Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Debunking the Myth of Localized Agglomerations: The Development of a Regionalized Service Economy in South‐East England

The central argument of this paper is that localized clusters of economic activity, or ‘agglomerations’, have been overemphasized in economic geography since the mid-1980s. In particular, such analyses are too manufacturing-biased, and place too much weight on the importance of local supply, market and partnership linkages. We will re-emphasize the service-based nature of growth in the core region of the UK economy, and will explore how a broad band of producer service activity is emerging in the Western Arc, owing largely to common locational logics, including back-office decentralization and the new firm-formation process. Such growth is both stimulated and supported by the high demand levels of the regional economy, but evidence suggests that the linkages of such firms extend well beyond the ‘local’, to cover at least the ‘Greater South-East’. Furthermore, the international element in service growth needs to be recognized, as highlighted by the concentration of US foreign direct investment in the software industry along the M4 corridor. When areas outside the South-East are considered (such as Edinburgh, Tyne and Wear, Cheshire), the evidence appears to support Allen's (1992) notion of a ‘regionalized mode of service growth’ in the South-East.
The Role of Expected Outcomes in the Formation of Behavioral Intentions in the Green-Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT Despite customers' increasing environmental concerns and demand for green products in the lodging industry, there has been a lack of research undertaken to identify critical factors in hotel consumers' eco-friendly decision-making processes. The present study was designed to identify the expected outcomes of staying at a green hotel from a customer's perspective and to examine the relationships between the identified factors and behavioral intentions (i.e., visit intention and word-of-mouth intention). To achieve these objectives, this study used both qualitative (a focus group) and quantitative (survey and regression analysis) methodological approaches. A total of seven expected outcomes were identified through the focus group. An online survey of U.S. hotel customers was conducted. The results of the regression analysis evidenced that hotel customers' expected outcomes of staying at a green hotel had a positive influence on behavioral intentions, which demonstrated the role of expected outcomes as direct antecedents of behavioral intentions and as an immediate reason for choosing a green hotel over a non-conventional hotel. Findings from an additional analysis indicated that healthy guestrooms, eco-friendly practices, and reduced expenses were positively associated with visit intention. Further, healthy guestrooms, reduced expenses, organic foods, and environmental protection had a positive and significant impact on word-of-mouth intention.
Combined effects of work-related stress in Her Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG).

BACKGROUND Having initially reported on the overall level of stress in Her Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG), in a second study we found that a combined (negative) effects approach to stress was better able to identify the associated psychosocial risk factors than by using the well-documented Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) or Job Demand-Control Support (JDCS) models alone. Using the same combined effects method, this study now examines the negative health and wellbeing outcomes associated with the level of high stress found in this occupational group. MATERIAL AND METHODS Participants included 282 coastguards. A range of known stress outcomes were measured including: mental and physical health, accidents, risk taking, effects of memory, lifestyle, and job satisfaction. RESULTS Significant associations were found with: anxiety, depression, number of sick days, perception that illness was caused or made worse by work, number of symptoms, medicines taken, insomnia, ability to maintain a desired body weight or take planned exercise and find time to relax and wind down, time spent on hobbies or interests, the impact of job on family life/family life on job, and job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS Sixteen negative outcomes were significantly associated with the combined effects approach, compared with 15 using ERI or 10 using JDCS alone. Results clearly demonstrated the harmful effects of stress in maritime related roles, other than those of seafarers and suggest that further research in this area would be useful. Further studies on the more flexible stress model, which allows for the examination of both established and new combinations of risk factors and associated outcomes, would also be beneficial.
Quality education for quality production in agriculture.

It is clear, the conventional agricultural education system is now not fulfilling the requirements of agricultural development. Education has become a focus area for policy makers so that it could bring on a fast track of skill development. The agriculture curricula should be flexible, cross-disciplinary, demand driven and yet must provide skills through hand on training and promote entrepreneurship. The course curricula must be learning-centric rather than exam centric with emphasis on self study, group studies and assignments. The SAUs and private sector must have a strong linkage between education, research and extension. Promotion of offcampus, distance and education through open learning with the help of ICTs. Formal agricultural education is one component of agricultural knowledge systems. This paper emphasised that present agricultural education systems are need of improvements in sense of its quality. Higher education faces the challenges in overcoming the stagnation in agricultural production, poor allocated resources and outdate policies, underutilized sources of knowledge and the need for globalization of educational content.
Governance Structure Changes and Product Market Competition: Evidence from U.S. Electric Utility Deregulation

