Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of consumer demand for traceable pork in China based on a real choice experiment

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to reveal the actual consumer demand for traceable pork by investigating consumer preferences for pork with combined levels of traceability information based on differences in individual consumer preferences, in order to support the government in decision making regarding the gradual construction of safe food markets. Design/methodology/approach - – Combinations of four types of traceability information, including farming, slaughter and processing, distribution and sales, and government certification, with price were randomly designed. To identify consumer preferences for these attribute combinations of traceable pork, 215 consumers in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province were investigated using a real choice experiment and the mixed logit model. Findings - – Significant heterogeneity was observed in consumer preferences for traceable pork. The information of farming, slaughter and processing, distribution and marketing, and government certification could significantly improve consumer utility. Moreover, consumers had the highest preference for government certification information. Originality/value - – Although numerous studies have been performed on consumer preferences for food safety attributes using a real choice experiment, almost none of them focus on Chinese consumers. Therefore, this study is an attempt to fill this gap. The conclusions of this study can serve as a reference for the Chinese government in developing safe food consumption policies. Although Chinese consumers have cried out for improvement of pork safety, they have different preferences for traceability information; thus, the government must promote traceable food step-by-step, using consumer preferences as a starting point.
Snapshots of a Culture: How Do American and Turkish Elementary Students Represent Their Cultural Identities Using Technology as a Means of Expression and Communication?

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary students can learn about the culture of another country and how technology can play a role in this process. The sample of the study included 135 fifth grade students from the United States and Turkey. Initial knowledge and information sources of students were assessed at the beginning of the study. Then, they exchanged multimedia presentations which they prepared to make their peers more knowledgeable about their own country. After studying the presentation about the other country, the students responded to a post-survey assessing their knowledge gains. Results showed that the Turkish students had much more initial knowledge about the American culture compared to knowledge of the American students about Turkey. Both groups had certain prejudices or misperceptions about each other. Media, school, and family were main sources of information, while books and friends played a small role. Studying multimedia-based presentations and discussing its content as a group was highly effective to learn about the culture of another country. By exchanging intercultural information through technology, students became less prejudiced and more understanding of each others’ respective cultures.
Equity Returns at the Turn of the Month

The turn-of-the-month effect in U.S. equities is found to be so powerful in the 1926–2005 period that, on average, investors received no reward for bearing market risk except at turns of the month. The effect is not confined to small-capitalization or low-price stocks, to calendar year-ends or quarter-ends, or to the United States: This study finds that it occurs in 31 of the 35 countries examined. Furthermore, it is not caused by month-end buying pressure as measured by trading volume or net flows to equity funds. This persistent peculiarity in returns remains a puzzle in search of an answer. See comments and response on this article. Using the DJIA and the S&P 500 Index, prior studies have reported a turn-of-the-month effect in equity returns so prominent that equity returns, on average, are significantly higher at the four-day turn of the month than over other days. We examine this effect in detail. Using CRSP daily returns for the 80-year period of 1926–2005, we found the average daily value-weighted (equal-weighted) U.S. equity market return over the four-day turn of the month to be 0.15 percent (0.22 percent). In comparison, the average daily value-weighted (equal-weighted) market return over the other 16 trading days of the month was found to be –0.001 percent (0.04 percent). This pattern is present in various subperiods, including the two most recent decades. Furthermore, this pattern is not confined to small-capitalization or low-price stocks; it is not confined to calendar quarter-ends or year-ends; it is not the result of higher risk at the turn of the month as measured by standard deviation of returns; and it is not confined to the United States—it occurs in 31 of the 35 countries that we examined. We also examined the proposal that the pattern is the result of a “regularity in payment dates” in which the flow of funds into the market at turns of the month push up stock prices. We found no evidence, however, that trading volume or net flows to equity mutual funds are higher at turns of the month than over other days. In the end, we concluded that the turn-of-the-month pattern in equity returns remains a puzzle in search of an answer.
International Integration and the Structure of Exports in Central Asian Republics

