Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retailers and new product acceptance in India's base of pyramid (BoP) markets: Propositions for research

Purpose – Retailers' new product acceptance in base of pyramid (BoP) markets is crucial to marketers in this segment. This paper seeks to develop propositions for research on factors that affect retailers in new product introduction. The propositions also aim to make a distinction between urban and rural BoP markets.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a broad description of India's BoP market (one of the world's largest BoP markets) to better understand context. It uses literature from developed country context to BoP markets to arrive at research propositions for further research.Findings – The key research propositions derived relate to exogenous and endogenous factors. Exogenous factors relate to store trading area, competitive environment, shopper characteristics and product diversity. The endogenous factors include store atmosphere, assortment and shelf space allocation, price and promotion. The differences across rural and urban BoP markets are highlighted for each proposition.Practical.
RELATION OF HIGHWAY ACCESSIBILITY TO URBAN REAL ESTATE VALUES

THIS PAPER COVERS PORTIONS OF THE EMPIRICAL RESULTS FROM A STUDY ON THE NATURE AND VALUE OF HIGHWAY ACCESSIBILITY. THE DATA ARE DRAWN FROM THE WASHINGTON, D. C. , METROPOLITAN AREA. THE MAJOR SOURCE OF ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION IS THE 1955 WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY. HOUSE PRICES ARE DRAWN FROM A LIST OF SALES PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION. EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIPS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BETWEEN' /1/ JOB ACCESSIBILITY AND DISTANCE TO THE CBD; /2/ DRIVING TIME TO CBD AND DISTANCE TO CBD; /3/ PROPORTION OF JOB TRIPS TO CBD AND DRIVING TIME TO CBD; AND /4/ HOUSE PRICES AND JOB ACCESSIBILITY, DRIVING TIME, AND DISTANCE TO CBD. MOST OF THE STATISTICAL RESULTS OF THE STUDY ARE REPORTED BUT THE RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES OF RELATING O-D DATA TO DATA ON THE URBAN HOUSING MARKET ARE EMPHASIZED. /AUTHOR/
EFL Oral Communication Teaching Practices: A Close Look at University Teachers and A2 Students’ Perspectives in Thailand and a Critical Eye from Serbia

This paper aimed to reexamine current EFL oral communication teaching practices from the perspectives of teachers and A2 students at two universities, namely Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Thailand and University of Novi Sad (UNS), Serbia. The main objectives were: (1) to analyze current practices from the perspectives of teachers and students, (2) to identify real problems encountered by teachers and students attempting to embrace Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to improve oral English communication, and (3) propose practical solutions for classroom practices to improve the majority of students’ oral proficiency from the elementary level. The findings were that oral English communication classes at PSU continue to embrace CLT and that the majority of Thai A2 students were frequently engaged in group activities rather than in individual and teacher-centered tasks. There was reliance on unrealistic, scripted role plays. Unlike the Serbian students, Thai students apparently needed to acquire more independent skills, become less passive learners, and interact more spontaneously in the target language. Other problems at PSU included mixed ability classes. Recommendations are placement tests, choices of more advanced elective courses, rigorous enforcement of upper enrollment limit, a balance between group and individual communicative tasks, and replacement of scripted with non-scripted role plays.
Existence of Pullback Attractor for a Reaction-Diffusion equation in Some Unbounded Domains with Non-Autonomous Forcing Term in H-1

The existence of a pullback attractor in L2(Ω) for the following non-autonomous reaction–diffusion equation $$ \left\{ \begin{array}{@{}l@{\quad}l@{}}% \displaystyle\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}-\bigtriangleup u=f(u)+h(t), &\text{in}\Omega\times(\tau,+\infty),\\[15pt] u=0, &\text{on}\partial\Omega\times(\tau,+\infty), \\[8pt] u(x,\tau)=u_{\tau}(x), xH^{-1} (\Omega))$. The main concept used in the proof is the asymptotic compactness of the process generated by the problem.
Who pays for banking supervision? Principles and practices

This paper focuses on the financing of banking supervision. Countries are classified according to who finances banking supervision the tax payer and/or the supervised industry -, and how the budget and fees are determined. We show that funding regimes differ across countries. Public funding is more often found when banks are supervised by the central bank, while supervision funded via a levy on the regulated banks is more likely in the case of a separate financial authority. Finally, some countries apply mixed funding. In general, there is a trend toward more private funding. We also find a relation between sources of financing and accountability arrangements. Public financing is associated with accountability towards the parliament, while private financing is more likely to go hand in hand with accountability towards the government. The financing issue is important because the financing regime may affect the behaviour of the supervisor and hence the quality of supervision. Regulatory capture, industry capture and the supervisor's self interest may affect supervisory policy. No theoretical model has been developed prescribing the optimal financing of supervision. Our results suggest that the actual choice of financing is a casual one, not based on either considerations of incentive-compatability or on the beneficiary approach. As it is to be expected that financial regulation will become more internationally organized in the future, careful analysis of the financing issue will become even more relevant.
Factors Associated With the Use of Meals-On- Wheels among Home Care Clients: The Nutormed Study

