Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promotion Profitability for a Retailer: The Role of Promotion, Brand, Category, and Store Characteristics

The purpose of this article is to quantify the net unit and net profit impact of promotions for a retailer and to understand the key correlates of this impact. Using data on all promotions offered in 2003 by CVS, a leading U.S. drug retailer, the authors (1) quantify the gross promotional lift; (2) decompose this into switching, stockpiling, and incremental lift for the retailer; (3) estimate the extent to which promotion affects sales of other product categories in the store to compute the net unit impact of the promotion; (4) account for promotional and nonpromotional margins and manufacturer funding to compute the net profit impact of the promotion; and (5) examine how promotion, brand, category, and store characteristics influence the net impact. The authors find that approximately 45% of the gross lift is incremental for CVS, and there is also a significant, positive halo effect on sales of other categories. However, on average, the net profit impact of promotions is negative because CVS's promotional margin is often substantially less than regular margin. In the authors' analysis of the correlates of net impact, they find that many promotion and brand characteristics have opposing associations with net unit and net profit impact. Deep, featured promotions on high “consumer-pull” brands generate high net unit impact, but they significantly reduce CVS's promotional margin, resulting in lower net profit impact. Therefore, the retailer must make some difficult trade-offs between revenue and profit objectives in promotion decisions.
Effect of Liberalization of Foreign Investment Limits: Evidence from the Indian Banking Sector

On February 16, 2002, the Reserve Bank of India issued a circular that signaled a policy liberalization facilitating acquisition of private sector banks in India by foreign entities. Portfolios of private sector and nationalized banks posted significant value gains in the days surrounding the announcement. The gains by private sector banks were almost double those of nationalized banks. We further analyze the firm specific abnormal returns using cross-sectional regressions and find a significant relation between firm-specific abnormal returns and factors typically associated with a bank's potential for takeover. These results provide the first empirical support for Stulz's hypothesis that one cause of the valuation gains associated with liberalization is the expected gain from a reduction of agency costs.
Arbitrage in Unfamiliar Places: The International Residential Real Estate Market

International commodity market arbitrage is generally based on moving the commodity between countries to exploit price differences, making allowance for exchange rates. This form of arbitrage is clearly impossible for services and immobile objects such as real estate. However, there is the possibility of another form of arbitrage when the buyer can move to the product in order to enjoy what it offers. Such a situation is possible in the international market for recreational properties such as exclusive mountain ski resorts and oceanfront estates. By constructing repeat sales indices for several such markets, we show that prices of internationally traded properties differ from prices of local properties in terms of the impact of exchange rates. Rising values of a country's currency dampen local currency prices of internationally-traded properties relative to domestic properties, and vice versa. We also find that relative prices of similar international properties in different countries vary with exchange rates. Overall, we show there is a significant long-term equilibrium relationship between relative prices and exchange rates.
Insights and learnings from lean manufacturing implementation practices

Lean manufacturing as a set of principles is now fairly rooted in the literature. Barring some voices of discontent (Gordon, 1995; Berggren, 1992) regarding the adoption and ultimate effectiveness of lean production, many case examples exist to demonstrate how companies are changing their production methods and management practices to become more lean and fit. The main aim of this study is to first collect information on fundamental lean principles and then investigate the level of lean implementation in the automotive industry. Furthermore, it describes some learnings from actual implementation practices particularly in the USA, UK and Indian automotive sectors. Attempts are made here to discover the inside stories and present the gaps between the principles and actual practices.
Contextual integration the unusual way: a magnetoencephalographic study of responses to semantic violation in individuals with autism spectrum disorders

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with deficits in language and social communication. Behavioural studies indicate abnormal semantic organization in individuals with autism, but little is known about the neural mechanism underlying the processing of language in context. Magnetoencephalography was used to record neural responses in 11 able adults with autism spectrum disorders reading meaningful sentences and sentences ending with a semantically incongruous word (e.g. ‘He sent a photo to the trumpet’). Spatially extended evoked signals at 400 ms (N4) and 750 ms (LPC), as well as synchronized gamma‐oscillations, provided clear evidence for specific neuronal processes sensitive to sentence context that differed in individuals with autism compared with typically developing individuals (11 healthy volunteers). Amongst other differences, N4 responses following incongruous words were weaker over left temporal cortices, whereas LPC responses to incongruous words and long‐latency gamma‐oscillations following congruous words were stronger over central and prefrontal regions in individuals with autism compared with the control group. Also, incongruous words elicited long‐lasting gamma‐oscillations above 40 Hz in the clinical group, but not in typically developing subjects. These findings may indicate unusual strategies for resolving semantic ambiguity in autism. Moreover, the observed gamma‐band responses provide evidence for sustained cortical synchronization across segregated areas in individuals with autism, contrary to claims that a general deficit in either temporal binding or long‐range connectivity may explain autism.
Venous Thromboembolism and High Grade Gliomas

