Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the complex and dynamic nature of brand loyalty in the hotel industry.

This study examines the complex dimensionality of brand loyalty, including its attitudinal and behavioral components. Brand loyalty is proposed to consist of a single dimension of behavioral loyalty and a second-order hierarchical attitudinal loyalty, including the subdimensions of cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, and conative loyalty. This study also proposes that service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and brand image are important determinants of brand loyalty. The results, drawn from sample three-star and four-star hotels, show that attitudinal loyalty is a first-order hierarchical factor consisting of cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, and conative loyalty indicators rather than a second-order hierarchical factor. The results also indicate that service quality, perceived value, and customer satisfaction are antecedents that directly affect attitudinal loyalty. Rather than directly affecting loyalty, brand image plays a role in strengthening these three loyalty determinants
Consumer demand for healthy eating considering diversity – an economic approach for German individuals

Rising incidence and costs of diet-related diseases have led to nutritionists' and economists' interest in factors determining the demand for healthy eating. The present study analyses the demand for healthy eating by the use of a new food-based indicator, which combines the health value and diversity of a food basket. Although the diversity aspect gains in importance in recommendations for healthy eating it was not considered adequately in healthy eating indicators until now. Within the household production theory the new indicator is used to identify factors influencing the demand for healthy food diversity for 3220 German individuals. The results of regression analyses show that the demand for a healthy diet is influenced by age and mainly by knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural (proxy-)variables as education level, participation in a health training course and sport activity. On the basis of these findings conclusions are drawn for health and nutrition policy in Germany and Europe.
Does It Matter Who Writes the Check to the Government? The Economics of Tax Remittance

This paper argues that who remits tax may be an important aspect of implementing a tax system, in spite of standard economic analysis that maintains that which side of a taxed market remits is completely irrelevant. The irrelevance proposition does not apply in the presence of avoidance and evasion (i.e., in all real tax systems) because the total resource costs of administering a given effective tax structure may vary depending on the remittance system and because the opportunities for avoidance and evasion and the technology of enforcement affect the incentive to demand and supply the taxed activity.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TRADE IN INDIA

Abstract This article aims at contributing to environment trade debate by evaluating the impacts of international trade on emissions of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides for the Indian economy during 90s using Input-Output techniques. The article has constructed an index of pollution terms of trade. Using the Input-Output table of 1991–92 and 1996–97 for India we have computed pollution terms of trade for the content of CO2, SO2, and NO x . Results show that the indices are below 100, indicating that India produces goods that are more environment friendly than goods it imports, thus challenging the pollution haven hypothesis for India. The article has also offered explanations for these results.
Prognostic and Predictive Markers in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

AUTHORS’ DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Although all authors completed the disclosure declaration, the following author(s) and/or an author’s immediate family member(s) indicated a financial or other interest that is relevant to the subject matter under consideration in this article. Certain relationships marked with a “U” are those for which no compensation was received; those relationships marked with a “C” were compensated. For a detailed description of the disclosure categories, or for more information about ASCO’s conflict of interest policy, please refer to the Author Disclosure Declaration and the Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest section in Information for Contributors. Employment or Leadership Position: None Consultant or Advisory Role: Eudocia Q. Lee, Novartis (C), Genentech (C); Patrick Y. Wen, Genentech (C); Tracy T. Batchelor, Merck (C), Genentech (C), Roche (C), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (C), Amgen (C), Millenium (C); Timothy Cloughesy, Genentech (C), Roche (C), Novartis (C), Agios (C), Eli Lilly (C), Amgen (C) Stock Ownership: None Honoraria: Tracy T. Batchelor, Research To Practice, Educational Concepts Group, UpToDate; Timothy Cloughesy, Merck Research Funding: Patrick Y. Wen, AstraZeneca, Genentech; Tracy T. Batchelor, AstraZeneca, Millenium, Pfizer Expert Testimony: None Other Remuneration: None
The elasticity of capital-labour substitution in Singapore construction

A central issue in improving construction productivity is the flexibility in which capital and labour may be substituted. Empirical estimation using Singapore data suggests that the hypothesis of a unitary elasticity of substitution cannot be rejected, thereby providing justification for policy measures to alter the relative prices of factor inputs to encourage mechanisation in construction. The finding is consistent with an earlier study on the American construction industry as well as numerous production function studies conducted for other industries.
Paper-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Carbon Nanotube-Coated Wood Microfibers

Lithium-ion batteries using flexible paper-based current collectors have been developed. These current collectors were fabricated from wood microfibers that were coated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) through an electrostatic layer-by-layer nanoassembly process. The carbon nanotube mass loading of the presented (CNT-microfiber paper) current collectors is 10.1 μg/cm$^{2}$. The capacities of the batteries made with the current collectors are 150 mAh/g for lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) half-cell, 158 mAh/g for lithium titanium oxide (LTO) half-cell, and 126 mAh/g for LTO/LCO full-cell. The fabrication approach of the CNT-microfiber paper current collectors, the assembly of the batteries, and the experimental results are presented and discussed.
The imidazoline RX871024 stimulates insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells from mice deficient in K(ATP) channel function.

