Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Has Local Informational Advantage Disappeared?

This study examines how changes in the information environment affect the informational advantage of geographically proximate agents. We find that the long-term advantage of local agents disappeared at the turn of the millennium. This is accompanied by the reduction in local bias of institutional investors and equity analysts. However, institutional investors continue to trade local stocks disproportionately more often than nonlocal stocks; moreover, their local trades outperform nonlocal trades in the short term -- even for large and liquid stocks. Our results are consistent with improvements in the information environment shortening the horizon of geographic proximity-based informational advantage.
Factors associated with perceived quality influencing beef consumption behaviour in Ireland

There has been a steady decline in beef consumption in Ireland for over a decade, although 1997 data show that this decline has been reversed. A cognitive representation of perceived meat quality based on prior to purchase considerations, point of purchase considerations and consumption stage considerations was used as a conceptual framework to investigate which quality factors have influenced the decline of beef consumption in Ireland. A representative sample of Irish beef consumers was surveyed in 1997. After measuring the determinants of perceived beef quality, an attribute level factor analysis was used to examine inter‐dependence between the variables. In all, seven factors, accounting for 58 per cent of the variance, were derived. Discriminant analysis found that two of the factors, safety and meat status, differentiated significantly between those who had maintained and those who had reduced beef consumption.
Vertical brand extensions: current research and managerial implications

Relates evidence which suggests that launching a vertical brand extension generally has a negative impact on the core brand because it dilutes the core brand image, advising that a brand extension should be introduced only when its profit potential exceeds the losses that will be sustained as a result of damage to the core brand. Describes two important tools which can reduce the dilution of the core brand image and/or enhance the success of a new brand extension introduction distancing, and information cues: Explains that, to reduce damage to a valuable core brand or to benefit a new step‐up brand extension, the extension should be maximally distanced from the core brand; however, to benefit a new step‐down brand extension (at the expense of the core brand), the extension should be positioned close to the core brand. Highlights how information cues that describe a brand extension can also act like distancing techniques, simply by serving to reinforce the similarities (implied closeness) or differences (implied distance) between the brand extension and the core brand.
Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage: The Role of Governance Choice

The paper provides a general framework for examining how governance choice affects competitive advantage. I argue that firms rely on assets for competing, and that these assets can be accessed by different governance structures (i.e., they can be inor outsourced). The transaction cost economics framework is used to expose strengths and weaknesses of governance structures with respect to creating and sustaining competitive advantage. The result is a tradeoff to consider when choosing how to access an asset. A number of implications are forwarded, and the usefulness of the framework is demonstrated by means of an application to the famous General Motors Fisher Body case. This points to the potential of using transaction cost economics in the analysis of competitive strategy, as well as to the shortcomings of the existing transaction cost economics framework in explaining governance choice. The framework also represents a way to integrate transaction cost economics with the resource-based view and industrial organization.
The nature and processes of market co-creation in triple bottom line firms: Leveraging insights from consumer culture theory and service dominant logic

This paper contributes theoretical and practical understandings regarding market co-creation by cross-fertilizing insights from consumer culture theory (CCT) on the production of meaning with service-dominant logic (SDL) on the co-creation of value. Examining nine firms acting to achieve environmental, social, and economic sustainability, we suggest that cultural meanings are an important part of the value elaborated in SDL, and conversely that such value informs the meanings emphasized in CCT. Findings demonstrate three levels of meaning and value negotiated by multiple actors in markets: cosmological principles, norms and standards, and individual judgments and interpretations. Discussion deciphers key overlaps and distinctions between meaning and value, operand and operant resources, and economic, social and environmental domains as they converge in market co-creation. Contributions theorize asymmetries of value and meaning in the intricate interweaving of social and market domains characterizing contemporary market co-creation. We close with practical implications for consumers, firms, and public policy.
Severe and Morbid Obesity in Crohn's Disease Patients: Prevalence and Disease Associations

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is frequently associated with weight loss and malnutrition. However, as the prevalence of obesity increases worldwide, it may become a clinical problem even in CD. Aim: To assess the prevalence of severe/morbid obesity in CD patients and to compare their disease characteristics to nonobese CD patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a computerized CD patient database was performed to identify severely/morbidly obese patients (BMI >35). Prevalence was compared to data of the general population. Severely/morbidly obese CD patients were then compared to randomly selected nonobese CD patients (BMI <30) in a 1:3 ratio. Results: Thirteen severely/morbidly obese patients out of 560 CD patients were found (2.3%), which is significantly lower than the prevalence in the general population (5.6%, p = 0.001). When compared to 39 nonobese CD patients, colonic disease was significantly more common among severely/morbidly obese CD patients (odds ratio: 6, 95% CI: 1.35-26.3, p = 0.02), while there was no difference in other disease parameters. Interestingly, 4 morbidly obese CD patients had undergone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for treatment of morbid obesity with a favorable surgical course. Conclusion: CD in severely/morbidly obese patients is more often colonic, but otherwise no different than CD in nonobese patients. Sleeve gastrectomy is a viable therapeutic option for morbidly obese CD patients.
Nutrition and Exercise A Low Sodium Diet Improves Indices Of Pulmonary Function In Exercise-Induced Asthma

