Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Change in the Use of Imprisonment in the American States: An Integration of Path Dependence, Punctuated Equilibrium and Policy Design Approaches

This study analyzes changes from 1927 through 2003 in the use of incarceration by the American States, testing propositions derived from path dependency/punctuated equilibrium theory and from an extension of the social construction theory of policy design. The results suggest that incarceration changes often were path dependent, but that periods of equilibrium-type change with up and down adjustments also were relatively common until a critical juncture occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The results also show that the states tended to change in the same direction, at the same time, as if some kind of national policy mood was important, even though incarceration rates are produced by state-level decisionmakers working in many different types of state and local institutional settings. The results confirm the proposition from the social construction theory of policy design that upward paths will be more common, last longer, more extreme, and harder to break than downward ones. Analysis of the public opinion variables most closely related to the social construction of law breakers indicates that small year-to-year changes were not very useful in explaining annual rates of incarceration change. On the other hand, a very rapid movement toward a more negative social construction may have been one of the factors important in triggering the critical juncture that occurred in all states. And, an exceptionally high and “sticky” negative construction of criminals extending for more than 30 years may be important in understanding the “stickiness” of institutions that produce incarceration rates.
Carcinoma of the breast with pseudosarcomatous metaplasia

Twenty‐six cases of breast carcinoma demonstrating pseudosarcomatous metaplasia are described, and their clinical and pathologic aspects are correlated. The metaplastic elements include mature and immature bone, cartilage, myxoid stroma, loose fibromyxoid and dense spindle‐cell stroma, and anaplastic stroma with giant cell features. Light and electron microscopic examination demonstrated an orderly sequence of transformation and dedifferentiation of epithelial cells to become undifferentiated mesenchymal cells. These tumors are more aggressive than purely epithelial carcinomas. The overall survival rate was 44%. Five‐year survival figures for TNM Stages I, II, and III lesions were 56%, 26%, and 18%, respectively. The incidence of lymph node metastasis was 25% despite the large size of many of these tumors. Systemic metastases replicated the range of metaplastic elements seen in the primary site. Patients with tumors composed predominantly of pseudosarcomatous elements had worse prognoses than those with predominantly epithelial components (28% versus 62%, 5‐year survival).
The impact of narcoterrorism on HRM systems

This paper presents a study on the emergence of human resource management (HRM) systems in a narcoterrorism context based on a mixed-method approach. We conducted 40 interviews at 24 firms in Mexico to explore emerging HRM systems in narcoterrorism environments. The interviews were complemented with a quantitative content analysis of 204 news stories to explore the direct and indirect impacts of narcoterrorism on firms. Our analysis of firms’ responses with respect to HRM systems, which is supported by our quantitative analysis on the impacts of narcoterrorism, indicates that trust appears to shape HRM systems. We identified an adaptation strategy to design HRM systems based on a combination of strict employee’s screening and control an emphasis on humanistic practices such as soft-skills training and development, and a flexible work schedule, which appears to facilitate the development of trust in narcoterrorism environments. Identifying the similarities of objects and issues in the narcoterrorism context can help develop an understanding of this local phenomenon, with implications for the HRM and terrorism literatures on a global scale. Our findings highlight the importance of reinforcing values such as trust, openness, involvement and participation to develop a strong HRM system to adapt to narcoterrorism environments.
Prox1 Regulates Olig2 Expression to Modulate Binary Fate Decisions in Spinal Cord Neurons

Specification of spinal cord neurons depends on gene regulation networks that impose distinct fates in neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Olig2 is a key transcription factor in these networks by inducing motor neuron (MN) specification and inhibiting interneuron identity. Despite the critical role of Olig2 in nervous system development and cancer progression, the upstream molecular mechanisms that control Olig2 gene transcription are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that Prox1, a transcription repressor and downstream target of proneural genes, suppresses Olig2 expression and therefore controls ventral spinal cord patterning. In particular, Prox1 is strongly expressed in V2 interneuron progenitors and largely excluded from Olig2+ MN progenitors (pMN). Gain- and loss-of-function studies in mouse NPCs and chick neural tube show that Prox1 is sufficient and necessary for the suppression of Olig2 expression and proper control of MN versus V2 interneuron identity. Mechanistically, Prox1 interacts with the regulatory elements of Olig2 gene locus in vivo and it is critical for proper Olig2 transcription regulation. Specifically, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis in the mouse neural tube showed that endogenous Prox1 directly binds to the proximal promoter of the Olig2 gene locus, as well as to the K23 enhancer, which drives Olig2 expression in the pMN domain. Moreover, plasmid-based transcriptional assays in mouse NPCs suggest that Prox1 suppresses the activity of Olig2 gene promoter and K23 enhancer. These observations indicate that Prox1 controls binary fate decisions between MNs and V2 interneurons in NPCs via direct repression of Olig2 gene regulatory elements.
On Credit Frictions as Labor-Income Taxation