Irma Nykänen1,2*, Miia Tiihonen1, Prof Sirpa Hartikainen1 1Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland 2Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Unit of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Science Open Access Research Article
Discontinuation of prophylactic therapy in severe haemophilia: incidence and effects on outcome

A cohort study was performed to assess adherence to early prophylactic therapy and its effects on outcome in 49 patients with severe haemophilia born 1970–1980. Median age at start of prophylaxis was 5.5 years. The majority (69%) of patients interrupted prophylactic treatment one or more times of their own accord (median total interruption 2.2 years). Patients who discontinued prophylaxis at any point tended to have more arthropathy as measured by the Pettersson scale (median 8 points versus 4 points). One‐third of these patients interrupted prophylaxis for longer periods and had permanently stopped taking prophylaxis at a mean age of 20.1 years (mean ± SD duration 4.1 ± 4 years) and consequently experienced 5.4 ± 3.4) joint bleeds per year. This subgroup could be identified by a predictive score based on age at start of prophylaxis, weekly dose of prophylaxis, and joint bleed frequency on prophylaxis. In conclusion, while on prophylaxis, more than two‐thirds of patients with severe haemophilia try to discontinue treatment, resulting in slightly more arthropathy. One‐third of these patients permanently discontinue prophylaxis in adulthood, while maintaining a low number of joint bleeds.
The Anatomy of Financial Crises

A financial crisis is a disturbance to financial markets, associated typically with falling asset prices and insolvency among debtors and intermediaries, which spreads through the financial system, disrupting the market's capacity to allocate capital. In this paper we analyze the generation and propagation of financial crises in an international setting. We provide a perspective on the danger of a serious disruption to the global financial system by comparing the last full-fledged financial crisis - that of the 1930s - with conditions prevailing today. Our definition of a financial crisis implies a distinction between generalized financial crises on the one hand and isolated bank failures, debt defaults and foreign-exchange market disturbances on the other. We represent this distinction in three sets of linkages: between debt defaults and bank failures; between exchange-market disturbances and debt defaults; and between exchange-market disturbances and bank failures. In both the 1930s and 1980s, the institutional environment was drastically altered by rapid change in foreign exchange markets, in international capital markets, and in the structure of domestic banking systems. Our comparative analysis underscores the critical role played by institutional arrangements in financial markets as a determinant of the system's vulnerability to destabilizing shocks.
Abnormal Immune Complex Processing and Spontaneous Glomerulonephritis in Complement Factor H-Deficient Mice with Human Complement Receptor 1 on Erythrocytes

Complement receptor 1 (CR1) on human erythrocytes (Es) and complement factor H (CFH) on rodent platelets perform immune adherence, which is a function that allows the processing of immune complexes (ICs) bearing C3 by the mononuclear phagocyte system. Similar immune adherence occurs in the glomerular podocyte by CR1 in humans and CFH in rodents. As a model for human IC processing, we studied transgenic mice lacking CFH systemically but with human CR1 on Es. These CR1huTg/CFH−/− mice spontaneously developed proliferative glomerulonephritis, which was accelerated in a chronic serum sickness model by active immunization with heterologous apoferritin. ICs containing Ag, IgG and C3 bound to Es in CR1huTg/CFH−/− mice. In this setting, there was increased IC deposition in glomeruli, attributable to the presence of CR1 on Es, together with the absence of CFH on platelets and podocytes. In the absence of plasma CFH, the accumulated ICs activated complement, which led to spontaneous and chronic serum sickness-induced proliferative glomerulonephritis. These findings illustrate the complexities of complement-dependent IC processing by blood cells and in the glomerulus, and the importance of CFH as a plasma complement regulator.
Nox4 Is Required for Maintenance of the Differentiated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype

Objective—The mechanisms responsible for maintaining the differentiated phenotype of adult vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are incompletely understood. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in VSMC differentiation, but the responsible sources are unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of Nox1 and Nox4-derived ROS in this process. Methods and Results—Primary VSMCs were used to study the relationship between Nox homologues and differentiation markers such as smooth muscle α-actin (SM α-actin), smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), heavy caldesmon, and calponin. We found that Nox4 and differentiation marker genes were downregulated from passage 1 to passage 6 to 12, whereas Nox1 was gradually upregulated. Nox4 co-localized with SM α-actin–based stress fibers in differentiated VSMC, and moved into focal adhesions in de-differentiated cells. siRNA against nox4 reduced NADPH-driven superoxide production in serum-deprived VSMCs and downregulated SM-α actin, SM-MHC, and calponin, as well as SM-α actin stress fibers. Nox1 depletion did not decrease these parameters. Conclusion—Nox4-derived ROS are critical to the maintenance of the differentiated phenotype of VSMCs. These findings highlight the importance of identifying the specific source of ROS involved in particular cellular functions when designing therapeutic interventions.
Moderating Risk in New Zealand Retail Banks

The prudential regulation of banks in New Zealand relies heavily on the public disclosure of risk information. This work reports a significant relationship between deposit risk premiums and disclosure risk indicators, suggesting New Zealand’s disclosure regime is effective in moderating excessive risk-taking in banks. But, as the relationship is found to be strongest prior to publication, it cannot be attributed directly to market-discipline. Instead, it is suggested self-discipline, which is arguably more effective than either market or regulator discipline, is the driving force behind the bank risk-return relationship. This is not surprising as management, with ready access to timely and accurate information, is best placed to supervise and apply prompt corrective action. In New Zealand, bank directors are held personally liable for the accuracy of disclosure. While disclosure statements may not be widely read by depositors, it is likely they are scrutinized by competitors looking for any advantage. The finding that New Zealand’s disclosure regime is made effective by self-discipline is a significant and valuable contribution to the disclosure literature, especially in a time of financial turmoil when many are calling for greater official regulation and supervision of banks.
Depression in African American and White Women with Low Incomes: The Role of Chronic Stress

SUMMARY The current study examined the links between frequency and severity of acute and chronic stress, on the one hand, and depressive symptoms, on the other hand, in a racially balanced sample of African American and White women with low incomes. We predicted and found that severity of chronic stress accounted for more of the variance in depressive symptoms than did severity of acute stress and that severity of chronic stress amplified the effects of the severity of acute stress on depressive symptoms. Results also showed that African American women tended to have a greater number of depressive symptoms than White women, controlling for income, possibly because they experienced a greater number of chronic stressors than did White women, a condition that rendered them more vulnerable to psychological distress.
Livestock-Handling Related Injuries and Deaths

Handling livestock is a dangerous activity. Few farm people look upon their livestock as a source of danger. However, a number of serious injuries and deaths occur every year as a result of animal-related accidents. Livestock handlers are involved in a variety of activities such as feeding, moving animals to different locations, loading animals on trucks/trailers, artificial insemination, shearing, grooming, basic animal care such as hoof care, dehorning, and cleaning animals, roping animals, applying topical insecticides, giving vaccinations, applying topical or administering oral medications, castrating, pulling teeth, ear tagging, milking, branding, shoeing, assisting with delivery of newborns, and assisting veterinarians with treatment or handling of injured animals. Other activities involving animals may include work tasks such as plowing fields; pulling equipment such as wagons to transport farm goods; riding animals, primarily horses, for farm or ranch activities such as corralling cattle; teaching others to ride; butchering animals for food; and, rarely, euthanizing or destroying sick or aggressive animals (Langley & Morrow, 2010).
Spatio-geometric impedance control of Gough-Stewart platforms

This paper looks at the control of mechanical impedance of the so-called Gough-Stewart class of parallel platforms. Two methods of compliance control are presented. One is based on global potential energy functions that have previously been applied to controlling serial manipulators and electrodynamically levitated platforms. The second method uses the exponential map to associate finite displacements of the platform from equilibrium with twist displacements. Compliant wrenches are then proportional to the twist displacements. Control of spatial damping is addressed as well, justifying the classification as impedance control. Control algorithms and simulation results are given.
Stock Price Manipulation: Corporate Actions and the Exploitation of Retail Investors in China

Using account level data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange, we find widespread evidence consistent with insiders manipulating share prices to exploit naive retail investors. We identify a group of “suspicious” firms that use stock splits—perhaps, along with other misleading activities—to artificially inflate their share prices. Retail investors are strongly attracted to these suspicious splits, providing insiders an opportunity to sell large blocks of shares or use their shares as collateral for loans. A group of large accounts exploits the positive feedback trading behavior of naive retail investors by accumulating positions before suspicious split announcements and selling in the post-split period.
Pricing effects of recognition versus disclosure : evidence from firms' recognition of employee stock option expense