Summary A retrospective study was done to determine the incidence of and the risk factors predisposing to clinical venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients treated for high grade gliomas. Medical records of 68 consecutive patients diagnosed and treated at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center from January 1986 to June 1991 were reviewed. The follow up was to time of death or at least 6 months (up to December 1991). All clinically suspected episodes of VTE were confirmed by objective tests. Sixteen episodes of VTE were detected in 13 patients for an overall episode rate of 23.5%. Administration of chemotherapy (p = 0.027, two tailed Fisher exact test) and presence of paresis (p = 0.031, two tailed Fisher exact test) were statistically significant risk factors for the development of VTE. Thrombotic events were more likely to occur in the paretic limb and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.00049, chi square test, with Yates correction). No major bleeding complications were seen in the nine episodes treated with long term anticoagulation. We conclude that venous thromboembolic complications are frequently encountered in patients being treated for high grade gliomas and the presence of paresis and the administration of chemotherapy increases the risk of such complications.
Case Management Reduces Drinking During Pregnancy among High Risk Women.

AIM Estimate the efficacy of Case Management (CM) for women at high risk for bearing a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). DESIGN Women were recruited from antenatal clinics and engaged in 18 months of CM. SETTING A South African community with a subculture of heavy, regular, weekend, recreational drinking and high documented rates of FASD. PARTICIPANTS Forty-one women who were high risk for bearing a child with FASD. MEASURES Statistical analysis of trends in drinking and other risk factors. FINDINGS At intake 87.8% were pregnant, most had previous alcohol-exposed pregnancies, most/all of their friends drink alcohol (67.5%), and 50.0% had stressful lives. CM was particularly valuable for pregnant women, as statistically significant reductions in alcohol risk were obtained for them in multiple variables: total drinks on weekends after six months of CM (p = .026) and estimated peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at six (p < .001) and 18 months (p < .001). For participants completing 18 months of CM, AUDIT scores improved significantly by 6-month follow-up (from 19.8 to 9.7, p = .000), and even though rising at 12 and 18 months, AUDIT scores indicate that problematic drinking remained statistically significantly lower than baseline throughout CM. Happiness scale scores correlated significantly with reduced drinking in most time periods. CONCLUSIONS An enduring change in drinking behavior is difficult in this social setting. Yet, CM provided by skilled and empathic case managers reduced maternal drinking at critical times, and therefore, alcohol exposure levels to the fetus.
Motivation, engagement, attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook users

Orientation: This research examined the influence of motives and engagement on brand attitudes and the influence thereof on buying intentions in the context of online social media brand communities. Research purpose: The primary purpose was to investigate the interrelationship between motives, engagement, brand attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook brand apparel community members in South Africa. Motivation for the study: Social media created a new tool for marketers to break through advertising clutter. Scholars assert that the influence of social media brand communities on consumers’ attitudes, behaviour and intentions need to be studied, and such research should be applied to a specific industry. Research design, approach and method: A total of 333 female apparel brand community members on Facebook completed a quantitative, structured online survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to investigate the interrelationship between the constructs. Main findings: The results indicated significant relationships between some of the hypothesised constructs, namely hedonic motives and brand attitude, as well as brand attitude and buyingintention. Practical/managerial implications: The findings suggested marketers should create entertaining and useful brand community experiences, as that lead to favourable attitudes, and positively influence buying intention. Suggestions for marketers to use this platform effectively to engage community members were provided. Contribution: The research contributed to the limited knowledge on brand community behaviour on Facebook in an emerging market context. This research examined female consumers, an influential segment of social media users. It provided empirical support for the theoretical relationship between brand attitude and buying intention.
Significance of hyaluronic acid for evaluation of hepatic endothelial cell damage after cold preservation/reperfusion.

UNLABELLED Serum hyaluronic acid (HA) levels during or after liver transplantation can reflect graft viability in animal models. Decreased HA clearance in nonviable grafts seems to reflect hepatic endothelial cell damage induced by cold preservation/reperfusion. Therefore, we examined the relationship between HA clearance and endothelial cell damage, using an isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) model. The grafts were separated into four groups, according to cold preservation time: minimal storage ( CONTROL n = 9), 4-hr preservation (n = 9), 5-hr preservation (n = 8), 6-hr preservation (n = 9). After cold storage, grafts were put on the recirculating IPRL system and then reperfused for 120 min with 37 degrees C oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer, containing HA and sodium taurocholate. To examine the function of sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatocytes, serial measurements of HA, total bile acids, and conventional parameters in the perfusate were taken. After the perfusion, a trypan blue exclusion test was done to assess the microscopic sinusoidal lining cell (SLC) damage. HA clearance from the perfusate showed a preservation time-dependent decrease which clearly distinguished between 4- and 6-hr preserved grafts. Trypan blue uptake ratio of SLC increased in accordance with preservation time. HA clearance at 120 min after reperfusion showed a highly significant correlation with histologically assessed SLC damage. These results suggest that HA is useful to evaluate the extent of endothelial cell damage after cold storage and reperfusion. The significance of HA as a predictor of graft viability is also confirmed.
Increased Glucose Disposal and AMP-dependent Kinase Signaling in a Mouse Model of Hemochromatosis*

