Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Policy Discourses on ‘Reconciling Work and Life’ in the EU

This paper outlines the development EU policy discourse on ‘the reconciliation of work and family life’. This imposes a policy disjuncture on New Labour, for, while the British government may be ideologically more attracted to the liberal US model of ‘flexible’ labour, it is bound by EU law to implement a more corporatist gender equality model. The paper notes how themes of economic competition, democratisation, and protecting gender contracts emerged at the foundation EU gender policy. It traces these themes into an ‘equal opportunities at work’ discourse during the 1970s and 1980s and, with the increasing importance of the ‘demographic time bomb’ discourse and of Scandinavian style gender equality, into discourses stressing the ‘reconciliation of paid work with family life’ and gender mainstreaming. The paper ends by addressing the ‘half-empty or half-full’ assessments of EU gender policy.
Out-of-pocket costs and adherence to antihypertensive agents among older adults covered by the public drug insurance plan in Quebec

Objective To evaluate the effect of patient out-of-pocket costs on adherence to antihypertensive agents (AHA) in community-dwelling older adults covered by the public drug insurance plan in Quebec. Methods This is a secondary analysis of data from the “Étude sur la santé des aînés” study (2005–2008) on community-dwelling older adults in Quebec aged 65 years and older (N=2,811). The final sample included 881 participants diagnosed with arterial hypertension and treated with AHA. Medication adherence was measured with the proportion of days covered over a 2-year follow-up period (<80% and ≥80%). Out-of-pocket costs for AHA, in Canadian dollars (CAD), at cohort entry were categorized as follows: $0, $0.01–$5.00, $5.01–$10.00, $10.01–$15.00 and $15.01–$36.00. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to study adherence to AHA as a function of out-of-pocket costs while controlling for several confounders. Models were also stratified by annual household income (<$15,000 CAD and ≥$15,000 CAD). Results In this study, 80.8% of participants were adherent to their AHA. Among participants reporting an annual household income <$15,000 CAD, those with an out-of-pocket cost of $10.01–$15.00 CAD were significantly less adherent to their AHA than those with no contribution (OR =0.175, 95% CI: 0.042–0.740). Among participants reporting an income of ≥$15,000 CAD, those with out-of-pocket costs of $0.01–$5.00 CAD (OR =0.194; 95% CI: 0.048–0.787), $5.01–$10.00 CAD (OR =0.146; 95% CI: 0.036–0.589), $10.01–$15.00 CAD (OR =0.192; 95% CI: 0.047–0.777) and $15.01–$36.00 CAD (OR =0.160, 95% CI: 0.039–0.655) were significantly less adherent to their AHA than participants with no contribution. Conclusion Increased out-of-pocket costs are associated with non-adherence to AHA in older adults covered by a public drug insurance plan, more importantly in those reporting an annual household income ≥$15,000 CAD. A reduction in the amount of out-of-pocket costs and yearly maximum contribution for drugs may improve adherence to treatment.
Factors Underlying the Adoption of Social Network: A Study of Facebook Users in South Korea

This paper examined the adoption and the uses of social network site (SNS) namely Facebook in South Korea. The aim of the study is to explore the factors contributing to the adoption and the uses of social network. The paper uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches for research methodology. The qualitative method is used to gain insight into how consumers value social network by interviewing both users and non-users. Thirty-five questions were developed in the questionnaire based on the interview. Factor Analysis suggested nine characteristics of the adoption, namely involvement, usefulness, usage, trust, convenience, openness of information, audience, making contacts, and acceptability. A MANOVA test showed that there were significant difference on the attributes of the adoption by gender and ages. ANOVA showed that males and females differed on their attitudes toward five attributes of the adoption: involvement, usefulness, usage, openness of information, and audience. It also showed that different ages of people differed on their attitudes toward five attributes of the adoption: involvement, usefulness, usage, convenience, and openness of information. The paper indicated that Korean consumers get involved, perceive usefulness, use, and accept social network as a part of their life styles. Marketing managers should be aware of the opportunities to utilize the usefulness of social network, which may provide an avenue for companies to reach their customers more effectively.
Common dynamics of nonenergy commodity prices and their relation to uncertainty

The purpose of this article is to improve the empirical evidence on commodity prices in various dimensions. First, we attempt to identify the extent of comovements in 44 monthly nonenergy commodity price series in order to ascertain whether the increase in comovement is a recent term phenomenon. Second, we attempt to determine the role of uncertainty in determining comovements among nonenergy prices in the short run. We diagnose the overall comovement using a dynamic factor model estimated by principal components. A factor-augmented vector autoregressive approach is used to assess the relationship of fundamentals, financial and uncertainty variables with the comovement in commodity prices. We find a greater synchronization among raw materials since December 2003. Since that date, uncertainty has played an important role in determining short-run fluctuations in nonenergy raw material prices.
Aggregate Consequences of Market Imperfections

