Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of brand equity on brand preference and purchase intentions in the service industries

The antecedents of brand equity are considered to be brand attitude and brand image, and the consequences of brand equity are considered to be brand preference and purchase intentions. This study concentrates on service brands, selecting 18 from 3 service categories. A structural equation model is presented. Not only does it show a good fit with the research constructs but also the relationships between brand image and brand equity, and brand attitude and brand equity. The impact of brand equity on customer preference and purchase intentions is confirmed as well, which tends to validate the proposed research framework.
Ovariectomy-Induced Increases in Hypothalamic Serotonin-1A Receptor Function in Rats Are Prevented by Estradiol

The present study investigated the effects of long-term estradiol withdrawal (ovariectomy) on hypothalamic serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) receptor signaling. Changes in neuroendocrine responses to the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT and levels of Gz protein in the hypothalamus were used to examine 5-HT1A receptor signaling. Five days following ovariectomy, rats received daily injections of either 2 µg of β-estradiol 3-benzoate or vehicle (subcutaneously) for 2, 4 or 14 days. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, and 15 min prior to sacrifice, rats were injected with (±)8-OH-DPAT (50 µg/kg, s.c.) or saline. Estradiol treatment did not alter basal corticotropin (ACTH) or oxytocin levels. Injection of (±)8-OH-DPAT produced significant increases in plasma ACTH and oxytocin levels. In the vehicle-treated rats, hormone responses to 8-OH-DPAT were enhanced in rats that received injections for 14 days compared with rats that received injections for either 2 or 4 days. Estradiol treatment for 4 or 14 days blunted this enhanced ACTH response to 8-OH-DPAT, whereas the oxytocin response to 8-OH-DPAT was only blunted after 14 daily injections of β-estradiol 3-benzoate. The treatment with β-estradiol 3-benzoate (2 µg/rat) did not reduce membrane-associated Gz protein levels in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Hence, the inhibitory influence of a low dose of β-estradiol 3-benzoate on 5-HT1A receptor signaling in the hypothalamus is not accompanied by a change in the levels of Gz protein in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Results from the present study indicate a supersensitivity of 5-HT1A receptors after withdrawal of estradiol and suggest that estradiol suppresses 5-HT1A receptor signaling.
Primary extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A 3-year record-based descriptive study from a tertiary care center in Southern India.

INTRODUCTION Primary extranodal lymphoma (pENL) refers to group of disorders arising from tissues other than lymph nodes and even from sites, which normally do not contain lymphoid tissue. This study was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence, anatomical distribution, and histological subtypes of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from a tertiary care institute in Southern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Pathology over a period of 3-years. Detailed clinical history, routine complete blood count, microbiological status was obtained from the medical records. Hamatoxylin and eosin slides were reviewed and immunohistochemistry was performed using a panel of antibodies depending on the morphology. All cases were classified based upon morphologic and immunophenotypic criteria according to World Health Organization 2008 classification. RESULTS Primary extranodal NHL constituting 22.6% (68/300) of all NHL and the majority of patients were from higher age group with peak incidence seen in fourth to fifth decade of life. In the pediatric population, the most common site is ileo-caecal region (42.8%) and the most common morphology is lymphoblastic lymphoma (42.8%). Similarly in the adult population head and neck was the most common site constituting 36% and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common morphological subtype comprising 54% of all extranodal lymphomas. CONCLUSION Although the reported incidence of pENL is low in India compared to other parts of the world, the possibility of pENL should always be kept in mind even though it arises in an extranodal site.
Is Income Overrated in Determining Adequate Nutrition?

There is now a wide measure of agreement on several broad propositions. Serious and extensive nutritional deficiencies occur in virtually all developing countries, though they are worst in low-income countries. They are usually caused by undernourishment-a shortage of food-not by an imbalance between calories and protein. Malnutrition affects old and young, male and female, urban and rural dwellers. Malnutrition is largely a reflection of poverty: people do not have enough income for food. Given the slow income growth that is likely for the poorest people in the foreseeable future, large numbers will remain malnourished for decades to come. The most efficient long-term policies are those that raise the incomes of the poor, and those that raise food production per person. Other relevant policies include food subsidies, nutrition education, adding minerals or vitamins to salt and other processed foods, and increasing emphasis on producing foods typically consumed by the poor. '
Determining the causality relationships among FDI determinants: evidence from Jordan