Hereditary hemochromatosis is an inherited disorder of increased iron absorption that can result in cirrhosis, diabetes, and other morbidities. We have investigated the mechanisms underlying supranormal glucose tolerance despite decreased insulin secretion in a mouse model of hemochromatosis with deletion of the hemochromatosis gene (Hfe–/–). Hfe–/– mice on 129Sv or C57BL/6J backgrounds have decreased glucose excursions after challenge compared with controls. In the C57BL/6J/ Hfe–/–, for example, incremental area under the glucose curve is reduced 52% (p < 0.001) despite decreased serum insulin, and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance is decreased 50% (p < 0.05). When studied by the euglycemic clamp technique 129Sv/Hfe–/– mice exhibit a 20% increase in glucose disposal (p < 0.05) at submaximal insulin but no increase at maximal insulin compared with wild types. [1,2-13C]d-glucose clearance from plasma is significantly increased in Hfe–/– mice (19%, p < 0.05), and lactate derived from glycolysis is elevated 5.1-fold in Hfe–/– mice (p < 0.0001). Basal but not insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is elevated in isolated soleus muscle from Hfe–/– mice (p < 0.03). Compared with controls Hfe–/– mice exhibit no differences in serum lipid, insulin, glucagon, or thyroid hormone levels; adiponectin levels are elevated 41% (p < 0.05), and the adiponectin message in adipocytes is increased 83% (p = 0.04). Insulin action measured by phosphorylation of Akt is not enhanced in muscle, but phosphorylation of AMP-dependent kinase is increased. We conclude that supranormal glucose tolerance in iron overload is characterized by increased glucose disposal that does not result from increased insulin action. Instead, the Hfe–/– mice demonstrate increased adiponectin levels and activation of AMP-dependent kinase.
Buyer behavior and procedural fairness in pricing: exploring the moderating role of product familiarity

Purpose – This research proposes studying how consumers' familiarity with products impacts the degree to which consumers are sensitive to a seller's violation of procedural fairness norms in pricing. Past research has either studied the role of familiarity or the role of fairness in influencing consumer behavior. However, it is unclear how familiarity and fairness combine to influence consumer behavior. The present research proposes filling this gap.Design/methodology/approach – An experiment is designed to manipulate consumers' perceptions of procedural fairness of a seller's pricing tactic, and consumers' levels of familiarity with a product. Each variable is manipulated to be either high or low. Thus, outcomes are observed for four purchase conditions.Findings – Results indicate that the degree to which consumers rely on procedural fairness to evaluate a product is related to consumers' level of familiarity with a product. Consumers who are less familiar with a product are more likely to rely on proced.
Denitrification, Nitrate Reduction, and Oxygen Consumption in Coastal and Estuarine Sediments

Denitrification and consumption of oxygen and nitrate in sediments from Tama Estuary, Odawa Bay, and Tokyo Bay were measured in an experimental sediment-water system. Filtered seawater containing [15N]nitrate flowed continuously over undisturbed sediments, and the concentrations of O2, nitrate, and nitrite in the influent and effluent and of 15N2 in the effluent were monitored. Under steady-state conditions, the rate of nitrate consumption was the same order of magnitude as the rate of oxygen consumption in Tama Estuary sediments, whereas the former rate was one order of magnitude lower than the latter rate in Odawa Bay and Tokyo Bay sediments. Denitrification accounted for 27 to 57% of the nitrate consumption.
Firm's IPO Behavior and its Financial Impacts in Developing Financial Market A Case of Thai Securities Markets in the Early 1990s

The paper examines how Thai securities markets at the pre-crisis period functioned as a place of fund raising for domestic large firms. At first, by critically surveying the previous relevant researches and observing the characteristics of Thai firms’ capital structure, we examine a modified view of “pecking order hypothesis” for seeking more applicable models of corporate finance in developing financial markets. Then, with firm-level data at the period of 1992-95, and various information on ownership such as business group affiliations or foreign ownership, we conduct two types of the estimations: a panel estimation on the effect of the firms’ IPOs on their fund raising behavior, and a Probit estimation on the determinate of firms’ IPO behavior. From the estimations, we find the various evidences that shareholders of Thai large firms tend to utilize the securities markets in relation with their internal capital market, whereas a certain type of foreign owned firms utilize the securities markets as a mechanism for better governance. We also find that there is a kind of complimentarity between firm’s participation in the securities markets and the transactions in bank loan markets.
Group Size, ICC Values, and Group-Level Correlations: A Simulation

