Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer acceptance and market success: Wal‐Mart in the UK and Germany

Purpose – This paper aims to explore Wal‐Mart's varying performance in Europe and eventual exit from the German market by singling out the role of consumer acceptance of Wal‐Mart's market propositions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the macro‐constructs of institutional theory to interpret and conceptualise micro‐level consumer data. Data were collected via telephone surveys in two regional German and UK markets in 2002/2003. Salient patronage norms in each market were established and Wal‐Mart's as well as its competitors' performance on those norms were assessed.Findings – In the German context, the institutional theory approach to explaining Wal‐Mart's problems clearly foreshadows market failure and exit. In UK market, no clear pattern between retailers adhering to salient patronage norms, patronage behaviour and market position could be established. The constructs of institutional theory were more likely to predict and explain market failure than success.Research limitations/implications –.
ON THE ABSOLUTE STABILITY OF SAMPLED-DATA CONTROL SYSTEMS.

that the linear part of Q is completely controllable1 (the vectors a, Aa, . . ., la are linearly independent) and completely observable1 (the vectors b, A'b,. (A') -1b are linearly independent), and also that the system (2) is asymptotically stable for all linear (p(ah) = uhm in the class (1). Thus, the system (2) has only one equilibrium point: Xh = XA+l = 0. 2. One wants to derive a sufficient condition for the existence of a Liapunov function of the type v = x'Hx +$fto'po(s)ds H > 0 (4) which proves global asymptotical stability for the system (2) with respect to all the nonlinearities (1) (absolute stability). Thus, we look for a solution of the Lur'e problem26 for (2). The v-difference of (4) along the solutions of (1) is:
Risk Implications of Increased Off-Balance Sheet Disclosure: The Case of FIN 46 and SOX

This study investigates the impact of increased disclosures required by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Financial Interpretation No. 46 (FIN 46) Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). Our results indicate that the maximum risk disclosures required under FIN 46 were only marginally priced, although differences exist across type of VIE and whether the structure was ultimately consolidated. Further, while all firms experienced decreases in idiosyncratic risk around this time of increasing regulatory scrutiny and upon adoption of SOX, only the off-balance sheet disclosures required by FIN 46 appear to have significantly altered firm idiosyncratic risk beyond the general provisions of SOX. Our study has implications for accounting regulators determined to design effective investor protection regulation.
Goodwill Valuation Effects of the Initial Adoption of SFAS 142

We investigate the initial adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards no. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, (SFAS 142). Using a sample of firms reporting goodwill at yearend 2001, we provide evidence on the timeliness and value relevance of the reported goodwill and goodwill impairments subsequent to the adoption of SFAS 142. Our results indicate that the adoption impairment was partially impounded in prices prior to 2002 and also represented new information to the market in 2002. The subsequent year 1 impairment primarily provides new information to the market (although some of the impairment is anticipated in the prior year). We also report increased value relevance associated with the adoption of SFAS 142. Our evidence documents a net benefit associated with SFAS 142 and is consistent with the FASB's objectives in promulgating the new standard.
Sindbis Virus-induced Viral Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase

A cytoplasmic structure containing the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase has been isolated by sucrose density centrifugation from cells infected with Sindbis virus. Uninfected cells did not contain any such structure. Preliminary experiments indicated that the structure may be associated with membranes. This structure incorporated 3H-guanosine triphosphate in vitro in the absence of added template. The RNA synthesized in vitro by the enzyme consisted of single-stranded 40S RNA, the ribonuclease-resistant replicative form, and possibly the replicative intermediate form of viral RNA. The products formed in vitro by the enzyme are identical in sedimentation rates to those formed in the infected cells in vivo.
Hypermethylated in cancer 1 (HIC1), a tumor suppressor gene epigenetically deregulated in hyperparathyroid tumors by histone H3 lysine modification.

CONTEXT Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) resulting from parathyroid tumors is a common endocrine disorder with incompletely understood etiology. In renal failure, secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) occurs with multiple tumor development as a result of calcium and vitamin D regulatory disturbance. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate whether HIC1 may act as a tumor suppressor in the parathyroid glands and whether deregulated expression involves epigenetic mechanisms. PATIENTS AND METHODS Parathyroid tumors from patients with pHPT included single adenomas, multiple tumors from the same patient, and cancer. Hyperplastic parathyroid glands from patients with sHPT and hypercalcemia and normal parathyroid tissue specimens were included in the study. Quantitative RT-PCR, bisulfite pyrosequencing, colony formation assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and RNA interference was used. RESULTS HIC1 was generally underexpressed regardless of the hyperparathyroid disease state including multiple parathyroid tumors from the same patient, and overexpression of HIC1 led to a decrease in clonogenic survival of parathyroid tumor cells. Only the carcinomas showed a high methylation level and reduced HIC1 expression. Cell culture experiments, including use of primary parathyroid tumor cells prepared directly after operation, the general histone methyltransferase inhibitor 3-deazaneplanocin A, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and RNA interference of DNA methyltransferases and EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2), supported a role of repressive histone H3 modifications (H3K27me2/3) rather than DNA methylation in repression of HIC1. CONCLUSIONS The results strongly support a growth-regulatory role of HIC1 in the parathyroid glands and suggest that perturbed expression of HIC1 may represent an early event during tumor development. Repressive histone modification H3K27me2/3 is involved in repression of HIC1 expression in hyperparathyroid tumors.
On the Evolution of Bile Salts and the Farnesoid X Receptor in Vertebrates