Two European political economists examine the restructuring of external relations of the Central Asian republics (CARs) after the disintegration of the Soviet Union by focusing on the structures of exports based on evidence provided by past balances of payments and trade data disaggregated at a relatively high level. The authors' investigation identifies shifts in the commodity composition of exports since the CARs' independence, both in terms of the share of major commodity groupings (e.g., toward raw materials) and in the quality/valueadded of goods within specific commodity groups, as well as the spatial pattern of export destinations. The paper also addresses differences in the CARs' trade performance during the post-Soviet period, which remain small despite the substantial differences in resource endowments and policy orientations. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F14, F40, O11, P50. 1 figure, 11 tables, 40 references.
Hepatic and Renal Safety Profile of Tenofovir in HIV-Infected Patients with Hepatitis C, Including Patients on Interferon Plus Ribavirin

Abstract The liver safety of tenofovir (TDF) was investigated in 142 HIV+ patients exposed to the drug for longer than 12 months. No evidence of liver enzyme elevations were seen, even in 66 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection. Given that TDF is an adenosine analogue, like didanosine, exposure to ribavirin might increase intracellular phosphorylated TDF metabolites, which could result in a higher risk of nephrotoxicity. Signs of tubular dysfunction in blood or urine were not recognized in 17 HCV-HIV co-infected patients exposed to TDF during interferon plus ribavirin therapy.
Learning and trust in supply chain management

Firms in developed nations have practised supply chain management (SCM) for decades, but we ask here if they will be able to progress well under the modern regime of harder and faster e‐just‐in‐time systems. We assume these to be concentrated mainly in Europe and the USA, but with origins having global outreach – their management must concern themselves with explicit and tacit factors embracing the culture and ethics of people having diverse national origins. Essentially, we will discuss the challenges of knowledge management and organisational learning in the SCM systems that embrace firms located in many countries, Western as well as Asian, which have more (or less) permeable organisational boundaries and who must learn to trust each other regardless of their ethic differences.
Screening for group B Streptococcus (GBS) at labour onset using PCR: accuracy and potential impact – a pilot study

Abstract This pilot study assessed the diagnostic accuracy and potential impact of a rapid PCR-based screening test for the detection of group B Streptococcus (GBS) at the onset of labour for the purpose of optimising intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP). Vaginal and rectal swabs from a convenience sample of 158 women were analysed by conventional broth-enriched culture and a rapid PCR test. Overall, GBS carriage was 18.98% by culture and 19.62% by PCR. PCR for the detection of GBS had a sensitivity of 93.1%, specificity of 96.67% and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.95. Only 19.3% GBS-positive women received IAP. Three-fourths of babies born to GBS-positive mothers did not receive surveillance for early-onset GBS disease. Of the women who received IAP, only 32.5% were GBS carriers. Seventy-four percent of the GBS-positive mothers delivered more than 5 h after recruitment, which gives adequate swab to delivery interval for appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis in labour. Impact statement What is already known about this subject: Appropriate intra-partum treatment of colonized mothers reduces the risk of GBS transmission to neonates. Universal ante partum screening of pregnant women or IAP based on risk factors in labour for GBS prevention fail to accurately identify and treat the woman who actually harbors GBS in the birth canal in labour. A PCR based rapid test, allows for real-time assessment of GBS carriage in labour. What this study adds: This study highlights the fact that a large number of GBS carriers in labour, who could potentially infect their babies, do not receive IAP, and most of their babies do not receive added surveillance in the neonatal period for EOGBS disease. It also confirms that PCR testing at onset of labour is a highly sensitive and reliable test that identifies the women who are GBS carriers in labour and hence need IAP. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research: Timely provision of IAP for the appropriate woman is possible by adopting universal GBS screening at the onset of labor using GBS-PCR. This would involve additional costs to health care facilities and added work to laboratory personnel.
Drug-related falls in older patients: implicated drugs, consequences, and possible prevention strategies

Falls are the leading cause of injuries among older adults, aged 65 years and older. Furthermore, falls are an increasing public health problem because of ageing populations worldwide due to an increase in the number of older adults, and an increase in life expectancy. Numerous studies have identified risk factors and investigated possible strategies to prevent (recurrent) falls in community-dwelling older people and those living in long-term care facilities. Several types of drugs have been associated with an increased fall risk. Since drugs are a modifiable risk factor, periodic drug review among older adults should be incorporated in a fall prevention programme.
Corporate diversification, firm value and operating performance: testing the relevance of segment accounting data