In the organizational literature, the impact of group size on the magnitude of the group-level correlation has not been explicitly delineated, despite the fact that group sizes vary considerably in organizational research. This article discusses the relationship between group size, ICC(J) values, and the magnitude of the group-level correlation, and shows that group size and ICC(I) values are important because they influence the reliability of the aggregate variables. Based on this discussion, a correction for attenuation formula is proposed that permits one to estimate the magnitude of the actual group-level correlation corrected for the reliability of the aggregate variables. A simulation study demonstrates that the correction for attenuation formula provides accurate estimates of the actual group-level correlation under a wide range of conditions. Implications for multilevel analyses are discussed.
Sensing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and consequences to both host and bacillus

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the primary causative agent of human tuberculosis, has killed more people than any other bacterial pathogen in human history and remains one of the most important transmissible diseases worldwide. Because of the long‐standing interaction of Mtb with humans, it is no surprise that human mucosal and innate immune cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to detect Mtb during initial contact. To that end, the cell surface of human cells is decorated with numerous pattern recognition receptors for a variety of mycobacterial ligands. Furthermore, once Mtb is ingested into professional phagocytes, other host molecules are engaged to report on the presence of an intracellular pathogen. In this review, we discuss the role of specific mycobacterial products in modulating the host's ability to detect Mtb. In addition, we describe the specific host receptors that mediate the detection of mycobacterial infection and the role of individual receptors in mycobacterial pathogenesis in humans and model organisms.
Tissue Heating During Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: A Thermodynamic Model and Observations in Isolated Perfused and Superfused Canine Right Ventricular Free Wall

Thecharacteristics of radiofrequency catheter ablation induced injury in the heart are not well characterized. Since the mechanism of injury by radiofrequency energy is thermal, this study was performed to determine the temperature gradient in myocardial tissue during radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation, and to validate a thermodynamic model derived to describe these observations. Lesions were created by RF heating in an experimental model of isolated perfused and superfused canine right ventricular (RV) free wall. RF power output was adjusted to maintain electrode tip temperature at 80°C for 120 seconds in 153 serial lesions and radial temperature gradients were measured. With increasing distance from the electrode, the temperature of the myocardium decreased in a hyperbolic form that was closely predicted by a derived thermodynamic model (P = 0.0001, r = 0.98). This gradient and resultant lesion sizes were unafected by the rate of coronary perfusion. The utility of tip temperature monitoring as a predictor of lesion size was tested in 104 serial lesions with tip temperatures that were varied between 50 and 85°C. The tip temperature correlated closely with lesion depth (P = 0.0001, r = 0.92) and width (P = 0.0001, r = 0.88), and was a better predictor of lesion size than measurements of power, current or energy. The temperature at the margin between viable and nonviable tissue was estimated to be 47.9°C. These data demonstrate that during radiofrequency catheter ablation, the radial temperature gradient is predictably hyperbolic and appears to be independent of intramyocardial perfusion if constant electrode temperature is maintained. The use of tip temperature monitoring can accurately predict the ultimate size of radiofrequency‐induced lesions.
Does Competitive Environment Moderate the Market Orientation-Performance Relationship?

Recent studies have shown evidence of a positive relationship between market orientation and performance. However, some scholars have suggested that competitive environment could moderate this relationship. The authors investigate how competitive environment affects the strength of the market orientation-performance relationship and whether it affects the focus of the external emphasis within a market orientation—that is, a greater emphasis on customer analysis relative to competitor analysis, or vice versa, within a given magnitude of market orientation. Their results provide very limited support for a moderator role for competitive environment on the market orientation-performance relationship. The benefits of a market orientation are long term though environmental conditions are often transient, and thus being market oriented is cost-effective in spite of any possible short-term moderating effects of the environment.
Management accounting and control in services: structural and behavioural perspectives

Notes the increasing interest in management accounting research in service organizations, even though it can still be said to be in an embryonic phase. Reviews the accounting and control implications of specific characteristics perceived to distinguish service organizations which have been observed in previous research in management accounting and service management. States that a review of previous research reveals an undue over‐emphasis on structural accounting implications at the expense of the behavioural side of accounting and control. Includes a case study in a public sector dental practice, with particular reference to the coexistence of formal and informal controls and formalization of control processes. Develops a framework consisting of a number of related research propositions and outlines future directions for research.