Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customer value creation in professional service relationships: the case of credence goods

Understanding the sources of customer value in buyer–supplier relationships is viewed as a competitive priority and a key component in a firm's long-term survival. This said, however, research examining relationship value is still at a formative stage. This is particularly the case for professional services – which are often characterised by their credence qualities being high in both information asymmetry and perceived risk, and often requiring the provider to determine the needs of the customer – where research exploring customer value is non-existent. This study examines the dimensions of customer value in professional services relationships with credence qualities (commercial insurance) through in-depth interviews with organisational buyers and front-line staff conducted in two separate studies. Six dimensions of customer value are identified and implications for theory and practice are offered.
Employment Growth in Italian Local Labour Systems: Issues of Model Specification and Sectoral Aggregation

Abstract In this paper we construct a model to estimate local employment growth in Italian local labour markets for the period 1991–2001. The model is constructed in a similar manner to the original models of Glaeser et al. (1992), Henderson et al. (1995) and Combes (2000). Our objective is to identify the extent to which the results estimated by these types of models are themselves sensitive to the model specification. In order to do this we extend the basic models by successively incorporating new explanatory variables into the model framework. In addition, and for the first time, we also estimate these same models at two different levels of sectoral aggregation, for the same spatial structure. Our results indicate that these models are highly sensitive to sectoral aggregation and classification and our results therefore strongly support the use of highly disaggregated data.
The Dividend Substitution Hypothesis: Australian Evidence

type="main"> In a perfect capital market firms are indifferent to either dividends or repurchases as payout mechanisms, suggesting that the two payout methods should be perfect substitutes. Empirical research at the single country level, as well as cross country studies, provide evidence that dividends and repurchases act as substitutes (the dividend substitution hypothesis), and that the tax treatment of dividends versus capital gains affects this relation. Australia, which operates under a full dividend imputation system, has two types of repurchases: on- and off-market. On-market repurchases are taxed as capital gains while off-market repurchases comprise a large dividend component carrying valuable tax credits. Australia thus provides a natural setting to investigate how the tax treatment of proceeds affects the dividend substitution hypothesis. Dividend substitution is found to exist for on-market repurchases but not for off-market repurchases, thus providing further support for the idea that the tax treatment of proceeds affects the substitutability of repurchases and dividends.
Dynamin Assembles into Spirals under Physiological Salt Conditions upon the Addition of GDP and γ-Phosphate Analogues*

Dynamin is a 100-kDa GTPase that is believed to be involved in the constriction of clathrin-coated pits and the fission of clathrin-coated vesicles during receptor-mediated endocytosis and during membrane retrieval in nerve termini. It has been shown that purified dynamin incubated under low salt conditions forms rings and spirals that, in dimension and appearance, resemble the dense material occasionally observed at the necks of coated pits. In this report we show that purified dynamin forms spirals under physiological salt conditions when incubated with GDP and γ-phosphate analogues (beryllium and aluminum fluoride) or when dialyzed into guanosine 5′-3-O-(thio)triphosphate. Moreover, spirals still form when dynamin is proteolyzed to either a predominant ∼90-kDa species, lacking the C terminus, or to two smaller fragments, a ∼55-kDa species originating from the N-terminal half of the protein and a ∼30-kDa species lacking both the N and C termini. This work indicates that the addition of GDP and γ-phosphate analogues arrests dynamin in a GTP or transition state that markedly stabilizes the spiral conformation under physiological ionic strength conditions and thereby suggests that dynamin in the absence of a receptor is capable of assembly into spirals at the necks of coated pits prior to vesicle fission.
High external parametrial dose can increase the probability of radiation proctitis in patients with uterine cervix cancer.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between external parametrial dose and radiation proctitis after external irradiation and high-dose-rate intracavitary (HDR-IC) brachytherapy among patients with cervical cancer. METHODS From May 1993 through December 1996, 191 patients with stage IB-IVA cervical cancer were managed by curative-intent radiotherapy. External irradiation to the whole pelvis (44-45 Gy/ 22-25 fractions) was delivered to all patients initially. One hundred twenty-seven patients received additional bilateral parametrial and sidewall boost (5.4-14.4 Gy/ 3-8 fractions) with 4-cm midline shielding. HDR-IC brachytherapy, 19.2-24 Gy/ 5 fractions to Point A, was given after external irradiation. Patients receiving an external dose of 44-45, 50-54, and >54 Gy were categorized as no parametrial boost (NPMB), low parametrial boost (LPMB), and high parametrial boost (HPMB) group, respectively. The actuarial proctitis rate was compared among the three groups. RESULTS Three-year overall and Grade 2-4 proctitis rates were 30 and 15%, respectively. Overall proctitis rates were 12, 34, and 51% in the NPMB, LPMB, and HPMB groups (P < 0.0001), respectively. Grade 2-4 proctitis rates were 5, 17, and 27% in the NPMB, LPMB, and HPMB groups (P = 0.0022), respectively. In multivariate analysis of overall and Grade 2-4 radiation proctitis, external parametrial dose was the only independent prognostic factor (P = 0.0002 and 0.0030, respectively). CONCLUSION Regardless of central shielding after 44-45 Gy whole pelvis irradiation, more patients with high external parametrial dose developed radiation proctitis. Incomplete midline shielding of the upper rectum may be the cause. Diminishing the external beam doses further may decrease rectal complications.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Large Vestibular Schwannomas: A Canadian Experience

