Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large, small, international: Equity portfolio choices in a large 401(k) plan

We examine equity portfolio choices of a panel of over four thousand 401(k) investors during the April 1994-August 1998 period. In the majority of participant/year observations all the equity funds available are held; hence, it appears that most participants take full advantage of the diversification opportunities within the plan. Older investors hold more U.S. large equities and less international equities, consistent with more conservative investment on their part. There is also a positive trend in allocations to domestic equities at the expense of foreign equities, consistent with a revision of mean return estimates over the sample.
Retinal vessel changes in galactose-fed dogs.

BACKGROUND Retinal lesions similar to those in human early-stage diabetic retinopathy have been reported to occur in dogs fed galactose for long periods. Investigations of retinal changes, however, have been limited to studies of the intact retinal vasculature isolated by trypsin digestion. OBJECTIVE To document the onset and progression of retinal lesions in galactose-fed dogs by the common clinical techniques of fundus color photography and fluorescein angiography. METHODS Fourteen 6-month-old male beagles made aphakic in 1 eye were divided into a control group (4 dogs), receiving a diet containing 30% cellulose, and a galactosemic group (10 dogs), receiving a diet containing 30% galactose. The progression of retinal changes in these dogs was periodically monitored by color fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. RESULTS Dogs fed a 30% galactose diet for 28 to 41 months were observed by fluorescein angiography and color fundus photography to develop, in order of frequency, microaneurysms, retinal hemorrhages, intraretinal microvascular abnormalities, retinal nonperfused areas, and varicose and serpiginous veins. These findings are similar to the early clinical retinal changes observed in humans with diabetes. CONCLUSION These results confirm that galactosemic dogs are an appropriate and suitable animal model for investigating human diabetic retinopathy.
Determinants of Survival Without Antiretroviral Therapy After Infancy in HIV-1-Infected Zambian Children in the CHAP Trial

Background: There are few data on predictors of HIV progression in untreated children in resource-limited settings. Methods: Children with HIV Antibiotic Prophylaxis (CHAP) was a randomized trial comparing cotrimoxazole prophylaxis with placebo in HIV-infected Zambian children. The prognostic value of baseline characteristics was investigated using Cox models. Results: Five hundred fourteen children aged 1 to 14 (median 5.5) years contributed 607 years follow-up (maximum 2.6 years). Half were boys, and in 67%, the mother was the primary carer; at baseline, median CD4 percentage was 11% and weight was less than third percentile in 67%. One hundred sixty-five children died (27.2 per 100 years at risk; 95% confidence interval 23.3-31.6). Low weight-for-age, CD4 percentage, hemoglobin, mother as primary carer, current malnutrition, and previous hospital admissions for respiratory tract infections or recurrent severe bacterial infections were independent predictors of poorer survival, whereas oral candidiasis predicted poorer survival only when baseline CD4 percentage was not considered. Mortality rates per 100 child years of 44.5 (37.2-53.2), 14.7 (10.9-19.8), and 2.3 (0.3-16.7) were associated with new World Health Organization stages 4, 3, and 1/2, respectively, applied retrospectively; very low weight-for-age was the only staging feature for 42% of stage 4 children. Conclusions: Malnutrition and hospitalizations for respiratory/bacterial infections predict mortality independent of immunosuppression, suggesting that they capture HIV- and non-HIV-related mortality, whereas oral candidiasis is a proxy for immunosuppression.
Investigation of de novo Totally Random Biosequences, Part II

We present an investigation on theoretically possible protein structures which have not been selected by evolution and are, therefore, not present on our Earth (‘Never Born Proteins’ (NBP)). In particular, we attempt to assess whether and to what extent such polypeptides might be folded, thus acquiring a globular protein status. A library (ca. 109 clones) of totally random polypeptides, with a length of 50 amino acids, has been produced by phage display. The only structural bias in these sequences is a tripeptide substrate for thrombin: PRG, chosen according to the criteria described in the preceding Part I of this series. The presence of this substrate in an otherwise totally random sequence forms the basis for a qualitative experimental criterion which distinguishes unfolded from folded proteins, as folded proteins are more protected from protease digestion than unfolded ones.
Digital Business Strategy and Firm Performance: the Mediation Effects of E-collaboration Capability

