Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motives and Values Associated with Participation in Intercollegiate Student-Athlete Community Service: Implications for Athletics Department Leadership

Institutions of higher learning have contributed to their communities for many years. Universities were founded on the strong principles of service and have continued to embrace that commitment. Athletics Departments at the Division I level are required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to develop community service programs for student-athletes to give back to the community while in college. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) what motivates student-athletes to participate in community service in college, (2) what values are associated with studentathletes, and (3) what is the leadership role of the Athletics Department in the studentathletes’ willingness to participate in community service. Six motivation factors were identified during the analysis of the data: motivation by asking, motivation by social responsibility, motivation by being required, motivation to volunteer with intrinsic reward, motivation for career experience, and motivation through participation in a group/organization. These motivation factors were used as dependent variables and statistically significant relationships occurred when comparing socio-economic status, number of years of church service, and participation in cocurricular service. Furthermore, three value factors were identified: value of helping others, value of personal status, and values of family and friends. The value factors were used as independent variables and statistically significant relations occurred when comparing gender, father and mother volunteering, socio-economic status, number of years of church service, mandated service prior to college, service participation in college, extra-
Food expenditures and household demographic composition in the US: a demand systems approach

Food expenditures and subsistence quantities of poverty status and non–poverty status US households are analysed within a Linear Expenditure System that postulates subsistence quantities to be linear combinations of demographic variables. Using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' 1992 Consumer Expenditure Survey and Detailed Monthly Consumer Price Indices, this article obtains expenditure elasticities, own–price elasticities and subsistence quantities for each income group across nine broadly aggregated food commodity groups. Elasticity estimates and subsistence quantity estimates differ across income groups, supporting the premise that policies targeted at specific income groups should be based on the target group's elasticity estimates rather than average population elasticities. Parameter estimates are then used to simulate how subsistence quantities and own–price elasticities can be expected to vary according to the demographic composition of the household within a specific income group.
A New Theory concerning the Credibility and Success of Threats to Sue

Negative-expected-value (NEV) suits are ones in which the expected litigation costs exceed the expected judgment. This article offers a new theory for the credibility and success of plaintiffs with NEV suits. The theory is based on recognizing that litigation costs are generally not incurred all at once but rather over time; this divisibility of the litigation process is shown to play a crucial strategic role. The analysis identifies the conditions under which a plaintiff with an NEV suit will have a credible threat and succeed in extracting a settlement. It is demonstrated that plaintiffs have credible threats in a much wider set of cases--including in numerous small-stakes cases--than has been suggested by prior economic analysis of the subject.
Rural interest rates in the Indian economy

In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze some of the major features of the interest‐rates in the Indian rural money market. Such a market is distinguished by its duality, with the unorganised sector largely dominating the supply of funds even today. Rural interest‐rates are largely explained by risk and uncertainty rather than by the monopoly power of the moneylenders, though monopoly profit may have existed in some cases. A theoretical model is then constructed and statistical tests show positive correlation between farmers’ income and repayments and negative correlation between the interest‐rate, on the one hand, and income, repayments and monetization on the other. Thus, a rise in farm incomes may reduce the risk premium and, therefore, rural interest‐rates. Further econometric study revealed that the bank rate is more likely to be the leader than the follower of the bazaar rate.
Reputation and Coalitions in Medieval Trade: Evidence on the Maghribi Traders

This article examines the economic institution utilized during the eleventh century to facilitate complex trade characterized by asymmetric information and limited legal contract enforceability. The geniza documents are employed to present the “coalition”, an economic institution based upon a reputation mechanism utilized by Mediterranean traders to confront the organizational problem associated with the exchange relations between merchants and their overseas agents. The the oretical framework explains many trade-related phenomena, especially why traders utilized specific forms of business association, and indicates the interrelations between social and economic institutions.
Factors affecting the effects of service recovery from an integrated point of view

This study discusses three aspects of service recovery: the corporate leadership style, employee self-efficacy, and manager-subordinate interaction. Employees of service-oriented industries were selected as the population, and stratified random sampling was adopted to collect samples in four major metropolitan areas in Taiwan: Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung and Tainan. Empirical results showed that transformational leadership, compared with paternalistic leadership, has positive and significant effect on the service recovery performance; high self-efficacy employees, compared with low self-efficacy ones, have a positive and significant effect on the service recovery performance; and relationship commitment value has a positive and significant effect on the service recovery performance. The main feature of the study is the combination of linear multivariate analysis with a non-linear fuzzy neural network model in the analysis, an approach rarely found in previous studies. Management implications are also proposed.
Maternal weight, weight gain and birthweight at term in the rural Tanzanian village of IIula