Object: To review our institutional experience with Gamma Knife (GK) stereotactic radiosurgery in treating large vestibular schwannomas (VS) of 3 to 4 cm diameter. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort review of all patients treated with GK for VS at our institution between November 2003 and March 2012. Data on age, sex, VS volume, location and maximal diameter, House-Brackmann (HB) facial nerve scores pre and post-GK, Gardner-Robertson (GR) hearing score pre and post-GK, GK treatment parameters, VS response time, complications and clinical outcome was recorded. Results: A total of 28 patients during the defined time period were identified. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Mean follow-up was 34.5 months. Tumor control occurred in 92%, and was maintained in 85.7% at two years. Facial nerve or hearing preservation occurred in all treated compared to pre-GK status, as per HB and GR grading. Transient complications occurred in 80%. Temporary vestibular dysfunction occurred in seven patients (28%). One patient (4%) had the permanent complication of worsening pre-GK hemifacial spasm. Four patients (16%) developed hydrocephalus post-GK. Conclusion: GK stereotactic radiosurgery as a primary treatment modality for large VS can provide acceptable tumor control rates with good facial nerve and hearing preservation, and low complication rates.
Hospital- and patient-related characteristics determining maternity length of stay: a hierarchical linear model approach.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to pregnancy and childbirth that might be predictive of a patient's length of stay after delivery and to model variations in length of stay. METHODS California hospital discharge data on maternity patients (n = 499,912) were analyzed. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to adjust for patient case mix and hospital characteristics and to account for the dependence of outcome variables within hospitals. RESULTS Substantial variation in length of stay among patients was observed. The variation was mainly attributed to delivery type (vaginal or cesarean section), the patient's clinical risk factors, and severity of complications (if any). Furthermore, hospitals differed significantly in maternity lengths of stay even after adjustment for patient case mix. CONCLUSIONS Developing risk-adjusted models for length of stay is a complex process but is essential for understanding variation. The hierarchical linear model approach described here represents a more efficient and appropriate way of studying interhospital variations than the traditional regression approach.
Housing Priorities, Settlement Patterns, and Urban Development in Modernizing Countries

Abstract Attempts to plan the development of cities in modernizing countries and to improve housing standards are often confounded by the autonomous action of low-income squatters and clandestine developers. In the most rapidly urbanizing areas, squatter developers dominate contemporary urban growth, reducing the planners' sphere of influence to those areas developed by wealthier minorities and public institutions. This historically unprecedented, politically and economically dangerous, loss of control over major parts of urban growth can be interpreted as the result of conflicts between government programs and the demands of the people. Until realignment of institutional norms and action is accomplished, the major resource for infrastructure development, the collective will and savings of the common people, cannot be coordinated with government plans and policies. A preliminary model of the settlement process in transitional countries is presented here to illustrate the dynamics of this problem.
The Social Dynamics of Russia’s Desecularisation: a Comparative and Theoretical Perspective1

This article approaches Russia’s desecularisation from a comparative and theoretical perspective. For this purpose, it applies to the Russian case a conceptual framework designed for comparative studies of the world’s many counter-secularisations, and as a result it offers a theoretical model to explain the social dynamics of Russia’s desecularisation. The model reveals a chain of causal links extending from initial conditions for desecularisation at the end of the Soviet era to the formation of the current desecularising regime and to its likely collapse leading to a new phase of desecularisation. The model attributes the contradictory and inconsistent outcomes of Russia’s religious resurgence to its prevailing pattern of desecularisation from above. It shows why desecularisation from above rather than from below prevailed, and why its strategies included the formation of ethno-religious church–state hybrid monopolies, religious protectionism, ethnicisation of faith and cultivation of nationalistic, undemocratic and intolerant ideologies. The model also explains why and how the current desecularising regime has slowed down religious growth and mobilisation from below. Furthermore, since the current desecularising regime exists in a symbiosis with the political and ideological regime of Putin’s Russia, the former shares the vulnerabilities of the latter. Building on rational choice theory, the article predicts that Russia’s present desecularising regime will become unsustainable and ultimately collapse. Its fall will be followed by a much more competitive and unpredictable desecularisation from below, which has so far been largely suppressed. In conclusion I outline a research agenda derived from this theoretical model.
Honey, I Shrunk the Currency Union Effect on Trade