This dissertation aims to analyze aggregate consequences of market imperfections. In particular, it is interested in the effects of capital market imperfections and contracting constraints on the efficiency of the allocation and, subsequently, the prospects for growth. In the first chapter, lotteries are introduced into the framework of Galor and Zeira (1993). This is a growth model with imperfect capital markets and indivisible investment permitting an individual poverty trap. Allowing for lotteries leads to a quite remarkable overturn of the original result: more severe capital market imperfections may increase aggregate consumption in finite time. Intuitively, whenever lotteries dominate an imperfect capital market as a means of capital allocation, increasing the relative attractiveness of lotteries also increases allocative efficiency. The second chapter of this dissertation analyzes the effects of intra-firm bargaining on the formation of firms under imperfect capital markets and contracting constraints. In equilibrium, wealth inequality induces a heterogenous distribution of firm sizes allowing for firms both too small and too large in terms of technical efficiency. The findings connect well to empirical facts as the missing middle of size distributions in less developed countries. The model is able to encompass a non-monotonic relationship between inequality and aggregate wealth, providing a theoretical framework for policy analysis of foreign aid and investment. The last chapter finds that non-transferabilities of utility in markets, caused by e.g. contracting constraints, may induce inefficient incentives for non-contractible investments taking place prior to markets. The timing of markets with respect to the investment affects their efficiency. Applying this results to a model of education choice and labor markets we find that markets opening only after agents have invested may exhibit inefficient over-education whereas markets that open only prior to investment do not. Hence, enforcing ex post markets by e.g. prolonging compulsory schooling, may lead to over-education and inefficient labor market allocations.
"Difference" in Public Relations Research: A Case for Introducing Critical Race Theory

This article seeks to develop a theoretical understanding of the role of identity and power in issues management campaigns. It illustrates through original research how issues management strategies involving the management of multiple identities can motivate significant public activism. In this research, environmental interest groups attempted to influence public policy on genetic engineering in New Zealand, a country where genetic engineering issues are strongly contested and related public policy decisions will have outcomes of significant economic importance, nationally. The findings show that identity management strategies successfully extended public debate about genetic engineering and demonstrated the power of activist groups to influence the direction of government public policy.
Measurement, promotions and patterns of behavior in Chinese local government

In this paper, the everyday politics of rural Chinese officials will be analyzed, largely drawing on my own fieldwork in central China, and studies by Western and Chinese scholars who have spent extensive periods of time working alongside rural officials. The dual identities of Chinese officials as market players and the implementers of government policy are outlined. The paper will examine the formal, informal and semi-formal dynamics of political power in rural China, and propose a matrix of incentives and constraints that can be used to analyze the behavior of rural officials across different regions of China.
Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of FPGA-based state estimators for electric vehicle batteries

This paper describes a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulation platform specifically designed to test state estimators for Li-ion batteries in electric vehicle applications. Two promising estimators, the Mix algorithm combined with the moving window least squares and the dual extended Kalman filter, are implemented in hardware on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and evaluated using the developed HiL platform. The simulation results show the effectiveness of using FPGAs for hardware acceleration of battery state estimators and the importance of their assessment under different operating conditions, i.e., driving schedules, which can be simulated by the HiL platform.
Alterations in the muscle force transfer apparatus in aged rats during unloading and reloading: impact of microRNA‐31

Force transfer is integral for maintaining skeletal muscle structure and function. One important component is dystrophin. There is limited understanding of how force transfer is impacted by age and loading. Here, we investigate the force transfer apparatus in muscles of adult and old rats exposed to periods of disuse and reloading. Our results demonstrate an increase in dystrophin protein during the reloading phase in the adult tibialis anterior muscle that is delayed in the old muscle. The consequence of this delay is an increased susceptibility towards contraction‐induced muscle injury. Central to the lack of dystrophin protein is an increase in miR‐31, a microRNA that inhibits dystrophin translation. In vivo electroporation with a miR‐31 sponge led to increased dystrophin protein and decreased contraction‐induced muscle injury in old skeletal muscle. Overall, our results detail the importance of the force transfer apparatus and provide new mechanisms for contraction‐induced injury in ageing skeletal muscle.
Skid resistance performance of asphalt wearing courses with electric arc furnace slag aggregates