In recent decades, our knowledge of bile salts has undergone a vast development, and bile salts are now known not only for their detergent properties that aid in the absorption of dietary lipids but also for their interaction with specific nuclear and membrane receptors. In particular, it has been realized that the response of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) to bile acids provides a signal bridge between the liver and small intestine, controlling the intracellular levels, biosynthesis, and enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. Therefore, FXR and bile acid signaling has become an attractive target for treatment of, for example, cholestatic liver diseases, diabetes, and colorectal cancer. Previously, interest in the structure and chemistry of bile salts has focused on their cellular toxicity and involvement in digestion. However, insight into the extensive variation in the structure of bile salts in vertebrates and the concurrent evolution of the FXR has become increasingly important as their role as signal molecules has become clearer. In this review, we therefore focus on common structural features of bile salts as well as evolutionary aspects of bile salts and the FXR in vertebrates. Ultimately, a better understanding of the evolution of bile salts and the FXR may expand our knowledge of their function in health and disease, including their function outside the gastrointestinal tract, and aid in the development of new strategies for treatment.
Market-Based Evidence on the Usefulness of Corporate Governance Ratings

This paper investigates the usefulness of commercial corporate governance ratings from a market perspective. For two large European economies, Germany and the UK, we document a positive association of ISS governance ratings with firm value. However, when we decompose the rating into its two components, publicly available governance information, and information added through the rating vendor’s proprietary rating technology, only the former component turns out significant in the firm value regressions. This finding is not moderated by the institutional diversity of our setting, i.e., the German stakeholder-oriented system versus the UK shareholder-oriented system, and leads us to rule out that our findings are driven by measurement error on behalf of the rating agency. Rather, our results suggest that the economic vindication of governance rating agencies may not derive from their expertise in converting public data into aggregated ratings, but, e.g., from comparative advantages in collecting governance data, or from other factors.
Own Brands and the Cookware Market

Own brands are now emerging in the cookware market, and retailers are thus implementing strategies which influence manufacturers, traditional shopping outlets and consumer shopping style. This new trend is examined, seeking correlation with other market sectors which have already absorbed the own‐brand factor, relating what is current practice in the cookware market, identifying retailers' own and mixed brand policies and considering consumer choice factors. Cookware brand developments are not expected to differ from those of other sectors. Retailers will try to lead the market through product advancement, while manufacturers must seek to protect their brands by developing added value and using strong marketing strategies to promulgate anti‐own brand products.
Local authorities, climate change and small and medium enterprises: identifying effective policy instruments to reduce energy use and carbon emissions

This paper discusses potential policy options available to local and municipal author- ities, to achieve reductions in energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Researchers conducted surveys with 112 SMEs, and the results have been used to disaggregate the category of 'SME' into sub-sectors based on industrial sector, two measurements of employee size and annual turnover. A statistical analysis identifies key characteristics and behaviours of the sub-sectors of firms and discusses the type of policy measure these groups of SMEs would probably respond to. The key results of the research indicate that cate- gories of firms differ in terms of energy use behaviours, internal constraints and atti- tudes toward possible policy options. The paper presents a 'policy matrix' to represent the most and least likely policy options to achieve energy savings from different categories of SMEs. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Türkiye'de Turizm ve Ekonomik Büyüme Arasındaki Kısa ve Uzun Dönemli İlişkiler

This study investigates short and long term relationships and causality between tourism and economic growth by using ARDL method for 1964-2006 in Turkey. It is found that tourism is an important factor of economic growth in the long-term, while there is no relationship between tourism and economic growth in the short term. It is also found that there is a Granger-causality from tourism to economic growth, but empiricial evidence does not support reverse causality. The long term relationship between two variables and unidirectional causality from economic growth to tourism revenues confirm that in the long-term, the tourism-led growth hypothesis is valid for Turkey. Empiricial evidence laid out in this paper indicates that tourism industry is an important element affecting economic growth in Turkey.
American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Competency of Osteopathic Medical Students

The study examined the effectiveness of a workshop on Deaf culture and basic medical American Sign Language for increasing osteopathic student physicians’ confidence and knowledge when interacting with ASL-using patients. Students completed a pretest in which they provided basic demographic information, rated their confidence levels, took a video quiz on basic medical signs, and experienced a practical standardized encounter with a Deaf patient. They then attended a 4-hour workshop and, 2 weeks later, completed a posttest. Thirty-three students completed the pretest; 29 attended the workshop; 26 completed the posttest. Video quiz scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest, as did scores for the standardized patient encounter after completion of the workshop. Students also reported increased levels of confidence in interactions with the Deaf community. The results suggest that a single workshop was effective in increasing both confidence and short-term knowledge in interactions with Deaf patients.
Photoreception and Signal Transduction in Corals: Proteomic and Behavioral Evidence for Cytoplasmic Calcium as a Mediator of Light Responsivity

Little is known about how corals sense and respond to light. In this report the proteome of coral is explored using 2D protein electrophoresis in two species, Montastraea cavernosa and Acropora millepora. Multiple protein species have major shifts in abundance in both species when sampled in daylight compared to corals sampled late in the night. These changes were observed both in larvae lacking zooxanthellae and in adult tissue containing zooxanthellae, including both Pacific and Caribbean corals. When larvae kept in the dark were treated with either thapsigargin or ionomycin, compounds that raise the level of cytoplasmic calcium, the night pattern of proteins shifted to the day pattern. This implies that photoreceptors responding to light elevate calcium levels and that calcium acts as the second messenger relaying light responses in corals. Corals spawn at night, and spawning can be delayed by exposure to light or pushed forward by early artificial sunsets. In a series of behavioral experiments, treatment of corals with ionomycin or thapsigargin was found to delay broadcast spawning in M. franksi, demonstrating that pharmacologically altering cytoplasmic calcium levels generates the same response as light exposure. Together these results show that the photo-responsive cells of corals detect and respond to light by altering cytoplasmic calcium levels, similarly to the transduction pathways in complex invertebrate eyes. The primacy of cytoplasmic calcium levels in light responsivity has broad implications for coral reproduction, including predicting how different species spawn at different times after sunset and how reproductive isolation is achieved during coral speciation.
THE EFFECTS OF PANAX GINSENG ROOT EXTRACT ON CARBOHYDRATE AND LIPID DISTURBANCES ASSOCIATED WITH ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Diabetes is a major public health issue. Panax ginseng is an anciently used herbal drug for diabetic treatment. Antidiabetic effects of P. ginseng are attributed to ginsenosides. The objective of current study is to determine the antidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng root extract at gene level. Rats were fed on high-fatty diet for two weeks and divided into three groups (8rats/group): Non-diabetic control group (NDG), Diabetic-group (DG), Diabetic+300mg/kg Panax ginseng root extract group (DM+PGE). On 14th day, the rats were kept in overnight-fasting and administered single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan-monohydrate dissolved in 0.5ml of saline solution at the dose of 120-130mg/Kg body weight (BW). BW and blood glucose were measured on 1st and 14th week. After 14 weeks, fasting/basal blood samples were collected for the biochemical analysis. Liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue were also collected for mRNA genes expression of Glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4), Insulin receptor substrate-1(IRS-1), Insulin receptor (IR), Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), Fatty acid sythase (FAS), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). We found a significant reduction in the BW of DM+PGE group at 14th week. Glycemia was significantly higher in DG and significant reduction was recorded in DM+PGE group. While serum glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine levels decreased significantly in treated groups. We observed significant increase for catalase (CAT) and decrease for malondialdehyde (MDA) in DM+PGE group in comparison to DG. PGE showed significant increase for HDL-C and decrease for TG. PGE significantly down-regulate hepatic TNF-α. For skeletal muscle, we recorded significant up-regulation for GLUT-4 and PPAR-α while for adipose tissue, we measured upregulation for IRS-1 and PPAR-γ and significant down-regulation was recorded for TNF-α. In conclusion, PGE has strong anti-diabetic effects mediated by a modulating effect on involved key genes.
Relationship‐value‐based antecedents of customer satisfaction and loyalty in manufacturing

Purpose – The paper's purpose is to broaden knowledge of customer satisfaction and loyalty in business‐to‐business markets.Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose and test a model in which customer satisfaction is conceived as mediating the relationship between the elements of relationship value (price, product quality, delivery performance, supplier know‐how, time‐to‐market, service support and personal interaction) and attitudinal and behavioural customer loyalty. The empirical analysis uses structural equation modelling and is based on 477 customer‐supplier relationships in the manufacturing context.Findings – The results show that satisfaction is negatively affected by price and positively by delivery performance, supplier know‐how and personal interaction. On the other hand, satisfaction positively influences behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. In addition, behavioural loyalty is also negatively affected by price and positively by product quality, while attitudinal loyalty is positively af.
Evolution of tRNA Repertoires in Bacillus Inferred with OrthoAlign.