This study presents direct evidence on the effect of corporate international activity on firm value and operating accounting income. We find that foreign assets are positively related to firm value and accounting operating income, even after we control for identified determinants of value and earnings. We also test whether investors differentially price foreign and domestic assets. Our results provide evidence that investors value foreign and domestic assets distinctly with foreign assets enjoying greater capitalisation relative to domestic assets. Further, our analysis indicates that investors' asset valuation depends on the operating environment of the firm. Specifically, valuation differences arise from the market's assessment of the probability of recovery of assets located in different jurisdictions. We also document that foreign assets correlate to greater levels of operating income than do domestic assets. We find no evidence that international diversification destroys firm value.
Structural and functional connectional fingerprints in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease patients

Regional volume atrophy and functional degeneration are key imaging hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively. We jointly explored regional volume atrophy and functional connectivity to better characterize neuroimaging data of AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). All data were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. We compared regional volume atrophy and functional connectivity in 10 subcortical regions using structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Neuroimaging data of normal controls (NC) (n = 35), MCI (n = 40), and AD (n = 30) were compared. Significant differences of regional volumes and functional connectivity measures between groups were assessed using permutation tests in 10 regions. The regional volume atrophy and functional connectivity of identified regions were used as features for the random forest classifier to distinguish among three groups. The features of the identified regions were also regarded as connectional fingerprints that could distinctively separate a given group from the others. We identified a few regions with distinctive regional atrophy and functional connectivity patterns for NC, MCI, and AD groups. A three label classifier using the information of regional volume atrophy and functional connectivity of identified regions achieved classification accuracy of 53.33% to distinguish among NC, MCI, and AD. We identified distinctive regional atrophy and functional connectivity patterns that could be regarded as a connectional fingerprint.
Estimating Party Influence in Congressional Roll-Call Voting

This article develops and implements a simple procedure to estimate the extent to which party influences roll-call voting in the U.S. Congress. We find strong evidence of party influence in both the House and the Senate, in virtually all congresses over the period 1871-1998. We do not find any large, systematic differences in influence between the House and Senate. Over the post-war period, party influence in the House occurs especially often on key procedural votes-the rule on a bill, motions to cut off debate, and motions to recommit. In terms of substantive issues, party influence appears most frequently on budget resolutions, tax policy, social security, social welfare policy, and the national debt limit, while it is relatively rare on moral and religious issues and civil rights, and entirely absent on issues such as gun control. On some issues, such as agriculture, public works, and nuclear energy, party influence has varied dramatically over the period we study.
Inflation, the Interest Rate, and the Required Return on Equity

Abstract Miller has analyzed capital structure in the presence of both corporate and personal taxes. The present work investigates the effect of inflation on both interest rates and equity returns when the Miller equilibrium condition is employed in a loanable funds model. Both an interest rate effect and a redistribution effect are derived. The interest rate effect forces the responsiveness of the interest rate to the inflation rate to be below that hypothesized by Darby. However, the redistribution effect may change this responsiveness in either direction.
Assessing the effect of interpersonal communications on employees' commitment and satisfaction

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employees' motives for communicating with superiors and coworkers, their commitment to their organizations, satisfaction with jobs, and with superiors. Design/methodology/approach - This article makes use of survey research, using quantitative research methodology investigating employees' motives for communicating with their superiors and co-workers, their satisfaction and commitment towards their organization. The research identifies pleasure, escape, relaxation, control and inclusion as motives explaining why people communicate with each other and how they relate to each other. Findings - The findings revealed a relationship between the motives along with satisfaction and commitment. Employees report a moderate commitment with their coworkers as well as superiors. Furthermore, the results showed strong relationships between the control, affection, inclusion, escape and relaxation motives. Research limitations/implications - The research showed strengthening communication ties from a need to encourage more healthy interpersonal relationships by using jointly constructed reality. This approach was more effective because it goes beyond information process and it involves the process of people together creating what will be the mission and vision of the organization and developing corporate values. In addition, the organization's commitment can be enhanced through job enrichment together with matching the individual's values to those of the organization besides, finding ways and means of improving job satisfaction through different strategies such as improving the quality of the supervision, decentralization of power and counselling. Finally, the investigation serves as a context for evaluating the applicability of previous studies to the manufacturing, oil and petrochemical industries in Bahrain, focusing on Bapco (Bahrain Petroleum Company), GPIC (Gulf Petrochemicals Industries) and ALBA (Aluminum Bahrain ). Originality/value - The study is the first thorough study conducted in the three above-mentioned organizations. Therefore, it would be of great value to understand their employees better and improving their communication ties as well as motivation.
A synthesis of contemporary market orientation perspectives