Nowadays, digital technologies (e.g., big data, cloud and mobility) have changed the firms’ activities. Many firms begin to utilize digital resources to formulate and execute digital business strategy. However, there is little empirical research focusing on explaining this novel phenomenon. In this paper, we proposed a framework which describes the value creation and appropriation process of digital business strategy in the digital settings. Our research model is tested by survey data and financial data from a sample of 138 manufacturing firms which adopted e-selling process. The result provides strong supports to the proposed research model. In particular, we find that, as hypothesized, the impact of digital business strategy on firm performance is completely mediated by e-collaboration capability which is one kind of digital capabilities. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.
The Effectiveness of Clinically Indicated Replacement of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters: An Evidence Review With Implications for Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND Current clinical guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 2011) state that peripheral intravenous catheters are to be replaced every 72-96 hr to prevent infection and phlebitis in the adult patient. It is unclear whether this practice reduces the incidence of phlebitis or other infections. AIM The aim of this study was to examine levels I and II evidence to determine if replacing peripheral intravenous catheters only when clinically indicated compared to every 72-96 hr increases the adult patient's risk for infection or phlebitis. METHODS The following patient or population, intervention, comparison, outcome question was used to search the literature databases PubMed, ClinicalKey, ProQuest, Ovid SP, and CINAHL: In the adult patient requiring a peripheral vascular catheter (P), does replacing the catheter only when clinically indicated (I) compared to replacing the catheter every 72-96 hr (C) increase the occurrence of phlebitis and infection (O)? A set of specific search criteria along with critical appraisal tools was used to identify relative studies. RESULTS Four level II randomized controlled trials with no less than 155 subjects, and two level I meta-analyses reviewing a total of 13 research studies indicated that the replacement of peripheral intravenous catheters only when clinically indicated does not increase patient risk of phlebitis or infection when compared to the current practice of routine replacement between 72 and 96 hr in the adult patient population. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION The current practice of replacing peripheral intravenous catheters every 72-96 hr does not decrease the incidence of phlebitis or infection when compared to replacing catheters when clinically indicated in the adult population. By translating this research into current practice, healthcare costs and nursing care time will decrease, and unnecessary invasive procedures would be eliminated thereby increasing patient safety and satisfaction.
Stock Message Board Recommendations and Share Trading Activity

The efficiency of capital markets is largely attributable to an effective information network that exists among market participantsthat include fund managers, analysts, and investors. The role of many market participants is to improve the flow of information to assist the market in becoming aware of, and understanding, information. In this work, we look at the role of message boards in improving market efficiency. We examine the impact of message boards on stock returns, volatility, trading volume and liquidity. The overall findings of our study are that message boards serve no useful purpose for stock returns and liquidity. However, message boards do seem to add risk to share trading by increasing the turnover and share price volatility. We also observe that message board participants are likely to follow the stock market activity. Our results make one think that participation in message boards serves more for social purposes such as interaction with like-minded investors, general amusement etc than anything else.
Engendering trust in e‐commerce: a study of gender‐based concerns

An essential element of successful e‐commerce is building relationships with consumers. All relationships are based upon trust and in the online B2C environment the absence of physical cues increases the reliance upon other elements to convey integrity and engender trust. Isolates and examines three components identified in earlier studies as areas of consumer concern. Within these parameters a number of consumer characteristics potentially might affect trust levels; this initial exploratory study examines whether consumer trust appears to vary by gender, and it is the authors’ intention to investigate other characteristics in future studies. Seeks to evaluate whether consumer trust is increasing or declining and whether one or other gender might potentially be more responsive to e‐marketing activities. Earlier studies suggest discernable differences between male and female perceptions of online shopping; however, the present study detects only minor (insignificant) gender‐based variations, registering a high level of concern overall, regardless of gender.
Industrial relations and workplace adaptation: Supporting industrial relations in the field of workplace adaptation to enable the employment of older or disabled populations: Literature review

For persons with reduced work capacity, including disabled and elderly people, employment opportunities are influenced by access to work accommodation. This project aims to improve social partners’ expertise through industrial relations in the field of workplace accommodation, and as a result promote the inclusion of disabled and older people in the workplace. The purpose of this retrospective desk study analysis will, therefore, be to lay the foundations for transnational action research with social partners in Estonia, Poland, and Hungary, with the aim of documenting what practices already exist and looking forward, how these might be improved, drawing on best practices from other EU countries. In terms of methodology, this report reviews current scientific literature and administrative documents on work accommodation of relevance to industrial relations.
The Extent of Global Alcohol Marketing and its Impact on Youth

Alcohol marketing is a global phenomenon, in which an increasingly small number of companies spend considerable sums to establish and embed their brands in the lives and lifestyles of populations. Market research data offers insight into the size and extent of the global alcohol trade, and the magnitude of alcohol advertising expenditures. Recent examples of alcohol marketing in a variety of national contexts illustrate the techniques used by the global companies. The effects of this marketing on young people are described in reviews of recent research studies on youth exposure to alcohol marketing and the effects of that exposure, interpretive models to explain the effects of alcohol marketing on young people, whether alcohol advertising targets young people, and assessments of the effectiveness of regulatory restrictions on marketing and other countermeasures. Despite the failure of public health research to keep pace with newly developing marketing technologies, there is a growing body of evidence that alcohol marketing influences young people's drinking behavior. Measures to reduce that impact should be considered by national governments seeking to limit the public health burden caused by harmful use of alcohol.
Digoxigenin‐labelled peptide nucleic acid to detect lactobacilli PCR amplicons immobilized on membranes from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

Aims: To develop a digoxigenin (DIG)‐labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe for the detection of Lactobacillus‐related genera amongst eubacterial amplicons obtained from vaginal samples using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) blots.
The impact of switching costs on the customer satisfaction‐loyalty link: mobile phone service in France

The main objective of customer satisfaction programs is to increase customer retention rates. In explaining the link between customer satisfaction and loyalty, switching costs play an important role and provide useful insight. For example, the presence of switching costs can mean that some seemingly loyal customers are actually dissatisfied but do not defect because of high switching costs. Thus, the level of switching costs moderates the link between satisfaction and loyalty. The purposes of this paper are: to examine the moderating role of switching costs in the customer satisfaction‐loyalty link; and to identify customer segments and then analyze the heterogeneity in the satisfaction‐loyalty link among the different segments. An empirical example based on the mobile phone service market in France indicates support for the moderating role of switching costs. Managerial implications of the results are discussed.
The effect of website usage and virtual community participation on brand relationships

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of website visits and virtual community participation on the development of brand relationships. Building on the literature on relationship marketing, we model brand trust as a mediator and brand loyalty and Word-of-Mouth (WOM) as the final outcomes in our research model. The hypotheses are tested with structural equation modelling on four independent datasets collected from the consumer magazine industry. The results are identical in all four datasets: Both the frequency of website visits and the time spent on the website per visit strengthen brand trust and consequently also brand loyalty and WOM. However, neither posting nor lurking on the virtual community has an effect on brand trust. All in all, the results provide support for the mediating role of brand trust between consumer-brand online interactions and brand loyalty and WOM. The study contributes to the existing literature on relationship marketing by showing that consumer-initiated online interactions also support the development of the brand relationship.
Niche-Market Tour Operators and Mass-Market On–Line Travel Agencies: The Case-Study of U.S. Organized Tourism to Italy

The design of tourism products is changing due to factors such as the growing importance of the Internet and the ability of tourists to be involved in the production of their own products/experiences, (namely the emergence of the 'prosumer'). This paper reports a study into the responses of Tour Operators and On-line Travel Agencies to the evolution of the tourism sector. The case-study analyzes the use of marketing mix variables for outbound tourists from the United States booking tours to Italy. A comparison between operators and the five main on-line travel agencies is then made. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an ongoing repositioning of these tourism players along the long-tail theory curve and a reversal of the Tour Operator's role, from that of a general mass market orientation to the supply of a niche market demand by promoting customized travel packages based on specific requirements. Implications of this process for the marketing of destinations and SMEs are discussed in the final part of the paper. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA
Consumers' attitudes toward advertising by medical professionals

Purpose – The study aims to investigate consumers ' attitudes toward advertising by medical professionals, and how the attitudes vary among different demographic groups. Design/methodology/approach – A survey using quota sampling was conducted. Altogether 1,297 adults aged 20 or above in Hong Kong filled in an online questionnaire in March 2012. Findings – Consumers ' attitudes toward advertising by medical professionals were in general favorable. Respondents reported that advertising by medical professionals provides consumers with information about the services and qualifications of practitioners. However, consumers were worried about misleading information in these advertisements. Respondents perceived strongly that advertising by medical professionals would lead to an increase in the price of services. Younger respondents and respondents with higher education were more sceptical toward advertising by medical professionals. Practical implications – Medical professionals should put emphasis on providing.
Growth and performance contrasts between ‘types’ of small firms