TIMOTHY D. MICKLEBOROUGH, LOREN CORDAIN, ROBERT W. GOTSHALL, and ALAN TUCKER. A Low Sodium Diet Improves Indices Of Pulmonary Function In Exercise-Induced Asthma. JEPonline, 3(2):46-54, 2000. The purpose of this study was to determine if manipulation of dietary sodium could influence the severity of exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Fifteen clinicallydiagnosed EIA subjects participated in a double-blind, crossover trial. Subjects entered the study on a normal salt diet (NSD), and then were placed either on a low salt diet (LSD) or high salt diet (HSD) for two weeks. Each diet was randomized with a 1-wk washout between diets before crossing over to the alternative diet. Subjects performed a treadmill test to 90% of age-predicted maximum heart rate, and this exercise intensity was sustained for 5 min. Preand post-exercise pulmonary function tests were performed following each treatment period. 24-hr urinary sodium excretions were different (p<0.05) for all three diet periods (NSD=3630 mg/day, LSD=958 mg/day, HSD=8133 mg/day). Contrasting preto post-exercise changes in pulmonary function measurements, all forced expiratory volumes and flows improved on the LSD; FVC (+0.95 L), FEV1 (+0.4 L) and FEF25-75% (+0.83 L/s). The HSD induced reductions in FVC (-0.22 L), FEV1 (-0.37 L) and FEF25-75% (-0.55 L/s). In conclusion, a HSD caused an increase in severity of EIA, whereas a LSD represents a potential beneficial therapy for EIA subjects.
Mindfulness Enhances Episodic Memory Performance: Evidence from a Multimethod Investigation

Training in mindfulness, classically described as a receptive attentiveness to present events and experiences, has been shown to improve attention and working memory. Both are key to long-term memory formation, and the present three-study series used multiple methods to examine whether mindfulness would enhance episodic memory, a key form of long-term memory. In Study 1 (N = 143), a self-reported state of mindful attention predicted better recognition performance in the Remember-Know (R-K) paradigm. In Study 2 (N = 93), very brief training in a focused attention form of mindfulness also produced better recognition memory performance on the R-K task relative to a randomized, well-matched active control condition. Study 3 (N = 57) extended these findings by showing that relative to randomized active and inactive control conditions the effect of very brief mindfulness training generalized to free-recall memory performance. This study also found evidence for mediation of the mindfulness training—episodic memory relation by intrinsic motivation. These findings indicate that mindful attention can beneficially impact motivation and episodic memory, with potential implications for educational and occupational performance.
Antecedents to complaint behaviour in the context of restaurant goers

Abstract This article deals with the process by which consumer complaint behaviour is formed. The general aim is to analyse the nature of this type of response to dissatisfaction, describing its development in terms of how it is influenced by a combination of several factors already researched in the literature. The most relevant contributions from the related theoretical work indicate that public and private responses (complaint behaviour) are the most common reactions of consumers when faced with a dissatisfactory experience. A group of determinants which influence these responses in different ways has also been identified. The main objective of this study is to analyse the relationship between the different determinants of complaint behaviour with the aim of identifying the variables which exert the greatest influence.
Ambient air pollution exposures and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Swedish EIRA case–control study

Objective Environmental factors may play a role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examined whether long-term exposures to air pollution were associated with the risk of RA in the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis Study. Methods We studied 1497 incident RA cases and 2536 controls. Local levels of particulate matter (PM10) and gaseous pollutants (sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) from traffic and home heating were predicted for all residential addresses. We examined the association of an IQR increase (2 µg/m3 for PM10, 8 µg/m3 for SO2 and 9 µg/m3 for NO2) in each pollutant at different time points before symptom onset and average exposure with the risk of all RA and the risk of the rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) RA phenotypes. Results There was no evidence of an increased risk of RA with PM10. Total RA risks were modestly elevated for the gaseous pollutants, but were not statistically significant after adjustment for smoking and education (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.43 and OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.19 for SO2 and NO2 in the 10th year before onset). Stronger elevated risks were observed for individuals with less than a university education and with the ACPA-negative RA phenotype. Conclusions No consistent overall associations between air pollution in the Stockholm area and the risk of RA were observed. However, there was a suggestion of increased risks of RA incidence with increases in NO2 from local traffic and SO2 from home heating sources with stronger associations for the ACPA-negative phenotype.
NManagement Board Composition of Banking Institutions and Bank Risk-Taking: The Case of the Czech Republic