Electric utility deregulation associated with the 1992 Energy Policy Act represents a natural experiment for observing linkages between governance structure changes and product market competition. This study finds that governance structures of utilities are enhanced in their ability to control owner-manager agency conflict post-1992, but not by as much as comparable industrial firms. Incomplete utility deregulation leads to competition increases that are not as great as those of industrial firms. Governance structure enhancements of utilities lag behind those of industrial firms. Further deregulation is expected to stimulate competition, leading to governance structures that provide greater control of owner-manager agency conflict.
The Impact of Military Spending on Economic Growth: The Case of North Cyprus

The present study aims at investigating the causal relationship between defence expenditures and economic growth in the case of North Cyprus using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration and Granger causality tests for the period from 1977 to 2007. The results suggest that the variables in question are in a long-run equilibrium relationship and that there exists a strong, positive unidirectional causality running from defence expenditures to economic growth.
The contribution of network governance to preventing opportunistic behaviour by managers and to increasing stakeholder involvement: the Eroski case

This present work is an exploratory analysis of network governance models that are characterised by widespread distribution of decision-making and control, auditing and supervisory functions in company structure, frequently through stakeholder engagement in the management system. In the study, we verify the way in which NG can involve stakeholder representatives in the governance bodies and in the decision-making process, also preventing opportunistic behaviour of management, according to the stakeholder-agency theory. A case study of network governance is presented regarding the Spanish cooperative Eroski - a self-governing organisation, with direct participation by representatives of the various stakeholder categories in the main governing bodies. In the conclusions, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the network governance system and its implications for theory and practice and we describe an incremental approach, on an entirely voluntary basis, for implementing this governance model in other corporations, including non-cooperative ones.
NGO Influence in International Organizations: Information, Access and Exchange

While there is broad consensus that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sometimes succeed in influencing policy making within international organizations (IOs), there is much less agreement on the factors that make NGO lobbying effective. This article makes two contributions to this debate. First, the determinants of influence among NGOs active in different IOs, issue areas and policy phases are examined. The analysis builds on original survey data of more than 400 NGOs involved in five different IOs, complemented by elite interviews with IO and state officials. Secondly, the article advances a specific argument about how the strategic exchange of information and access between NGOs and IOs increases NGO influence in IOs. This argument, derived from theories of lobbying in American and European politics, is contrasted with three alternative explanations of NGO influence, privileging material resources, transnational networks and public opinion mobilization, and the broader implications of these results for research on NGOs in global governance are explored.
Is Beta-t-EGARCH(1,1) superior to GARCH(1,1)?

Statistical performance, in-sample point forecast precision and out-of-sample density forecast precision of GARCH(1,1) and Beta-t-EGARCH(1,1) models are compared. We study the volatility of nine global industry indices for period from April 2006 to July 2010. Competing models are estimated for periods before, during and after the United States (US) financial crisis of 2008. The results provide evidence of the superior out-of-sample predictive performance of Beta-t-EGARCH compared to GARCH after the US financial crisis.
NK Cell Tolerance in Mixed Allogeneic Chimeras1

Alterations in inhibitory receptor expression on NK cells have been detected in mixed allogeneic chimeras and in mosaic MHC class I-expressing transgenic mice. However, it is not known whether or not NK cells are tolerant to host and donor Ags in mixed chimeras. In vitro studies have shown a lack of mutual tolerance of separated donor and host NK cells obtained from mixed chimeras. Using BALB/c→B6 fully MHC-mismatched mixed chimeras, we have now investigated this question in vivo. Neither donor nor host NK cells in mixed chimeras showed evidence for activation, as indicated by expression of B220 and Thy-1.2 on NK cells in chimeric mice at levels similar to those in nonchimeric control mice. Lethally irradiated, established mixed BALB/c→ B6 chimeras rejected a low dose of β2-microglobulin-deficient bone marrow cells (BMC) efficiently but did not reject BALB/c or B6 BMCs. In contrast, similarly conditioned B6 mice rejected both BALB/c and β2-microglobulin-deficient BMCs. Thus, NK cells were specifically tolerant to the donor and the host in mixed allogeneic chimeras. The similar growth of RMA lymphoma cells in both chimeric and control B6 mice further supports the conclusion that donor BALB/c NK cells are tolerant to B6 Ags in chimeras. Administration of a high dose of exogenous IL-2 could not break NK cell tolerance in chimeric mice, suggesting that NK cell tolerance in chimeras is not due to a lack of activating cytokine. No reduction in the level of expression of the activating receptor Ly-49D, recognizing a donor MHC molecule, was detected among recipient NK cells in mixed chimeras. Thus, the present studies demonstrate that NK cells in mixed chimeras are stably tolerant to both donor and host Ags, by mechanisms that are as yet unexplained.
Rational Random Walks

