Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A model of brand switching by lead users of high-tech capital equipment

This study investigates the antecedents of brand switching by lead users of high-tech capital equipment. In markets for capital equipment, the incumbent is usually assumed to have an advantage because of high switching costs. However, much of the research on brand switching focuses on mass-market consumers of competitive products, where switching barriers are manageable. A model of the factors behind brand switching for capital equipment is developed and tested with data gathered by a survey of research centres around the world that use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. The results confirm the expectation that lead users are willing to overcome high switching barriers to obtain a new technology when it is essential to renew organisational capabilities that are important to sustaining their competitive advantage. The decision to replace high-tech capital equipment is primarily influenced by the features and capabilities associated with the new product.
Towards a Macroprudential Framework for Financial Supervision and Regulation?

Over the last decade or so, addressing financial instability has risen to the top of the policy agenda. This essay argues that in order to improve the safeguards against financial instability, it may be desirable to strengthen further the macroprudential orientation of current prudential frameworks, a process that is already under way. The essay defines, compares and contrasts the macro- and microprudential dimensions that inevitably coexist in financial regulatory and supervisory arrangements, examines the nature of financial instability against this background and draws conclusions about the broad outline of desirable policy efforts.
A single nucleotide polymorphism of AIRE gene located in the 21q22.3 increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Several studies addressed the association of autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene polymorphism with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, their conclusions were inconsistent. For better investigating the effects of this polymorphism on the risk of RA, we conducted this study to evaluate the role of AIRE rs2075786 polymorphism in the risk of RA. Four eligible studies involving 6,755 cases and 7,970 controls were identified by searching the databases of PubMed, CNKI and EMBASE up to February 2017. Our study revealed that AIRE rs2075786 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of RA under all genetic models. In the subgroup analysis, AIRE rs2075786 polymorphism contributed to RA susceptibility among Asians, but not among Caucasians. To summarize,, this meta-analysis confirms that AIRE rs2075786 polymorphism may play a significant role in increasing the risk of RA. Stratification analysis by ethnicity reveals that AIRE rs2075786 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of RA among Asians, but not among Caucasians. These findings need further validation in the large multicenter case-control studies.
Move it or lose it: an examination of the evolving role of the human resource professional in New Zealand

What is the current state of play of human resource management in New Zealand? Nearly a decade has passed since the last survey of the human resource profession. This paper presents the results of a recent survey - providing a snapshot of contemporary human resource management which profiles the human resource practitioners, the organizations for which they work and the role they fulfil. It is clear that the role of the human resource function in New Zealand organizations has changed dramatically. Further, respondents to this survey believe that the human resource function will continue to encounter significant changes into the millennium. This raises questions as to whether human resource practitioners are equipped to meet the challenges posed by the continuing evolution of the human resource role. If the human resource management profession ignores these changes, or fails to adapt to them, it does so at its peril.
Prediction of tender price index directional changes

A multivariate discriminant analysis is described, aimed at predicting the direction of changes in the Hong Kong tender price index by utilizing the patterns of change in eight leading economic indicators. Two discriminant functions are derived which distinguish between ‘upward’, ‘constant’ and ‘downward’ index trends with a high degree of success. The predictive power of the discriminant model is tested by means of a simulated ex post holdout sample of eight index values. By comparing the group centroids, seven of the cases are correctly classified. The hit rate of the ‘upward’ and ‘constant’ groups is 100%, while the ‘downward’ group has a hit rate of 75%, suggesting the ‘downward’ trend to be a more difficult movement to predict. Despite this, the overall predictive results are considerably better than those that would have occurred by chance alone.
The Heterogeneity of Family Firms in CSR Engagement

This study addresses the heterogeneity of family firms in their engagement with corporate social responsibility (CSR). We build on stewardship theory and socioemotional wealth to explore the foundations of CSR in family firms and to examine whether the extent of engagement is based on values, and how and why this happens. We use the interpretative method of grounded theory to address these questions. Based on 12 case studies of Spanish family firms, this article illustrates the patterns of influence of family involvement and values in explaining the extent and scope of CSR.
Young Malaysians' chocolate brand familiarity: the effect of brand's country of origin and consumer consumption level

