Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of adaptation costs in procurement: an empirical estimation on Italian public works contracts

It is widely agreed that rules governing public procurement should be designed to achieve value for money. However, in the public works sector, ‘… the good being procured is usually complex and hard to be exactly specified ex ante, … [and] alterations to the original project might be needed after the contract is awarded. This may result in considerable discrepancies between the lowest winning bid and the actual costs that are incurred by the buyer’ (Bajari et al., 2006). There is now a wide body of literature focusing on cost escalation during the execution of contracts and their estimates reveal that it can be often quite large. This article is aimed at offering an empirical test of the determinants of adaptation costs in the public works procurement. Using a detailed data set on Italian public works contracts, we run an empirical analysis, grounded on the main conclusions reached in the literature, to test for the main drivers of adaptation costs.
Corporate Reporting of Non-Financial Leading Indicators of Economic Performance and Sustainability

SYNOPSIS: The call for disclosure of nonfinancial information has grown in response to the awareness that financial statements omit salient information about the company (Adams et al. 2011). This study follows earlier studies of nonfinancial disclosures of governance and corporate social responsibility information (Holder-Webb et al. 2008, 2009) and examines the public voluntary disclosure of a set of leading indicators of economic performance and sustainability of earnings provided during 2004 by a sample of 50 publicly traded firms across five industries. The results indicate that, among the sample firms, there remains a lack of rigorous and expansive disclosure of this type of information and that considerable variability exists in disclosure practice based on both industry and size. For example, companies disclose a wide variety of nonfinancial information both through mandatory filings such as 10-Ks and through alternative sources such as investor promotion materials and company websites, with the m.
The Dynamics of Policy Change: A Longitudinal Analysis of Emergency Management in Ontario, 1950–2010

Although cross-sectional studies off er valuable insights about the determinants of specifi c policy choices, it is now widely accepted that a richer understanding of policy cycles in any particular domain demands analysis of a decade or more. 1 Scholars have increasingly turned their attention to historical patterns of policy development, seeking to explain the dynamics of policy stability and change over time. 2 Th e predominant depiction of policy development that emerges from this literature is a stepped, evolutionary pattern characterized by relatively long periods of policy stability, punctuated by moments of signifi cant change. 3 However, recent studies suggest that the historical pattern of policy change may vary depending on the characteristics of the policy domain under examination and the nature of the policy subsystem that surrounds it. 4
Typology of recreation experiences: Application in a Dutch forest service visitor monitoring survey

This study applied a tourist typology to an outdoor recreation experience (day-use) in a Forest Service preserve in Holland using 25-items representing five modes of experience: amusement, change, interest, rapture and dedication. The aim was to offer a typology of recreation experiences for comparison across Forest Service leisure settings to link experience types to spatial or social conditions. The change mode was the most represented followed by physical challenge, self-discovery, amusement and dedication. Differences among modal types on experience parameters were sought, showing interest mode visitors stayed in the area the longest followed by physical challenge, self-discovery and dedication. Amusement visitors stayed the shortest representing those who came primarily by car and for the pancake restaurant in the forest. Dedication visitors were most satisfied with the area; amusement visitors the least. Forest Service management implications include the need not to oversimplify assumptions about visitors' experiences.
Relationship Value in Thai Business-to-Business Marketing

ABSTRACT This study focuses on value in the business-to-business relationship among buyers and sellers. Relationship value has long been one of the key research areas in marketing for business to business. By examining from the perspective of the buyers, this research identifies how business buyers can use marketing benefits, product benefits, technical benefits, logistics benefits, financial benefits, risk-reduction benefits, information benefits, and strategic benefits to predict buyer–seller relationship. The study confirms significant relationships among marketing benefits, product benefits, and value in retailer–supplier relationship. The analysis from this study supports that benefit in a business-to-business relationship can be created if suppliers work on mutual benefits with customers. The results also confirm that Thai business customers will look for business partners who can provide risk reduction and marketing benefits for their business.
"New Princes" for Old? The Large Corporation and the Capitalist Class in Chile

This is a study of the ownership and control of the 37 largest corporations in Chile in 1964-66. Using the method of Berle and Means, we found a pattern of "management-control" in Chile similar to the one they found in the United States. However, our method, employing the concepts of "kinecon group" and "intercorporate control," reveals that all but one of the 15 ostensibly "management-controlled" corporations were actually controlled by specific proprietary interests. Analysis of this one management-controlled corporation also does not support prevalent inferences concerning the impact of management-control on class structure. We present a new paradigm for the analysis of the control of large corporations.
The double bubble at the turn of the century: technological roots and structural implications