Metallurgical slags are by-products of the iron and steel industry and are subdivided into blast furnace slag and steel slag according to the different steel-producing processes. In Greece, slags are mostly produced from steelmaking using the electric arc furnace process, and subsequently are either disposed in a random way or utilized by the cement industry. Steel slag has been recently used, worldwide, as hard aggregates in wearing courses in order to improve the skidding resistance of asphalt pavements. At the Highway Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki research has been carried out in the field of steel slags, and especially in electric arc furnace (EAF) slag, to evaluate their possible use in highway engineering. In this paper, the recent results of anti-skidding performance of steel slag aggregates in highway pavements are presented.
Managing corporate responsibility globally and locally: Lessons from a CR leader

Corporate Responsibility (CR) is today an essential component of corporate global strategy. CR can bolster the institutional context for market expansion fill institutional voids or facilitate market entry as a component of non-market strategy. Yet, in fulfilling these functions, CR may need to be highly sensitive to local contexts. How can transnational firms organize CR so as to maximize efficiencies from globalization and to minimize the fragmentation of corporate organizational cultures? provide a framework for analyzing the way that corporations coordinate global and local functions. We build on this framework in a case study of Novo Nordisk and its approach to determining global and local CR policies and procedures with regard to its China and US subsidiaries. Our findings suggest that it is important for companies to define a common set of organizational norms. In addition, CR need to be sensitive to local institutional contexts, but learning from subsidiary experience is important and lends itself to standardization and replication of initiatives across market contexts.
Scale‐down of continuous protein producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultivations using a two‐compartment system

In the biotechnological industry, economic decisions in investment are typically based on laboratory‐scale experiments. Scale‐down as a tool is therefore of high industrial importance to transfer the processes into larger production scale without loss in performance. In this study, large‐scale prolonged continuous cultivations with a heterologous protein producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain have been scaled‐down to a two‐compartment scale‐down reactor system. The effects of glucose, pH, and oxygen concentration gradients have been investigated by comparison with corresponding 300 mL standard continuous cultivations. It was found that substrate gradients within a limited range result in increased productivity of the heterologous protein under regulation of glycolytic TPI promoter and delay the decrease of protein and trehalose production during continuous cultivation. Based on these results, it is argued that introduction of variations in substrate concentration can be beneficial for industrial continuous cultivations. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 32:152–159, 2016
Effects of Mucilage on Rhizosphere Hydraulic Functions Depend on Soil Particle Size

We propose a model of mechanistic pore‐scale interactions of mucilage, water, and soil. Effect of mucilage on saturated hydraulic conductivity is stronger in coarse soils. Coarse soils require higher mucilage concentration to increase water content. Upscaling to macroscopic soil hydraulic properties remains challenging. The model was validated on measured water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity
Can Bisphosphonates Be Given to Patients with Fractures?

One of the frequently asked questions concerning patients treated with bisphosphonates is whether individuals who recently have sustained a fracture should take inhibitors of bone resorption such as these. This argument is relevant because many of the patients treated with these drugs do have fractures, such as patients with osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, tumor bone disease, and more recently, osteogenesis imperfecta.
Identifying Consensus Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts that Correctly and Incorrectly Predict an Earnings Increase

: This study observes that consensus analysts’ forecasts incorrectly predict an increase in one-year-ahead earnings in 28.9% of the firm-year observations, and that correct (incorrect) firms generate 14.8% (−25.7%) abnormal returns over the next year, on average. The ability to anticipate when analysts’ predicted earnings increases will or will not materialize is therefore potentially important to investors and investment fund managers. This paper develops an empirical model that predicts when analysts’ forecasts will correctly (versus incorrectly) anticipate the direction of the change in upcoming earnings, by exploiting information in (a) the nature of analysts’ characteristics and firms’ earnings predictability, and (b) fundamental analysis of firms’ earnings growth. The model successfully distinguishes between forecasted earnings increases that do (versus do not) materialize and a trading strategy that takes long (short) positions in the portfolio the model identifies as more (less) likely correct generates an average annual abnormal return of 14.1%.
Learning from Co-evolution of Policy and Technology. Different PGDs in the Netherlands, Germany and Britain

Abstract Approaches in comparative policy analysis have so far focused on the understanding of actors, institutions and their positions in the policy-making process. More recent work attempts to enrich comparative policy analysis by taking the social context and culture into account, in order to do justice to the relevance of policy context for policy content. However, the object or content of policy making has so far largely remained a black box. In this article we aim to open up this black box by studying the provision of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the Netherlands, Germany and Britain in terms of co-evolution. Co-evolution refers to the intricate development of a policy together with its content, in this case genetic technologies such as PGD. We demonstrate how co-evolution has led to specific technological arrangements in these three countries: a specific technical version of PGD to deal with restrictive legislation in Germany, to a well-funded PGD with insecure indications in the Netherlands and to a PGD with secure indications but uncertain funding in Britain. We argue that this approach can contribute to policy learning, about the role of policy content as well as the role of policy processes in shaping public policies.
Board Leadership Structure and CEO Turnover

