Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer as king in the NHS

Over the last two decades, in response to political and financial pressures, the NHS has been subjected to considerable changes in its organisation. There is increasing emphases on containing the costs of hospital provision and making the treatment available from hospitals more responsive to consumers’ needs. “New” public sector management (NPM) philosophy clearly reflects an ideological shift toward newly valued entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours, where patients and health service‐users are re‐defined as “customers” and “consumers”. Through a consideration of the recent changes, this paper will argue that the increasing emphasis on efficiency, cost‐cutting and most especially consumer satisfaction has transformed how nurses manage their emotions at work, adding new dimensions to their caring role. Nurses now find themselves having to present the detached, calm, but caring, face of the health professional whilst also having to present a smiling face to patients who now behave as demanding customers.
The Capitalization of Wildlife Recreation Income into Farmland Values

Wildlife recreation—hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching—appears to be an increasingly important pastime for many Americans. From 1991 to 2001, U.S. wildlife recreation expenditures surged from $77 billion to $108 billion in 2001 dollars. Land lease and ownership expenditures by wildlife recreation participants are also rising and appear to be capitalized into farmland values. This paper analyzes the impact of hunting lease rates on farmland values in Texas. The results indicate that counties with higher wildlife recreation income streams have higher land values.
Intellectual capital disclosure payback

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated framework for intellectual capital disclosure.Design/methodology/approach – The measure, manage and report intellectual capital (MMRIC) methodology is a six‐step process that will enable firms to more accurately describe their intangible assets.Findings – The proposed step‐by‐step process also complements the exploration‐exploitation tension that is highlighted in the knowledge management literature.Research limitations/implications – This paper provides academic researchers with a comprehensive framework that can be utilized for future empirical studies related to intellectual capital disclosure.Practical implications – The MMRIC process is a very useful tool for practitioners in that it provides a sequential system that can be followed for intellectual capital disclosure.Social implications – Society at large benefits when corporate entities help to reduce risk and volatile market fluctuations by reducing information asymmetry with more com.
A Contingent Approach to the Organization and Management of Public–Private Partnerships: An Empirical Study of English Health Care

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become a prominent feature of contemporary public policy. Although research shows variation in the contractual configuration of partnerships, there is little evidence of how these shape service and workforce organization. Through comparative ethnographic research on two PPP health care providers in the English National Health Service, this article develops the idea that PPPs exhibit “tight” and “loose” arrangements that relate to “downstream” service and workforce management. It induces four empirically grounded mediating factors to describe this relationship. The first relates to the “dependence” between partners in terms of financing, strategy, and resource sharing; the second to the “strategic orientation” of leaders; the third to the composition of the “professional workforce”; and the fourth to the “management approach” to service and workforce organization. The article contributes to the research literature by exploring the contingencies in how PPPs are operationalized on the ground.
Presumed competence reflected in the educational programs of students with IDD before and after the Beyond Access professional development intervention

Abstract Background Judgements about students' competence influence the goals of their individualised education programs (IEPs), the location of service delivery, and their placement in general education (GE) as opposed to special education (SE) classes. The purpose of this study was to describe how presumed competence to learn the GE curriculum was reflected in the IEPs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and in the reported percentage of time that these students spent in GE classes prior to and following the Beyond Access professional development intervention. Method Five educational teams of students with IDD participated in a professional development intervention that emphasised students' presumed competence to learn grade‐level GE curriculum. Students' pre‐ and post‐intervention IEPs were qualitatively analysed and team member reports of percentage time spent in GE classes were averaged. Results Five categories of presumed competence were identified. Following intervention, emphasis on learning the GE curriculum, a shift in location of service delivery from outside to within the GE classroom, and increased time spent in GE classes were reported. Conclusions The Beyond Access intervention shows promise for enhancing views of the competence of students with IDD to learn the GE curriculum and for increasing their inclusion in GE classrooms.
Does German Foreign Direct Investment Lead to Job Losses at Home

This paper provides firm-level evidence on the labour demand effects of outward investments using a panel of multinationals (MNEs) based in Germany. Distinguishing the type of investments and the location of subsidiaries around the world between 1997 and 2008, our evidence shows that for both the manufacturing and services sector the expansion of employment abroad does not occur at the detriment of employment at home. The analysis is extended to see whether outward FDI causes average wage cuts for workers employed in the German parent firm. Our findings indicate no clear average wage effects due to outward FDI. Given that domestic MNEs are seen to play an important role in the growth potential for an economy, these findings are somewhat re-assuring from a policy point of view.
Urban Visitor Perceptions of Safety during a Special Event

