Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MNC's competitive strategies, experiences, and staffing policies for foreign affiliates

This study investigates the relationship between the strategic role of a multinational corporation's (MNC) foreign affiliates and its international staffing policy. Specifically, this study examines how an MNC's decision on expatriation is affected by strategic roles assigned to foreign affiliates: global integration of activities versus local market seeking. An empirical study is conducted using a sample of 808 foreign affiliates of Japanese firms. The research findings suggest that strategic roles of foreign affiliates alone may not adequately explain the international staffing policies of Japanese MNCs. Rather, we found a significant moderating effect of international as well as host country experience on staffing practices for foreign affiliates. While the staffing policies of MNCs striving for improving global efficiency of their operation are moderated by both international and host country experience, those seeking a specific local market position are influenced only by host country experience.
Left–Right Orientation and Electoral Choices: Divergences in the Relationships With Authority and Out-Groups

New political parties and movements have recently grown across Europe. These parties often state their distance from the classic left–right juxtaposition, even if their voters still place themselves in the left–right continuum. The aim of the present research was to focus on the Italian political context and to analyze differences between left of center and right of center self-positioned people on attitudes concerning authority–individual and intergroup relationships. The results confirm the hypotheses. Left of center voters have lower attitudes of authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, prejudice, and ethnocentrism; they are less supportive of harsh punitive methods toward delinquents; and attach more importance to democratic values as compared with right of center voters. These differences are significant also considering voters within the same party. Although participants have declared they vote for the same party/movement, the voters who place themselves on the left of center indeed appear to have different views from those on the right of center, as concerns the relationship with authority and attitudes toward minorities.
Virtual Machine Placement Algorithm for Both Energy-Awareness and SLA Violation Reduction in Cloud Data Centers

The problem of high energy consumption is becoming more and more serious due to the construction of large-scale cloud data centers. In order to reduce the energy consumption and SLA violation, a new virtual machine VM placement algorithm named ATEA adaptive three-threshold energy-aware algorithm, which takes good use of the historical data from resource usage by VMs, is presented. In ATEA, according to the load handled, data center hosts are divided into four classes: hosts with little load, hosts with light load, hosts with moderate load, and hosts with heavy load. ATEA migrates VMs on heavily loaded or little-loaded hosts to lightly loaded hosts, while the VMs on lightly loaded and moderately loaded hosts remain unchanged. Then, on the basis of ATEA, two kinds of adaptive three-threshold algorithm and three kinds of VMs selection policies are proposed. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms by CloudSim toolkit utilizing real-world workload. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms efficiently reduce energy consumption and SLA violation.
The clinical significance of slightly to moderately increased liver transaminase values in asymptomatic patients.

BACKGROUND Our aim was to study liver disorders in asymptomatic patients with slightly to moderately increased liver transaminase values in a population living in an area with a low prevalence of viral and hereditary liver diseases. METHODS One hundred and fifty consecutive patients with slightly to moderately increased liver transaminases for at least 6 months without symptoms or signs of liver disease were included. Median (range) was 0.75 microkat/l (0.24-2.9) for aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and 1.18 microkat/l (0.28-4.5) for alanine aminotransferase (ALAT). A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed, and blood was sampled for a detailed biochemical and serologic profile. RESULTS Chronic viral hepatitis C was found in 15.3% of the patients, autoimmune hepatitis in 1.3%, primary biliary cirrhosis in 1.3%, and heterozygotic alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency in 0.7%. Presumed alcoholic liver disease was diagnosed in 8%, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in 2%. Chronic hepatitis with no obvious etiology was diagnosed in 24%, of whom 39% had interface hepatitis (piecemeal activity). Seventy-one per cent of these 39% had measurable levels of autoantibodies, but IgG levels within normal limits prevented the 'clinical' diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. Liver steatosis was the diagnosis in 40%. Most were overweight and had increased serum triglyceride levels. However, in 13.3% the fatty infiltration was considered 'essential', as both body mass index (BMI) and triglyceride levels were normal. Other diagnoses were liver fibrosis with no obvious inflammatory activity (3.3%), cirrhosis of unknown etiology (0.7%), and for the remaining (3.3%) patients histopathologic findings were considered 'normal'. Cirrhosis was found in five biopsy specimens: hepatitis C (n = 2), autoimmune hepatitis (n = 1), primary biliary cirrhosis (n = 1), and cryptogenic cirrhosis (n = 1). No concomitant disease was of importance for the diagnosis and/or histopathologic findings. No obvious drug-related increased liver test results were found with any single drug. However, patients with chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology, especially with interface hepatitis, significantly more often than the rest of the population were receiving drug treatment. CONCLUSION Most transaminitis patients had steatosis, and some had defined diseases including chronic hepatitis C. Chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology was found in a substantial proportion (24%) of a population living in an area with a low burden of hepatic viruses and genetic disorders.
Group size, heterogeneity and collective action outcomes: Evidence from community forestry in Nepal