NE of the puzzles in empirical international trade is the difficulty offinding a large and statistically significant negative effect of exchange ratevariability on trade. Business managers (and also policymakers) often claim thatcurrency fluctuations are a major obstacle for international economic integration.Since volatile exchange rates generally imply uncertainty about external returns,large and frequent changes in the exchange rate are widely expected to lower thebilateral amount of trade, holding other things constant. Surprisingly, then, asubstantial body of empirical work has hardly found any association betweenexchange rate volatility and trade. In fact, this empirical result has become bynow so established that most of the latest studies do not aim to weaken thefinding, but rather try to provide explanations for it, such as the availability ofhedging instruments (see, for example, Wei, 1999). Recently, however, Andrew Rose (2000) has turned the puzzle on its head.Analysing the effect of currency unions on trade, he finds that a completeelimination of exchange rate variability not only increases trade, but that theeffect is strikingly large. In particular, Rose finds that two countries that share acommon currency trade three times more with one another than with countriesthat use a different currency.This result, apart from being notable for itself, is particularly interesting forat least two reasons. First, there has been recently a growing tendencytowards the establishment of currency unions. In Europe, twelve countrieshave decided to give up their national currencies for the euro. Moreover, agrowing number of countries seek to cure domestic economic problems byfull dollarisation, i.e. adopting a foreign currency as legal tender. Examplesinclude Ecuador in the case of the US dollar and the former Yugoslavianrepublic of Montenegro in the case of the Deutschmark. Rose’s results, then,
Expectations of Exchange Rates and Differential Inflation Rates: Further Evidence on Purchasing Power Parity in Efficient Markets

The paper tests the null hypothesis of ex ante purchasing power parity. The empirical evidence obtained is inconsistent with the null for major industrialized countries over the current floating exchange-rate regime. Expected nominal exchange rate changes appear to deviate systematically from expected inflation-rate differentials over the same holding period even though real exchange-rate changes appear to be serially uncorrelated. This supports the presence of time-varying risk premium in foreign exchange markets and real determinants of exchange-rate movements as suggested by equilibrium theories of international asset markets. Copyright 1987 by American Finance Association.
An exploratory case study of hotel e‐marketing in Ho Chi Minh City

Many developing countries have made tourism their top national priority for economic development, and e-tourism is being promoted due to its relatively low start-up costs and its high potential to attract foreign capital. However, with a low overall level of e-readiness, deploying e-tourism is a rather overwhelming endeavor. This article presents a case study that uses extensive field data collection to assess the effectiveness of Web technology in promoting tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This city was selected because its tourism industry has been recognized for making a concerted effort to target foreign visitors and its hotels have been among the most important adopters of e-commerce in the country. This study assists in better understanding the opportunities, challenges, and guidance necessary for e-tourism to be effective in developing economies. Most interestingly, e-commerce—intended to be the enabler of a seamless, highly competitive economy—can be a key competitive advantage for those who use it effectively in a less than perfect e-market. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Journey through the Gonadotropin-Inhibitory Hormone System of Fish

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that belongs to the RFamide peptide family and was first identified in the quail brain. From the discovery of avian GnIH, orthologous GnIH peptides have been reported in a variety of vertebrates, including mammals, amphibians, teleosts and agnathans, but also in protochordates. It has been clearly established that GnIH suppresses reproduction in avian and mammalian species through its inhibitory actions on brain GnRH and pituitary gonadotropins. In addition, GnIH also appears to be involved in the regulation of feeding, growth, stress response, heart function and social behavior. These actions are mediated via G protein-coupled GnIH receptors (GnIH-Rs), of which two different subtypes, GPR147 and GPR74, have been described to date. With around 30,000 species, fish represent more than one-half of the total number of recognized living vertebrate species. In addition to this impressive biological diversity, fish are relevant because they include model species with scientific and clinical interest as well as many exploited species with economic importance. In spite of this, the study of GnIH and its physiological effects on reproduction and other physiological processes has only been approached in a few fish species, and results obtained are in some cases conflicting. In this review, we summarize the information available in the literature on GnIH sequences identified in fish, the distribution of GnIH and GnIH-Rs in central and peripheral tissues, the physiological actions of GnIH on the reproductive brain-pituitary-gonadal axis, as well as other reported effects of this neuropeptide, and existing knowledge on the regulatory mechanisms of GnIH in fish.
Refractive Error among the Elderly in Rural Southern Harbin, China

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence and associated factors of refractive errors among the elderly in a rural area of Southern Harbin, China. Methods: Five thousand and fifty seven subjects (age ≥50 years) were enumerated for a population-based study. All participants underwent complete ophthalmic evaluation. Refraction was performed by ophthalmic personnel trained in the study procedures. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent worse than -0.50 diopters (D) and hyperopia as spherical equivalent worse than +0.50 D. Astigmatism was defined as a cylindrical error worse than 0.75D. Association of refractive errors with age, sex, and education were analyzed. Results: Of the 5,057 responders (91.0%), 4,979 were eligible. The mean age was 60.5 (range 50–96) years old. The prevalence of myopia was 9.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.5–10.1) and of hyperopia was 8.9% (95% CI, 7.9–9.5). Astigmatism was evident in 7.6% of the subjects. Myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism increased with increasing age (p<0.001, respectively). Myopia and astigmatism were more common in males, whereas hyperopia was more common in females. We also found that prevalence of refractive error weas associated with education. Myopia was more common in those with higher degrees of education, whereas hyperopia and astigmatism were more common in those with no formal education. Conclusions: This report has provided details of the refractive status in a rural population of Harbin. The prevalence of refractive errors in this population is lower than those reported in other regions of the world.
Effectiveness of ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation: review of the evidence-base

Ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation (EbA) integrate the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into an overall strategy for helping people adapt to climate change. To date, however, insight into these approaches has often been based on anecdotal case studies of local peoples' use of ecosystems. A systematic map of EbA-relevant peer-reviewed literature, and a sample of grey literature, was undertaken to (1) give a methodical overview of the state of the evidence-base on EbA effectiveness and (2) identify key knowledge gaps. A framework was developed with stakeholders to assess the evidence-base for EbA effectiveness. The literature reviewed showed that much can be learnt about EbA from articles which considered climatic variability and climate extremes. Measures of the effectiveness of EbA-relevant interventions recorded in the articles showed positive results, although discussion of thresholds, limits and timescales related to these interventions was limited. Social, environmental and economic benefits of EbA interventions were in evidence in most articles, and though costs were discussed, this was limited in extent. It is concluded that the literature on EbA-relevant interventions addressing climatic variability, change, and linked extremes and natural hazards, contains some information that will support making the case for EbA, but the evidence-base has a number of gaps that should be addressed.
Are Chinese stock markets efficient? Further evidence from a battery of nonlinearity tests

Given that the efficiency of the Chinese stock markets was empirically examined in extant literature using statistical tests that are designed to uncover linear correlations of price changes, the obtained statistical inferences of efficiency/inefficiency are on very shaky grounds as highlighted in a recent article by Saadi et al. (2006). Motivated by this concern, the present article re-examines the efficiency of the A- and B-shares markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (SHSE and SZSE) using a battery of nonlinearity tests. The empirical investigation reveals strong evidence of nonlinear serial dependence in the underlying returns generating processes for all indices even after removing linear serial correlations from the data, hence, contradicting the unpredictable criterion of weak-form efficient market hypothesis. Theoretically, these results are not surprising given the fact that investors in the Chinese stock markets trade like noise traders, who purely speculate and treat the market like a casino.
A novel panoramic image stitching algorithm based on ORB

Image stitching technique is to integrate multiple images with overlapping regions into a complete image with a wide viewing angle, less distortion, and no obvious suture. Image stitching could be used for global positioning and robot autonomous navigation without changing the hardware. SIFT feature and SURF feature are the classical algorithm in the image stitching. But they have the long time-consuming problem. Facing this problem, a novel fast image stitching algorithm based on ORB (Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF) features is proposed in this paper. The algorithm firstly selects ORB algorithm which adds the direction information to the FAST detector for image feature extracting and matching. Secondly, RASANC (Random Sample Consensus) algorithm is used to eliminate false matching points. Finally, weighted average method is used to speed up the image fusion. Experimental results show that the stitching effect of the algorithm in this paper is the same as that of SIFT algorithm and SURF algorithm. The two obvious advantages of our algorithm include: (1) stitching speed is much faster than that of Shift and Surf;(2)The algorithm is robust to external parameters of camera. So the proposed algorithm is hopefully applied to some handed electrical devices.