This paper argues that the two boom and bust episodes of the turn of the century--the internet mania and crash of the 1990s and the easy liquidity boom and bust of the 2000s--are two distinct components of a single structural phenomenon. They are essentially the equivalent of 1929 developed in two stages, one centred on technological innovation, the other on financial innovation. Hence, the frequent references to that crash, to the 1930s and to Bretton Woods, are not simple journalistic metaphors for interpreting the 'credit crunch' and its solution, but rather the intuitive recognition of a fundamental similarity between those events and the current ones. The paper holds that such major boom and bust episodes are endogenous to the way in which the market economy evolves and assimilates successive technological revolutions. It will discuss why it occurred in two bubbles on this occasion; it examines the differences and continuities between the two episodes and presents an interpretation of their nature and consequences. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.
Repeated Plyometric Exercise Attenuates Blood Glucose in Healthy Adults

Plyometric exercise is popular in commercial exercise programs aiming to maximize energy expenditure for weight loss. However, the effect of plyometric exercise on blood glucose is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of relatively high intensity plyometric exercise on blood glucose. Thirteen subjects (6 females age= 21.8 ± 1.0 yrs.; height= 163.7 ± 7.8 cm; mass= 60.8 ± 6.7 kg and 7 males age= 22.0 ± 2.6 yrs.; height= 182.3 ± 3.6 cm; mass= 87.4 ± 12.5 kg) volunteered to participate. Subjects completed two random conditions on two separate days, consisting of either five sets of 10 maximal effort countermovement squat jumps (SJ) with 50 seconds’ rest between sets or quiet sitting (SIT) for the time equated to the SJ duration (~4min). Immediately after each condition, subjects drank 75g of anhydrous glucose (CHO) in 100ml of water. Blood glucose measurements were taken via finger prick pre and immediately post SJ or SIT, and 5, 15, 30, and 60 min post. A 2×6 (condition × time) ANOVA revealed a significant interaction where SJ blood glucose was lower at 15 (114.0 ± 14.6 mg/dl) and 30 (142.1 ± 22.5 mg/dl) min compared to SIT (15min 130.8 ± 14.0 mg/dl and 30min 159.3 ± 21.0 mg/dl). The current plyometric protocol attenuated CHO-induced blood glucose at 15 and 30 min. This may be due to increased physiological stress applied to the muscles, thus increasing muscular glucose uptake.
‘Usages of Europe’ and Europeanisation: Evidence from the Regionalisation of Sweden

Abstract This article explores the recent regionalisation of Swedish governance – both policy and structure – in order to explore some of the aspects of research on Europeanisation that scholars in the field have recently signalled as especially problematic. We pay particular attention to the role of political cleavages, conflict and contestation, and to the construction and use of policy discourses surrounding European integration as a means of affecting domestic political change. Using the concept of ‘usages of Europe’ from French political sociology, we trace the development of a network of actors which eventually succeeded in constructing EU membership as a tipping point in what had long been intractable domestic debates around regionalisation in Sweden, and argue that an understanding of the discursive uses of EU membership is vital if scholars are to appreciate how the EU can ‘hit home’ even in the absence of strong formal powers.
Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Expansion of Interleukin-10-Producing Regulatory B Cells and Ameliorate Autoimmunity in a Murine Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells characterized by immunomodulatory properties and are therefore considered a promising tool for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. One functional B-cell subset, regulatory B cells (Bregs), has recently been shown to restrain excessive inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases. In the present study, we investigated the impact of human adipose-derived MSCs on Bregs and their therapeutic effect in an animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Coculture of human adipose-derived MSCs with splenocytes from C57BL/6 mice expanded the population of interleukin-10-producing B cells (B10 B cells). In vivo treatment with human adipose-derived MSCs reduced serum anti-double-stranded antibody levels and improved renal pathology of lupus mice (Roquinsan/san mice). MSCs decreased ICOS+CD44+ follicular helper T cells, Th1 cells and Th17 cells, in spleens of Roquinsan/san mice. In contrast, MSCs increased Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells. MSCs also decreased the size and number of germinal centers and effector B cells. As expected, in vivo treatment with MSCs expanded the population of Bregs in spleens of Roquinsan/san mice. Our results indicate that human adipose-derived MSCs induce the expansion of Bregs and ameliorate autoimmunity in a murine model of SLE. These findings suggest that human adipose-derived MSCs may be a promising therapeutic strategy targeting B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases such as SLE.
Effects of high-level pulse train stimulation on retinal function