The paper examines, within the framework of a multi-dimensional one-step forward-looking model, a special category of rational expectations equilibria. Their support is infinite with two accumulation points (steady states); the stochastic motion of the system is of random-walk type. A general strategy for an existence proof—associated with the study of a dynamical system—stresses necessary conditions. In a simple overlapping-generations model, the proof is made complete—no backwards bending labour supply is required in the pure sunspot case. By continuity, heteroclinic random walk equilibria are also shown to exist when shocks are real.
Dyslexia: Cultural Diversity and Biological Unity

The recognition of dyslexia as a neurodevelopmental disorder has been hampered by the belief that it is not a specific diagnostic entity because it has variable and culture-specific manifestations. In line with this belief, we found that Italian dyslexics, using a shallow orthography which facilitates reading, performed better on reading tasks than did English and French dyslexics. However, all dyslexics were equally impaired relative to their controls on reading and phonological tasks. Positron emission tomography scans during explicit and implicit reading showed the same reduced activity in a region of the left hemisphere in dyslexics from all three countries, with the maximum peak in the middle temporal gyrus and additional peaks in the inferior and superior temporal gyri and middle occipital gyrus. We conclude that there is a universal neurocognitive basis for dyslexia and that differences in reading performance among dyslexics of different countries are due to different orthographies.
Democracy Models and Parties at the EU Level: Empirical Evidence from the Adoption of the 2009 European Election Manifestoes

This paper builds upon the theoretical premises developed by Erik O. Eriksen and John Erik Fossum and empirically examines if democracy at the EU level is closer to the ideal-type of delegated, federal or regional-cosmopolitan democracy. We focus on a particular dimension of parliamentary representation, namely, party politics at the European level, and we concentrate on the 2009 European election party manifestoes. We hypothesise that under the delegated democracy model there should hardly be any similarities between the Euro-party and their member party manifestoes. The opposite should hold for the federal model, whereas in the case of the regional-cosmopolitan model the manifestoes should have a post-national outlook. Even though most manifestoes have a discernible European outlook and the national and Euro-party manifestoes share a number of common features, the differences remain more than the similarities. Our empirical findings suggest that the PES, the EPP and the EGP cannot be placed under the same EU democracy model.
An Equivalence between (T, M, S)-Nets and Strongly Orthogonal Hypercubes

It is well known that (t, m, s)-nets are useful in numerical analysis. While many of the best constructions of such nets arise from number theoretic or algebraic constructions, we will show in this paper that the existence of a (t, t+k, s)-net in basebis equivalent to the existence of a set of s strongly orthogonal hypercubes of dimensiont+k, orderband strengthk. Fork>2 such generalized orthogonal hypercubes provide new combinatorial structures that may be of interest in various other combinatorial settings.
Morphometric Analysis of Follicular Growth and Biochemical Constituents in Albino Rats Exposed to Mancozeb

Mancozeb, an ethylenebisdithiocarbamate (EBDC), was administered orally at a dose of 700 mg/kg body weight/day to female virgin rats for 5, 10, 20, and 30 days to examine the effect on ovarian follicular development. No significant change occurred in the number of estrous cycles and the duration of proestrus, estrus, and metestrus, but mancozeb treatment for 5 days significantly increased the duration of diestrus. Mancozeb treatment for 10 days significantly increased the number of estrous cycle and the duration of estrus, with a concomitant significant increase in diestrus, but no change in proestrus and metestrus. With mancozeb treatment for 20 and 30 days, the number of estrous cycles and duration of proestrus, estrus, and metestrus were significantly decreased, with a concomitant significant increase in the duration of diestrus. Exposure of rats to mancozeb for 5 days resulted in a significant decrease in stage II and the total number of healthy follicles but no change in atretic follicles. Mancozeb treatment for 10 days resulted in a significant decrease in stages I, II, and IV and in the total number of healthy follicles. A significant increase in atretic follicles was found in rats treated with mancozeb for 20 and 30 days. No significant change occurred in body and organ weights in any group, but the thyroid weight of 20 and 30 days mancozeb-treated rats was significantly increased. The level of protein in the ovary was significantly decreased, but no change was found in the uterus and liver of mancozeb-treated animals. The level of glycogen was significantly decreased in the ovary and the uterus with mancozeb treatment, but not in the liver. With mancozeb treatment, the levels of phospholipids and neutral lipids were significantly increased in the liver but significantly decreased in the uterus. The change in the biochemical constituents of ovary, uterus, and liver was duration dependent. The results of the study thus indicate a marked disruption of the estrous cycle, pathological changes in the gonads, and organ-specific biochemical changes in rats after exposure to mancozeb.
Establishing HR Professionals’ Influence and Credibility: Lessons from the Capital Markets and Investment Banking Sector

