Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Privatisation of the Royal Mail: Third Time Lucky?

The Conservatives privatised most of the UK's state-owned industries during the 1980s and 1990s, but the Royal Mail remained under public ownership. It was privatised through a public flotation in early October 2013 when around 70 per cent of the company's shares were sold by the government. This paper looks at the reasons why the enterprise was not sold earlier. It especially focuses on the failed attempt to privatise it in 1993/4, although other occasions when privatisation was contemplated are mentioned. The discussion draws on government papers that are closed to the public under the 30-year rule but to which the author had access as the UK government's Official Historian of Privatisation. The study demonstrates that in the past a combination of lukewarm support for privatisation at the prime ministerial level, concerns about the political consequences (including a possible revolt in Parliament), and trade union opposition proved decisive in preventing privatisation of the Royal Mail.
Attitudes towards seeking mental health services among older adults: personal and contextual correlates

Objectives: Especially older adults underutilize professional mental health services. However, little is known about the factors associated with older adults’ attitudes towards seeking mental health services (ATSMHS). We therefore investigated a wide range of contextual (e.g. physical access, residence) and personal (e.g. perceived social support, life satisfaction, openness to experience) predictors of ATSMHS in a sample of older community-dwelling adults in Germany. We predicted that representations of old age as well as perceptions of (younger) psychotherapists would be uniquely important for determining ATSMHS. Method: A diverse sample of N = 156 older adults (Mage = 71.5 years, SD = 6.4, range: 60–92) completed questionnaire measures. We used hierarchical linear regression analyses to identify predictors of ATSMHS. Results: In the final saturated model, female gender, urban residence, personal and vicarious experience with psychotherapy, and higher perceived social support were each associated with more positive ATSMHS. In addition, more positive representations of old age and less negative perceptions of (younger) psychotherapists explained unique variance in ATSMHS over and above the other predictors. The overall model was significant and explained 49% of the variance in ATSMHS. Conclusion: Our findings can be used to inform interventions to improve older adults’ ATSMHS. Interventions that seek to improve older adults’ representations of their own aging as well as of psychotherapists may be useful for reducing the treatment gap.
Consumer Acquisition Patterns for Durable Goods: A Rasch Analysis

There has been considerable research into the pattern of consumer durable purchase. Most of the research has used Guttman scaling as the basis of the analysis but there are some problems in using this method with durable ownership data. It is suggested that Rasch scaling is an alternative approach and the results of analysing a data set which had previously been analysed using Guttman scaling are analysed. The advantages of Rasch modelling are outlined and some implications of the results are discussed.
Effects of Islamic entrepreneurship mind programming on entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial motivation

This study attempts to identify the attributes and essential elements of Islamic entrepreneurial mind programming and to utilise a contemporary psychological method to evaluate consciousness that enhance entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial motivation among the entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Emphasis on entrepreneurial aspects of Islam has not been given enough attention in the field of entrepreneurship literature which might be an important component for Muslims entrepreneurial motivation and performance. A survey data of 201 respondents were used to test the research model using structural equation modelling (SEM). The study represents a significant positive relationship between Islamic entrepreneurial mind programming and entrepreneurial performance mediated by entrepreneurial motivation. The findings of the results confirm that Islamic entrepreneurial mind programming is an important factor among other factors that have influenced over entrepreneurial motivation. The outcome of the study will help the training and development authorities to take necessary steps to outline a new and productive content for potential entrepreneurial development.
Description of a Second Ferritin Light Chain Homologue From the Yellow Fever Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract Ferritin is required for iron storage in vertebrates and for iron transport and storage in invertebrates, specifically insects. Classical ferritins consist of 24 subunits configured as a polyhedron wherein iron is held. The 24 subunits include light and heavy chains, each with specific functions. Several homologues of the light and heavy chains have been sequenced and studied in insects. In addition to iron transport and storage, ferritin has a role in dietary iron absorption, and functions as a protective agent preventing iron overload, decreasing oxidative stress, and reducing infection in these animals. The expression profile and regulation of a second ferritin light chain homologue (LCH2) in Aedes aegypti [Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae), yellow fever mosquito] was characterized in cells, animal developmental stages, and tissues post bloodmeal (PBM) by real-time PCR and immunoblot. Two previously studied ferritin subunits from Ae. aegypti, HCH and LCH1, along with LCH2 were immunoprecipitated and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The three Ae. aegypti ferritin subunits, HCH, LCH1, and LCH2, have different expression profiles and regulation with iron exposure, developmental stage, and tissue response PBM. Ae. aegypti expresses multiple and unique ferritin light chain subunits. Ae. aegypti, the vector for Zika, Dengue, and yellow fever, requires iron for oogenesis that is transported and stored in ferritin; this vector expresses a second light chain ferritin subunit homologue unlike any other species in which ferritin has been studied to date.
Financial Contagion on the International Trade Network