Economic theory suggests that FDI reinforced economic growth leading to economic development. The present paper analyses four macroeconomic factors that are affecting FDI inflows in Jordan. However, it examines the long-run and short-run causality relationships among inflation rate (INF), gross domestic product (GDP), broad money supply (M2), exchange rate (EX) and FDI inflows for the (1980-2011) period. It also uses augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (P-P) for testing stationarity; Johansen and Juselious for testing the cointegrating relationships among variables and Engel and Granger for testing the short-run causality relationships among variables. The results suggest that the variables are cointegrated and it shows various causality directions among them. These findings are important for Jordanian policy makers to determine the main macroeconomic factors that may increase FDI inflows to Jordan and reinforce the Jordanian economic growth and development.
Institutional Investors and Private Equity

Entrepreneurial finance literature has highlighted that institutional investors are the main contributors to private equity funds. This paper complements these findings by documenting that institutional investors also invest directly in private equity. A major concern for such investments is the higher agency costs associated with private equity. We show that institutions invest in private firms with governance mechanisms that tend to reduce the expected agency costs and risk of minority expropriation. Good governance mechanisms further allow institutional investors to enjoy the benefits of syndication and thereby reduce idiosyncratic risk. In addition, we show that institutional investments tend to be followed by further improvements in corporate governance and tend to occur in high-growth firms within research and development intensive industries. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Delivering Innovation in Hospital Construction: Contracts and Collaboration in the UK's Private Finance Initiative Hospitals Program

�he increasing pace of change in healthcare technologies and policies has generated increased interest in the future adaptability in the physical infrastructure that supports health services. This challenge is especially acute in the UK, where the reorganization of the National Health Service (NHS) is taking place parallel to an infrastructure modernization program worth over $70B. 1 To stimulate investment, various forms of
Malmquist Productivity Indexes and Fisher Ideal Indexes: Comment

Fare and Grosskopf (I992) (henceforth abbreviated as FG) showed that, under some conditions, the productivity index, defined as the geometric mean of two input based Malmquist productivity indexes, is equal to the quotient of the Fisher input (quantity) index and the Fisher output (quantity) index. Both Fisher indices can be computed from observed prices and quantities. These conditions appear to be so strong that they will almost certainly never be fulfilled in practice. This is shown by a careful inspection of FG's proof. However, under slightly milder but more plausible conditions it can be shown that the quotient of the Fisher input index and the Fisher output index is a reasonable approximation of the productivity index. Consider a firm at two time periods t = o, i with different technologies which are modelled by the input correspondences Lt(y) -{x: x can produce y, x c RN}, ycE Rm. It is assumed that the sets Lt( y) are closed and convex, and that inputs are strongly disposable. The vectors x', yt ) wt pt (t = o, i) denote observed inputs, observed outputs, observed input prices and observed output prices respectively. The productivity index is defined as'
Social networking: a matter of character?

Over the last couple of years, online social networks such as Facebook have tremendously grown in popularity, especially among students. The technological advancements proceed faster than the understanding of the psychological factors behind this development. While motivations and gratifications related to Facebook usage have been investigated thoroughly, this study additionally focuses on the influence of underlying personality factors. However, instead of the commonly used Big Five, the characteristics narcissism, shyness and loneliness are investigated among undergraduate and graduate students. The results indicate that a high score on narcissism causes a higher Facebook usage and that the sub construct uniqueness/entitlement is the most important. The results also indicate a negative influence of loneliness on Facebook usage, while shyness seems irrelevant.
The Forecasting Efficacy of Risk‐Neutral Moments for Crude Oil Volatility

This paper examines the information content of implied volatility for crude oil options as it relates to future realized volatility. Using data for the period 1996 to 2011 we find that implied volatility is an effective predictor of the month-ahead realized volatility. We show that implied volatility subsumes the information content of contemporaneous volatility, and it contains incremental information on future volatility after controlling for contemporaneous volatility. Furthermore, incorporating risk-neutral skewness, and especially kurtosis, improves the forecasting of realized volatility. Overall, the association between implied volatility and month-ahead realized volatility is consistent with evidence documented for other asset classes, leading us to conclude that implied volatility serves as a reasonable proxy for expected volatility.
Examining the Interrelationships between Motivation, Conscientiousness, and Individual Endurance Sport Performance

: Personality traits and motivation have been predictive of athletic success. Conscientiousness, intrinsic motivation (IM), and extrinsic motivation (EM) positively predict sport performance, while amotivation (AM) has a negative impact. This study examined the effects of both sport motivation and conscientiousness on athletic performance. Methods included a cross-sectional survey study of endurance athletes ( N = 73); including runners (56.1%), swimmers (19.2%), triathletes (6.8%), rowers (2.7%), and multi-sport athletes (15.1%). Conscientiousness and motivation were assessed using questionnaires. Subjective ratings and objective scores of a recent performance(s) were collected. Regression analyses demonstrated that conscientiousness positively predicted IM and negatively predicted AM. AM negatively predicted subjective performance. IM and EM were not significant predictors of subjective performance. No variable significantly predicted objective performance. Results support the deleterious role of AM in performance. Compared to IM and EM, AM might be a more relevant construct when predicting performance in a sample of athletes with varying degrees of commitment. This construct may be of particular interest to clinicians due to its association with athletic burnout. Conscientiousness may serve as a protective factor against burnout.
How far do cultural differences explain the differences between nations? Implications for HRM