Summary. In an area‐based study in a rural Tanzanian village, the relations of maternal weight and weight gain during pregnancy to birthweight were analysed for 331 term deliveries. The distribution of body‐mass index, used as an indicator of maternal nutritional status, was similar to the pattern seen in Sweden, although mean maternal height (156 cm) was 9 cm below that of Swedish women. Mean initial weight measured at week 14 was 53 kg and total pregnancy weight gain was 6kg. Women weighing ≥60kg in early pregnancy gained less weight (0·16 kg/week) than those weighing <50 kg (0·22 kg/week). Birthweight was correlated both with maternal weight in early pregnancy and with weight gain during pregnancy, but only 10% of the variation in birthweight was explained by these maternal factors. Mean maternal weight 24 h postpartum was equal to the weight at 14 weeks of pregnancy, implying, on the average, no net weight gain. Women with a positive net weight gain had heavier babies than women with a negative net weight gain. Maternal anthropometric characteristics are important underlying determinants of intrauterine growth and birthweight, but they explain only a minor part of the variation and are of little value for screening purposes in individual women.
ATP-binding Cassette Transporter A7 (ABCA7) Binds Apolipoprotein A-I and Mediates Cellular Phospholipid but Not Cholesterol Efflux*

ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), the defective transporter in Tangier disease, binds and promotes cellular cholesterol and phospholipid efflux to apolipoprotein I (apoA-I). Based on a high degree of sequence homology between ABCA1 and ABCA7, a transporter of unknown function, we investigated the possibility that ABCA7 might be involved in apolipoprotein binding and lipid efflux. Similarly to cells expressing ABCA1, HEK293 cells overexpressing ABCA7 showed specific binding and cross-linking of lipid-poor apoA-I. ABCA7 expression increased cellular phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin efflux to apoA-I in a manner similar to ABCA1 but had no effect on cholesterol efflux. Western analysis showed a high protein level of ABCA7 in mouse spleen, lung, adrenal, and brain but low expression in liver. In contrast to ABCA1, ABCA7 showed moderate basal mRNA and protein levels in macrophages and lymphocytes but no induction by liver X receptor activation. These studies show that ABCA7 has the ability to bind apolipoproteins and promote efflux of cellular phospholipids without cholesterol, and they suggest a possible role of ABCA7 in cellular phospholipid metabolism in peripheral tissues.
Regression standard errors in clustered samples

We first sort the residuals and locate the observation in the residuals corresponding to the quantile in question, taking into account weights if they are applied. We then calculate wn, the square root of the sum of the weights. Unweighted data is equivalent to weighted data where each observation has weight 1, resulting in wn p n. For analytically weighted data, the weights are rescaled so that the sum of the weights is the sum of the observations, resulting in p n again. For frequency weighted data, wn literally is the square of the sum of the weights.
Poor sitting posture and a heavy schoolbag as contributors to musculoskeletal pain in children: an ergonomic school education intervention program

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate a multidisciplinary, interventional, ergonomic education program designed to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal problems by reducing schoolbag weight and correcting poor sitting posture. Methods Data were collected twice before and twice following intervention using the Standardized Nordic Body Map Questionnaire, a rapid upper limb assessment for posture evaluation, and schoolbag weight measurement in children aged 8 and 11 years attending two schools within the central region of Malaysia. Results Students who received the ergonomic intervention reported significant improvements in their sitting posture in a classroom environment and reduction of schoolbag weight as compared with the controls. Conclusion A single-session, early intervention, group ergonomics education program for children aged 8 and 11 years is appropriate and effective, and should be considered as a strategy to reduce musculoskeletal pain among schoolchildren in this age group.
Variable Lipoprotein Genes of Mycoplasma agalactiae Are Activated In Vivo by Promoter Addition via Site-Specific DNA Inversions

