Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dedicated Followers of Fashion An Economic Geographic Analysis of the Swedish Fashion Industry

In fashion, as in the rest of the economy, the globalisation of taste, power and production now plays a major role. The industry is dominated by fashion capitals like Paris, London or New York, populated by star designers like Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld or Jean-Paul Gaultier and controlled through MNC giants like Prada, Gucci, DKNY and Dior, who together influence consumer preferences on a global scale. However, there are numerous smaller actors that compete successfully in the fashion industry. Sweden is one such example, where fashion is a growing. In this thesis, there is a focus on group of small and medium sized Swedish fashion firms with a brand focused business strategy. Their products are design intensive, but their main competitive advantage rests on the brand and brand management. This group of firms are proficient at ‘putting fashion into clothes’ (Weller 2004). In other words, their main competitive advantage rests neither on price, nor on the most experimental design. More exactly, they produce clothes for a fashion conscious but not too adventurous consumer group. In the thesis it is argued that they are better described as trend forerunners than as trend setters. The subject of this thesis is this group of firms within the Swedish fashion industry and the aim is to improve understanding of their innovation processes, competitiveness, and the systemic character of the business they are a part of. As with most other fashion firms in high cost countries, Swedish companies has outsourced the garment production. They secure their competitive edge through high value added activities like design, marketing and retail. This points to the fact that fashion has both material and immaterial dimensions: it relates to clothing, design, textile and quality, but also to consumers’ subjective feelings and attitudes towards the clothes and their brands. This is a study of the interface between these dimensions, with a focal point on the production of immaterial and symbolic value. The systemic nature of fashion can hardly be overestimated. This goes for both the practical part of clothes production, but also for the production of a belief system created not only by fashion producers but by a whole set of institutional actors. This thesis has an analysis of fashion firms’ relations to business partners, competitors, media, and consumers. It is argued that the nature of these relations is critical for competition and success.The thesis is a collection of papers, which illuminates different parts of innovation, competition and business strategies in the fashion industry. The papers cover the central activity areas for fashion firms: how branding is affecting industrial structure and innovation, how symbolic is value created, and how ‘cool’ is used as a strategic resource.
Drowning or Weathering the Storm? Changes in Family Finances from 2007 to 2009

In 2009, the Federal Reserve Board implemented a survey of families that participated in the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to gain detailed information on the effects of the recent recession on all types of households. Using data from the 2007-09 SCF panel, we highlight the variation in households' financial experiences by examining the distribution of changes in families' balance sheets. Further, we use information on changes in families' saving, investing, and spending behavior to consider the potential longer-term consequences of the current recession on households' finances and decisions. Most families experienced a decline in wealth between 2007 and 2009, but many families saw only small changes on net, and others saw substantial increases in their wealth. This pattern of gains and losses typically holds within demographic groups. Changes in families' wealth over the period appear to reflect changes in asset values (particularly the value of homes, stocks, and businesses) rather than changes in the level of ownership of assets and debts or in the amount of debt held. On the whole, families appear more cautious in 2009 than in 2007, as most families reported greater desired buffer savings, and many expressed concern over future income and employment.
Merger-induced scatter and bias in the cluster mass–Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect scaling relation

We examine sources of scatter in scaling relations between galaxy cluster mass and thermal Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect using cluster samples extracted from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Overall, the scatter of the mass–SZ scaling relation is well correlated with the scatter in the mass–halo concentration relation with more concentrated haloes having stronger integrated SZ signals at fixed mass. Additional sources of intrinsic scatter are projection effects from correlated structures, which cause the distribution of scatter to deviate from lognormality and skew it towards higher inferred masses, and the dynamical state of clusters. We study the evolution of merging clusters based on simulations of 39 clusters and their cosmological environment with high time resolution. This sample enables us to study for the first time the detailed evolution of merging clusters around the scaling relation for a cosmologically representative distribution of merger parameters. Major mergers cause an asymmetric scatter such that the inferred mass of merging systems is biased low. We find mergers to be the dominant source of bias towards low inferred masses: over 50 per cent of outliers on this side of the scaling relation underwent a major merger within the last Gyr. As the fraction of dynamically disturbed clusters increases with redshift, our analysis indicates that mergers cause a redshift-dependent bias in scaling relations. Furthermore, we find the SZ morphology of massive clusters to be well correlated with the clusters’ dynamical state, suggesting that morphology may be used to constrain merger fractions and identify merger-induced outliers of the scaling relation.
Escherichia coli 0157 : H 7 Generates a Unique Biochemical Profile on MicroScan Conventional Gram-Negative Identification Panels