In the context of ongoing theoretical debate on the role of group size and heterogeneity in affecting collective action outcomes, this study analyzed associations of group size, and intra-group heterogeneities arising from ethnic, educational and livelihood-related differences with conditions of selected forests managed (formally or informally) by local user groups in the middle hills of Nepal. Four biological variables, basal area of trees, density of trees, density of saplings and richness of plant species, were chosen to represent the condition of the forests. The findings show significant differences in biological condition of the forests managed by different size forest user groups and levels of ethnic, educational and livelihood-related heterogeneities. These differences, however, are inconsistent across the dependent variables representing forest condition, indicating that they were not necessarily caused by the size of the user groups or the group heterogeneities, but could be the result of other factors, such as the history of forest land use and degradation, composition of tree species and institutional arrangements governing the forests.
Is the US Dollar a Suitable Anchor for the Newly Proposed GCC Currency?

Responses of inflation and non-oil output growth from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to monetary policy shocks from the United States (US) were estimated to determine whether there is evidence to support the US Dollar as the anchor for the proposed unified currency. A structural vector autoregression identified with short-run restrictions was employed for each country with Fed funds rate as the US monetary policy instrument, non-oil output growth, and inflation. The main results suggest that for inflation, the GCC countries show synchronised responses to monetary policy shocks from the US which are similar to inflation in the US, and for non-oil output growth, there is no clear indication that US monetary policy can be as effective for the GCC countries as it is domestically. Consequently, importing US monetary policy via a Dollar peg may guarantee only stable inflation for the GCC countries - not necessarily stable non-oil output growth. If the non-oil output response is made conscientiously - and there are concerns over the Dollar's ability to perform its role as a store of value - a basket peg with both the US Dollar and the Euro may be a sound alternative as confirmed by the variance decomposition analysis of our augmented SVAR with a proxy for the European short-term interest rate.
Regulation Versus Pricing in Urban Water Policy: The Case of the Australian National Water Initiative

The Australian National Water Initiative (NWI) builds on the foundations of earlier water reforms, attempts to correct earlier errors in both policy and its implementation, and seeks to better define some of the policy aims with the benefit of hindsight. However, despite the deliberate effort to improve on earlier reforms, the NWI still embodies a significant economic paradox. Although policymakers have shown their faith in the market insofar as allocating water between competing agricultural interests is concerned, they have not shown the same degree of faith in the ability of urban users to respond to price signals. This paper attempts to shed at least some light on this question by examining the responses of a number of State governments across Australia to the NWI. The paper specifically explores the rationale for non-price regulation in the urban context but challenges the long-term viability of this approach.
Key drivers for the continued use of RFID technology in the emergency room

Purpose – More hospitals and caregivers are realizing the importance of radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology in the face of increased healthcare costs, medical errors, and pressure of governmental mandates. The necessity for and awareness of RFID has yet to drive its widespread adoption in the healthcare industry. As such, this study aims to examine key factors that contribute to the intention to continue using RFID.Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts the expectation‐confirmation model (ECM) to study the intention of caregivers to continue using RFID as a vehicle to deliver emergency medical services. It is theorized that perceived usefulness of front‐end interoperability and back‐end interoperability along with performance expectancy contribute to confirmation experience, which in turn leads to satisfaction and ultimately to intention to continue to use RFID. The study surveys caregivers and staffs in the emergency room department of five hospitals in Taiwan.Findings – Perceived use.
Problematizing the Concept of Tourism Destination: An Analysis of Different Theoretical Approaches

A tourism destination is one of the key concepts of institutionalized tourism, but researchers and practitioners still disagree on how it should be defined. When building a destination-wide brand, constructing local geographies, or promoting cooperation among entrepreneurs within a region, we must understand the nature of tourism destinations. We wish to take earlier categorization of destination concepts further by highlighting the assumptions and values that define the rather distinct ideas. Informed by a cultural approach to marketing and an interdisciplinary agenda combining tourism, marketing, and organization studies, we suggest a holistic and grounded approach to multiperspective destination discussion. We therefore identify four different approaches to tourism destinations: (1) economic geography—oriented, (2) marketing management—oriented, (3) customer-oriented, and (4) cultural.We define destination as a set of institutions and actors located in a physical or a virtual space where marketing-related transactions and activities take place challenging the traditional production—consumption dichotomy.
Comparison of masticatory efficiency according to Angle's classification of malocclusion

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in masticatory efficiency among patients with different Angle's classes of malocclusion and to assess the correlation between masticatory efficiency and the occlusal contact area. Methods The mixing ability index (MAI) was calculated for measuring masticatory efficiency of 61 adult patients according to Angle's classifications of malocclusion. The study included 25, 15, and 21 patients with Angle's Class I, II, and III malocclusions, respectively. Silicone interocclusal recording material was used to measure the occlusal contact area. Results Both the MAI and occlusal contact area showed the highest average values in the Class I malocclusion group, followed by the Class II and Class III malocclusion groups. No significant difference was observed in the MAI values between the Class I and Class II malocclusion groups (p > 0.05), whereas a significant difference was observed between the Class I and Class III malocclusion groups (p < 0.01) and between the Class II and Class III malocclusion groups (p < 0.05). A weak positive correlation was also observed between the MAI and occlusal contact area (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.13). Conclusions The results of this study indicated that masticatory efficiency was the highest in patients with Angle's Class I malocclusion, followed by those with Angle's Class II and Angle's Class III malocclusions. Moreover, a weak positive correlation was observed between masticatory efficiency and the occlusal contact area.
Rheological Characterization and Sensory Evaluation of a Typical Soft Ice Cream Made with Selected Food Hydrocolloids

The effect of two novel hydrocolloids known as Balangu seed gum (BSG) and palmate-tuber salep (PTS) with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on the rheological characteristics of a typical soft ice cream was studied. The power law model well described the flow behavior of mixes with a high correlation coefficient (r). The flow behavior index was in the range of 0.450-1.154, while the consistency coefficient varied from 0.051 to 6.822 Pa sn. All mixes showed a pseudoplastic behavior except the mix containing 0.3% PTS, which was found to have a slightly dilatant characteristic. An increase in the concentration was accompanied by an increase in the pseudoplasticity and consistency coefficient. The effect of selected gums on some sensory properties of a soft ice cream such as viscosity, coldness, firmness, degree of smoothness (coarseness), liquefying rate, body and texture and total acceptance has also been investigated in this work. The correlation between the apparent viscosity and sensory attributes has been determined because of the importance of viscosity in the quality evaluation of an ice cream. Taking into account the commercial ice cream properties, a 0.4% BSG gum concentration may be recommended.
On epoxy network structure and dielectric performance

Epoxy resins are widely used in many different electrical applications. These materials are formulated using a resin that can be considered as an epoxy terminated bi-functional monomer, plus a hardener. Although it is generally assumed that optimal properties result from complete reaction of all epoxide and hardener groups, our previous work has revealed that systems containing an excess of the resin component can exhibit a higher breakdown strength than systems with a conventionally optimized stoichiometry and it was proposed that this may be associated with the formation of branched molecular structures within the network. This study set out to test the generality of this hypothesis by using a mono-functional reactive diluent as a means of varying the network structure in a more controlled way. By varying the composition of a designed three-component epoxy system appropriately, it has been possible to produce a range of samples in which the branch density within the network varies but where epoxy/amine stoichiometry is always maintained at the theoretical optimum. It has been shown that the introduction of a controlled degree of aliphatic branching may have beneficial consequences. More generally, the results suggest that the broad methodology could be used to introduce different moieties that can lead to different functionalities.
Curriculum as a safe place: Parental perceptions of new literacies in a rural small town school

New literacies have challenged all players in the educational enterprise in many different ways. Youth are now engaged in literacies that extend well beyond the safe and respected traditional texts that their parents experienced in school. In this research we analyze parents' perceptions of the relative educational value of their children's different textual engagements both in and out of school. We find that parents employed a textual hierarchy of educational value with the traditional hard copy school textbook and literature at the top of the pyramid, and plastic virtual and visual texts at the bottom. These assessments are understood within a framework that employs the idea of safety to understand how parents navigate and negotiate the often risky literate engagements their children enjoy.
Cognitive Dynamics of Capability Development Paths

Recent research on capability dynamics has increasingly turned its attention to the cognitive microfoundations of capability development. On the basis of a longitudinal case study of the evolution of three network security software firms, we find that the effects of managerial cognition can be detected at three distinct levels of capability development. At the level of operational capabilities, instrumental cognition affects the way in which capabilities are developed. At the level of a firm's capability portfolio, shifts in management's attention regarding capability development cause different evolutionary paths to emerge. Finally, at the extended enterprise level, managerial foresight influences the way in which a firm's capability constellation morphs over time. Our findings provide novel empirical evidence and contribute to an improved understanding of the role of managerial cognition in capability development.
The role of encoding strategies in contextual memory deficits in patients with bipolar disorder