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma agalactiae, the etiological agent of contagious agalactia of small ruminants, has a family of related genes (avg genes) which encode surface lipoprotein antigens that undergo phase variation. A series of 13 M. agalactiae clonal isolates, obtained from one chronically infected animal over a period of 7 months, were found to undergo major rearrangement events within the avg genomic locus. We show that these rearrangements regulate the phase-variable expression of individual avg genes. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription-PCR showed that only one avg gene is transcribed, while the other avg genes are transcriptionally silent. Sequence analysis and primer extension experiments with two M. agalactiae clonal isolates showed that a specific 182-bp avg 5′ upstream region (avg-B2) that is present as a single chromosomal copy serves as an active promoter and exhibits a high level of homology with the vsp promoter of the bovine pathogen Mycoplasma bovis. PCR analysis showed that each avg gene is associated with the avg-B2 promoter in a subpopulation of cells that is present in each subclone. Multiple sequence-specific sites for DNA recombination (vis-like), which are presumably recognized by site-specific recombinase, were identified within the conserved avg 5′ upstream regions of all avg genes and were found to be identical to the recombination sites of the M. bovis vsp locus. In addition, a gene encoding a member of the integrase family of tyrosine site-specific recombinases was identified adjacent to the variable avg locus. The molecular genetic basis for avg phase-variable expression appears to be mediated by site-specific DNA inversions occurring in vivo that allow activation of a silent avg gene by promoter addition. A model for the control of avg genes is proposed.
Analysis of acceptance of social networking sites

The purpose of this article is to carry out a conceptual study of social networking sites (SNS), to analyze the users’ use and behaviour in SNS. This study develops a technology acceptance model (TAM) in order to analyze the factors influencing the level of acceptance and use of SNS, applying a structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. For that, an online survey focused to panel of SNS users has been carried out. The findings indicate that there is significant positive effect of perceived ease of use of SNS on perceived usefulness and attitude. In turn, perceived usefulness has a positive and direct impact on intention to use them, and indirectly through attitude. Otherwise, intention to use positively influences the degree of final use of SNS. Conclusions offer marketing implications for companies in order to improve their managerial decisions and further investigation for specialized academics in this research field. Key words: Technology acceptance model, social networking sites, web 2.0, structural equation modeling.
Nontraditional Graduate Students' Satisfaction With Their T ransnational Educational Experience

This retrospective, nonexperimental, quantitative study was designed to explore nontraditional students’ perceptions of satisfaction with their graduate education experience in a customized transnational educational context. This study was undergirded by theories and concepts gleaned from multiple disciplines. Disconfirmed expectations theory of consumer satisfaction derived from expectancy theory, which describes the motivations and behaviors of consumers who purchase a service but cannot fully evaluate the service until it has been consumed, provided the overarching conceptual framework for the research. This research analyzed data from 62 graduates of a customized, transnational Master of Education program in educational leadership. Participants responded to a quantitative instrument that contained 18 questions related to various aspects of the respondents’ educational experience. The qualitative component involved responding to six open-ended questions. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted on the quantitative data. The analyses performed include frequency distributions, means and standard deviations, Cronbach’s coefficient alpha, and a correlation matrix for the dependent and independent variables and for the six subcategories. To examine whether differences in satisfaction with specified aspects of the program were reflected in differences in subscale satisfaction, t tests were also conducted. Conventional content analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. Statistical analyses indicated that participants were satisfied with every aspect of their educational experience.
Air pollution and inflammation in type 2 diabetes: a mechanism for susceptibility

Background: Particulate air pollution has been associated with several adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, and people with diabetes may be especially vulnerable. One potential pathway is inflammation and endothelial dysfunction—processes in which cell adhesion molecules and inflammatory markers play important roles. Aim: To examine whether plasma levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) were associated with particle exposure in 92 Boston area residents with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Daily average ambient levels of air pollution (fine particles (PM2.5), black carbon (BC) and sulphates) were measured approximately 500 m from the patient examination site and evaluated for associations with ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and vWF. Linear regressions were fit to plasma levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and vWF, with the particulate pollutant index, apparent temperature, season, age, race, sex, glycosylated haemoglobin, cholesterol, smoking history and body mass index as predictors. Results: Air pollutant exposure measures showed consistently positive point estimates of association with the inflammatory markers. Among participants not taking statins and those with a history of smoking, associations between PM2.5, BC and VCAM-1 were particularly strong. Conclusions: These results corroborate evidence suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may explain the increased risk of air pollution-associated cardiovascular events among those with diabetes.
An Examination of the Effects of Activating Persuasion Knowledge on Consumer Response to Brands Engaging in Covert Marketing