The impact of crime on special events in the urban environment has generated a limited amount of research among tourism researchers. This article is an exploratory study of visitor perceptions of crime and safety during the hosting of a special event—the 2000 America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. Using factor analysis and a structural equation model, the authors analyze the factors involved with crimes against tourists in urban areas. The results indicate that distinct differences exist between domestic and international visitors in relation to the perception and experiences of tourism-related crime.
The failure of small British Initial Public Offerings on the UK Alternative Investment Market: A research note on spatial and industry effects

This research note investigates the failure probability of British Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in terms of spatial proximity to London and operating within the financial services sector. The results suggest that financial services firms in proximity to London experience a higher failure rate on AIM. It is suggested that part of the higher failure rate observed on AIM, compared to the failure rate of small IPOs elsewhere, can be explained by the London dominance of AIM, which favours those financial sector businesses that manage to achieve an IPO.
Intramembrane Aromatic Interactions Influence the Lipid Sensitivities of Pentameric Ligand-gated Ion Channels*

Background: Channel gating is uncoupled from agonist binding when nicotinic receptors lack activating lipids. Results: Gating is also uncoupled with ELIC, but engineered aromatic interactions at the M4-M1/M3 interface restore coupling. Conclusion: The strength of M4-M1/M3 interactions impacts both coupling and lipid sensitivity. Significance: Variable levels of intramembrane aromatics in eukaryotic homologs likely lead to variable lipid sensitivities. Although the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) reconstituted into phosphatidylcholine (PC) membranes lacking cholesterol and anionic lipids adopts a conformation where agonist binding is uncoupled from channel gating, the underlying mechanism remains to be defined. Here, we examine the mechanism behind lipid-dependent uncoupling by comparing the propensities of two prokaryotic homologs, Gloebacter and Erwinia ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC and ELIC, respectively), to adopt a similar uncoupled conformation. Membrane-reconstituted GLIC and ELIC both exhibit folded structures in the minimal PC membranes that stabilize an uncoupled nAChR. GLIC, with a large number of aromatic interactions at the interface between the outermost transmembrane α-helix, M4, and the adjacent transmembrane α-helices, M1 and M3, retains the ability to flux cations in this uncoupling PC membrane environment. In contrast, ELIC, with a level of aromatic interactions intermediate between that of the nAChR and GLIC, does not undergo agonist-induced channel gating, although it does not exhibit the expected biophysical characteristics of the uncoupled state. Engineering new aromatic interactions at the M4-M1/M3 interface to promote effective M4 interactions with M1/M3, however, increases the stability of the transmembrane domain to restore channel function. Our data provide direct evidence that M4 interactions with M1/M3 are modulated during lipid sensing. Aromatic residues strengthen M4 interactions with M1/M3 to reduce the sensitivities of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels to their surrounding membrane environment.
Impacts of Socio-culture on the Development of Autonomous Learning: A Lens of Vietnamese Context

The paper examines the influences of socio-culture on the development of autonomous learning of Vietnamese students. This study was documented from a number of researchers who have devoted their research on autonomous learning and it’s conjunction with native social-cultural influences. The key focus of the paper is to identify how socio-cultural factors impact on student’s autonomous learning in Vietnam. The results are important as they bring the researcher a review for a further study.
Production, optimization, characterization and antifungal activity of chitinase produced by Aspergillus terrus

Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers widely distributed in the marine and terrestrial environments. Chitinase enzyme has received increased attention due to its wide range of biotechnological applications. Aspergillus terrus was found to be a good chitinase producer among the five fungi isolated from different soil samples from Al-Jouf city, Saudi Arabia. Maximum production of chitinase was obtained when using 2% of Shrimp-shell powder as a sole carbon source in the fermentation medium. The high level of chitinase production was observed in the culture medium with pH 5 at 30°C for five days at shaking conditions. Some properties of the crude chitinase were studied. In the present study, the antifungal activity of crude A. terrus chitinase was investigated against Apergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Pencillum oxysporium, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporium, Rhizopus sp. and Mucor sp. and also estimated. The chitinase was found to inhibit the growth of some phytopathogenic fungi tested. The present work provides a suitable medium composition for enhancement of chitinase production by A. terrus and some properties of crude enzyme. Moreover, the study reflects the potential of A. terrus chitinase for biotechnological application.
The Shadow Wage of Child Labour: An Application to Nepal