Contextual memory is important for the encoding and retrieval of episodic memory, which is often impaired in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD). The objective was to investigate the effect of low and high cognitive support on encoding in an incidental contextual memory task in euthymic patients with BD. Twenty-three patients with a BD type I diagnosis (aged 23–63 years, 17 women and 6 men) and 29 healthy controls completed a recognition memory task for context (location of a recognised object). Participants were assigned to one of two incidental encoding conditions: (1) with a binding cue to encourage the association of the object to its location (judging the degree of appropriateness of an object in relation to its location) or (2) without a binding cue (judging daily use of objects). Patients showed a deficit in incidental contextual memory in the absence of a binding cue at encoding. Under incidental encoding with the binding cue, no differences were observed between the groups for contextual memory. Contextual memory deficits in BD patients were reduced by providing cognitive support at encoding. The role of this strategy should be investigated in larger samples to evaluate its use for cognitive remediation in BD patients.
Bank Intermediation over the Business Cycle

A model is developed in which banks engage in valued asset transformation by converting illiquid assets (working capital loans) into highly liquid demand deposit accounts that households use for transactions purposes. Consumption-smoothing behavior induces countercyclicality in the degree to which firms rely on bank borrowings to finance their working capital expenses, which is consistent with U.S. data. The importance of financial markets that provide alternative sources of short-term funds to firms is also illustrated. Absent these markets, nominal interest rates become nearly perfectly positively correlated with output, which is counterfactual, and monetary shocks induce (perhaps, artificially) large aggregate employment responses.
Networking strategy of boards: implications for small and medium-sized enterprises

Development of linkages with the external environment, e.g. interlocks, is a mechanism to access scarce resources. Creating and maintaining these linkages may be an organizational capability that creates a competitive advantage for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A partial model of networking strategy is proposed, which includes measures of board composition, interlocks, entrepreneurial orientation and environmental hostility. Analysis of 70 community bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) responses (58% response rate) lends support to the proposition that firms with a networking strategy performed better (higher return on assets (ROA) and higher return on expenditure (ROE)) than those firms that did not actively pursue the development of networks.
The Effects of Perceived and Actual Financial Literacy on Financial Behaviors

type="main" xml:id="ecin12255-abs-0001"> A combined measure of financial literacy that includes both a test score of actual financial literacy and a self-rating of overall financial literacy is used in this study. We find that the combined measure appears to provide greater understanding about how financial literacy affects financial behaviors. A large national survey of U.S. adults and households (n = 28,146) was used to investigate how this overall financial literacy is likely to change financial behaviors across five financial topics: credit cards, investments, loans, insurance, and financial advice. For each topic, we include 4–5 financial behaviors (22 in total) to demonstrate the consistency of the findings within and across topics. Although we are unable to identify a causal relationship, the results from the probit analysis show that both actual and perceived financial literacy appear to influence financial behaviors and that perceived financial literacy may be as important as actual financial literacy. (JEL D14, G00)
A common binding motif for various bacteria of the bacteria-binding peptide SRCRP2 of DMBT1/gp-340/salivary agglutinin

Abstract Salivary agglutinin (DMBT1SAG) is identical to lung glycoprotein-340 and encoded by the deleted in malignant brain tumors-1 gene. It is a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily, proteins that have one or more SRCR domains. Salivary agglutinin plays a role in oral innate immunity by the binding and agglutination of oral streptococci. Streptococcus mutans has been shown to bind to a 16-mer peptide (QGRVEVLYRGSWGTVC) located within the SRCR domains. Within this peptide, designated SRCR peptide 2, residues VEVL and W are critical for binding. The aim of this study was to investigate binding of DMBT1SAG to other bacteria. Therefore, interaction between a series of bacteria and DMBT1SAG, SRCR peptide 2 and its alanine substitution variants was investigated in adhesion and agglutination assays. For different bacteria there was a highly significant correlation between adhesion to DMBT1SAG and adhesion to SRCR peptide 2, suggesting that SRCR peptide 2 is the major bacteria-binding site. An alanine substitution scan showed that eight amino acids are involved in binding (xRVEVLYxxSWxxxx). The binding motifs varied for different species, but the residues VxVxY and W are always present. In conclusion, a common binding motif (RVEVLYxxxSW) within the SRCR domains is responsible for the broad bacteria-binding spectrum of DMBT1SAG.