Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrasting the Footloose Company: Social Capital, Organizational Fields and Culture

In this article, we build on the discussion in economic sociology literature about the embeddedness of economic actions. We argue that the idea of a “footloose” company (a business whose performance is relatively independent of location decisions) is based on a simplified understanding of the social embeddedness of companies. An organizational field approach offers an appropriate theoretical framework in which recent developments of economic sociology and regional studies can be integrated. We depict the concepts of regional (organizational) fields, social capital and culture as an analytical triangle for empirical investigations of the embeddedness of companies. Then, we apply and test the theoretical framework in an analysis of four regions investigated in the “Corporate Culture and Regional Embededness” project (Basel area, East Westphalia-Lippe, the Southeast Netherlands and the Györ region). From the empirical cases, we find strong support for the hypothesis that cultural embeddedness and long-term engagement within regions provide an added value for companies. This holds for companies with traditional roots in a region as well as for companies that are based within a region but are originally from outside. In the empirical cases, several manifestations of regional embeddedness can be distinguished.
Veterinary and Equine Science Students’ Interpretation of Horse Behaviour

Simple summary We assessed first-year veterinary science and veterinary technology and undergraduate equine science students interpretation of expressive horse behaviours. Previous experience with horses appeared to influence the students’ perception of the horses’ behaviour. Qualitative assessments of horse behaviour may be a useful tool for assessing students’ knowledge of horse behaviour. Abstract Many veterinary and undergraduate equine science students have little previous horse handling experience and a poor understanding of horse behaviour; yet horses are one of the most unsafe animals with which veterinary students must work. It is essential for veterinary and equine students to learn how to interpret horse behaviour in order to understand demeanour and levels of arousal, and to optimise their own safety and the horses’ welfare. The study utilised a qualitative research approach to investigate veterinary science and veterinary technology and undergraduate equine science students’ interpretation of expressive behaviours shown by horses. The students (N = 127) were shown six short video clips and asked to select the most applicable terms, from a pre-determined list, to describe the behavioural expression of each individual horse. A wide variation of terms were selected by students and in some situations of distress, or situations that may be dangerous or lead to compromised welfare, apparently contradictory terms were also selected (happy or playful) by students with less experience with horses. Future studies should consider the use of Qualitative Behavioural Analysis (QBA) and free-choice profiling to investigate the range of terms used by students to describe the expressive demeanour and arousal levels of horses.
A pandemic H1N1 influenza virus-like particle vaccine induces cross-protection in mice

Influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) represent promising alternative vaccines. However, it is necessary to demonstrate that influenza VLPs confer cross-protection against antigenically distinct viruses. In this study, a VLP vaccine comprising hemagglutinin (HA) and M1 from the A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) were used and its ability to induce cross-protective efficacy against heterologous viruses A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) in mice was assessed. Vaccination with 2009 H1 VLPs induced significantly higher levels of IgG cross-reactive with these heterologous viruses after the second boost compared to after the prime or first boost. Lung virus titers also decreased significantly and the lung cross-reactive IgG response after lethal virus challenge was significantly greater in immunized mice compared to naïve mice. Vaccinated mice showed 100% protection against A/PR/8/34 and A/Caledonia/20/99 viruses with only moderate body weight loss and induction of cross-reactive recall, IgG antibody-secreting cell responses. The variations in HA amino acid sequences and antigenic sites were determined and correlated with induction of cross-protective immunity. These results indicate that VLPs can be used as an effective vaccine that confers cross-protection against antigenically distinct viruses.
Assessing competition policy on economic development

Implementation of competition policies is one of the most recommended strategies to developing countries as a tool for achieving economic development. Using a panel dataset of over 100 countries and 7 years (from 2005-2011), I estimate the effect of competition on economic development, and also determine which of the comprehensive policy factors are the most relevant for increasing competition. A fixed effects instrumental variable approach is used. I find that competition intensity positively impacts economic development. The estimate is highly significant when effectiveness of antimonopoly policy and squared years of experience handling competition law are used as instruments for competition intensity. Political stability is shown to be a determinant for higher achievement in development. Macroeconomic environment and financial market development are also significant factors that contribute to higher economic development. Less developed countries should work intensively to improve their institutional quality and implement pro-competitive policies that are not only related to competition laws.
The Real World of Employee Ownership

As the Director of Research and Strategy for a large North American union, I have participated in literally dozens of financial restructurings, many of which utilized employee ownership as both a means to save jobs and toward the end of empowering employee's to have a greater voice in the operation of the firm in which they work. While my "real world" and the subject of this book may look different, I found Logue and Yates' treatment of employee ownership fair, balanced, and informative. Now to my real world: Company "A" is a big, publicly traded, highly visible firm that is majority-owned by its employees. How it came to such an ownership structure is a fascinating story, told by many from both positive (heralding a new era of labor-management relations') and negative points of view ("the inmates are running the asylum"2 to paraphrase one Wall Street analyst). On a day-to-day basis, as a representative of the largest group of Company A's employees, I hear good and bad stories about employee ownership. The reality is that labor-management relations were not transformed by employee ownership, but remain in a steady state of
Lymphatic involvement in early gastric cancer: prevalence and prognosis in France.

BACKGROUND The prognosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) is considered better than that of invasive gastric carcinoma, with a 5-year survival rate of more than 90% after surgery. The prevalence of lymph node metastasis in EGC ranges from 8% to 20% and is associated with a poor prognosis. HYPOTHESIS The main prognostic factor of EGC in patients in France is lymphatic involvement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS From January 1979 to December 1988, 332 patients with EGC were operated on in 23 centers of 2 of the French Associations for Surgical Research. Clinical, pathological, and therapeutic data were reviewed, and the reckoning point was in June 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The cumulative 5- and 7-year specific survival rates of EGC with or without lymphatic involvement. RESULTS The cumulative 5- and 7-year specific survival rates of 332 patients with EGC (mean follow-up time, 80 months), excluding both operative and unrelated mortality, were 92% and 87.5%, respectively. Thirty-four patients (10.2%) had metastatic lymphatic spread: 13 exclusively in the lymphatic vessels close to the tumor, 17 in at least 1 lymph node, and 4 in both the lymphatic vessels and nodes. The rate of lymph node involvement (regardless of lymphatic vessel involvement) correlated significantly with submucosal invasion (P =. 05) and histologic undifferentiation (P =.03). Lymphatic vessel involvement correlated positively with lymph node involvement (P =. 003). Since 5- and 7-year survival rates of the 13 patients with EGC who had lymphatic vessel involvement without lymph node involvement did not differ significantly from those of patients who had EGC with lymph node involvement (85% and 84% vs 72% and 63%, respectively [P =.42]), all patients with lymph node and/or lymphatic vessel involvement were considered unique. Prognosis was poorest in these patients according to both univariate analysis (94% for 298 without node or vessel involvement vs 78% for 34 with node and/or vessel involvement; P =.006) and multivariate analysis (P =.01). Submucosal invasion was a prognostic factor independent of lymphatic involvement (P =.05). Five- and 7-year survival rates did not differ when the group of 211 patients for whom less than 15 lymph nodes were retrieved were compared with those (n = 51) for whom 15 or more lymph nodes were retrieved (95.5% vs 92% and 95.5% vs 88%, respectively), whether according to univariate (P =.21) or multivariate (P =.31) analysis. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that both lymph node and lymphatic vessel involvement are important prognostic factors in patients with EGC. Lymphadenectomy in EGC is important to identify the high-risk population for whom prognosis is worse. The extent of lymphadenectomy (at least 15 nodes) in these patients, however, does not alter prognosis.
How to Match Trades and Quotes for NYSE Stocks?

This paper proposes a new procedure to determine the time of the prevailing quote relative to the time of the trade for NYSE stock data obtained from the TAQ database. The procedure tests whether the quote revision frequency around a trade is contaminated by quote revisions triggered by a trade, and then determines the smallest timing adjustment needed to eliminate this contamination. An application to various stocks and sample periods shows that the time difference between trade and quote reporting lags varies across stocks and time. The procedure takes this variation into account and hence offers a stock- and time-specific update to the Lee and Ready (1991) 5-second rule.
GRPR/PI3Kγ: Partners in Central Transmission of Itch

The gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and its receptor (GRPR) are important components of itch transmission. Upstream, but not downstream, aspects of GRPR signaling have been investigated extensively. We hypothesize that GRPR signals in part through the PI3Kγ/Akt pathway. We used pharmacological, electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches to further evaluate GRPR downstream signaling pathways. Our data show that GRP directly activates small-size capsaicin-sensitive DRG neurons, an effect that translates into transient calcium flux and membrane depolarization (∼20 mV). GRPR activation also induces Akt phosphorylation, a proxy for PI3Kγ activity, in ex vivo naive mouse spinal cords and in GRPR transiently expressing HEK293 cells. The intrathecal injection of GRP led to intense scratching, an effect largely reduced by either GRPR antagonists or PI3Kγ inhibitor. Scratching behavior was also induced by the intrathecal injection of an Akt activator. In a dry skin model of itch, we show that GRPR blockade or PI3Kγ inhibition reversed the scratching behavior. Altogether, these findings are highly suggestive that GRPR is expressed by the central terminals of DRG nociceptive afferents, which transmit itch via the PI3Kγ/Akt pathway. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Itch is the most common symptom of the skin and is related to noncutaneous diseases. It severely impairs patients' quality of life when it becomes chronic and there is no specific or effective available therapy, mainly because itch pathophysiology is not completely elucidated. Our findings indicate that the enzyme PI3Kγ is a key central mediator of itch transmission. Therefore, we suggest PI3Kγ as an attractive target for the development of new anti-pruritic drugs. With this study, we take a step forward in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the central transmission of itch sensation.
Ecology and conservation of Dal lake, Kashmir

Studies carried out on the physicochemical characteristics of water and sediments, biological features and nutrient dynamics of Dal Lake by various investigators are reviewed. The results indicate that the direct discharge of sewage from houseboats, reduction of plant cover in the catchment area, interruptions to the flow of water, human encroachments, increase in population within the catchment area, etc, have resulted in the deterioration of water quality, prolific growth of aquatic macrophytes and siltation. Based on the data available some measures are proposed for conservation of the lake's ecosystem.
The role of entrepreneurship clubs and societies in entrepreneurial learning

This article focuses on the role of student entrepreneurship clubs and societies. It explores their impact on student learning in order to understand the extent to which such activities simulate entrepreneurial learning. The article reports three studies conducted between 2006— 2007, which explored three different forms of clubs: entrepreneurship clubs; SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) teams; and investment clubs. Data from 10 unstructured interviews, a series of telephone interviews and an e-mail postcard are reported. The results show that students’ motivations for engaging in clubs vary and that they differ between different types of clubs. In terms of entrepreneurial learning students’ engagement in clubs and societies provides enhanced opportunities for ‘learning by doing’ through action and experience. The data show that increased action leads to reflective practice and that social learning is important. The article highlights the capacity of entrepreneurship education to simulate entrepreneurial learning, illustrating the value of entrepreneurship clubs and societies and explaining why students engage in them.
Causal Discovery from Temporally Aggregated Time Series

Discovering causal structure of a dynamical system from observed time series is a traditional and important problem. In many practical applications, observed data are obtained by applying subsampling or temporally aggregation to the original causal processes, making it difficult to discover the underlying causal relations. Subsampling refers to the procedure that for every k consecutive observations, one is kept, the rest being skipped, and recently some advances have been made in causal discovery from such data. With temporal aggregation, the local averages or sums of k consecutive, non-overlapping observations in the causal process are computed as new observations, and causal discovery from such data is even harder. In this paper, we investigate how to recover causal relations at the original causal frequency from temporally aggregated data when k is known. Assuming the time series at the causal frequency follows a vector autoregressive (VAR) model, we show that the causal structure at the causal frequency is identifiable from aggregated time series if the noise terms are independent and non-Gaussian and some other technical conditions hold. We then present an estimation method based on non-Gaussian state-space modeling and evaluate its performance on both synthetic and real data.
The NAEP Long-Term Trend Assessment: A Review of Its Transformation, Use, and Findings.

During the past 25 years, the country witnessed a dramatic transformation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Actions by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Congress, and the National Assessment Governing Board fundamentally changed NAEP's role in federal educational policy and the nation's schools. Developed in the 1960s through a privately funded initiative, NAEP began as a voluntary program run by a state consortium with financial support from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. It later became a congressionally legislated program administered by one of the country's premier testing organizations and overseen by a federally mandated public board. 1 Over time, NAEP's focus and scope changed substantially, expanding to grade and state testing, reporting by achievement levels, and, as part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), requiring participation to receive Title 1 funds. NAEP was no longer a program whose results were reported in passing, but had become central to monitoring the nation's progress in achievement and equity. One major change was splitting NAEP into two separate programs: 1) the main assessment that tested students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in diverse subjects and 2) the long-term trend assessment that tracked performance in reading, writing, math, and science at ages 9, 13, and 17 as NAEP had done since 1969. This paper describes how NAEP's trend assessment changed, its use in national educational discussions, and its major findings. From the earliest days, NAEP trends have figured prominently in debates over the decline of excellence, and extra attention is devoted to that issue. The paper also discusses the way in which NAEP trends have been used in evaluations of NCLB and the minority-majority achievement gap. A final section addresses the future of the long-term trend assessment. Its utility has been sufficiently questioned that the Board has considered eliminating it. While this paper focuses on the long-term trend assessment, by necessity, a discussion of its history must begin with the original NAEP program. For its first 20 years, there was only one program and a central part of its mission was to monitor trends. Its architects planned to regularly test nationally representative samples in 10 learning areas covering literacy, math and science, social studies, fine arts, and workplace skills. NAEP was the brainchild of three major 2 From the outset, NAEP was to be a different type of program that uses innovative formats, item reporting, and measurement of national …
ACCUMULATION OF METALS IN AUTOPSY TISSUES OF SUBJECTS LIVING IN TARRAGONA COUNTY, SPAIN

The concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) were determined in autopsy tissues collected from subjects who at the time of death had lived in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) over a period of, at least, the previous 10 years. Samples of liver, lung, kidney, brain and bone were obtained from a total of 78 non-occupationally exposed subjects, autopsied between 1997 and 1999. Arsenic, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, Sn, V and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP/MS). The results were analyzed with respect to age, sex, smoking and drinking habits, and the subject's place of residence. Most tissue concentrations of As, Co, Cr, Hg and V were near to the analytical detection limit or, in some cases, even below it. However, the levels of Cu were slightly higher than the average concentrations found in other studies. Also, tissue concentrations of Mn, Sn and Zn were similar to those found in previous surveys, while those of Ni were lower than previously reported. Although the current levels of tissue Cd and Pb were comparatively lower than in studies in other areas, the distribution of both metals was similar to previously-reported trends. From the tissue metal concentrations observed in the present study, it would appear that neither environmental exposure nor a dietary excess of these elements could be considered a health hazard to people living in the study area.
Organizational commitment in MNC subsidiary top managers: antecedents and consequences

This article studies, first, how affective and continuance commitments affect MNC subsidiary top managers' intent to leave either their current post or the firm itself, and second, which variables influence these managers' affective and continuance commitments. The analysis uses a sample of MNC subsidiary top managers in Spain, and the results confirm that these managers' intent to leave the subsidiary and the multinational is determined by affective and continuance commitments in its two dimensions (high-sacrifice and low-alternatives), and that these commitments, in turn, are determined by the managers' personal cultural values and company bonding variables.
The constraints of finite size in asexual populations and the rate of the ratchet.

Summary An analysis of mutation accumulation in finite, asexual populations shows that by modeling discrete individuals, a necessary condition for mutation-selection balance is often not met. It is found that over a wide parameter range (whenever N e" 1 "' 8 < 1, where TV is the population size, ft is the genome-wide mutation rate, and s is the realized strength of selection), asexual populations will fail to achieve mutation-selection balance. This is specifically because the steady-state strength of selection on the best individuals is too weak to counter mutation pressure. The discrete nature of individuals means that if the equilibrium level of mutation and selection is such that less than one individual is expected in a class, then equilibration towards this level acts to remove the class. When applied to the classes with the fewest mutations, this drives mutation accumulation. This drive is in addition to the well-known identification of the stochastic loss of the best class as a mechanism for Muller's ratchet. Quantification of this process explains why the distribution of the number of mutations per individual can be markedly hypodispersed compared to the Poisson expectation. The actual distribution, when corrected for stochasticity between the best class and the mean, is akin to a shifted negative binomial. The parameterization of the distribution allows for an approximation for the rate of Muller's ratchet when N e'* 11 * < 1. The analysis is extended to the case of variable selection coefficients where incoming mutations assume a distribution of deleterious effects. Under this condition, asexual populations accumulate mutations faster, yet may be able to survive longer, than previously estimated.
A Design of a Grey-Predicted Li-Ion Battery Charge System

In this paper, we consider an Li-ion battery as a grey system. The grey prediction technique is then used to develop a grey-predicted Li-ion battery charge system (GP-LBCS). The proposed GP-LBCS is designed to replace the general constant-voltage (CV) mode using the GP mode to improve the Li-ion battery charge behavior. A GP algorithm is built in GP-LBCS to make the charge trajectories faster and safer. A 3-D Y-mesh diagram for describing the charge trajectories of the proposed GP-LBCS is simulated. A GP-LBCS prototype is designed and implemented to assess the charge performance. Experiments show that the charge speed and the charge efficiency of the proposed GP-LBCS, compared with the general constant-current-CV charge system, are increased above 23% and 1.6%, respectively. The charge speed and efficiency in the proposed GP mode are improved above 34% and 7%, respectively, compared with that in the general CV mode.