Both marketers who use covert marketing tactics and those who seek to help consumers deal with them assume that people will be less amenable to covert marketing appeals if they are alerted to such appeals because their theories and beliefs about persuasion tactics—that is, their persuasion knowledge—will be activated. However, there has been little direct examination of the extent to which activating persuasion knowledge actually affects consumer responses to brands that engage in covert marketing. Building on prior research on covert marketing and marketplace persuasion knowledge, the authors investigate the effects of activating persuasion knowledge and explore potential moderating factors. The findings from three experimental studies indicate that activation can negatively affect consumer evaluations of embedded brands; however, negative effects are qualified by perceived appropriateness of covert marketing tactics and by brand familiarity. Further evidence indicates a condition under which activation can actually have a positive effect on consumer evaluations.
Operational Risk, Translation, and Globalization

This paper compares a translation of a global (more specifically, European) regulation into two local contexts, setting this process in a broader context of the all-pervading risk management. The two countries are Sweden and Poland, both relatively untouched by the current financial crisis, and the regulation is Basel II Accord. In both countries, the translation is shaped by the past history, and the present circumstances. The results show that, in spite of local differences, there is a common belief in quantification of risks as the main remedy and therefore the main way of managing them. Abstract and vague formulations, combined with sophisticated calculation techniques, win over the complications of actual practices. The role of researchers in this process is also examined. A study illustrates also the advantages of translation theory versus diffusion theory of spreading of ideas.
Development of brand equity: evaluation of four alternative models

This study examines the development of brand equity by evaluating the influences of brand associations, perceived quality, satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Based on insights from prior research, four models are proposed, which focus on alternative relationships among these four factors. Sample data sets from the banking and discount store services are used to evaluate the relationships between and among these four factors. Results of the comparative data analyses reveal that the research model fits the data significantly better than the other three models. In particular, the contention that the effects of perceived quality impact brand equity indirectly through satisfaction is supported. The findings indicate that the primary contribution of the current study lies in the inclusion of satisfaction as an antecedent to brand equity and in the attempts to adequately model its relationships with the more traditional brand equity antecedents of perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand associations. These results, and their implications, along with avenues for further research are also elaborated in this research.
A Review of Faculty Perceptions, Barriers and Resources Related to Scholarly Productivity

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain information on faculty members' perceptions of their institutions' expectations of scholarship, faculty members' interests and perceptions of their own expectations of scholarship, and perceived barriers and resources to scholarship. Methods: An online survey was developed and distributed to all faculty members listed in the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry directory of optometric institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico. Results: Faculty members perceived original research as most valued on an indi- vidual and institutional level. The expectation from both institutions and faculty for dissemination of scholarly work was publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Only 7% of the faculty responded that their primary scholarly interest was in education or educational theory. The most frequently perceived barriers to faculty scholarship were identified as clinical schedule (41%) and classroom/laboratory teaching sched - ule (23%). Faculty indicated that resources such as time allocated for scholarship (73%), financial support (37%) and mentorship (37%) would improve their abil - ity to engage in productive scholarly activity. Conclusion: Faculty members' expectations for their own scholarship and perceived institutional expectations can impact scholarly productivity. In general, responses support an overall good fit between faculty members' personal and professional ex - pectations and how they perceive the expectations of their colleges and universities.
Incentives and disincentives for corporate environmental disclosure

The year 2000 saw the launch of AA1000, a standard designed to enable corporate ethical performance to be judged. If such ethical performance is interpreted as social and environmental behaviour our view is that it should lead to more social and environmental disclosure. Yet the willingness to communicate corporate social and environmental performance still seems to be limited. Of the social and environmental disclosures that exist many appear to be rather fragmented and disparate. In this paper we explore the apparent paradox between concern for the environment and the limited amount of corporate environmental disclosure (CED) that takes place. Through an empirical study, the incentives and disincentives for CED are identified. Findings from the study identify a difference between the information requirements of ‘users’ and the willingness of ‘preparers’ to provide. The paper makes some tentative policy suggestions with the intention of bringing the two parties closer together. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment
Diffraction-Limited Infrared-Imaging of the Near-Field Intensity Emitted by Quantum-Cascade Lasers

The near-field intensity distributions of quantum-cascade lasers emitting at λ = 7.7 μm were investigated with a Gaussian telescope, comprising standard optical components together with a microbolometer focal plane array. Although the technique is operated at the diffraction limit, the quality of the near-field patterns obtained allows unambiguous determination of the lateral-mode structure of the laser even for individual laser pulses. The high quality of the recorded near-field intensity distribution allows us to calculate analytically the corresponding far-field intensity distributions, leading to an excellent match with measured far-field patterns. The present experimental technique allows fast and efficient characterization of the beam propagation properties of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers.