Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parent and adult-child interactions: empirical evidence from Britain

The paper uses new data from the British Household Panel Survey to study frequency of contact of parents with their adult children, and help received by parents from them. It also investigates the extent to which adult children benefit from their parents' help, both financial and in-kind, such as childcare. The empirical analysis is motivated by a theoretical model of an efficient extended family, and a number of predictions about the impact of parents' and children's economic resources on these interactions are consistent with the model. But there are also some findings that are hard to reconcile with it or other economic theories of family interaction.
A Check on the Robustness of Hamilton's Markov Switching Model Approach to the Economic Analysis of the Business Cycle

This note explores the robustness of Hamilton's (Econometrica, 1989) two-regime Markov switching model framework for capturing business-cycle patterns. Applying his exact specification to a revised version of real GNP, I find parameter estimates that are similar to those he reported only when I use the same sample period (1952-1984) and a particular set of starting values for the maximum likelihood procedure. Two other local maxima exist that have higher likelihood values, and neither correspond to the conventional recession-expansion dichotomy. In fact, when the sample period is extended, there is no longer a local maximum near the parameter set reported by Hamilton. Exploring the model and data further, I reject cross-regime restrictions of Hamilton specification, but also find that relaxing these restrictions increases the number of local maxima. However, a parsimonious three-regime model for GNP growth is more robust and plausible, especially when each regime is required to last more than one quarter.
MyD88, but Not Toll-Like Receptors 4 and 2, Is Required for Efficient Clearance of Brucella abortus

ABSTRACT It is not clear how the host initially recognizes and responds to infection by gram-negative pathogenic Brucella spp. It was previously shown (D. S. Weiss, B. Raupach, K. Takeda, S. Akira, and A. Zychlinsky, J. Immunol. 172:4463-4469, 2004) that the early macrophage response against gram-negative bacteria is mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which signals in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Brucella, however, has a noncanonical LPS which does not have potent immunostimulatory activity. We evaluated the kinetics of TLR4 activation and the cytokine response in murine macrophages after Brucella infection. We found that during infection of macrophages, Brucella avoids activation of TLR4 at 6 h but activates TLR4, TLR2, and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) at 24 h postinfection. Interestingly, even though its activation is delayed, MyD88 is important for host defense against Brucella infection in vivo, since MyD88−/− mice do not clear the bacteria as efficiently as wild-type, TLR4−/−, TLR2−/−, or TLR4/TLR2−/− mice.
Interest Rate and Price Linkages between the USA and Japan: Evidence from the Post-Bretton Woods Period

In this paper we investigate the extent to which a number of key parity conditions hold within and between the USA and Japan. Previous research has demonstrated that the nonstationarity of the "simple" parity conditions was related to the nonstationarity of the real exchange rate, reflecting the very slow adjustment to fundamental real exchange rates. The need to finance the resulting trade deficits seemed to have caused similar nonstationary movements in the long-term bond differential. Support for this proposition is also given in this paper. Furthermore, our results point to a reversal of the linkages partly in the term structure from the long to the short end of the market, partly in the Fisher parities from the nominal interest rate to inflation rate. These results might be important for the conduct of monetary policy which works on the economy through short-term interest rates.
Three ways of linking laboratory endeavours to the realm of policies

Abstract This paper elucidates experimental economists' recent attempts to link their laboratory endeavours to the realm of policies. To be concrete, by concentrating on some of the well-known policy-related works conducted by three thriving research programs in experimental economics, this paper demonstrates what kinds of perspectives contemporary experimental economists take towards a foundational issue in economics, rationality. The disunity this paper finds in experimental economists' practices is interpreted as a source of strength, rather than weakness, for experimental economics as a whole.
How do high-involvement work processes influence employee outcomes? An examination of the mediating roles of skill utilisation and intrinsic motivation

How do high-involvement work processes influence employee outcomes? In this paper, we use Vandenberg et al.'s [Vandenberg, R. J., Richardson, H. A. , & Eastman, L. J. (1999). The impact of high involvement work processes on organisational effectiveness: A second order latent variable approach. Group and Organisational Management, 24, 300–339] elaboration of Lawler's [Lawler, E. E. (1986). High-involvement management: Participative strategies for improving organizational performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass] model to test direct links and to explore skill utilisation and intrinsic motivation as mediators. Survey data were collected from a large New Zealand organisation providing distribution services and results were analysed through structural equation modelling. While there are important direct effects, the results demonstrate that both skill utilisation and intrinsic motivation transmit high-involvement processes into valuable outcomes for employees. The benefits to employees of such processes are direct but also lie in the way they make the work itself more motivating and enable them to deploy and grow their skills. This implies that forms of work organisation and supervision that offer workers greater opportunity for discretion, and involvement in the decisions that concern them, create the conditions for greater learning and, in turn, contribute to their well-being.
“Should I stay or should I go?” Exploring high school apprentices’ pathways