The paper investigates how management board composition of banking institutions impacts their risk-taking behavior in the Czech Republic. More specifically, we examine the effect of average director age, proportion of female directors, non-national directors and proportion of their attained education on four different bank risk proxies. We build a unique data set comprising selected biographical information on management board members of the Czech financial institutions holding a banking license over 2001-2012 period. For the Czech banking sector overall, we find that higher proportions of non-national directors increase bank risk measured by profit volatility and decrease bank stability captured by Z-score. Similarly, a larger proportion of directors holding an MBA raises bank riskiness measured by profit volatility. On the other hand, the presence of directors holding a PhD on boards of large Czech banks enhances bank stability captured by Z-score. Moreover, we detect risk-enhancing implications of board size for the segments of building savings societies and small and midsized banks. As for average board tenure, its effect on risk-taking varies depending on bank characteristics. We find mixed evidence on the effect of female directors and do not find any strong effect of directors' age on risk in the Czech banking sector.
Radiation-Induced H2AX Phosphorylation and Neural Precursor Apoptosis in the Developing Brain of Mice

Abstract Nowak, E. , Etienne, O. , Millet, P., Silva Lages, C. , Mathieu, C. , Mouthon, M. A. and Boussin, F. D. Radiation-Induced H2AX Phosphorylation and Neural Precursor Apoptosis in the Developing Brain of Mice. Radiat. Res. 165, 155–164 (2006). We showed that γ irradiation of the developing mouse brain with 2 Gy induced a massive apoptosis of neural precursors but not of neurons within 24 h. Successive phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of histone H2AX have been linked to DNA breaks and repair. Similar numbers of nuclear foci of phosphorylated H2AX (γ-H2AX) were found 1 h postirradiation in neural precursors and in neurons, suggesting that differences in radiosensitivity were not related to variations in the numbers of DNA double-strand breaks induced by radiation. Surviving neural precursors like neurons totally lost γ-H2AX within 24 h after irradiation, but they had a slower kinetics of loss of γ-H2AX foci. This suggests that the DNA repair machinery processed damage more slowly in these neural precursors in relation to their greater radiosensitivity. We also found a bright and diffuse γ-H2AX staining of nuclei of cells at an early stage of apoptosis, whereas cells at later stages of apoptosis were unstained. This was probably related to phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of H2AX in the course of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis. Detection of γ-H2AX-bright nuclei may thus be a useful marker of neural cells at an early stage of apoptosis.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Aggressiveness: An Empirical Analysis

Taxes, particularly mechanisms to minimise taxation are factors that motivate many corporate decisions. This article investigates the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting and corporate tax aggressiveness – put simply, it poses the question, does a correlation exist between the level of company CSR reporting and tax minimisation strategies? The authors conclude that ‘more socially responsible corporations are likely to be less tax aggressive in nature’ (p. 105). The research uses publicly available financial statement data and quantity of company CSR disclosure as proxy for tax return data and CSR activity, respectively. Disregarding the acknowledged limitations that these data provide, it is worthwhile to the reader to consider if financial information constructed for a specific purpose has any correlation to the reporting of social responsibility – let alone how socially responsible a company is. Taxation is essentially a state run, distribution of wealth. While this article ascertains a company’s effective tax rate (based on profitability and cash flows), there is no regard to the social implications of where tax is being paid. While jurisdictional issues of countries with low or high tax rates are considered, this article does not fully consider the ramifications of financial arrangements that effectively transfer profitability between jurisdictions where the affect on taxation may be minimal. As I undertake this review, the UK press is in an uproar over Starbucks Scandal payment of GBP6.8 million on sales of GBP3 billions since 1998 (Bergin 2012). Starbucks holds itself out as socially responsible – wanting to ‘make the world a better place’ (Starbucks 2012). But is thriftiness on the tax paid in a specific jurisdiction being socially responsible? The overarching consideration should not be the amount of taxation paid, but where it is paid. Overall, this article provides an interesting proposition between a company’s CSR agenda and its tax strategies. While it would be nice to ‘expect that corporations which engage more in CSR activities pay their fair share of corporate taxes . ’ (p. 88), in the construction of a corporate group it is arguable that any arrangement is made, that is not designed to minimise taxation.
Applications of ultrasound to veterinary diagnostics in a veterinary teaching hospital.

