Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting intention to choose halal products using theory of reasoned action

Purpose - Emphasis on the importance of Design/methodology/approach - A structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses from consumers using a convenience sampling technique. A total of 485 responses were received. Needless to say, this study extends the applicability of the TRA to study Findings - The findings indicated that the TRA is a valid model in the prediction of the intention to choose Research limitations/implications - The study contains a limited number of measures in the model. Nevertheless, it provides new information on the emerging issue of Practical implications - The results will be primarily beneficial to restaurants, fast food restaurants and small and medium enterprises in Malaysia by offering an insight into the intentions of consumers to choose Originality/value - The paper extends the understanding of TRA to newly emerging contexts such as
The Role of Project Team Collaboration in R&D Performance

Teamwork or collaboration among professionals, an important element of most R&D laboratories, has received little study in relation to technical performance. This study analyzes the relationship between individual perceptions of team collaboration and individual technical performance in a research and development laboratory. Partial correlations are used to evaluate different models of causality between collaboration, individual needs, opportunities, need satisfaction and technical performance. The study concludes that the relationship between perceived team collaboration and technical performance is not direct. Rather, one particular aspect of collaboration, termed knowledge-based risk taking, creates greater opportunities for scientists and engineers to fulfill a variety of personal needs in the job setting, and these greater opportunities lead to higher technical performance. The study suggests R&D managers can promote greater opportunities for individuals to meet job needs and thus achieve greater tec.
Revision of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for breast cancer.

PURPOSE To revise the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for breast carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS A Breast Task Force submitted recommended changes and additions to the existing staging system that were (1) evidence-based and/or consistent with widespread clinical consensus about appropriate diagnostic and treatment standards and (2) useful for the uniform accrual of outcome information in national databases. RESULTS Major changes included the following: size-based discrimination between micrometastases and isolated tumor cells; identifiers to indicate usage of innovative technical approaches; classification of lymph node status by number of involved axillary lymph nodes; and new classifications for metastasis to the infraclavicular, internal mammary, and supraclavicular lymph nodes. CONCLUSION This revised staging system will be officially adopted for use in tumor registries in January 2003.
If One Size Doesn't Fit All, What Does?

The World Trade Organization (WTO) declaration launching the current multilateral trade negotiations, styled by some as the Doha Development Round, put developing country interests and the concept of special and differential treatment (SDT) at its core. Paragraph 2 of the Declaration pointed out that the majority of WTO members are developing countries and that ‘their needs and interests [are] at the heart of the Work Programme adopted in this Declaration’ (WTO 2001). Paragraph 44 reaffirms that:
Mining institutional datasets to support policy making and implementation

Datasets are often under‐exploited by institutions, yet they contain evidence that is potentially of high value for planning and decision‐making. This article shows how institutional data were used to determine whether the demographic background of students might have an influence on their performance: this is a matter of particular interest where participation in higher education is being widened. Analyses showed that, whilst area of domicile appeared to be related to lower performance in a few disciplinary areas, much stronger relationships were evident in respect of other demographic variables. The use of nonparametric analyses based on cutting module performances at the median, rather than using raw scores, is of methodological interest since the distribution of raw marks is influenced by the subject discipline.
Faculty Views of Developmental Math Instruction at an Urban Community College: A Critical Pedagogy Analysis.

A disproportionate number of students entering postsecondary education are considered academically unprepared and not ready for college-level work (ACT, 2011). A majority of those students are students of color, particularly those who identify as AfricanAmerican or Latino and come from low-income families (Bragg, Eunyoung, & Barnett, 2006; Green, 2006; Ogbu, 1990). Due to the lack of readiness, colleges and universities, specifically community colleges, are challenged to meet the academic needs of students by offering developmental education courses such as Developmental English and/or Developmental Math. Mathematics in postsecondary education has been proven to be a gatekeeper regarding college completion due to math anxiety and lack of mathematics skills upon entry into the college. Therefore, the study was conducted to investigate developmental math instruction at an urban community college. I concluded that enhancing developmental math instruction by using concepts from critical pedagogy would improve learning, enhance classroom engagement, and subsequently promote overall retention and advancement to college-level math. The purpose of the study, guided by principles from qualitative research, was to determine how community college teachers are preparing students to gain basic mathematics skills that will enable them to accomplish their educational goals. The research questions for the study focused on the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of instructors who teach developmental math courses. Therefore, I conducted a case study at an urban community college located in a northeastern city. Critical pedagogy was used as
DSGE Models and the Lucas Critique

Modern DSGE models are microfounded and have deep parameters that should be invariant to changes in economic policy, so in principle they are not subject to the Lucas critique. But the literature has already established that misspecification issues also cause parameter instability after policy changes in DSGE models. This paper will look at the implications of parameter shifts for econometric policy evaluation, to see whether policy advice derived from DSGE models would have differed fundamentally from that which the policymakers of the 1970s derived from their reduced-form Phillips curves. The results show drift in most parameters, including those that are supposedly structural (such as the share of capital in production, habits or the elasticity of labor supply to the real wage), and major shifts in the impulse response functions derived from the real-time estimation of the model. After the expansionary monetary shocks of the early 1970s, a standard DSGE model would have behaved very similarly to an old-style Phillips curve, with marked shifts in parameter values and impulse response functions.
Predictors of Entrepreneurship in Family Firms

This study investigates the main predictors of entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized family firms. Based upon literature review and a pilot case study, hypotheses are developed, relating several individual and organizational antecedents of entrepreneurship to three different family firm types. Most of the hypotheses are confirmed by an analysis carried out on a large random sample of small and medium-sized Swedish family firms. Further studies addressing the determinants of entrepreneurship in family firms and practitionersņ advice aimed at enhancing entrepreneurship in such companies would hence benefit from targeting their efforts on the specific family firm types they address.
Anti-inflammatory effects of macrolides--an underappreciated benefit in the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections and chronic inflammatory pulmonary conditions?

BACKGROUND It has been recognized for more than 20 years that the macrolides have immunomodulatory effects that are beneficial for those suffering from chronic pulmonary inflammatory syndromes, such as diffuse panbronchiolitis, cystic fibrosis, asthma and bronchiectasis. The macrolides have consistently been associated with decreased length of stay and mortality when used alone or in combination with beta-lactam antibiotics. This effect can be demonstrated against combinations consisting of beta-lactams and other antibiotics active against 'atypical chest pathogens' when treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in hospitalized patients. As such, it appears that the macrolides' effects in CAP patients are more than just antibacterial in nature. AIMS OF THIS REVIEW: This review aims: to give the reader information on the background areas described, as well as related areas; to review the CAP benefits with macrolides and how they may be related to the immunomodulatory properties they demonstrate, albeit in a shorter period of time than previously demonstrated with chronic pulmonary disorders; to use ex vivo data to support these extrapolations. LITERATURE SEARCH A literature search using Medline was conducted from 1966 onwards, searching for articles with relevant key words such as macrolide, diffuse panbronchiolitis, community-acquired pneumonia, biofilm, immunomodulation, cystic fibrosis, erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and azithromycin, bronchiectasis and asthma. When appropriate, additional references were found from the bibliographies of identified papers of interest. Any relevant scientific conference proceedings or medical texts were checked when necessary. CONCLUSIONS (1) Research into macrolide immunomodulation for chronic pulmonary disorders demonstrates consistent positive effects, although of types other than seen with diffuse panbronchiolitis. These effects, together with their inhibitory activity on biofilms, have the potential to make them a useful option. (2) The benefits for CAP are consistent, and higher when a macrolide is given with another atypical agent than if the other atypical agent is given alone, suggesting a non-antibacterial benefit. (3) Recent research of the immunomodulatory properties of azithromycin imply that azithromycin may have a previously unknown short-term biphasic effect on inflammation modulation: enhancement of host defence mechanisms shortly after initial administration followed by curtailment of local infection/inflammation in the following period. (4) Additional in vivo research is needed prior to developing any firm conclusions.
The impact of social capital on economic and social outcomes

Social capital has a wide range of applications in social sciences. Researchers have used the concept to explain various associations with socio-economic outcomes. However two important aspects have largely been ignored: (i) what forms social capital, and (ii) how social capital affects outcomes. This study provides advancements on these relatively shallow aspects. The three main arguments of the thesis can be summarized as follows. First, by reducing transaction costs, creating new forms of information exchange and influencing behaviour through norms, higher social capital induces innovation. The empirical findings suggest that innovation works as a transmission mechanism that translates social capital to economic growth. Second, we provide a relatively original approach to the measurement of social capital and use these new indicators to explain differences in crime rates across geographical space. Social capital reduces crime via network externalities, social support and by increasing the opportunity cost of crime. Third, institutions are important in shaping social capital. We do not focus on the complementary relation between informal and formal institutions, but rather suggest that history and formal institutional settings affect social capital in the long run.
Race, Sex, and Occupational Segregation in State and Local Governments

Using EEO-4 data, provided by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, for state and local governments with more than 250 employees, this paper details the extent of sexual and racial segregation of occupations in 1987 and trends since 1981. It tests a model of determination of occupational segregation and explores the effect of levels of and declines in segregation on the pay of women and minorities.
Insider Trading, Analysts' Forecast Revisions, and Earnings Changes

We provide evidence that insider trading contains value-relevant information by examining the association of insider trading with subsequent earnings changes and analysts' forecast revisions. Using a sample of 93,036 observations for 2,181 firms during 1986-1991, we document significant associations between insider trading and short (one-year-ahead) and longer term (two-and three-years-ahead) earnings changes, and between insider trading and analysts' forecast revisions, showing that insider trading contains value-relevant information. Our results also suggest that when insider trading is in the direction of the unexpected earnings news (i.e., insider purchases following good earnings news and sales following bad news), insiders may be acting on value-relevant private information. When insider trading is in a direction contrary to the earnings news, these trades appear to be motivated by the insiders' recognition of the market mispricing of their securities.
Pain‐like behaviour and spinal changes in the monosodium iodoacetate model of osteoarthritis in C57Bl/6 mice

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent, age‐related pain condition that poses a significant clinical problem. Here, in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of OA, we have characterized pain behaviours and associated changes at the first pain synapse in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
Committed to the organization or the job? Effects of perceived HRM practices on employees' behavioral outcomes in the Japanese healthcare industry

This paper attempts to document how employees' perceptions of organizations' human resource management (HRM) practices influence their work behavior and outcomes, including the level of turnover intentions and job quality improvement, in a Japanese organizational and management context. In particular, an examination was made to clarify the mediating role of person–environment (P–E) fit and multiple aspects of work commitment to reach possible explanations of the relationships between perceived HRM practices and employees' behavioral outcomes, following recent work that studied the above linkages. The results of structural equation modeling using a sample of 1052 healthcare service employees in Japan provided basic support for the idea that the effects of HRM practices and employees' behavioral outcomes are neither direct nor unconditional. Moreover, employees' evaluations of their fit and commitment to their organizations were found to be the important mediators of the relationships between perceived HRM practices, while their evaluations of their fit to and involvement in their jobs were not. The findings are used to discuss why the specific forms of P–E fit and work commitment appear salient in Japanese organizations. The generalizability of the findings and the limitations of the study are discussed.
A morphometric analysis of the craniofacial configuration in achondroplasia.

Human achondroplasia can be viewed as an experimental model for studying the effects of abnormal endochondral bone formation on the development of the skull as a whole. In this study, lateral cephalograms of 25 adult males and 26 adult females with achondroplasia were converted to a two-dimensional coordinate model of craniofacial morphology and analyzed using 66 linear, angular, and area variables. Lateral cephalograms of 951 normal adults were used for comparison. Two sample t-tests were used to compare achondroplastic cephalograms with normal cephalograms. Multivariate statistical analysis included Hotelling's T2 and discriminant function analysis. Selected variables were graphed as profile patterns in which mean values were expressed as standard deviation units (Z scores) relative to the norm. Finally, Calcomp plots were used for visual inspection and for comparison of the average cephalometric tracings of male and female achondroplastic subjects with normal male and female subjects, respectively. Significant findings in achondroplasia included enlarged calvaria, frontal bossing, large frontal sinuses, occipital prominence, normal anterior cranial base length, strikingly shortened posterior cranial base length, an acute cranial base angle, a short nasal bone that was deformed and depressed, short upper facial height, recessed maxilla, posterior tilt of the nasal floor, and a prognathic mandible that was anteriorly displaced but of normal size with a normal gonial angle and a high coronoid process. The finding of normal anterior cranial base length in achondroplastic subjects was surprising since the cranial base is preformed in cartilage and hypoplasia and shortening would be expected. Since the brain is enlarged in achondroplasia, the expanding frontal lobes may possibly influence the growth of the anterior cranial base, since it is known to follow a neural pattern of growth. Cribriform plate length was strikingly reduced, but anterior sphenoidal length was strikingly increased, compensating for the shortened cribriform plate length and suggesting that growth in the length of the anterior cranial base takes place primarily by adaptation at one site--namely, the sphenoethmoidal synchondrosis. Strikingly short posterior cranial base length was interpreted as resulting from hypoplasia of bone that is preformed in cartilage with possible early closure of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis. The exaggerated closure of the cranial base angle in achondroplasia may be related to an increased brain size and possibly earlier than normal closure of the intersphenoidal synchondrosis. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Long‐Run Stock Performance and its Determinants for Asset Buyers