Completion rates are one measure of the success of apprenticeship training. But little is known about outcomes for youth who begin an apprenticeship in high school. This paper draws primarily on interviews with youth who did not continue training or work in their high school apprenticeship trade in two Canadian provinces. Our analysis focuses on why these youth decided to enrol in high school apprenticeship, why they did not continue and what they did afterwards. Findings suggest that a narrow focus on apprenticeship training completion diverts attention from the complex learning and work transitions experienced by most youth. Instead of assuming a linear pathway from school-to-trades work, we argue that partners involved in high school apprenticeship and policy-makers could do more to raise student awareness of multiple trajectories and skills transfer, make apprenticeship training more expansive, and increase the flexibility of pathways by providing greater articulation between different post-secondary education pathways and opportunities to change direction.
Investment in U.S. Agriculture

Resource adjustment problems in U.S. agriculture are motivated against the background of the farm problem. The adjustment cost hypothesis is invoked to specify and estimate consistently a system of dynamic investment demand and output supply equations by utilizing recent advances in dynamic duality theory. The investment demand equations assume the form of a multivariate flexible accelerator. Results indicate that labor, capital services, and land exhibited quasi-fixity while intermediate materials were a variable factor. This can be construed as a form of asset fixity within aggregate U.S. agriculture. The univariate flexible accelerator hypothesis is rejected.
Asymmetries in Monetary Policy Reaction Function: Evidence for U.S. French and German Central Banks

This paper proposes an empirical exploration of the possible asymmetric nature of the preferences of central bankers, with respect to inflation and output targets. The idea underlying this work lies in the widespread belief that central bankers interventions - through changes in a short-term interest rate - are influenced by the state of the current and/or expected state of the business cycle. The GMM estimates of a threshold model support the asymmetric representation of the monetary policy reaction function for recent U.S, French and German data.
Mapping spatial tourism and hospitality employment clusters: an application of spatial autocorrelation.

This article analyzes the characteristics and spatial clustering of tourism and hospitality employment clusters in Victoria, Australia. Using cluster theory as the theoretical base, three interrelated research questions are specifically addressed: What industries constitute the tourism and hospitality sector? What broader "groupings" does the sector exhibit? Are these tourism and hospitality industries clustered around strategic areas of economic and resource advantage? Using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (at the four-digit level), industries explicitly related to tourism and hospitality were first identified and total numbers of individuals working within these industries were aggregated at a level of Statistical Local Area (similar to a suburb or a neighborhood). Results show that in 2006 employment in tourism and hospitality equate to 7.74% of total employment in Australia. "Cafes and restaurants" (22%) is the single largest tourism and hospitality-related employer, followed by "takeaway food services" (20%) and "accommodation" (16%). Using factor analysis, four broader functions were extracted to characterize the underlying structure and functional interdependency among tourism and hospitality industries. These functions include: tourism operational services, hospitality services, entertainment services, and infrastructure operational facilities services. Spatial autocorrelation measures have identified five established tourism and hospitality spatial clusters in Victoria, which we argue hold the potential to act as tourism growth foci to create business synergy and generate spill-over effects through regional collaboration, competition, and sharing of pooled resources between firms
Assessing Factors Affecting Consumers' Intention to Adopt Biometric Authentication Technology in E-shopping

This study focuses on Internet users' intention to use biometric technology in e-shopping. For this purpose, the study applies a modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to assess the effect of various factors, particularly perceived privacy and credibility regarding consumers' readiness to use biometric devices in e-shopping. A sample consisting of 401 respondents was obtained from Internet user groups. The empirical results of the study indicate that users' acceptance of biometric technology in e-shopping is significantly affected by perceived credibility, perceived privacy, performance expectancy, social influence, and familiarity with technology (experience). Implications for retail firms and Internet practitioners who plan to employ innovative technologies in e-marketing providers are identified, together with a discussion of the study's limitations and avenues for future research.
Evidence for Budding of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Selectively from Glycolipid-Enriched Membrane Lipid Rafts