This paper suggests that a model in which firms face credit constraints on hiring labor can explain both the behavior of the labor wedge and the “jobless recoveries” phenomenon of the last three recessions. Using the corporate credit spread as a measure of firms’ credit conditions, I show that the “jobless recoveries” of the U.S. economy from the last three recessions were associated with slow declines in the spread following those recessions. The credit conditions of firms, thus, were important in shaping the labor market recoveries of the last two decades.
The Relationship among Corporate Culture, Strategic Orientation, and Financial Performance

This study was conducted to suggest strategic orientations that can analyze which types of corporate culture and strategic orientation contribute to enhanced financial performance, based on the theory that, to acquire a competitive edge in the fierce competitive environment and maximize performance, the combination of corporate internal competitiveness and an appropriate action plan is crucial. The study shows that corporate culture does directly affect financial performance. However, for this group of Korean hotels, not all cultures performed equally. The transaction-oriented Market Culture did not promote financial performance, as compared to the family-oriented Clan culture or the innovative Adhocracy culture. The tradition-bound Hierarchical culture actually cost hotels in terms of financial performance. Certain strategic orientations moderated and improved financial results for some of the cultures, but not all. The opportunity-seeking approach of a leading orientation drove favorable financial results for the Clan and Adhocracy cultures but did not help the Market or Hierarchy cultures. Other strategic orientations also drove positive financial results, including future analytic and defensive. On the other hand, the discounting-oriented aggressive orientation returned negative financial results to all hotels in this sample.
Corporate social responsibility and SMEs: exploratory study on motivations from a Malaysian perspective

Purpose – This paper investigates the need for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in SMEs. Also, it aims to explore the motivations for practicing CSR from the perspective of Malaysian SMEs.Design/methodology/approach – Investigating the need for CSR in SMEs is done through a literature review. For the purpose of identifying the motivations for CSR practice, ten exploratory interviews were conducted with SME managers in Malaysia.Findings – The findings show that Malaysian SMEs were mostly practicing CSR because of their own beliefs and values, religious thoughts, and pressure and encouragement from stakeholders.Research limitations/implications – Because this is an exploratory study, a small number of interviews were conducted. Future studies can expand this and go more in‐depth.Practical implications – The findings of the paper provide a good understanding of Malaysian SMEs' motivations for CSR, which will be helpful for policy‐makers.Originality/value – To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is .
The Relationship Between Mixed‐Liquor Particle Size and Solids Retention Time in the Activated Sludge Process

Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis was used to evaluate the quality of mixed liquors collected from different activated sludge process modifications (i.e., conventional activated sludge, modified Ludzack‐Ettinger, high‐purity oxygen, step‐anoxic, and oxidation ditch). An experiment protocol was developed to define the allowable sample holding time and provide representative and repeatable results. Samples of 26 treatment plants, with a total of 37 samples, were tested. A new indicator, called mean particle size (MPS), was introduced to describe the integrated mean particle size. The results of MPSs of three cut‐off sizes (0.5 to 50, 100, and 200 µm) showed that the average size of mixed‐liquor biosolids increased with increasing solids retention time (SRT), and the number of particles in the sedimentation supernatant decreased with increasing SRT. Particle deflocculation occurred after excessive sample holding time, and analysis within 12 hours generally eliminated sample holding problems. The results provide a methodology using PSD for characterizing mixed‐liquor biosolids.
Leveraging Family‐Based Brand Identity to Enhance Firm Competitiveness and Performance in Family Businesses**

Drawing on the family‐embeddedness perspective on entrepreneurship and the resource‐based‐view of the firm, we investigate how the promotion of family‐based brand identity influences competitive orientation (customer versus product) and firm performance in family businesses. Applying structural equation modeling to survey data collected from leaders of 218 family businesses, we demonstrate that developing a family‐based brand identity positively contributes to firm performance (growth and profitability) indirectly, via a customer‐centric orientation. In contrast, attempts to leverage family‐based brand identity via a product‐centric orientation do not impact firm performance. Our results suggest that family‐based brand identity enhances the family business' ability to persuade customers to make purchasing decisions based on the perceived attributes of the seller. As a result, we contribute to the discussions centered on how to optimize the intricate synergy between family and business.
Seasonal Migration and Agricultural Production in Vietnam

When markets are incomplete migration can have multiple effects on agricultural production. I use instrumental variables techniques to explore the effects of seasonal migration on agricultural production in rural Vietnam during the 1990s. Using network variables specific to Vietnam as instruments, I find that migrant households in north Vietnam appear to move out of rice production and into the production of other crops. Inputs used by migrant households decrease relative to similar non-migrant households. The evidence is consistent with a shift from labor intensive into land-intensive crops, rather than productivity changes or the use of additional capital in production.
Does the Size Effect Explain the UK Winner-Loser Effect?