Animal patients at Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well as beagles at the Collaborative Radiological Health Laboratory (CRHL) have been routinely evaluated using a variety of ultrasonic procedures that are commonplace in human medicine. The results from these clinical investigations have provided diagnostic information which in many cases has not been available using other clinical testing methods. Dogs, cats, horses, and cattle have been the primary animals evaluated, but more exotic subjects such as rabbits, ferrets, goats, and armadillos have also been examined. Standard M mode echocardiographic and classic contact scanning have been used to evaluate the heart and abdominal-pelvic areas respectively. Recently, real time scanning has been added to our capabilities for evaluating animal subjects. These clinical studies, while obviously adding to veterinary diagnostics have also become an exciting new area in the veterinary teaching program. Ultrasound has shown potential in a variety of studies employing animal models, i.e., aging effects on the heart in beagles and anthracycline-induced myocardial dysfunction in rabbits.
Does Auditor Tenure Impact the Effectiveness of Auditors’ Response to Fraud Risk?

We examine how the effectiveness of the auditor’s response to fraud risk is affected by auditor tenure. Using two different prediction models to identify the risk of fraud (specifically, the M-score developed by Beneish (1997, 1999) and the F-score developed by Dechow et al. (2011)), we identify a sample of company-years where fraud risk is high at the end of the second fiscal quarter, when auditors’ risk assessment procedures are in process. We then examine whether auditor tenure affects the likelihood of a reduction in fraud risk during the remainder of the audit period, when auditors perform most substantive audit procedures. We find that the likelihood of a reduction in fraud risk is greater among companies with longer auditor tenure. In addition, when fraud risk is low at the end of the second fiscal quarter, the likelihood of an increase in fraud risk during the remainder of the audit period is lower among companies with longer auditor tenure. Thus, although regulators and some other stakeholders argue that ‘fresh eyes’ can improve auditor independence and skepticism, we find that auditors with ‘fresh eyes’ are less effective in responding to fraud risk and auditors with greater client experience and familiarity are more effective at responding to this risk. These findings are important because prior work suggests that long auditor tenure is not necessarily beneficial in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley Act era and because regulators continue to debate the benefits and costs of regulation that would shorten auditor tenure on average.
Clinical Experience with Genotropin Worldwide: An Update March 1987

Gunnarsson, R. , and Wilton, P. (Medical Department, KabiVitrum Peptide Hormones, Stockholm, Sweden). Clinical experience with Genotropin worldwide: an update March 1987. Acta Paediatr Scand [Suppl] 337:147, 1987.
Archival Crawlers and JavaScript: Discover More Stuff but Crawl More Slowly

The web is today's primary publication medium, making web archiving an important activity for historical and analytical purposes. Web pages are increasingly interactive, resulting in pages that are correspondingly difficult to archive. JavaScript enables interactions that can potentially change the client-side state of a representation. We refer to representations that load embedded resources via JavaScript as deferred representations. It is difficult to discover and crawl all of the resources in deferred representations and the result of archiving deferred representations is archived web pages that are either incomplete or erroneously load embedded resources from the live web. We propose a method of discovering and archiving deferred representations and their descendants (representation states) that are only reachable through client- side events. Our approach identified an average of 38.5 descendants per seed URI crawled, 70.9% of which are reached through an onclick event. This approach also added 15.6 times more embedded resources than Heritrix to the crawl frontier, but at a crawl rate that was 38.9 times slower than simply using Heritrix. If our method was applied to the July 2015 Common Crawl dataset, a web-scale archival crawler will discover an additional 7.17 PB (5.12 times more) of information per year. This illustrates the significant increase in resources necessary for more thorough archival crawls.
A preliminary study of cytokines in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents with major depression.

BACKGROUND Increased systemic cytokine levels, modulators of the immune system, have been repeatedly documented in adult and adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD). This preliminary study extends this work to test the role of cytokines in suicidal symptomatology in adolescent MDD. Hypotheses were that acutely suicidal depressed adolescents would have: (1) increased plasma levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1beta, and (2) a proinflammatory/antiinflammatory cytokine imbalance (indexed by plasma IFN-gamma/IL-4), compared to nonsuicidal depressed adolescents and healthy controls. METHODS Twelve suicidal adolescents with MDD (7 females [58%]; 5 medication-free/naïve), 18 nonsuicidal adolescents with MDD (12 females [67%]; 8 medication-free/naïve), and 15 controls (8 females [53%]) were enrolled. MDD had to be of at least 6 weeks duration, with a minimum severity score of 40 on the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised. Plasma cytokines were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Nonparametric tests were used to compare subject groups. RESULTS Unexpectedly, suicidal adolescents with MDD had significantly decreased plasma TNF-alpha concentrations compared to nonsuicidal adolescents with MDD (1.33 +/- 2.95 pg/mL versus 30.9 +/- 110.9 pg/mL; p = 0.03). IFN-gamma was increased in both suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents with MDD compared to controls (2.14 +/- 6.22 and 4.20 +/- 14.48 versus 0.37 +/- 0.64; p < 0.02, p = 0.005). Findings remained evident when controlled for age and gender. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary findings suggest that immune system dysregulation may be associated with suicidal symptomatology in adolescent MDD. These findings should be replicated in larger samples with medication-free adolescents.