More than 90%o of the strains ofEscherichia coli 0157:H7 that were identified on a MicroScan gram-negative dried conventional (overnight) panel gave one of two unique biochemical profile numbers that were not detected in other D-sorbitol-negative E. coli or in other strains isolated from pathogenic processes. This suggests that the panel has the capability of being used as a preliminary screening tool for 0157:H7 strains involved in hemorrhagic colitis when MacConkey-sorbitol agar is not available.
Deregulation of Bank Entry and Bank Failures

The financial crisis of 2008 highlighted the debilitating effect that a disruption in the banking sector can have on the macro-economy. Not surprisingly, therefore, preserving banking sector stability has occupied center stage in regulatory and policy making circles. As well, the popular narrative describes the crisis as an outcome, at least partially, of increased deregulation of the banking sector over the last two decades. In this context, an important question arises: does deregulation lead to instability in the banking sector? In this overarching theme, in this paper, we examine the effect of the deregulation of bank entry on bank stability.In theory, the effect of the deregulation of bank entry on bank stability is ambiguous. On the one hand, theoretical models provide opposing predictions about the effect of bank competition on the stability of banks. On the other hand, deregulation of bank entry may result simultaneously in greater competition in the local banking market as well as greater consolidation among banks in the economy. Therefore, this question has to be answered empirically. Using the staggered deregulation of entry restrictions by U.S. states, we find that deregulation of bank entry enhances bank stability by lowering instances of bank failures. Consistent with the effects being strongest in environments where the structure of banking markets changed the most, the effects are mainly due to intra-state deregulation and in states that had unit banking laws. We do not find any placebo effects as evidenced by deregulation having no effect on failure of thrifts. Furthermore, pre-existing bank failures in a state did not determine its timing of deregulation, which assures against any reverse causal effects. The reduction in bank failures seemed to result from: benefits from greater geographic diversification; and banks becoming more efficient post deregulation.
Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Vitamin D Binding Protein, and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the Nurses' Health Study

Total circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D)] has been associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer. The physiologic mechanism, however, may be more directly related to the free or bioavailable fraction of 25(OH)D, which is influenced by levels of vitamin D binding protein (VDBP). We assessed the association of prediagnosis total, free, and bioavailable 25(OH)D and VDBP with colorectal cancer risk among predominantly white women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) who provided a blood specimen in 1989–1990. We documented 378 cases of colorectal cancer through 2011 and matched them to 689 controls according to age and time of blood draw. We genotyped two common polymorphisms in the gene coding VDBP and calculated free and bioavailable 25(OH)D levels based on total 25(OH)D, VDBP, albumin, and their estimated genotype-specific binding affinities. Total 25(OH)D was associated with lower colorectal cancer risk (P for trend = 0.01). Compared with women in the lowest quintile of total 25(OH)D, those in the highest quintile had a multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for colorectal cancer of 0.54 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.33–0.87]. Comparing extreme quintiles, we did not find any significant association with risk of colorectal cancer for VDBP (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.65–1.47), free 25(OH)D (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.46–1.10), or bioavailable 25(OH)D (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.60–1.42). In conclusion, prediagnosis levels of total, but not free or bioavailable 25(OH)D, were associated with lower colorectal cancer risk. Although our findings support an inverse association of vitamin D with colorectal cancer, this association does not appear to be due to the unbound or bioavailable fraction of circulating vitamin D. Cancer Prev Res; 9(8); 664–72. ©2016 AACR.
Illness-related behaviour and sociodemographic determinants of oral health care use in Dabou, Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to describe adults' oral health behaviour and identify the sociodemographic determinants that influence people to seek oral care in Côte d'Ivoire, in a context of promoting a more accessible health care system. METHODS The design was a cross-sectional pilot survey undertaken in the department of Dabou, Côte d'Ivoire. A stratified sampling procedure with proportional allocation size was used, based on four different criteria: place of residence; type of dwelling; distance between the chosen locality and the dental clinic; and, the presence of a medical centre in the locality. The sample consisted of 927 people (18 years or older) who were interviewed by questionnaire. Data were collected at face to face interviews, using the method of itineraries. RESULTS 34% of the population had not accessed a dental practitioner during the past 12 months. The reasons for not seeking care were: self-medication, lack of money and a perception of not needing care. A dentist or a traditional healer had been sought by 33%. The choice of therapy was influenced by educational level and having health insurance (p < 0.05). The main reasons for attending a traditional healer were linked to educational level, the type of dwelling and the participants' place of residence (p < 0.05). Choosing to see a dentist was associated with age, the type of dwelling and the distance between the chosen locality and the dental clinic (p < 0.05 CONCLUSION The socioeconomic situation of the participants was a determining factor for seeking care. Improving access to health care should be part of the global fight against poverty and the reduction of social inequalities.
The Effect of Inversions on Corporate Governance