Effects of the imidazoline compound RX871024 on cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) and insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells from SUR1 deficient mice have been studied. In beta-cells from wild-type mice RX871024 increased [Ca(2+)]i by blocking ATP-dependent K(+)-current (K(ATP)) and inducing membrane depolarization. In beta-cells lacking a component of the K(ATP)-channel, SUR1 subunit, RX871024 failed to increase [Ca(2+)]i. However, insulin secretion in these cells was strongly stimulated by the imidazoline. Thus, a major component of the insulinotropic activity of RX871024 is stimulation of insulin exocytosis independently from changes in K(ATP)-current and [Ca(2+)]i. This means that effects of RX871024 on insulin exocytosis are partly mediated by interaction with proteins distinct from those composing the K(ATP)-channel.
A New Bacterial Disease on Mandevilla sanderi, Caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi: Lessons Learned for Bacterial Diversity Studies

ABSTRACT Leaf lesions of Mandevilla sanderi were shown to be caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi. While BOX fingerprints were similar for P. savastanoi isolates from different host plants, plasmid restriction patterns and sequencing of plasmid-located pathogenicity determinants revealed that Mandevilla isolates contained similar plasmids distinct from those of other isolates. A repA-based detection method was established.
Two-particle dispersion in turbulentlike flows

Lagrangian calculations of average concentrations req knowledge of one-particle statistics. However, if Lagrang calculations of concentration fluctuations and concentra covariances are to account for turbulent mixing associa with relative dispersion, then such calculations must inc porate some features and properties of two-particle statis @1#. The calculation of concentration covariances is imp tant in the prediction of reaction rates in chemical react and in the atmosphere because chemical reaction rates pend on concentration covariances and not on average centrations. The calculation of concentration fluctuations also important for air-quality control, combustion, and p lutant dispersal in geophysical flows. Perhaps the most important statistic of two-particle d persion~certainly the most frequently studied ! is the mean square distance between two fluid elements ~al o referred to as particles in this paper ! , D(t), which is of course a function of time t. In certain circumstances, such as downstre of a linear concentration gradient @1#, D(t) is the only twoparticle statistic needed to calculate concentration fluc tions. In general, D(t) is one of the fundamental quantitie of interest in the theory of turbulent dispersion. In a series papers starting in 1926, Richardson @2# studied the turbulen diffusivity (d/dt)D(t) as a function of the distance D between two particles advected by atmospheric turbulence. chardson’s empirical finding, ( d/dt)D;(D), implies D;t ~neglecting the initial distanceD0 between pairs of particles under the assumption that D0 ! D2 at a timet that is sufficiently large! Obukhov @3# and Batchelor@4# derived Richardson’s dispersion law theoretically by applying Ko mogorov’s similarity arguments toD(t) and obtained D(t);et in an intermediate inertial range of times t ~e is the average rate of dissipation per unit mass of fluid ! When the timet is much larger than correlation integral time scal D(t);t because the two particles move apart independe
The Monetary Impact on Return Variability and Market Risk Premia

As an extension of previous works, we develop a theoretical framework for the relationship between monetary changes and market risk premia. The wealth effect and the return variability effect of money are shown to be the two important channels of the monetary impact on the market risk premium for three representative classes of utility functions. The theory also states that the market risk premium will be an increasing function of monetary changes given that the two component effects of money are positive.
Measuring Sprawl

Sprawl is a popular subject in the urban literature, yet conceptualization and measurement have proven elusive. Projects which focus either on empirical advances in the quantification of urban form or related phenomena like travel behavior are rarely conversant, leading to a fundamental disconnect between operationalizing the concept and modeling its effects. Here, I build on previous work in developing a new index of sprawl and examine changes in urban morphology at the metropolitan level in the United States from 2000 to 2010. I then illustrate face validity by outlining suggestive relationships between the index and associated environmental and housing outcomes, while comparing it with other commonly used measures. I find that sprawl continues into the twenty-first century, and that this proposed measure demonstrates initial face validity with respect to key environmental and housing outcomes. I conclude with a discussion of the results and suggestions for future research.
Competition in the British Electricity Spot Market

Most of the British electricity supply industry has been privatized. Two dominant generators supply bulk electricity to an unregulated "pool. " They submit a supply schedule of prices for generation and receive the market-clearing price, which varies with demand. Despite claims that this should be highly competitive, we show that the Nash equilibrium in supply schedules implies a high markup on marginal cost and substantial deadweight losses. Further simulations, to show the effect of entry by 1994, produce somewhat lower prices, at the cost of excessive entry; subdividing the generators into five firms would produce better results.
Creative Destruction and Firm Organization Choice

Firms' organizational choices are influenced by external conditions such as the instability of the product market. In order to address this issue in a macroeconomic perspective, we embed the firm's choice of organizational structure in a model of growth through creative destruction, which induces endogenous market volatility. We find that an increasing supply of skill or globalization may increase the rate of creative destruction, the skill premium, and the skilled wages, and it may depress the unskilled wages. We use an original data set to test the empirical relevance of our theory.
Community entrepreneurship in north east Scotland

Investigates an example of group entreprenuership as found in a project promoting social and economic regeneration in economically fragile communities in north east Scotland. Encouraging entrepreneurship in community groups is the basis of the Villages in Control (ViC) project introduced in north east Scotland in 1993. ViC was a joint initiative between the local authorities of the region and the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) and was aimed at encouraging rural and coastal communities to diversify away from existing economic patterns. The objective of ViC was to encourage entrepreneurial activity at community level through a process which involved a group of individuals from each village developing and implementing a strategic plan for the economic regeneration of their own community. Using one community as an example, the paper discusses the experiences and impact of ViC and illustrates the entrepreneurial ventures generated by the community group. The paper emphasizes the importance of co‐ordinating community members into a recognisable group in order to produce the community strategic document, and also for the ideas for economic regeneration to come from the group itself. The discussion concludes that developing community entrepreneurship requires a supportive infra‐structure and a long term commitment of people and resources to facilitate the process of releasing the entrepreneurial spirit of each individual community.
InfiniBand congestion control: modelling and validation

In a lossless interconnection network congestion may results in performance degradation if no countermeasure is taken. To relieve the consequences of congestion, and by that to achieve good utilization of networks resources even at high network load, congestion control (CC) has been added to the InfiniBand specification. The behavior of the InfiniBand CC is, however, governed by a set of CC parameters. Exactly how to set these parameters to ensure an all over efficient network is still not well understood. It is time consuming, costly and hard to explore the CC parameter space in a large scale cluster. Therefore, a simulation platform is needed. In this paper we present our CC capable IB model implemented in the OMNeT++ environment. We explain the basics of our model, and validate it against CC capable hardware to show its high accuracy.
An Analysis of Perceptions of Western Corporate Governance Principles in Saudi Arabia

Managers working for multinational firms must evaluate the extent to which they should adapt corporate governance mechanisms to local markets or to pursue a one-size-fits-all approach. In 1999, the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were endorsed by OECD ministers in an attempt to influence policymakers worldwide by setting global governance standards. Yet the level of approval and understanding of these principles in non-OECD nations is still unclear. In this study we develop and test a survey instrument in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to assess perceptions of OECD principles by 168 Saudi Arabian managers. Results suggest that Saudi Arabian perceptions of shareholder rights are positively related to a) maintaining an effective corporate governance framework and b) the effective monitoring of management by the board of directors. Managerial implications and future research directions are also discussed.
Food and Tourism: Towards an Understanding of Sustainable Culture

Abstract Studies of the social significance of food and eating have mostly been left to social anthropologists and social historians. Often it has not appeared as part of the cultural environment that is offered as a tourist package. If a culture is to prove sustainable in the face of tourism, then traditional and ethnic foods must be preserved along with other art forms. This pilot study shows that in a tourist area of Bali (a) visitors are not necessarily being offered what they want, and (b) traditional food is not being preserved.
The Role of the Options Market in the Dissemination of Private Information

This paper examines the role the options market plays in the dissemination of private information. We find abnormal volume in the options market for three days prior to management forecasts, controlling for concurrent equity volume. Classifying trades as long or short, we find more informed options volume relative to equity volume (1) with relatively greater options market liquidity; (2) when equity is listed on the NYSE or AMEX; (3) for larger surprises; (4) with fewer analysts; (5) for shorter times between the forecast and period end; (6) for good news forecasts; and (7) for smaller percentage institutional holdings. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2004.
Strategies for the Acquisition of Market Intelligence, and Implications for the Transferability of Information Inputs

The recent fast growth of producer services has led to an expanding literature on the contribution of high-order services to innovative and successful industries. Countless studies have shown that greater competitiveness is associated with the use of outside expertise and information in the form of technical and management services, and information about markets and user needs. The objectives of this paper are twofold. First, from the point of view of an industry, allinformation accessed for input into the innovation process is relevant, not just that acquired through market transactions with service suppliers. Defining market intelligence (MI) as the overall process of acquiring information about markets, this paper identifies seven types of MI-generating activities, involving both market transactions and informal networks, that provide essential information inputs to product innovation. Second, the existing literature suggests that information is best acquired when a firm is located in close proximity t.
Study guides: a study of different formats

More emphasis is being placed on students as independent learners with teachers acting as facilitators. It has been argued that student-centred learning can be supported usefully by study guides. This paper supports previous claims as to the value of study guides as perceived by students. But what should study guides look like? A total of 151 second-year medical students at the University of Dundee were given three versions of a study guide covering the topic of hypertension, each incorporating a different educational approach but with the same content. A timetable-based version of the guide focused on the students’ day-to-day timetable and related the learning outcomes to each of the scheduled learning opportunities. A problem-based version of the guide introduced a clinical problem and encouraged the students to think of the learning outcome for the module as they related to the problem. Thirdly, an outcome-based version was structured round the 12 key areas of the learning outcomes. The timetable-based guide was preferred by the majority of students, although some preferred the problem-based guide and others the outcome-based guide. This may in part be due to students’ lack of familiarity with a problem-based and outcome-based approach. It may also relate to what is seen as a key function of a study guide: to lead the student through the day-to-day learning experiences in a course and to introduce a student to a course or a topic and provide an overview of what is to be achieved in their studies of it.
Closed-end Country Funds and U.S. Market Sentiment

Closed-end country funds can trade at large premiums and discounts from their foreign asset vales (NAVs). Investigating this anomaly, we find that individual fund premiums move together, primarily because of the comovement of their stock prices with the U.S. market. Moreover, an index of country fund premiums differentiates size-ranked U.S. portfolio returns and forecasts country fund stock returns. These findings suggest that international equity prices are affected by local risk. In particular, we show that country fund premium movements reflect a U.S specific risk, which may be interpreted as U.S. market sentiment. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Minimum 5-Year Analysis of L5–S1 Fusion Using Sacropelvic Fixation (Bilateral S1 and Iliac Screws) for Spinal Deformity

Study Design. Clinical radiographic and outcomes investigation. Objective. To investigate clinical and radiographic outcomes for lumbosacral fusion (in patients with spinal deformity) using a combination of bilateral sacral and iliac screws with a minimum 5-year follow-up. Summary of Background Data. To our knowledge, long-term results (>5 years of follow-up) of bilateral S1 screw/bilateral iliac screw fixation have never been published or presented. Materials and Methods. A total of 67 patients (from an initial consecutive cohort of 81) undergoing lumbosacral fusion with bilateral sacral and iliac screws with a minimum follow-up of 5 years (range 5–10 + 5, average 6 + 3) were analyzed for radiographic outcome and clinical course by an outcome questionnaire (administered at ultimate follow-up) analysis. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1, 34 patients with mostly high-grade spondylolisthesis; and group 2, 33 with adult scoliosis fused mostly from the thoracic spine to the sacrum. A true anteroposterior pelvis film was obtained in all patients to assess for sacroiliac joint arthritis, as were standard spine radiographs. Patients were administered Oswestry and directed buttock pain questionnaires at latest follow-up. Results. There were no cases of sacral screw failure (i.e., screw loosening, partial screw pullout, or fracture of the sacral screw). There were 5 cases of nonunion at L5–S1. Of the 5 cases, 3 did not have anterior column support at L5–S1. Four of the 5 cases were revised, and, subsequently, 3 achieved union. Iliac screws were removed electively on 1 or both sides in 23 of the patients after 2 years postoperatively because of prominence. There were 7 cases of iliac screw breakage. Iliac screw halos were observed in 29 patients. No sacroiliac osteoarthritis was observed on the true anteroposterior pelvis films. At ultimate follow-up, average visual analog painscale (0–10) score to assess buttock pain was 2.4, and average Oswestry score was 20.1. Conclusions. For high-grade spondylolisthesis and long adult deformity fusions to the sacrum, a montage of bilateral S1 screws and iliac screws were effective in protecting the sacral screws from failure. Pseudarthrosis at L5–S1 was manifested by rod breakage at that level. We saw no evidence of a long-term effect of the iliac screws predisposing the sacroiliac joints to degeneration at follow-up ranging from 5 to 10 years.