This study examines whether market prices are affected by the reporting regime of information items, i.e., being recognized in financial statements or only disclosed in footnotes. This investigation is motivated by the ongoing debate over recognition versus disclosure, and the widely held beliefs regarding implications of the Market Efficiency Hypothesis (semi-strong form). Using a unique setting provided by firms’ recognition of Employee Stock Option (ESO) expense, I find the information content of recognized and disclosed ESO expense is significantly different. Specifically, it appears that investors value ESO expense reported under the recognition regime more as an expense compared with under the disclosure regime. To ensure that this result is not driven by contracting theory-related factors, the second set of tests examines market reactions around adoption announcements. The evidence does not support the conjecture that pricing effects of recognition versus disclosure are driven by contracting factors. Overall, the results suggest that the information aggregation process is not completely independent of whether information is recognized or disclosed, which is consistent with the following explanations: (1) informational efficiency in the presence of information costs (Grossman and Stiglitz, 1980; Barth et al., 2003); and (2) limited arbitrage in the presence of noise trading and arbitrage costs (De Long et al., 1990; Shleifer and Vishny, 1990, 1997).
The relationship between knowledge creation dimensions and the entrepreneurial performance of a local government institution in South Africa

iii TABLE OF CONTENT . v LIST OF FIGURES . xiii LIST OF TABLES . xvi GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS. xviii CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH OVERVIEW . 1 1.
Unpacking the venture creation process

This paper investigates the dimensions of time and effort and how these factors impact on the venture creation process in Australia. Findings of interest in this paper include: • First and foremost business planning is used as a thinking tool within the boundaries of the firm. • Business planning is more strongly associated with firms that are more ambitious, being built by teams, draw on more experience or education. • Industry characteristics in part drive the duration required for venture creation. Manufacturing and Agriculture based firms seemingly take longer timeframes than other industries. Extended venture creation times frames are also associated with firms that aim to bring more novel concepts to market.
A General Framework for Cloud Computing Adoption in Organizations : A Systematic Literature Review

Cloud computing (CC) has come a long way from when the term was first coined in the early 2000’s to where it is now. Its increasing maturity, the benefits that come with it and the relative advantage it has over traditional in-house systems has made it an attractive proposition for organizations. However, it being a relatively new phenomenon coupled with its perceived risks and challenges discourages adoption. This uncertainty is further exacerbated by cloud computing’s lack of standards and the relative lack of general and comprehensive cloud adoption frameworks in literature. This trade-off between benefits and risks has subsequently created a dilemma for organizations on how to approach cloud adoption. Hence, what factors should organizations consider when adopting cloud computing? This study aims to fill this research gap by proposing a general framework for organizations and identify factors which should be considered when adopting cloud computing. An initial literature review of technology adoption models was carried out to design a framework which would serve as a chassis for the factors retrieved from the systematic literature review. The resulting model was heavily based on the TechnologicalOrganizational-Environmental model (TOE) and the Diffusion of Innovations model (DOI) which are models commonly used to explain technology adoption. The systematic literature review was used to retrieve the cloud adoption factors. 51 primary studies out of a total of 1623 papers were found relevant and were retained for analysis. This yielded a total of 194 unique tertiary adoption factors. 65 technological factors, 64 organizational factors, 61 environmental factors, and 4 individual factors. These factors were then classified into unifying themes called secondary factors. There was a total of 26 secondary factors; 9 technological factors, 7 organizational factors, 8 environmental factors, and 2 individual factors. The study found technological factors to be the most significant factors affecting adoption, while individual factors had the least significance. Specifically, relative advantage, top management support, compatibility, and complexity were found to be the most significant factors affecting cloud computing adoption.
Period and Cohort Effects on Religious Nonaffiliation and Religious Disaffiliation: A Research Note

Period and cohort effects on reports of no religious preference and religious disaffiliation are estimated. Results show that by 2006, the probability of reporting no religious preference had risen to almost . 16. Additionally, the growing proportion of Americans raised with no religious preference substantially influences the increase in reporting no religious preference. Two recently developed analysis techniques for disentangling period and cohort effects are used: intrinsic estimator models and cross-classified, random-effects models. Results show (1) period-based increases in the probability of reporting no religious preference from 1990 to 2006, (2) across-cohort increases in no religious preference beginning with those born in the 1940s, and (3) a decline in the likelihood of religious disaffiliation (being raised with a religious preference but currently reporting no religious preference) for those born in the 1960s and 1970s compared to those born between 1945 and 1959.