This paper examines the long-term stock performance of asset purchasers and the determinants of cross-sectional differences in performance. Our findings show that buyers’ stocks, on average, underperform following purchases. Buy-and-hold abnormal returns of buyers acquiring related assets are significantly higher than those acquiring unrelated assets, consistent with the focus hypothesis. Asset buyers with superior prior stock performance experience poorer long-run performance than buyers with inferior prior stock performance, consistent with the prior performance hypothesis. Asset buyers that manage earnings upward, experience poorer long-term abnormal stock performance than acquirers with downward earnings management, consistent with the earnings management hypothesis. The long-term return evidence is to some degree consistent with the governance hypothesis but we find little support for the free cash flow hypothesis.
Effect of a high-protein, high-monounsaturated fat weight loss diet on glycemic control and lipid levels in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of a high-protein (HP) weight loss diet compared with a lower-protein (LP) diet on fat and lean tissue and fasting and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Replacing dietary protein for carbohydrate (CHO) during energy restriction and weight loss has been effective in sparing lean mass and improving insulin sensitivity in obese subjects but has not been tested in subjects with type 2 diabetes. We compared an HP diet (28% protein, 42% CHO, 28% fat [8% saturated fatty acids, 12% monounsaturated fatty acids, 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids]) with an LP diet (16% protein, 55% CHO, 26% fat [8% saturated fatty acids, 11% monounsaturated fatty acids, 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids]) in 54 obese men and women with type 2 diabetes during 8 weeks of energy restriction (1,600 kcal) and 4 weeks of energy balance. Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at weeks 0 and 12. RESULTS Overall, weight loss of 5.2 +/- 1.8 kg was achieved independently of diet composition. However, women on the HP diet lost significantly more total (5.3 vs. 2.8 kg, P=0.009) and abdominal (1.3 vs. 0.7 kg, P=0.006) fat compared with the women on the LP diet, whereas, in men, there was no difference in fat loss between diets (3.9 vs. 5.1 kg). Total lean mass decreased in all subjects independently of diet composition. LDL cholesterol reduction was significantly greater on the HP diet (5.7%) than on the LP diet (2.7%) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both dietary patterns resulted in improvements in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profile as a consequence of weight loss. However, the greater reductions in total and abdominal fat mass in women and greater LDL cholesterol reduction observed in both sexes on the HP diet suggest that it is a valid diet choice for reducing CVD risk in type 2 diabetes.
Quantifying the Effect of GST on Inflation in Australia’s Capital Cities: An Intervention Analysis: Discussion Paper No 153

This paper examines the magnitude and duration of the GST effect on inflation in Australia’s eight major capital cities using the Box and Tiao intervention analysis and quarterly data spanning from 1948:4 to 2003:1. We found that GST had a significant but transitory impact on inflation only in the September quarter of 2000 when this new tax system was implemented. In this quarter inflation showed an additional increase of 2.6 per cent in Sydney (minimum effect) and 2.8 per cent in Australia as a whole, the same figure for Hobart was 3.3 per cent (maximum effect). Based on the Wald test results, we have also found some evidence that there is no significant (or substantial) difference in the average price changes among major capital cities. We could not reject the null hypothesis that GST increased the CPI by 2.8 per cent across the board in various cities. These results are also consistent with previous studies/surveys.
Ecological Purchase Behaviour: Insights from a Middle Eastern Country

This study examined the influence of attitude towards environment and subjective norms on the ecological purchase intentions of Iranian consumers. The study subsequently investigated the influence of ecological purchase intentions on actual purchase behaviour of consumers and explored the key factors resulting in the lack of tendency for purchasing ecological products by Iranian consumers. Out of the three conjectured hypotheses, two were supported, which partially supported theory of reasoned action proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980). Findings of the study revealed that the subjective norms significantly influenced ecological purchase intentions, which in turn significantly resulted in purchase behaviour. However, the influence of attitudes towards environment on ecological purchase intentions was not significant.