This paper estimates the contribution of child labor to the formation of household farm income in rural enterprises. The contribution to household income from the employment of children comes either from the employment on-farm at a shadow wage or off-farm in the agricultural or other sectors. The paper uses a cost function with household labor as a quasi-fixed factor in order to estimate the shadow wage for each component of the household labor force. The study also provides an estimate of contribution of child labor to household income in the rural sector, both at the household and national level. A set of simulation also highlight the role that child labor plays in insuring household subsistence and how it does affects income distribution.
A transformation in the French model of shareholding and management

This article explores the French model of shareholding and management, identifying a significant transformation in the pattern of shareholding in the largest companies. In earlier configurations of ownership, first the State and then the system of cross shareholdings were at the centre of French capitalism; the new pattern of shareholding operates under a different logic and motivation. In effect, France has undergone rapid change from a 'financial network economy' to a 'financial market economy'. This new pattern of shareholding has not only broken the traditional system of cross shareholding, but it has also facilitated the arrival of foreign institutional investors who bring with them new techniques and demands on corporate management.
Crime rates, male youth unemployment and real income in Australia: evidence from Granger causality tests

This article applies Granger causality tests to examine the relationship between seven different categories of property crime and violent crime against the person, male youth unemployment and real male average weekly earnings in Australia from 1964 to 2001 within a cointegration and vector error correction framework. It is found that fraud, homicide and motor vehicle theft are cointegrated with male youth unemployment and real male average weekly earnings. However, there is no evidence of a long-run relationship between either break and enter, robbery, serious assault or stealing with male youth unemployment and real male average weekly earnings.
A Grading System Based on Severity of Infection to Predict Mortality in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Background. There is, until now, no prognostic grading system for infections occurring in allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of a grading system of infectious complications in predicting death. Methods. For the purposes of a prospective allogeneic SCT trial, we classified severity of infections in 3 grades according to expected rates of mortality (≥ 60% for grade 3). We prospectively recorded the type and time of occurrence of 440 infectious events in 190 consecutive patients until 6 months after transplant. We used multivariate Cox models with time-dependent covariates to analyze the relationship between the grade of severity of each infectious episode and mortality due or not due to infection, adjusting for possible confounders. Results. Only patients with grade 3 infections had a significantly increased risk of death (P<.0001). The risk was not modified when the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease or the dose of IVIg administered were considered. Occurrence of a grade 1 and 2 infection had no additional influence. Conclusion. Our grading system identifies the most medically important, life-threatening infections and allow high-risk patients to be identified. We suggest grade 3 infections should be given priority in the evaluation of anti-infectious strategies.
An Examination of Teacher Education in Literacy Instruction and Candidate Perceptions of Their Learned Literacy Practices

Using mixed-methods approaches and cross-case analysis procedures of a study of 10 teacher-preparation programs across the United States, researchers identified signature aspects of the programs that captured key elements unique to each institution and compared teacher candidate perceptions of learning with the expressed intentions of the faculty. The teacher candidates' perceptions of their learning were contextualized in terms of the 2003 to 2010 Standards for the Teaching Profession of the International Reading Association. Findings indicate some deficiencies across the institutions as well as many strengths and key attributes. Implications for teacher preparation programs and accountability of those programs are discussed. Further directions for research, including the second and third phases of this study, are suggested.
Deciding to Persist: Adversity, Values, and Entrepreneurs’ Decision Policies

Entrepreneurial persistence occurs when the entrepreneur chooses to continue with an entrepreneurial opportunity regardless of counterinfluences or enticing alternatives. The decision to persist is influenced by personal characteristics and by feedback from the environment relative to thresholds. Using a conjoint experiment, we investigate how adversity and values influence the weight placed on the decision attributes for the persistence decisions of 100 entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that the persistence decision policies are heterogeneous depending on the level of adversity experienced and the individual values held by the entrepreneurs. The results provide interesting insights into why and how entrepreneurs choose to persist.
Accounting Regulation in ASEAN: A Choice between the Global and Regional Paradigms of Harmonization