This conceptual paper argues that national differences in human resource management (HRM) matter and can be explained by cultural and institutional theories. We explore briefly the nature of each set of theories and some of the critiques that have been made of them. We argue that in general much of the differences in HRM between countries are determined by institutional factors, and that management has more influence over the effect of national cultural differences than it has over institutional differences and therefore in most cases the appropriate tests will be tests against institutional differences. Where institutions are less constraining, cultural differences may be the appropriate template.
The Effect of Liquidity Constraints on Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

This paper examines the effect of liquidity constraints on consumption expenditures using a single-time cross-section data set. A reduced-form equation for consumption is estimated on high-saving households by the Tobit procedure to account for the selectivity bias. Since high-saving households are not likely to be liquidity constrained, the estimated equation is an appropriate description of how desired consumption dictated by the life cycle-permanent income hypothesis is related to the variables available in the cross-section data. When the reduced-form equation is used to predict desired consumption, the gap between desired consumption and measured consumption is most evident for young households.
Optic nerve appearance in patients with Down syndrome.

To the Editors: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are commonly seen by pediatric ophthalmologists because signifi cant ocular conditions are associated with the disorder.1 The presence of optic nerve anomalies has been noted in various small case series on children with DS.2,3 We sought to determine the prevalence and character of optic nerve abnormalities among patients with DS in a large pediatric cohort and to ascertain whether patients with DS and optic nerve fi ndings suggestive of an intracranial process (nerve elevation or pallor) had corresponding central nervous system pathology. A retrospective review of the charts of all patients with DS (10-year study period) seen by the ophthalmology service at Boston Children’s Hospital was performed to identify those with optic nerve anomalies. One hundred sixteen patients with DS and optic nerve abnormalities were identifi ed (116 of 806, 14% of patients with DS). The most frequently identifi ed abnormality was a myopic appearance and/or peripapillary atrophy of the optic nerve head. Other anomalies included peripapillary pigmentation, scleral crescent, optic nerve pallor, and non-myopic peripapillary atrophy (Figure 1). Seventeen patients had elevated optic nerve heads (17 of 806, 2%), eight of whom underwent neuroimaging. No imaged patient was found to have pathology compatible with optic nerve swelling. B-scan ultrasonography was performed on fi ve patients, either after neuroimaging or as a primary diagnostic measure. Optic nerve head drusen were found in all of these children. Four patients with DS in the cohort had pale optic nerves. Optic nerve head anomalies were not attributable to an undiagnosed intracranial lesion in any case. Among the optic nerve anomalies identifi ed in our cohort, we focused particularly on those that could be associated with a vision-threatening or life-threatening process: optic nerve head elevation and optic nerve pallor. In previous small case series, optic nerve head elevation was noted in 3% to 5% of patients with DS.2-4 In this investigation, none of those with elevated or pale nerves had undiagnosed life or vision-threatening pathology either clinically or by neuroimaging. This is consistent with prior research on CNS lesions in the DS population because solid intracranial tumors appear to be extremely rare in these patients.5 Based on our fi ndings in this study, we recommend a systematic approach to evaluating children with DS who have elevated-appearing optic nerves. B-scan ultrasonography may be employed as a fi rstline diagnostic modality in these patients. It is inexpensive, non-invasive, and sensitive for optic disc drusen. A positive scan obviates the need for costly and invasive testing because drusen can be monitored ophthalmoscopically and with visual fi eld testing. In the case of a negative scan, further measures should be considered, including neurologic consultation, neuroimaging, and lumbar puncture. Patients who demonstrate nerve pallor of unknown etiology may prompt neuroimaging in addition to neurologic and/or neuroophthalmic consultation.
Labor and Love: Wives’ Employment and Divorce Risk in its Socio-Political Context