We examined how stimulation of the local retina by high-level current pulse trains affected the light-evoked responses of the retinal ganglion cells. The spikes of retinal ganglion cell axons were recorded extracellularly using an in vitro eyecup preparation of the rabbit retina. Epiretinal electrical stimulation was delivered via a 500 µm inner diameter saline-filled, transparent tube positioned over the retinal surface forming the receptive field center. Spot stimuli were presented periodically to the receptive field center during the experiment. Trains of biphasic 1 ms current pulses were delivered to the retina at 50 Hz for 1 min. Pulse train charge densities of 1.3–442 µC/cm2/phase were examined. After pulse train stimulation with currents ⩾300 µA (133 µC/cm2/phase), the ganglion cell's ability to respond to light was depressed and a significant time was required for recovery of the light-evoked response. During train stimulation, the ganglion cell's ability to spike following each current pulse fatigued. The current levels evoking train-evoked depression were suprathreshold to those evoking action potentials. Train-evoked depression was stronger touching the retinal surface, and in some cases impaired ganglion cell function for up to 30 min. This overstimulation could cause a transient refractory period for electrically stimulated perception in the retinal region below the electrode.
Questions of Legitimacy in the Europeanization of Competition Law Procedures of the EU Member States

As less formal institutions such as the European Competition Network or the International Competition Network are becoming generators of soft law that may harden into national, EU or international law, the importance of legitimacy in agenda-setting and in the development of best practices, rules, and standards increases.This paper discusses the legitimacy of the harmonization process which takes place in the European Competition Network(ECN) on the basis of Regulation 1/2003, with regard to the administrative procedures of the Member States the NCAs apply when they enforce EU competition rules. This harmonization process is seemingly the result of voluntary harmonization among the Member States but in fact it is being steered and dominated by the EU Commission. This paper will examine the role of the Commission in initiating harmonization of national administrative procedures and institutional settings of the Member States by analyzing the Report on the functioning of Regulation 1/2003 and the Commission Staff Working Paper accompanying the Report on the functioning of Regulation 1/2003 , as well as through the recent work of the European Competition Network’s Working Group on cooperation issues and due process. The paper will look at the centripetal and centrifugal effects Regulation 1/2003 had on the substantive and procedural rules as well as the institutions of the Member States’ competition law. The paper critically assesses the methods of voluntary convergence that is taking place among the Member States and the way the Commission extends harmonization of the administrative procedural rules as well as certain substantive rules in the EU Member States.
Share repurchases of initial public offerings: motives, valuation effects, and the impact of market regulation

This study investigates the motives and valuation effects of share repurchase announcements of German firms during the 1998–2008 period, addressing the question why initial public offering (IPO) firms repurchase shares soon after going public. While our focus is on IPO firms, we also examine the impact of firm size by differentiating between IPO and established DAX/MDAX firms and by analyzing the source of surplus cash holdings, that is, either from equity issuances or from operating cash flows. We further explore the impact of the regulatory environment. Our empirical analysis reveals significant differences between the IPO and DAX/MDAX subsamples regarding their repurchase motives, stock price performance, and explanatory factors. Standard corporate payout theories are essential in explaining the different valuation effects. Our empirical analysis suggests agency costs of free cash flow as the main reason for the observed valuation effects of both IPO and DAX/MDAX firms, yet for different reasons. While DAX/MDAX firms continuously generate high operating cash flows before and after repurchasing shares, IPO firms exhibit low operating cash flows during the entire period but large surplus cash holdings due to the mandatory equity issuance at their public offering. Overall, the repurchase decisions of IPO firms are best explained by the agency costs of cash holdings and the unique rules and regulations of the German stock exchange.
Divestment of foreign production operations

This study investigates some determinants fo the divestment of foreign manufacturing operations by Norwegian companies. To date, very few studies have taken a closer look at what might influence whether foreign subsidiaries are divested or not. Although foreign direct investment - in principle - represent long-term commitments to foreign manufacturing operations, divestments are in fact quite common. This study shows that more than half of a sample of foreig subsidiaries woned by Norwegian companies in 1982 wee divested within a period of ten years. The empirical findings indicate that foreign divestment is inversely related to economic growth in the host country, and that the propensity to divest is significantly higher for subsidiaries that had been acquired than for greenfield establishments. Also, related (horizontal) subsidiaries are less likely to be divested than unrelated (non-horizontal)subsidiaries.
GPS Analysis of Elite Women's Field Hockey Training and Competition