Through two separate studies involving 47 interviews inside 22 institutions in the capital markets and investment banking sector, we explore the levels of influence and sources of credibility for senior HR professionals, and examine the challenges they face in establishing credibility. We compare these findings against previous research, which has identified several determinants of HR�s influence and credibility. Our findings confirm that HR�s modest influence is contingent on the predispositions and convictions of key stakeholders, notably the CEO, but also depends on the decision being taken. We find that the basis for senior HR professionals� credibility is more individual than institutional, and that HR professionals and senior business managers differ in the priorities they assign to credibility determinants. Finally, the studies illuminate an enduring inherent tension for HR in establishing credibility, between servicing their internal clients� needs and retaining a level of independence. We reflect upon the transient nature of HR credibility in this sector and others
Clinical epidemiological study of 171 cases of cryptococcosis.

We retrospectively studied 171 patients with cryptococcosis who were divided into three groups according to their associated predisposing conditions (if any): group 1 comprised nonimmunosuppressed patients, group 2 comprised patients with AIDS, and group 3 comprised those patients with other conditions and/or who were users of immunosuppressive drugs. Analysis and correlation of the behavior of the mycosis among the three groups showed differences in the demographic data, clinical forms and manifestations of cryptococcosis, laboratory results, morbidity and mortality rates, and histopathologic aspects. Study of the clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans from 83 patients with cryptococcosis showed that 75 were characterized as C. neoformans variety neoformans and eight as C. neoformans var. gatti. Comparison of the distribution of the gattii and neoformans varieties between the nonimmunosuppressed (group 1) and immunosuppressed (groups 2 and 3) patients showed a significant statistical difference (P < .01).
Strategies of Building a Stronger Sense of Community for Sustainable Neighborhoods: Comparing Neighborhood Accessibility with Community Empowerment Programs

New Urbanist development in the U.S. aims at enhancing a sense of community and seeks to return to the design of early transitional neighborhoods which have pedestrian-oriented environments with retail shops and services within walking distances of housing. Meanwhile, 6000 of Taiwan’s community associations have been running community empowerment programs supported by the Council for Cultural Affairs that have helped many neighborhoods to rebuild so-called community cohesion. This research attempts to evaluate whether neighborhoods with facilities near housing and shorter travel distances within a neighborhood would promote stronger social interactions and form a better community attachment than neighborhoods that have various opportunities for residents to participate in either formal or informal social gatherings. After interviewing and surveying residents from 19 neighborhoods in Taipei’s Beitou District, and correlating the psychological sense of community with inner neighborhood’s daily travel distances and numbers of participatory activities held by community organizations under empowerment programs together with frequencies of regular individual visits and casual meetings, statistical evidence yielded that placing public facilities near residential locations is more effective than providing various programs for elevating a sense of community.
Firm Turnover in Imperfectly Competitive Markets

This paper is motivated by the empirical regularity that industries differ greatly in the level of firm turnover and that entry and exit rates are positively correlated across industries. Our objective is to investigate the effect of fixed costs and, in particular, market size on entry and exit rates and hence on the age distribution of firms.We analyse a stochastic dynamic model of a monopolistically competitive industry. Each firm's efficiency is assumed to follow a Markov process. We show existence and uniqueness of a stationary equilibrium with simultaneous entry and exit: efficient firms survive, while inefficient ones leave the market and are replaced by new entrants. We perform comparative dynamics with respect to the level of fixed costs: entry costs are negatively related and fixed production costs positively related to entry and exit rates. A central empirical prediction of the model is that the level of firm turnover is increasing in market size. In larger markets, competition is endogenously more intense than in smaller markets, and so price-cost margins are smaller. This price competition effect implies that the marginal surviving firm has to be more efficient than in smaller markets. Hence, in larger markets, the expected lifespan of firms is shorter, and the age distribution of firms is first-order stochastically dominated by that in smaller markets.In the empirical part, the prediction on market size and firm turnover is tested on an industry where firms compete in well-defined geographical markets of different sizes. Using data on hair salons in Sweden, we show that an increase in market size or fixed costs shifts the age distribution of firms towards younger firms, as predicted by the model. Copyright 2006, Wiley-Blackwell.
Earnings Benchmark Hierarchy

We examine the hierarchy of earnings benchmarks in Australia. Our results demonstrate a disconnect between the actions managers appear to take, and the market reaction to firms exceeding or just missing earnings benchmarks. The actions of managers appear consistent with them acting in a manner to avoid making losses and earnings decreases. On the other hand, the market reacts in a manner where the analysts' earnings forecast is at the top of the earnings benchmark hierarchy. However, for firms without analyst coverage, the reporting of positive earnings is the predominant earnings benchmark.