ABSTRACT A number of recent studies have demonstrated the significance of detergent-insoluble, glycolipid-enriched membrane domains or lipid rafts, especially in regard to activation and signaling in T lymphocytes. These domains can be viewed as floating rafts composed of sphingolipids and cholesterol which sequester glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins, such as Thy-1 and CD59. CD45, a 200-kDa transmembrane phosphatase protein, is excluded from these domains. We have found that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles produced by infected T-cell lines acquire the GPI-linked proteins Thy-1 and CD59, as well as the ganglioside GM1, which is known to partition preferentially into lipid rafts. In contrast, despite its high expression on the cell surface, CD45 was poorly incorporated into virus particles. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed that HIV-1 proteins colocalized with Thy-1, CD59, GM1, and a lipid raft-specific fluorescent lipid, DiIC16(3), in uropods of infected Jurkat cells. CD45 did not colocalize with HIV-1 proteins and was excluded from uropods. Dot immunoassay of Triton X-100-extracted membrane fractions revealed that HIV-1 p17 matrix protein and gp41 were present in the detergent-resistant fractions and that [3H]myristic acid-labeled HIV Gag showed a nine-to-one enrichment in lipid rafts. We propose a model for the budding of HIV virions through lipid rafts whereby host cell cholesterol, sphingolipids, and GPI-linked proteins within these domains are incorporated into the viral envelope, perhaps as a result of preferential sorting of HIV Gag to lipid rafts.
Investigation of the source/drain asymmetric effects due to gate misalignment in planar double-gate MOSFETs

A planar double-gate SOI MOSFET (DG-SOI) with thin channel and thick source/drain (S/D) was successfully fabricated. Using both experimental data and simulation results, the S/D asymmetric effect induced by gate misalignment was studied. For a misaligned DG-SOI, there is gate nonoverlapped region on one side and extra gate overlapped region on the other side. The nonoverlapped region introduces extra series resistance and weakly controlled channel, while the extra overlapped region introduces additional overlap capacitance and gate leakage current. We compared two cases: bottom gate shift to source side (DG/spl I.bar/S) and bottom gate shift to drain side (DG/spl I.bar/D). At the same gate misalignment value, DG/spl I.bar/S resulted in a larger drain-induced barrier lowering effect and smaller overlap capacitance at drain side than DG/spl I.bar/D. Because of reduced drain-side capacitance, the speed of three-stage ring oscillator of DG/spl I.bar/S, with 20% gate misalignment length (L/sub mis/) over gate length (L/sub g/), or L/sub mis//L/sub g/=20%, was faster than that of two-gate aligned DG-SOI.
Empowerment of employees in small and medium‐sized service firms

The article deals with creation of corporate entrepreneurship as an induced empowerment process. It investigates two issues: how well firms succeed in developing entrepreneurship competences; and the conditions for success. The investigation is based on a case study of a small Danish bank. The theoretical framework consists of three categories: innovation theory; organization theory (competence building and organizational learning); and HRM theory (extended barter). It is possible to develop an innovative, learning organization based on corporate entrepreneurship. The condition is primarily that the extended barter between the firm and the employees is satisfactory for both parties.
The Role of the OECD and the EU in the Development of Labour Market Policy in the Czech Republic

This article analyses the role of the OECD through its “Jobs Strategy” and the European Union (EU) through the “European Employment Strategy” in the development of macro-economic, employment and labour market policy in the Czech Republic. As a full member of the two organisations, the Czech Republic has been subject to their soft non-binding policy advice in the area of labour market reform. The OECD and EU policy models are similar, both insisting on growth-oriented macro-economic policy, supported by active labour market policies, an active and effective public employment service (PES) and the de-regulation of labour markets. However, the OECD actively advocates private actor involvement in labour markets, while the EU insists on the role of the public sector. The inquisitive styles of the two organisations differ: the OECD has a decontextualised and quantified analysis of performance accompanied by a supportive in-depth qualitative analysis, while the EU has a more contextualised analysis, which is also more politicised. However, the EU’s policy is partially supported by European structural funds, while the OECD has no comparable instrument. Despite some differences in policy model and inquisitive style, both the OECD and the EU have given the same major policy recommendations over time to the Czech Republic, although the OECD has insisted more on de-regulation, whereas the EU has also emphasised worker security and anti-discrimination. In macro-economic policy, de-regulation and increasing flexibility on the labour market, the Czech Republic conforms with OECD and EU policy models and recommendations. The PES has been developed institutionally to fit both models. However, activation, shifts in expenditure from passive to active labour market policy, training and placement of the PES have not changed substantially since the Czech Republic became member of the EU, suggesting that the real impact of the OECD and the EU has been weak.
Real wages, productivity and economic growth in the G7, 1960–2002