The race by American companies to change their incorporation to countries with lower corporate tax rate has reached fever pitch. Using a comprehensive sample of U.S. companies that reincorporate overseas (\invert") between 1996 and 2013 and a matched set of U.S. incorporated multinational rms, we study the benets and costs of such
Do Managers In Chinese Family Firms Learn From The Market? Evidence From Chinese Private Placement

Recent empirical papers report managers’ learning in merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions and family control is central in many countries. Does learning exist in family firms’ financing decisions? Based on the announced private placements from Chinese family firms, we investigate the relation between managers’ final decisions in family firms and the market reaction to the announcement. Our analysis suggests that a non-linear relation exists between managers’ learning and family control. Managers generally learn from the market when making final decisions but family involvement can reduce this probability. Supplementary testing indicates that managers in family firms with low ownership are less likely to learn from the market than those in family firms with high ownership. Further analysis suggests that corporate governance can influence managers’ learning. Family member’ participation in purchasing the placed shares and serve as the top managers can make manager’ learning less likely when the ownership is low. Independent directors in family firms don’t play their due role in supervising the behavior of managers and large shareholders.
A Method of E-Commerce Trading Process Construction Based on PaaS Platform

E-commerce applications is a typical scale collaborative application, which includes many complex trading processes and small applications, such as portals of buyers and sellers, product management, online payment and billing, logistics system, and so on. But it is a challenge to develop such large-scale collaborative application using traditional method starting from scratch, since many application collaboration technologies should be solved, such as application collaboration relationship management and customization, collaboration application execution scheduling, and so on. Cloud and PaaS (Platform as a Service) service model provide a new opportunity for this problem solution. So, a method of trading process construction based on PaaS (Platform as a Service) platform supporting applications collaboration is proposed. Both ISV and ecommerce operator can construct collaborative applications easily. This method contains two aspects: one is the application collaboration semantic meta-model, the other is the method of trading process construction. The application collaboration semantic meta-model is used to be a container in e-commerce PaaS to specify each kind of E-commerce application attributes and relationships between one application and the others. Based on the application collaboration semantic meta-model, PaaS platform can automatically construct a whole customized e-commerce collaboration application according to e-commerce operators' requirements. This method is based on HTN (Hierarchical Task Network) planning theory. In the end, through cases analysis, the proposed PaaS platform and method is proved to construct a variety of collaboration applications easily based on the application collaboration semantic meta-model.
Acting on the Most Valuable Information: 'Best Idea' Trades of Mutual Fund Managers

In this paper, I identify "best idea" trades of fund managers. These trades account for about 30% of fund volume and outperform benchmarks and other fund trades by as much as 47 basis points per month. I identify such trades using an ex ante proxy that does not rely on any performance-related variables and is instead based on common trades of managers with similar information sets. The performance of best ideas is not explained by herding, short-term liquidity pressures, changes in the index composition, or funds' reaction to analyst revisions, and does not revert in the long term. The remaining fund trades (not best ideas) fail to beat passive benchmarks even before expenses, e.g., their average characteristic-adjusted return is statistically insignificant 0.03% per month. Finally, best ideas also improve funds' after-fee returns: Funds which participate in best idea trades beat other funds by up to 0.3% per quarter.
Cervical Spine Motion During Airway Management: A Cinefluoroscopic Study of the Posteriorly Destabilized Third Cervical Vertebrae in Human Cadavers

We conducted a randomized, controlled, crossover study to determine cervical spine motion for six airway management techniques in human cadavers with a posteriorly destabilized third cervical (C-3) vertebra. A destabilized C-3 segment was created in 10 cadavers (6–24 h postmortem). Cervical motion was recorded by continuous lateral fluoroscopy. The following airway management techniques were performed in random order on each cadaver with manual in-line stabilization applied: face mask ventilation (FM), laryngoscope-guided orotracheal intubation (OETT), fiberscope-guided nasal intubation (FOS-NETT), esophageal tracheal Combitube® (Kendall-Sheridan, Neustadt, Germany) insertion (ETC), intubating laryngeal mask insertion with fiberscope-guided tracheal intubation (ILM-OETT), and laryngeal mask airway insertion (LMA). Afterward, maximum head-neck flexion (FLEX-MAX) and maximum head-neck extension (EXT-MAX) without manual in-line stabilization was performed to determine maximum motion. The maximum posterior displacement of C-3 and the maximum segmental sagittal motion of C2-3 were determined. There was a significant increase in posterior displacement for the FM (1.9 ± 1.2 mm, P < 0.01), OETT (2.6 ± 1.6 mm, P < 0.0001), ETC (3.2 ± 1.6 mm, P < 0.0001), ILM-OETT (1.7 ± 1.3 mm, P < 0.01), LMA (1.7 ± 1.3 mm, P < 0.01), FLEX-MAX (3.7 ± 1.9 mm, P < 0.0001), EXT-MAX (1.8 ± 1.7, P < 0.01), however, not for FOS-NETT (0.1 ± 0.7 mm). Posterior displacement was less for the ILM-OETT and LMA than for the ETC (both P < 0.04). There were no significant increases in segmental sagittal motion with any airway manipulation other than with FLEX-MAX (−4.5 ± 4.0°, P < 0.01). Posterior displacement was similar to FLEX-MAX for the OETT and ETC; however, it was less for the FM, FOS-NETT, ILM-OETT, and LMA (all P < 0.01). Posterior displacement was similar to EXT-MAX for all airway manipulations other than for FOS-NETT (P < 0.001). For cervical motion and the techniques tested, the safest method of airway management in a patient with a posteriorly destabilized C-3 segment is FOS-NETT. LMA devices may be preferable to the ETC. Implications In the cadaver model of a destabilized third cervical vertebrae, significant displacement of the injured segment occurs during airway management with the face mask, laryngoscope-guided oral intubation, the esophageal tracheal Combitube® (Kendall-Sheridan, Neustadt, Germany), the intubating and standard laryngeal mask airway; but not with fiberscope-guided nasal intubation. For cervical motion and the techniques tested, the safest airway technique with this injury is fiberscope-guided nasotracheal intubation. Laryngeal mask devices are preferable to the esophageal tracheal Combitube®.
Timing and Holding Periods for Common Stocks: A Duration-Based Analysis

This paper uses duration models to study the trading behavior and determinants of holding periods for common stocks by institutional investors. The data set comprises 701,650 monthly holding positions of 22,596 investors in the Portuguese stock market. The results show that the longer an investor holds a position, the higher the likelihood that position will be maintained for a longer period. Foreign investors have shorter holding periods than domestic investors. Past returns determine the investor propensity to trade as they tend to sell past winners sooner than losers. Investors trade more frequently in large and liquid stocks. The length of the holding period is also related to stocks' volatility, technical and fundamental indicators.
Uses of Websites for Effective Real Estate Marketing

Executive Summary. The Internet is quickly becoming the place where customers first look to buy products and services. The real estate brokerage industry is no exception. Whether relocating across town or across the country, individuals are shopping more and more over the Internet. It is the fastest and least expensive information source available. As such, it is becoming increasingly more important that brokerage firms remain competitive by offering their properties on the Net. This study examines the efforts of residential real estate brokers to keep up with this dynamic environment by gathering listing information of existing real estate brokerage websites.
The ALHAMBRA survey: accurate merger fractions derived by PDF analysis of photometrically close pairs

Aims. Our goal is to develop and test a novel methodology to compute accurate close pair fractions with photometric redshifts. Methods. We improve the current methodologies to estimate the merger fraction fm from photometric redshifts by (i) using the full probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the sources in redshift space, (ii) including the variation in the luminosity of the sources with z in both the selection of the samples and in the luminosity ratio constrain, and (iii) splitting individual PDFs into red and blue spectral templates to deal robustly with colour selections. We test the performance of our new methodology with the PDFs provided by the ALHAMBRA photometric survey. Results. The merger fractions and rates from the ALHAMBRA survey are in excellent agreement with those from spectroscopic work, both for the general population and for red and blue galaxies. With the merger rate of bright (MB 20 1:1z) galaxies evolving as (1 + z) n , the power-law index n is larger for blue galaxies (n = 2:7 0:5) than for red galaxies (n = 1:3 0:4), confirming previous results. Integrating the merger rate over cosmic time, we find that the average number of mergers per galaxy since z = 1 is N red m = 0:57 0:05 for red galaxies and N blue m = 0:26 0:02 for blue galaxies. Conclusions. Our new methodology exploits statistically all the available information provided by photometric redshift codes and provides accurate measurements of the merger fraction by close pairs only using photometric redshifts. Current and future photometric surveys will benefit of this new methodology.
Atypical association of semantic dementia, corticobasal syndrome, and 4R tauopathy

A 57-year-old male with no family history was diagnosed with semantic dementia. He also showed some unusual cognitive features such as episodic memory and executive dysfunctions, spatial disorientation, and dyscalculia. Rapidly progressive cognitive and physical decline occurred. About 1.5 years later, he developed clinical features of a corticobasal syndrome. He died at the age of 60. Brain autopsy revealed numerous 4R-tau-positive lesions in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes, basal ganglia, and brainstem. Neuronal loss was severe in the temporal cortex. Such association of semantic dementia with tauopathy and corticobasal syndrome is highly unusual. These findings are discussed in the light of current knowledge about frontotemporal lobar degeneration.