Dissanaike (1997) found a long-term "winner-loser" effect in the UK, within a sample of large (FT500) companies. However, he did not investigate as to whether there was a size effect within his sample, nor did he check to see if it subsumed his "winner-loser" effect. We find evidence of a size effect within the FT500 sample, and the size and "winner-loser" effects are not unrelated. But, there is no evidence to suggest that the size effect subsumes the "winner-loser" effect. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.
The Response of Hours to a Technology Shock: a Two-Step Structural VAR Approach

The response of hours worked to a technology shock is an important and a controversial issue in macroeconomics. Unfortunately, the estimated response is generally sensitive to the specification of hours in SVARs. This paper uses a simple two-step approach in order to consistently estimate technology shocks from a SVAR model and the response of hours that follow this shock. The first step considers a SVAR model with a set of relevant stationary variables, but excluding hours. Given a consistent estimate of technology shocks in the first step, the response of hours to this shock is estimated in a second step. When applied to US data, the two-step approach predicts a short-run decrease of hours after a technology improvement followed by a hump-shaped positive response. This result is robust to the specification of hours, different sample periods, measures of hours and output and to the variables included in the VAR in the first step.
Power and Politics in the Adoption of School Reform Models

States, districts, and schools are promoting and attempting whole school improvement through the use of externally developed reform designs. This article examines how and why schools adopt reforms and the consequences of those processes for reform implementation and sustainability. Case study data are presented on 22 schools, and three types of reform adoption processes are discussed: (a) districts encouraging schools to choose among a set of reforms; (b) districts pushing schools to adopt a particular reform; and (c) principals bringing reform designs to their schools. In no case did the impetus for reform adoption arise among teachers in these schools. Because a hierarchical approach is evident in each of these reform adoption scenarios, data are analyzed in terms of a micropolitical perspective. Findings show that the power relations surrounding reform adoption often thwarted genuine initial buy-in and interest in change among local educators, as well as in some cases, their subsequent implementation efforts. Educators often also had varying perspectives on how the adoption process occurred, suggesting differences in perspective on the reform itself. Recommendations for how the reform adoption process could be improved are discussed.
Efficacy and Safety of Morniflumate for the Treatment of Symptoms Associated with Soft Tissue Inflammation

The effectiveness of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the management of pain in osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases is well documented. The role of NSAIDs is less clear in the treatment of conditions involving soft tissue inflammation, including the airways, ear–nose–throat (ENT) system and urogenital tract. These conditions are often treated inappropriately with antibiotics. Morniflumate, the ß-morpholinoethyl ester of niflumic acid, is a member of the fenamate family of NSAIDs indicated for the treatment of inflammatory conditions (with or without pain) affecting airways, the ENT system, urogenital tract and the osteoarticular system. Morniflumate has a 30-year history of clinical use, particularly for the treatment of pain associated with paediatric ENT infection. This article reviews evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of morniflumate. Based on available evidence and the favourable tolerability profile emerging from extensive clinical use, morniflumate appears to be a valid and well-tolerated alternative to other NSAIDs, or to antibiotics, for the treatment of pain and other symptoms of soft tissue inflammation.
Urban Poverty in China and its Contributing Factors, 1986-2000

Food price increases and the introduction of radical social welfare and enterprise reforms during the 1990s generated significant changes in the lives of urban households in China. During this period urban poverty increased considerably. This paper uses household level data from 1986 to 2000 to examine what determines whether households fall below the poverty line over this period and investigates how the impact of these determinants has changed through time. We find that large households and households with more nonworking members are more likely to be poor, suggesting that perhaps the change from the old implicit price subsidies, based on household size, to an explicit income subsidy, based on employment, has worsened the position of large families. Further investigation into regional poverty variation indicates that over the 1986–93 period food price increases were also a major contributing factor. Between 1994 and 2000 the worsening of the economic situation of state sector employees contributed to the poverty increase.
The size effect and the random walk hypothesis: evidence from the London Stock Exchange using Markov Chains