Purpose – Consumer brand familiarity influences product judgment and the purchase decision. This study aims to examine consumer familiarity towards local and foreign chocolate brands and how it is related to brands' country of origin and their consumption level.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology was convenience sampling collected from a 100‐student sample.Findings – The findings indicate that a chocolate brand's country of origin is related to a young consumer's chocolate brand familiarity level. Other than that, the finding demonstrate that the consumer's chocolate brand familiarity level is positively related to their consumption level.Research limitations/implications – This study has implications for marketers, where they need to take account of the effects of a brand's country of origin, gender and consumption level on brand familiarity in designing marketing strategies.Originality/value – This study help market practitioners to design market strategies that involve a brand's country of or.
Taking its toll: The private financing of roads in Spain

The article analyses the cost of using private finance to build, finance and maintain toll roads in Spain. Spain is the primary exponent of private finance for roads in Europe, where the case rested on the lack of public finance, in contrast to the UK that has stressed value for money. The evidence shows that more than half of the toll charge represents the cost of finance; the cost of private finance is nearly double the cost of public finance; and financing is underpinned by various forms of public support creating risks for the taxpayers.
A Survey of Skin Disease among Patients in an Australian Nursing Home

Although the number of nursing homes is increasing in Australia, few studies have investigated the dermatologic condition of their patients. To address this issue, we conducted one of the first skin disease investigations of nursing home residents in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Our predominant data source was the attending physicians’ medical reports, which are updated monthly following their physical examination of each patient. Specialist podiatrists’ monthly progress notes were also used as were daily nursing reports. Results: Just over half the patients (54.4%) had at least one skin disease registered among their medical records. Xerosis (dry skin) was the most common affliction, affecting 29.5% of the patients, followed by onychomycosis (tinea unguium) at 22.5% and dermatitis (8.9%). Skin cancer was recorded in 4.9%, while excoriation (3.1%) and unspecified keratosis (2.2%) were slightly less common. Being bedridden was identified as a risk factor for both xerosis (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.8-8.7) and onychomycosis (OR 18.0, 95% CI 7.5-49.0). Conclusion: Overall, our research suggests that skin diseases are reasonably common among Australian nursing home patients. The presence of certain dermatologic conditions differed from other reports.
The Value Priority Hypotheses for Consumer Budget Plans

Based on the behavioral sciences and mathematical programming, we hypothesize that consumers rank durables by a value (or net value) priority approximated by utility per dollar (or utility minus price) and plan to choose items in that order up to a budget cutoff. This paper derives these hypotheses and develops a convergent linear programming procedure to estimate utility. Using primary field data on reservation prices, purchase probabilities, lottery orders, and combination prizes, we estimate utilities and compare the hypotheses to 215 actual budget plans. LISREL V analysis provides further support for the hypotheses.
The Effect of Employer Networks on Workplace Innovation and Training

If innovative work practices improve performance, why does the intensity of their adoption vary substantially across establishments? Following a lead suggested by some sociological studies, the authors empirically investigate the role of social networks (ties to other organizations) in the organizational learning associated with diffusion of innovative work practices. Using establishment data on formal affiliation and other network measures, they find that managerial participation in networks—specifically, in industry and cross-industry associations, civic organizations, and the internal networks of multi-unit firms—positively affected both the probability that high-performance work practices and employee training programs would be adopted and, where they were adopted, the intensity of their adoption. Furthermore, multiple affiliations raised the likelihood that an establishment would pursue an intensive approach to work reorganization and training.
Europeanization and Partnership: exploring and Explaining variations in Policy Transfer

This paper looks at the implementation of the partnership principle governing EU structural policy. It considers whether the implementation of this principle provides evidence of Europeanization in partnership forms. The paper draws on evidence from across the EU before focusing on the implementation of the partnership principle in Britain. In this discussion, partnership is conceptualised as a form of policy transfer from EU institutions to member states. The paper argues that to understand the impact of the partnership principle, it is necessary to go beyond traditional debates focusing on institutional conflict between national governments and the Commission to incorporate the political dimension. That is, to understand the degree of resistance or acceptance of the partnership principle within member states, requires an understanding of competing political ideologies. The paper concludes by assessing the extent to which there is evidence of Europeanization of partnership forms in Britain and whether voluntary or coercive policy transfer explains any convergence towards the European model of partnership.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Health Care Cost Containment Measures

Using SOEP panel data and difference-in-differences methods, this study is the first to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of four different health care cost containment measures within an integrated framework. The four measures investigated were introduced in Germany in 1997 to reduce moral hazard and public health expenditures in the market for convalescent care. Doubling the daily copayments was clearly the most effective cost containment measure, resulting in a reduction in demand of about 20 percent. Indirect measures such as allowing employers to cut statutory sick pay or paid vacation during health spa stays did not significantly reduce demand.
Does maternal smoking during pregnancy predict the smoking patterns of young adult offspring? A birth cohort study