We theorize how social policy affects marital stability vis-à -vis macro and micro effects of wives’ employment on divorce risk in 11 Western countries. Correlations among 1990s aggregate data on marriage, divorce, and wives’ employment rates, along with attitudinal and social policy information, seem to support specialization hypotheses that divorce rates are higher where more wives are employed and where policies support that employment. This is an ecological fallacy, however, because of the nature of the changes in specific countries. At the micro level, we harmonize national longitudinal data on the most recent cohort of wives marrying for the first time and find that the stabilizing effects of a gendered division of labor have ebbed. In the United States with its lack of policy support, a wife’s employment still significantly increases the risk of divorce. A wife’s employment has no significant effect on divorce risk in Australia, Flanders, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In Finland, Norway, and Sweden, wives’ employment predicts a significantly lower risk of divorce when compared with wives who are out of the labor force. The results indicate that greater policy support for equality reduces and may even reverse the relative divorce risk associated with a wife’s employment.
Fraud, Market Reaction, and the Role of Institutional Investors in Chinese Listed Firms

The extent and type of financial fraud committed by listed firms in China, stock market reaction to the detection and announcement of fraud, and the association between institutional ownership and financial fraud are the subjects of this article. Using fraud data from the period between 2001 and 2011, the authors find wide occurrences of fraud and a strong negative market reaction on the announcement date, particularly in cases of serious fraud. Fraud is more likely to occur at firms that have a smaller proportion of independent directors and at poorly performing firms. Firms with higher mutual fund ownership subsequently have fewer incidences of fraud. Our results reports by the authors indicate that ownership by independent institutions, such as mutual funds, serves as an effective monitoring mechanism, deterring fraud and enhancing corporate governance in Chinese capital markets.
Contesting Local Pay: The Decentralization of Collective Bargaining in the NHS

Local pay determination formed a key plank in the Conservative government’s attempt to restructure industrial relations in the NHS, and to ‘reassert managerial control’ of the paybill at local (trust) level. This paper reports the findings of a national survey of Unison lead negotiators, complemented by case study interviews and documentary research, on the processes and outcomes of local pay determination, and its impact on industrial relations at both national and local levels. The paper strongly refutes recent suggestions that local pay leads to ‘improved’ industrial relations and greater pay equity. Moreover, and contrary to claims that Staff Side organizations are ‘too weak’ to challenge ‘new managerial strategies’, the study’s findings show that the search for managerial control remains, as always, a contested terrain.
The Impact of Cash Holdings and External Financing on Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity

Purpose - – This paper aims to propose several factors which can explain the negative relationship between financial constraints and investment-cash flow sensitivity. Design/methodology/approach - – The author uses traditional fixed effects model and minimum distance panel estimation by Erickson and Whited (2000) to estimate investment-cash flow sensitivity in the cash flow-augmented investment equation. In addition, principal component analysis is used to construct a financial constraints measure. Findings - – First, it was found that substitutability between cash holdings and free cash flow can partially explain why financially constrained firms do not depend on cash flow as heavily as we expect. Second, it was confirmed that the level of net external financing can also partially explain the investment-cash flow sensitivity puzzle. Furthermore, it was argued that the influence of cash holdings and external financing on investment-cash flow sensitivity is caused by the low level of internal cash flow for financially constrained firms. This argument is supported by our findings from an examination of investment-cash flow sensitivity for bank-dependent firms during the recession periods. Originality/value - – This paper contributes to the literature by suggesting possible partial explanations for the contradictory relationship between investment-cash flow sensitivity and financial constraints.
How Policies Affect International Biofuel Price Linkages

We estimate the role of biofuel policies in determining which country is the price leader in world biofuel markets using a cointegration analysis and a Vector Error Correction (VEC) model. Weekly prices are analyzed for the EU, US, and Brazilian ethanol and biodiesel markets in the 2002–2010 and 2005–2010 time periods, respectively. The US blender's tax credit and Brazil's consumer tax exemption are found to play a role in determining the ethanol prices in other countries. For biodiesel, our results demonstrate that EU policies – the consumer tax exemption and blending target – tend to determine the world biodiesel price.
Mixed Strategy Pricing Behaviour in the UK Package Tour Industry

In a market, such as that for package tours, in which products are weakly differentiated and information is fuzzy, consumers may adopt search behaviour such that effectively, they play mixed strategies in the selection of the product that they choose to purchase. Tour operators' best response to this behaviour is mixed strategy pricing. Mixed strategy pricing is likely to mean that the variances of prices will be different at different points during the season for each operator. A simple model is formulated to illustrate the sequence of moves and the behaviour of variances. Brochure data for the summer seasons of 1982 and 1995 is analysed to investigate whether variances differ at different times during the season and thus differ systematically with the level of demand. The weight of evidence generally supports the view that operators adopt mixed strategies when setting brochure prices, even if achieved unconsciously through the application of rules of thumb. Strong evidence is found of the form that one operator, at least, produced a pattern of variances that is statistically significant and that could not result from the method of analysis adopted in the paper or from an ad hoc allocation of its fixed costs.