This paper examines the predictability of size portfolio returns using a new database constructed from the London Stock Exchange for the period 1985–1995. Predictability of returns, both adjusted and unadjusted for risk, are examined and, because evidence of nonlinearity and nonnormality is found in these series, conventional autocorrelation analysis is supplemented with analysis using Markov chain processes. It is found that predictabilities appear for the largest size portfolios rather than the smallest, so that, although a size effect remains in the market, it is rather different to that which is usually thought to hold.
The Availability Heuristic and Investors' Reaction to Company-Specific Events

Contemporary research documents various psychological aspects of economic decision making. The main goal of our study is to analyze the role of the availability heuristic (Tversky and Kahneman [1973, 1974]) in financial markets. The availability heuristic refers to people's tendency to determine the likelihood of an event according to the easiness of recalling similar instances and, thus, to overweight current information as opposed to processing all relevant information. We define and test two aspects of the availability heuristic, which we dub outcome and risk-availability. The former deals with the availability of positive and negative investment outcomes and the latter with the availability of financial risk. We test the availability effect on investors' reactions to analyst recommendation revisions. Employing daily market returns as a proxy for outcome availability, we find that positive stock price reactions to recommendation upgrades are stronger when accompanied by positive stock market index returns, and negative stock price reactions to recommendation downgrades are stronger when accompanied by negative stock market index returns. The magnitude of the outcome availability effect is negatively correlated with firms' market capitalization, and positively correlated with stock beta, as well as with historical return volatility. Regarding risk availability, we find that on days of substantial stock market moves, abnormal stock price reactions to upgrades are weaker, and abnormal stock price reactions to downgrades are stronger. Both availability effects remain significant even after controlling for additional company-specific and event-specific factors, including market capitalization, stock beta, historical volatility of stock returns, cumulative excess stock returns over one month preceding the recommendation revision, rating category before the revision, and number of categories changed in the revision.
Designing appropriate valuation model for sustainable property tax system in developing countries

Purpose – This study seeks to contrive a sustainable valuation model for developing countries: a model that reasonably combines simplicity with equity, cost effectiveness, transparency, and the peculiarities of the local market place for improved revenue yields.Design/methodology/approach – The study draws from theory, experiences of other nations and international best practices to arrive at what should be the most appropriate tax base, valuation basis, valuation method, and the most expedient valuation approach for developing countries.Findings – Using Lagos State, Nigeria to demonstrate the application of the contrived conceptual framework, the study, among others, recommended for her urban areas, a combination of modified mass appraisal technique, modified UK's “property banding” technique, and discrete valuation to reflect the diverse distribution of her property stock. Others include a ten‐yearly comprehensive revaluation and indexation for the annual or periodic adjustments during the intervening p.
NDPK2 as a Signal Transducer in the Phytochrome-mediated Light Signaling*

Nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (NDPK) 2 in Arabidopsis has been identified as a phytochrome-interacting protein by using the C-terminal domain of phytochrome A (PhyA) as the bait in yeast two-hybrid screening. The far-red light-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pfr) A stimulates NDPK2 γ-phosphate exchange activity in vitro. To better understand the multiple functions of NDPK and its role in phytochrome-mediated signaling, we characterized the interaction between phytochrome and NDPK2. Domain studies revealed that PER-ARNT-SIM domain A in the C-terminal domain of phytochrome is the binding site for NDPK2. Additionally, phytochrome recognizes both the NDPK2 C-terminal fragment and the NDPK2 hexameric structure to fulfill its binding. To illustrate the mechanism of how the Pfr form of phytochrome stimulates NDPK2, His-197-surrounding residue mutants were made and tested. Results suggested that the H-bonding with His-197 inside the nucleotide-binding pocket is critical for NDPK2 functioning. The pH dependence profiles of NDPK2 indicated that mutants with different activities from the wild type have different pKa values of His-197 and that NDPK2 hyperactive mutants possess lower pKa values. Because a lower pKa value of His-197 accelerates NDPK2 autophosphorylation and the phospho-transfer between the phosphorylated NDPK2 and its kinase substrate, we concluded that the Pfr form of phytochrome stimulates NDPK2 by lowering the pKa value of His-197.
WHY STUDY ECONOMICS? THE PRIVATE RATE OF RETURN TO AN ECONOMICS DEGREE

This paper considers the implications of the major changes in the labour market for economists over the past twenty years with respect to the private rate of return to investment in an Economics degree. The paper presents estimates based on Census data for 1986, 1991, 1996, and 2001, which show that the private rate of return to the degree has risen over time. Comparisons are made with two of the most likely alternative degrees, namely Business and Law. The results suggest that although students are less attracted to Economics degrees, these degrees have become financially more attractive, particularly relative to Business.