This paper analyzes accounting regulation in ASEAN countries in the context of the global and regional paradigms of accounting harmonization. It uses a comparative framework to highlight the similarities and differences in the regulatory environment of five ASEAN countries. The regional paradigm is discussed in the context of the ASEAN Federation of Accountants’ efforts towards regional harmonization while the global paradigm looks at members countries’ adoption of IASC standards. The paper examines forces driving global harmonization in ASEAN and discusses the economic and political conditions for regional harmonization which, unlike in the EU, do not yet exist in ASEAN. It concludes that this has led to the dominance of the global paradigm of harmonization in ASEAN countries.
Bombesin/gastrin‐releasing peptide antagonists RC‐3095 and RC‐3940‐II inhibit tumor growth and decrease the levels and mRNA expression of epidermal growth factor receptors in H‐69 small cell lung carcinoma

Antagonists of bombesin/gastrin‐releasing peptide (BN/GRP) have been developed to block the autocrine stimulatory effect of BN/GRP on tumors such as small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). Although several studies have addressed the intracellular events that follow the formation of the receptor‐ligand complex, the mechanism of action of BN/GRP antagonists remains unclear.
Survival Analysis and European Union Decision-making

Practitioners as well as scholars of European integration have for decades debated why it takes so long for the European Union (EU) to adopt legislation and how to improve decision-making efficiency. Four studies have investigated decision-making speed using survival analysis, a particularly appropriate quantitative technique. In this paper I show that all four studies suffer from serious methodological problems that render their conclusions unreliable. I then outline where work in this area should focus, and take an initial step in this direction by fitting a methodologically more appropriate survival model to my 2002 EU decision-making data set (Golub, 2002). Substantively, the results indicate that throughout the EU's history, for the most important types of legislation, qualified majority voting (QMV) and EU enlargement have increased decision-making speed, whereas empowerment of the European Parliament and extreme preference heterogeneity amongst decision-makers have decreased it. Theoretically, formal approaches — spatial models and especially coalition theory — do a better job of explaining these results than do perspectives that privilege informal norms.
Domestic politics and foreign policy change in small states

The article sets out to further an understanding of how domestic politics can impact on foreign policy change in small states. The case of interest is the change that occurred in the foreign policy of Denmark when its government managed to put an end to the ‘footnote policy’ in mid-1988. The main conclusion is that changes in two particular domestic political factors, in terms of political party opposition and public opposition, facilitated a change in foreign policy for the Danish government. Changes in party and public opposition created opportunities for the government to use foreign policy change as a strategy to increase its political power on the domestic scene. In this case of foreign policy change, domestic political factors and external forces were equally important.
Structure influence on mechanical and acoustic properties of freeze-dried gels obtained with the use of hydrocolloids.

The influence of the structure formed by the type of hydrocolloids (low-methoxyl pectin, the mixture of xanthan gum, and locust bean gum, and mixture of xanthan gum, and guar gum) and the aeration time (3, 5, 7, and 9 min) on textural properties of freeze-dried gels were investigated. The hardest texture generating the strongest acoustic emission was obtained by freeze-dried pectin gel, characterised by the lowest porosity and the largest pore diameter. Aeration time significantly affected mechanical and acoustic properties of the pectin gel lyophilisate. No effect of gel aeration time on tested characteristics of samples with mixture of hydrocolloids was observed. Strong positive correlations between acoustic energy as well as the maximum force and work and negative ones between porosity and pore diameter indicate that greater resilience and stronger acoustic emission of freeze-dried gels was caused by the reduction of porosity and the increase in the pore size of the material. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The research is expected to show the phenomenon of structure formation when preparing and freeze-drying gels and explain the influence of the process parameters (time of aeration, the type of hydrocolloids) on the formation of the internal structure and physical properties of a dried product, especially mechanical and acoustic properties. This achievement will contribute to the development of the science of food and human nutrition, especially within the context of the popular research on aerated diet products. The expected result will be the ability to develop a new technology for producing food with a delicate texture, using the phenomenon of sublimation. As a result, designing changes in the structure of freeze-dried fruit gels with a delicate structure will be possible due to the choice of ingredients and aeration parameters in order to develop innovative food characterised by favorable nutritional, health and functional properties, which will be attractive for the consumers.