A great deal of attention has been devoted to the concept of market orientation in marketing academe and practice. Numerous perspectives have been proposed as researchers endeavor to conceptualize the market orientation construct and implement it in practice. Presents a conceptual framework that integrates five recently advanced perspectives on market orientation (Deshpande, Farley, and Webster; Kohli and Jaworski; Narver and Slater; Ruekert; Shapiro). The similarities and differences are reviewed and a synthesized conceptualization of market orientation is offered, followed by a discussion of market orientation as a managerial versus cultural phenomenon to achieving a competitive advantage.
Determinants of Pre-Service Students' Choice to Teach Secondary Agricultural Education.

The purpose of this study was to explain and predict the factors that influence senior-level agricultural education students’ choice to become a secondary agriculture teacher. The study focused on the extent to which beliefs and attitudes toward teaching influenced students’ intent to select teaching secondary agricultural education as a career. An adaptation of the FIT-Choice® Scale instrument was distributed to senior-level students enrolled at institutions with teacher development programs to certify secondary agriculture teachers within nine states. A total of 145 students completed the instrument. Overall, characteristics of sex, perceived agriculture experience compared to their peers, years enrolled in schoolbased agricultural education courses, years of FFA membership, participation in SAE, and years of 4-H membership were not significant predictors of intent to teach. However, two beliefs about teaching subconstructs (“teacher morale,” and “expert career”) were found to be significant predictors of students’ intent to teach. Similarly, four attitudinal sub-constructs (“fallback career,” “working with adolescents,” “intrinsic career value” and “job security”) were significant predictors of intent to teach. Eight percent of intent to teach can be accounted for by attitude when controlling for beliefs.
Trinucleotide repeat length and clinical progression in Huntington's disease

We examined the relationship between length of the trinucleotide (CAG) repeat at IT-15 and clinical progression of Huntington's disease in 46 mildly to moderately affected patients over a 2-year interval. Patients were divided into those with short mutations (37 to 46 repeats; n equals 25) and those with long mutations (more than equals 47 repeats, n equals 21). Patients with long repeat lengths had earlier age at onset and were younger and less functionally impaired than those with short repeats at the initial visit, but the groups did not differ in severity of neurologic or cognitive impairment. However, the long-repeat group displayed significantly greater decline in both neurologic and cognitive functioning over the 2-year follow-up period. The length of the CAG repeat correlated highly with age at onset (r equals minus 0.72, p less than 0.001) and was a strong predictor of decline in both neurologic and cognitive function. The mechanism of gene action, and the means by which longer expansions result in a more malignant disease process, remain to be elucidated. NEUROLOGY 1996,46 527-531
Risk Factors for Abdominal Donor-Site Morbidity in Free Flap Breast Reconstruction

Background: The lower abdomen is the most popular donor site for autologous tissue breast reconstruction. Several studies have reported abdominal morbidity following pedicled and free flap reconstructions using this donor site, yet few studies have compared the various types of free flaps and investigated specific operative and patient-related factors that are associated with higher rates of abdominal complications. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review of all free flap breast reconstructions performed at University of California Los Angeles Medical Center between July of 2002 and July of 2005. Results: A total of 279 patients underwent 211 unilateral and 68 bilateral reconstructions, totaling 347 flaps. Eleven percent were free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps, 52 percent were muscle-sparing free TRAM flaps, and 37 percent were deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps. Mean follow-up was 29.9 months. There were 30 total abdominal complications (10.9 percent of patients), including 17 rectus bulges and five hernias. Free TRAM reconstructions had a significantly higher rate of donor-site complications than did DIEP reconstructions. Bilateral flap harvests and obesity (body mass index >30) were significant risk factors for (1) any donor-site complication and (2) rectus bulge/hernia formation. There was no significant increase in donor-site complications associated with various prior abdominal operations. Conclusions: Donor-site complications are not uncommon, but paying careful attention to patient comorbidities when selecting an operative approach (bilateral versus unilateral, free TRAM versus DIEP, and so on) can minimize postoperative abdominal complications. Furthermore, the results corroborate the recent literature suggesting there is little functional difference in patients receiving muscle-sparing free TRAM versus DIEP reconstructions.