Objective: To examine the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the development of smoking behaviour patterns among young adult offspring. Method: Data were from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a birth cohort of 7223 mothers and children enrolled in Brisbane, Australia, in 1981. The development of smoking behaviours (early or late onset, or combination of onset and prevalence patterns) among offspring at age 21 years with different patterns of maternal smoking (never smoked, smoked before or after pregnancy but not during pregnancy, or smoked during pregnancy) were compared. Maternal smoking information was derived from the prospectively collected data from the beginning of pregnancy until the child was 14 years of age. Analyses were restricted to the 3058 mothers and children whose smoking status was reported. Results: The proportion of young adults who smoked regularly, either with early onset or late onset, was greater among those whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy compared with those whose mothers had never smoked. The smoking patterns among those adolescent offspring whose mothers stopped smoking during pregnancy, but who then smoked at other times during the child’s life, were similar to those whose mothers had never smoked. This association was robust to adjustment for a variety of potential covariates. Conclusions: The findings provide some evidence for a direct effect of maternal smoking in utero on the development of smoking behaviour patterns of offspring and provide yet another incentive to persuade pregnant women not to smoke.
Monoclonal antibodies to a 55-kilodalton protein present in duck liver inhibit infection of primary duck hepatocytes with duck hepatitis B virus

As an approach to identifying hepatocyte receptors for the avian hepadnavirus duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), hybridomas were prepared from mice immunized with permissive duck hepatocytes. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were screened for the ability to inhibit binding of DHBV particles to primary duck hepatocytes and to block infection. We identified two MAbs which partially blocked binding and caused marked inhibition of infection of primary duck hepatocytes with DHBV. Lack of cross-reactivity with DHBV envelope proteins suggested that inhibition of infection was due to specific interaction between the antibodies and a host cell surface molecule. Both MAbs immunoprecipitated a 55-kDa protein (p55) expressed in duck liver and several other duck tissues. p55 homologs were also identified in other birds and mammals. We predict from our data that only a small proportion of total cellular p55 molecules are expressed at the surfaces of hepatocytes and that p55 is involved in some early step in the infectious pathway.
Public housing redevelopment: Seven kinds of success

Abstract Three comprehensive redevelopment efforts were undertaken in Boston public housing projects during the 1980s, attempts that may well represent the clearest precedent for the current U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development initiatives under the Urban Revitalization Demonstration program. Despite receiving similar levels of funding and undergoing similar design and development processes, the results of these three redevelopment efforts vary widely: Two of them have become nationally recognized models for public housing revitalization, while the third proved disappointing to all involved. This article examines and evaluates the three efforts. It argues that redevelopment success should be measured by at least seven criteria: smooth implementation, recognized design quality, improved tenant organization capacity, enhanced maintenance and management performance, improved security, progress on socioeconomic development, and resident satisfaction. It concludes by emphasizing the potential of pa.
Traders: Risks, Decisions, and Management in Financial Markets

This is a book about traders in financial markets: what they do, the kind of people they are, how they perceive the world they inhabit, how they make decisions and take risks. This is also a book about how traders are managed - the best and the worst examples - and about the institutions they inhabit: firms, markets, cultures, and theories of how the world works. How these institutions function, how traders are managed, and how traders view the world, all have profound effects on the wider financial environment. This book explores these relationships and their implications theoretically and empirically. The data discussed in this book draw on a three-year project researching the psychological and social influences on the behaviour and performance of traders in investment banks. 118 traders and managers in four leading organizations participated. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews supplemented by questionnaires, measures of personality, risk propensity and a novel computer based measure designed to assess illusion of control and other cognitive biases. The authors' approach to writing this book is explicitly interdisciplinary. They draw on sociology, psychology and economics in order to illuminate the work of traders and the world they inhabit. The book is a significant contribution to the growing body of research and literature which suggests that if we are to effectively understand financial markets and the actors who inhabit them, the insights of neo-classical financial economics need supplementing with a broader range of social science approaches. The book will be of value to researchers interested in the functioning of financial institutions and markets, to those with an interest in market regulation and to practitioners wishing to benefit from an analytical perspective on the challenges facing traders and their managers.
Why do some municipalities use democratic innovations and others do not? Determinants of local direct democracy in Finland