We study whether bestowing chief executive officer (CEO) and board chairman duties on one individual affects a boards decision to dismiss an ineffective CEO. The results show that the sensitivity of CEO turnover to firm performance is significantly lower when the CEO and chairman duties are vested in the same individual. These results are consistent with the view that the lack of independent leadership in firms that combine the CEO and Chairman positions makes it difficult for the board to remove poorly performing managers.
Spatial dependence of production choice: application of Bayesian Spatial Autoregressive Probit Model on smallholder rubber producers

This research is conducted to study the output choice of rubber farmers with the special interest in measuring the neighbourhood effect in the choice production choice. We make inferences about the choice of production of Ribbed Smoked Sheets (RSS) for selling. In doing so, we estimate a Spatial Autoregressive Probit Model (SAPM) using recently developed Bayesian techniques in estimating the SAPM. We find that significant spatial relations exist in the production of sheet rubber and there are considerable amounts of spillover effects. The overarching issues of product choice are the availability of physical resources and the lack of proper grading system. Our findings reveals the possibility of central processing to overcome resource limitations, significant reductions in extension efforts in promoting good manufacturing practices by taking stock of the ‘neighbourhood’ effect present in farmer choices and the necessity of proper grading and quality management system to win producer trust.
Phase II Prospective Randomized Trial of a Low-Fat Diet with Fish Oil Supplementation in Men Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

Preclinical studies suggest lowering dietary fat and decreasing the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decreases the risk of prostate cancer development and progression. We conducted a phase II randomized trial to test the effect of decreasing dietary fat combined with decreasing the dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio on biomarkers related to prostate cancer development and progression. Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were randomly assigned to receive a low-fat diet with 5 grams of fish oil daily (dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 2:1) or a control Western diet (omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 15:1) for four to six weeks prior to surgery. The primary endpoint was change in serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) between arms. Secondary endpoints were serum IGFBP-1, prostate prostaglandin E2 levels, omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratios, COX-2, and markers of proliferation and apoptosis. Fifty-five patients were randomized and 48 completed the trial. There was no treatment difference in the primary outcome. Positive secondary outcomes in the low-fat fish oil versus Western group were reduced benign and malignant prostate tissue omega-6:omega-3 ratios, reduced proliferation (Ki-67 index), and reduced proliferation in an ex vivo bioassay when patient sera was applied to prostate cancer cells in vitro. In summary, four to six weeks of a low-fat diet and fish oil capsules to achieve an omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 2:1 had no effect on serum IGF-1 levels, though in secondary analyses, the intervention resulted in decreased prostate cancer proliferation and decreased prostate tissue omega-6:omega-3 ratios. These results support further studies evaluating reduction of dietary fat with fish oil supplementation on modulating prostate cancer biology. Cancer Prev Res; 4(12); 2062–71. ©2011 AACR.
Accounting Ethics Education in Turkish Public Universities

Purpose - Ethics education in accounting has become more of an issue after the Enron collapse. The aim of the study is to evaluate the importance given to accounting ethics education in business schools in Turkey and to discuss the possible problems by comparing the results with developed countries. Design/methodology/approach - For the evaluation of the ethics education in Turkey, a questionnaire was sent to all accounting departments of business schools. Findings - In this study low rates of ethics education in Turkey were found but, if an academician has received accounting ethics education, he/she is shown to be more likely to teach ethics. Originality/value - These experiences would be a good guide for Turkish academics for development of ethics education in accounting programmes of business schools.
Wealth Transfer Effects of Analysts' Misleading Behavior

We investigate a sample of 50 firm-events, identified in the Global Research Analysts Settlement, in which analysts were discovered to have acted misleadingly ex post. In this setting, analysts' incentives caused them to issue public disclosures that differed from their private beliefs. We document that these firms' institutional holdings decline significantly during the period in which the analysts issued misleading disclosures. During this period daily small-size trades (a proxy for individual investors) are dominated by buy orders while daily large-size trades (a proxy for institutional investors) are dominated by sell orders. Short interest increases during the event period, consistent with the idea that sophisticated investors are selling. Our estimates of investors' trading losses show that individual investors lost about two and a half times the amount lost by institutions. Overall, the results suggest a wealth transfer from individuals to institutions that is likely attributable to analysts' misleading behavior.