Abstract This paper investigates empirical real wage and productivity dynamics in the G7 countries using annual data for 1960–2002. The findings suggest that the level of labor productivity is positively related to GDP growth in all countries, and real wages are positively related to growth in some of them. The results tend to confirm the ‘profit paradox’. This postulates a positive relationship between economic growth and the aggregate profit share, and suggests that the frequent support of business interests for deflationary economic policies is a puzzle.
Exchange Rate Regimes and the Nominal Convergence

The paper examines theoretical literature, recent EMU accession examples, and current CEECs performance in search of the optimal currency regime for meeting the Maastricht criteria. Currency board arrangements seems to provide the fastest convergence. For other regimes, the markets may have theoretical and historical reasons to believe in the government's temptation to devalue on the ERM-2 entry. The government should announce the final date, and, possibly indicate the final exchange rate for the regime switch to avoid excessive currency and yield volatility. It should also underscore the central bank’s and EU authorities importance (even if non-existent) in the parity setting process to avoid excessive domestic debt inflation premium ahead of the accession. Recent experience shows that it will be easy to get rid of the remaining influence of cross rates on CEECs exchange rates.
A Model of Quality Ladders with Horizontal Entry

We develop a multi-sector model of R&D-driven endogenous growth that merges the expanding-variety with the quality-ladders mechanism. The mechanism of expanding variety provides the flow of new firms (new product lines), whilst the mechanism of quality ladders provides the accumulation of non-physical capital (technological knowledge). The aim is to explore the view that, from the perspective of the households, wealth can be accumulated either by creating new firms or by accumulating capital, in a setting with no population growth. Differently from the standard expanding-variety literature, we allow for entry as well as exit of product lines from the market, view the creation of new product lines as a product development activity without positive spillovers, and postulate an horizontal entry mechanism that takes explicitly into account dynamic second-order effects. We perform a detailed comparative steady-state analysis and characterise qualitatively the local dynamics properties in a neighbourhood of the interior balanced-growth equilibrium. The model produces specific results with respect to the impact of changes in the entry-cost parameters and the fiscal-policy variables both in the aggregate growth rate and in the market structure and industry dynamics in steady state. We also conclude that the transitional dynamics is characterised by a catching-up effect, with an empirically reasonable speed of convergence under standard calibration.
Audit quality, auditor behaviour and the psychological contract

The quality of the opinion provided by audit firms is an important determinant of their long-term survival. However, audit quality is difficult to gauge, which makes it particularly sensitive to the behaviour of the individuals who carry on audit work. Differences of interest between partners and other firm members can then have adverse consequences on the work motivation of field auditors. In particular, audit quality reduction behaviours are defined as actions taken by an auditor during an engagement that reduce evidence-gathering effectiveness inappropriately. These acts can threaten audit quality or damage the reputation of the profession. This paper, which is based on a survey of 170 audit seniors working in large audit firms in France, uses a model based on 'psychological contract' assessment and affective commitment to account for audit quality reduction behaviours by the respondents. The results show that the psychological contract elements dealing with the professional aspect of auditing are the most influential, and that affective commitment is correlated to social but not to technical quality reduction behaviours. The perception, by the respondents, of the quality of the review process is also significant. Some implications of these results for the future of auditing are drawn.
The evolution of TQM: An empirical analysis using the business process change framework

Purpose – Business process change (BPC) is an organizational initiative to achieve significant improvement in performance and has been extensively reported in the information systems literature. Total quality management (TQM) has been employed to improve the quality of processes within a business unit. In this research an attempt is made to link BPC with TQM.Design/methodology/approach – Using case‐study methodology, an attempt is made to connect the two fields. Specifically, examines how quality management falls within the various BPC constructs.Findings – Results of this study indicate that the BPC concept is generalizable to accommodate TQM.Originality/value – This has important ramifications for both practitioners and researchers. Practitioners will now have a methodology that is flexible to adjust as the demands of the business evolve from quality objectives into other needs such as mass customization and shortened lead times. The results of this study provide a theoretical model to the evolution of .