCH model. Our results reveal that most of the modifications of these instruments have reduced the volatility of the spreads. In situation marked by liquidity risks, as during the first phase of this crisis, these Banks managed to control the overnight rate. Conversely, in situation marked with credit risks, as after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the control of this rate was harder even when unconventional measures alleviated the pressure on markets and reduce the volatility of the spreads.
Exploring Socio-Economic Factors Behind Domestic Violence Against Women in Sargodha District

Violence against Women has become a global concern because this specific issue affects the life of women adversely. Domestic violence is most persistent form of Violence against Women. It is a severe violation of human rights. Many demographic, economic, psychological factors may be responsible for the domestic violence but social factors contain prime importance in this regard. Pakistani society is facing the trouble of increase in domestic violence because this issue is still under acknowledged and underreported. An exploratory study was conducted to probe the socio-economic factors behind domestic violence. Interview schedule was utilized as a tool to accumulate concerning data. A representative sample of (N=100) was collected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. 56% of women indicated that they have faced physical violence and a huge majority i.e., 71% has faced psychological violence. The results suggest that women are more prone to bear and face domestic violence due to economic dependence.