OrthoAlign, an algorithm for the gene order alignment problem (alignment of orthologs), accounting for most genome-wide evolutionary events such as duplications, losses, rearrangements, and substitutions, was presented. OrthoAlign was used in a phylogenetic framework to infer the evolution of transfer RNA repertoires of 50 fully sequenced bacteria in the Bacillus genus. A prevalence of gene duplications and losses over rearrangement events was observed. The average rate of duplications inferred in Bacillus was 24 times lower than the one reported in Escherichia coli, whereas the average rates of losses and inversions were both 12 times lower. These rates were extremely low, suggesting a strong selective pressure acting on tRNA gene repertoires in Bacillus. An exhaustive analysis of the type, location, distribution, and length of evolutionary events was provided, together with ancestral configurations. OrthoAlign can be downloaded at: http://www.iro. umontreal.ca/~mabrouk/.
Cell proliferation depends on mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake: inhibition by salicylate

Store‐operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is a ubiquitous Ca2+ influx pathway involved in control of multiple cellular and physiological processes including cell proliferation. Recent evidence has shown that SOCE depends critically on mitochondrial sinking of entering Ca2+ to avoid Ca2+‐dependent inactivation. Thus, a role of mitochondria in control of cell proliferation could be anticipated. We show here that activation of SOCE induces cytosolic high [Ca2+] domains that are large enough to be sensed and avidly taken up by a pool of nearby mitochondria. Prevention of mitochondrial clearance of the entering Ca2+ inhibited both SOCE and cell proliferation in several cell types including Jurkat and human colon cancer cells. In addition, we find that therapeutic concentrations of salicylate, the major metabolite of aspirin, depolarize partially mitochondria and inhibit mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, as revealed by mitochondrial Ca2+ measurements with targeted aequorins. This salicylate‐induced inhibition of mitochondrial Ca2+ sinking prevented SOCE and impaired cell growth of Jurkat and human colon cancer cells. Finally, direct blockade of SOCE by the pyrazole derivative BTP‐2 was sufficient to arrest cell growth. Taken together, our results reveal that cell proliferation depends critically on mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and suggest that inhibition of tumour cell proliferation by salicylate may be due to interference with mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, which is essential for sustaining SOCE. This novel mechanism may contribute to explaining the reported anti‐proliferative and anti‐tumoral actions of aspirin and dietary salicylates.
Differentiated fit and shared values: Alternatives for managing headquarters‐subsidiary relations

This paper elaborates and provides empirical support for two different approaches to managing the nexus of headquarters subsidiary relations in a multinational corporation (MNC). The first approach is that of Differentiated Fit. We show that the extent to which an MNC differentiates the formal structure of its headquarters subsidiary relations to fit the contexts of its various subsidiaries, the better the performance of the MNC as a whole. The second approach is that of Shared Values. We show that a high degree of shared values among the headquarters and subsidiaries is another approach to governing headquarterssubsidiary relation that enhances the performance of the MNC. We further maintain that differentiated fit and shared values, while being alternatives, are not mutually exclusive ways of effectively managing headquarters subsidiary relations. Indeed, MNCs that can simultaneously implement these two approaches have the best relative performance.
PRODUCT MARKET COMPETITION AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We investigate the link between industry competitiveness and corporate social performance. Fernandez and Santalo (2010) show that firms in more competitive environments have better social ratings, consistent with the strategic purpose of social initiatives. We show that competition alone is not a sufficient mechanism to improve all dimensions of corporate social responsibility. Using the Hoberg and Phillips' fitted HHI as a proxy for competition, our results suggest that competitive pressure, on average, leads to an increase in social strengths but not necessarily to a decrease in social concerns (1). We do find a positive association between overall social performance and product market competition but this relationship does not hold with all dimensions of social responsibility. More specifically, the positive impact of competition is significant for both shareholder- and employee-related social actions (corporate governance, diversity, employee relations, human rights) but is not verified for actions affecting other stakeholders (community, environment) (2). In more competitive environments, product quality and safety concerns are decreased, but product strengths are not significantly increased (3). Interestingly, concerns with alcohol, gambling and tobacco do not appear to be affected by competition whereas involvement in firearms, military and nuclear power is reduced under competitive pressure (4).