Gabbett, TJ. GPS analysis of elite women's field hockey training and competition. J Strength Cond Res 24(5): 1321-1324, 2010-This study investigated the physiological demands of women's field hockey competition and compared these demands to those experienced during game-based training activities. Fourteen elite women field hockey players (mean ± SD; age, 23.3 ± 3.2 years; maximal oxygen consumption, 53.5 ± 4.3 ml·kg−1·min−1) participated in this study. Global positioning satellite (GPS) system analysis was completed during 19 training appearances and 32 Australian Hockey League (AHL) appearances. All training sessions consisted of game-based activities (i.e., small-sided training games) that were played on a reduced-sized pitch. Movement was recorded by a global positioning satellite unit sampling at 5 Hz. Data were categorized into discreet movement velocity bands, corresponding to low-intensity (0-1 m·s−1), moderate-intensity (1-3 m·s−1 and 3-5 m·s−1), and high-intensity (5-7 m·s−1 and >7 m·s−1) activities. Players covered 6.6 km (range: 3.4-9.5 km) over the course of the match. Midfielders spent more time and covered greater distances in high-intensity running (i.e., >5 m·s−1) than strikers and defenders. The number of high-velocity and high-acceleration efforts over the course of a match was greater in midfielders. In comparison to competition, game-based training sessions resulted in more time spent in low-intensity (i.e., 0-1 m·s−1) activities and less time spent in moderate (i.e., 1-3 m·s−1 and 3-5 m·s−1) and high-intensity (i.e., 5-7 m·s−1 and >7 m·s−1) activities. Although game-based training is likely to be useful for improving the skill levels of players, the skill activities used in the present study did not reflect the physiological demands of competition, with players spending more time in low-intensity activities and less time in high-intensity activities than competition. Modifications in training group size and/or drill design and complexity may better simulate the physiological demands of competition.
Estimation of Equivalence Scales Under Convertible Rationing

This paper provides estimates of equivalence scales based on three Quadratic Almost Ideal type models of the food share with coupon resale, and on their extended versions. A chief feature of the models is the method of dealing with infrequency of zero expenditure on coupon goods through imputation. The models are applied to an Iranian wartime budget survey. The results indicate little scope for measurement error. However, they also reveal a strong cross‐section price effect, which proves robust to a variety of checks. The effect of price heterogeneity proves critical in identification of the scale estimates, providing relatively rare empirical evidence consistent with the Base Independence (BI) hypothesis. The BI food share estimates of cost of children have plausible values.
Analyst Information Processing, Financial Regulation, and Academic Research

ABSTRACT: Changes in regulations governing capital markets always provide a rich setting for archival researchers to examine how such changes affect the behavior of market participants. Barniv et al. (2009; hereafter, BHMT) and Chen and Chen (2009; hereafter CC) examine the impacts of recently enacted regulations aimed at curbing perceived abused by sell‐side analysts. There were no less than six significant regulations issued between 2000 and 2003 that affected the activities of analysts. BHMT and CC emphasize different regulations, but both predict that analysts' recommendation will be less biased as a result of the collective regulatory changes. The evidence in both studies is strong and convincing that the association between analysts' earnings forecasts and stock recommendations has changed, consistent with analysts' personal conflicts of interest having less impact on their analyses. However, the attribution of what regulation, if any, effected this change is less clear. Collectively, the similariti.
Neutrophil azurophilic granule exocytosis is primed by TNF-α and partially regulated by NADPH oxidase

Neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte) activation with release of granule contents plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury, prompting clinical trials of inhibitors of neutrophil elastase. Despite mounting evidence for neutrophil-mediated host tissue damage in a variety of disease processes, mechanisms regulating azurophilic granule exocytosis at the plasma membrane, and thus release of elastase and other proteases, are poorly characterized. We hypothesized that azurophilic granule exocytosis would be enhanced under priming conditions similar to those seen during acute inflammatory events and during chronic inflammatory disease, and selected the cytokine TNF-α to model this in vitro. Neutrophils stimulated with TNF-α alone elicited intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and mobilization of secretory vesicles, specific, and gelatinase granules. p38 and ERK1/2 MAPK were involved in these components of priming. TNF-α priming alone did not mobilize azurophilic granules to the cell surface, but did markedly increase elastase release into the extracellular space in response to secondary stimulation with N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF). Priming of fMLF-stimulated elastase release was further augmented in the absence of NADPH oxidase-derived ROS. Our findings provide a mechanism for host tissue damage during neutrophil-mediated inflammation and suggest a novel anti-inflammatory role for the NADPH oxidase.
Attachment as a predictor of non response to CBT treatment in children with anxiety disorders

ABSTRACT Children’s and parents’ attachment patterns have been linked with the presence of pediatric anxiety disorders. The present study examined the role of attachment in predicting cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) treatment outcomes. A total of 69 children aged 7–13 years were assessed using a semi-structured interview, and treated with CBT. Differences between responders and nonresponders with regard to pretreatment characteristics were explored, and the predictive power of factors significantly different between groups was assessed using binominal logistic regression. Responders and nonresponders did not significantly differ with regard to child’s attachment to parent. Maternal attachment anxiety was found to be the strongest predictor of treatment outcome, remaining significant after controlling for symptoms severity. Results suggest that clinicians should pay more attention to how the relationships formed between anxious children and their anxiously attached mothers may prohibit a positive treatment response, and augment treatment appropriately.