This paper discusses why some autonomous political units ‐ municipalities ‐ introduce democratic innovations while numerous others do not. While institutions that engage citizens directly in the democratic decision-making have become more and more common in advanced industrialized countries, representative elites play a significant role in their implementation. The decision to adopt democratic innovations often remains at the hands of elected representatives, as well as their impact on policies. It still seems rather unpredictable, where and under what institutional and political conditions they are used. In this paper, system-level data from municipalities in Finland are analyzed in order to identify conditions facilitating the use of democratic innovations. The focus is specifically on municipal referendums and citizens’ initiatives, which were introduced at the local level in Finland in 1990. Since then, more than a hundred referendums and initiatives have taken place. Data on the frequency, issues and effects of direct democratic instruments during 1991-2012 are compiled from official statistics and local newspapers. Two types of independent variables are used: Those related to representative democratic institutions include effective number of parties and particular parties’ share of votes. The other explanatory variables are population, geographical location of the municipality and turnout in the previous local elections. The preliminary analyses show that the more seats a leftist party has in the local council, the more likely it is that local referendums occur. Second, citizens’ initiatives are more likely to occur in municipalities that have large population and low electoral turnout.
Ship investment at a standstill? An analysis of shipbuilding activities and policies

In the wake of the global financial crisis which started around mid-2008, the global shipbuilding industry is no longer in a state of euphoria as before. The volume of new ship orders dropped dramatically after August 2008. We are motivated to examine three issues in this article: First, in the context of shipping industry, which variable(s) play the most important role in a ship investment decision? Second, do government support and favourable investment conditions really help to save shipbuilding industry from the distressing situation? Third, if we separate Japan, South Korea and China as leading shipbuilding clusters, what will the cluster effect be? Our results indicate that the investment of ships can be decided by the freight level, the supply of the market (fleet size), the demand of the ships (trade volume) and the transport service share (location advantage). However, the state of the freight market is of major importance to the investment decision of ships. Shipbuilding price, second-hand ship price and foreign direct investment in transport are proved to have no linkage to ship investment. Besides, the rising role of Japan, South Korea and China in shipbuilding is also identified.
The use of the harmonic scalpel vs conventional knot tying for vessel ligation in thyroid surgery.

HYPOTHESIS The technique of thyroidectomy has undergone little change in several decades. The harmonic scalpel, using ultrasonic frictional heating to ligate vessels, is widely used in laparoscopic surgery, but there is little experience in open thyroidectomy. We hypothesized that the use of the harmonic scalpel could lead to a significant reduction in operative time as compared with knot tying in thyroid surgery. DESIGN Retrospective case-controlled study. SETTING Teaching institution. PATIENTS One hundred seventy-one consecutive patients undergoing lobectomy or total thyroidectomy by one surgeon (A.E.S.). INTERVENTIONS Eighty-six patients underwent thyroid surgery with the conventional clamp-and-tie technique (lobectomy, n = 49; total thyroidectomy, n = 36) and 85 with the harmonic scalpel (lobectomy, n = 38; total thyroidectomy, n = 47). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Demographics, pathological characteristics, thyroid size, operative time, blood loss, and complications using a 2-tailed t test, chi(2)test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS The 2 groups were similar regarding age and sex. There were no intraoperative complications. Mean +/- SD thyroid size tended to be larger in the harmonic scalpel group for both lobectomy (5.1 +/- 2.6 cm vs 4.2 +/- 2.2 cm; P =.06) and total thyroidectomy specimens (6.3 +/- 3.8 cm vs 4.8 +/- 2.9 cm; P =.08) compared with the conventional technique. Mean +/- SD operative time was shorter in the harmonic scalpel group compared with the conventional technique group for both lobectomy (89 +/- 20 minutes vs 115 +/- 25 minutes; P<.01) and total thyroidectomy (132 +/- 39 minutes vs 161 +/- 42 minutes; P<.01) procedures. There was no difference between the 2 techniques regarding the amount of blood loss for different procedures. There was no effect of tumor size on operative time (Pearson correlation factors: 0.14 for total, 0.21 for unilateral thyroidectomy). CONCLUSIONS The use of the harmonic scalpel for the control of thyroid vessels during thyroid surgery is safe, and it shortens the operative time by almost 30 minutes compared with the conventional technique for both unilateral lobectomy or total thyroidectomy procedures.