This paper studies the interrelationships in the strategic profile of a sample of small firms, and, by using cross‐sectional analysis, attempts to identify any evidence to support the ‘stages of growth’ theories. Three surrogates for comparative growth were used in the analysis: number of employees, sales turnover, and profitability. A cluster analysis identified eight different ‘types’ of small firms characterized by ‘internal’ variables of ownership, management, and product structure; and by ‘external’ variables of product/market positioning. Analysis of variance tests found no significant differences between the clusters with regard to size. The results suggest that firms do change, but not necessarily in any prescribed sequence. Indeed, the evidence presented in this paper suggests that future research should be focused on developing theories which better describe the heterogeneity of the sector by analyzing the development within clusters of firms rather than seeking generalized overarching theories.
A Concept of Accounting Quality from Accounting Harmonisation Perspective

Abstract The aim of this paper is to assess if and how a concept of accounting quality differs from perspectives of various types of organisations affected by the accounting harmonisation process. Accounting harmonisation is commonly associated with worldwide adoption of IFRS by public interest companies. However, in the EU this process is much broader and also involves efforts to harmonise accounting standards for non-listed companies and public sector organisations. Analysis of the previous scientific research revealed that accounting quality was commonly assessed from IFRS users’ perspective and approximated with the quality of financial statements. However, based on the interviews with experts of Lithuanian accounting market, the concept of accounting quality for small and medium companies and public sector institutions is ambiguous and still needs to be clarified. Definition of accounting quality only as the quality financial statements is too narrow as financial disclosure is not that important for such companies. For non-listed companies and public sector organisations, other aspects and factors, such as qualification of accountants, supervision of accounting and reporting, overall and managers’ perspective on importance of accounting, have more importance while defining accounting quality.
The theory and practice of corporate "nance: evidence from the "eld

We survey 392 CFOs about the cost of capital, capital budgeting, and capital structure. Large "rms rely heavily on present value techniques and the capital asset pricing model, while small "rms are relatively likely to use the payback criterion. A surprising number of "rms use "rm risk rather than project risk in evaluating new investments. Firms are concerned about "nancial #exibility and credit ratings when issuing debt, and earnings
Assessing the Effectiveness of Brand Recall, Recognition, and Image of Sponsor and Non-Sponsor in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Comparisons of Pre-and Post-Games

This paper examines the performance of assessing sponsors and non-sponsors awareness and image at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Korea. Using a sample of 2,118 respondents, a survey was administered in Seoul before and after Games to compare the awareness and image that changed between two periods. The findings reveal that the effectiveness of the 2008 Beijing Olympic sponsorship has was lower than we expected. Overall, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's were very successful in enhancing the salience of their respective brands during the games. In our study, it was found that local non-sponsors did not influence the effect of sponsorships. On the other hand, multinational non-sponsors had relatively higher the misleading the respondents into believing that they are supporting Olympics. We observed Nike ambushing Adidas, Dell ambushing Lenovo, Hyundai ambushing Volkswagen, Nestle ambushing Yili, Citi bank ambushing the bank of China. Therefore, Nike, Dell, Hyundai, Nestle, and Citi bank led to obtain the benefit and resulted in increasing consumer confusion as to who is a sponsor. To the ambushers, international well known brand well affords a competitive advantage that enables the firm to have created an environment of consumer confusion with regard to sponsorship in Korea. The paper concludes by considering some issues for sponsorship marketers.
Strategic Management of Supply Chain Approaches

The effective coordination and management of the supply chain requires collective know-how including the ability to synchronise processes. This conceptual paper seeks further understanding of the integrated, semi-integrated and independent strategic approaches within international supply chain management (SCM). Constructs of organisational structure, control, relationships and culture that have been developed in prior international marketing, customer relationship marketing and SCM literature will be extended. We identify limitations of existing strategic approaches and tensions that may affect the coordination of the supply chain. This is important as globalisation is driving advanced information technologies, lower trade barriers and economic rationalisation, which are changing business perceptions. We propose a conceptual model that encapsulates these constructs and dimension of the SCM process, which provides greater understanding of the links that make for a streamlined and efficient supply chain at a local level, which has major implications for management of global supply chains.