"We combine data on international trade linkages with a network approach to map the global trading system as an interdependent complex network. This enables us to obtain indicators of how well connected a country is into the global trading system. We use these network-based measures of connectedness to explain stock market returns during recent episodes of financial crisis. We find that a crisis is amplified if the epicenter country is better integrated into the trade network. However, target countries affected by such a shock are in turn better able to dissipate the impact if they are well integrated into the network. A network approach can help explain why the Mexican, Asian, and Russian financial crises were highly contagious, while the crises that originated in Venezuela and Argentina did not have such a virulent effect. We suggest that a network approach incorporating the cascading and diffusion of interdependent ripples when a shock hits a specific part of the global trade network provides us with an improved explanation of financial contagion. " ("JEL" F10, "F36", F40, "G15") Copyright (c) 2009 Western Economic Association International.
Monastic Governance: Forgotten Prospects for Public Institutions

To overcome agency problems, public sector reforms started to introduce businesslike incentive structures to motivate public officials. By neglecting internal behavioral incentives, however, these reforms often do not reach their stated goals. This research analyzes the governance structure of Benedictine monasteries to gain new insights into solving agency problems in public institutions. A comparison is useful because members of both organizational forms, public organizations and monasteries, see themselves as responsible participants in their community and claim to serve the public good. This research studies monastic governance from an economic perspective. Benedictine monasteries in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and German-speaking Switzerland have an average lifetime of almost 500 years, and only a quarter of them broke up because of agency problems. The authors argue that they were able to survive for centuries because of an appropriate governance structure, relying strongly on the intrinsic motivation of the members and internal control mechanisms. This governance approach differs in several aspects from current public sector reforms.
Optical Equalization: System Modeling and Performance Evaluation

Optical equalization in fiber-optic systems is theoretically investigated. First, a wide variety of optical equalizers is presented by giving their equivalent models, by describing the basic principles of operation, and by showing analogies and differences among different structures and configurations. Then, evaluation of the bit error rate and outage probability, in the presence of optical noise, chromatic dispersion (CD), and polarization mode dispersion (PMD), is discussed by comparing different methods based either on the PMD vector and its related statistics or on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations applied to a random waveplate model. As the first relevant result, the accuracy and complexity of different PMD models in compensated systems are tested and compared, and a novel reduced Bruyegravere-Kogelnik (BK) model, which is more accurate and simple than the complete BK model or other second-order models, is proposed. As an additional result, the ultimate theoretical performance for different configurations and numbers of stages of the equalizers is given, and it is shown that when a single equalizer is used for a pair of polarization-multiplexed channels, the system tolerance to PMD is highly increased
The sampling theory of neutral alleles and an urn model in population genetics *

The behaviour of a P61ya-like urn which generates Ewens' sampling formula in population genetics is investigated. Connections are made with work of Watterson and Kingman and to the Poisson-Dirichlet distribution. The order in which novel types occur in the urn is shown to parallel the age distribution of the infinitely many alleles diffusion model and consequences of this property are explored. Finally the urn process is related to Kingman's coalescent with mutation to provide a rigorous basis for this parallel.
The Impact of Corporate Diversification on the Long-Term Stock Return of R&D Increase Announcements

Prior studies have tested the long-term performance of research and development (R&D) spending, but the results are inconclusive. This study extends this line of research and explores the impact of corporate diversification on the long-term stock returns on R&D increase announcements. After controlling for the important variables in explaining the performance of R&D increases, a significantly negative association is found between the degree of corporate diversification and the long-run stock returns on R&D increase announcements. This result suggests that the costs of corporate diversification dominate the benefits regarding corporate diversification, and highlight the important effect a firm's diversification strategy has on the market valuation of R&D innovation.
Are Innovative Regions More Unequal? Evidence from Europe

Studies of the United States have suggested that the most innovative areas are also the most unequal. There are a number of potential processes that might lead to this. Innovation may raise the return of human capital in ways which can lead to localised inequality. Innovative industries may be subject to greater wage polarisation or offer more erratic returns than other industries. Moreover, the affluent may hire others to work in poorly paid personal service employment nearby. However, while there is some evidence for these processes in the US, whether this applies in the European case is less certain. I use the European Community Household Panel and the Eurostat Regio database to test the link between innovation and wage inequality in a panel of European regions for the period 1996–2001. Two measures of innovation are used: employment in knowledge-based industries and the level of patenting in a region. The results are indicative of a positive link between regional innovation, as measured by patenting, and inequality. In contrast, there is little evidence of a link between knowledge-based industries and inequality, with the exception of a positive relationship between employment in knowledge-intensive financial services and inequality.
Comparing digital libraries in the web and mobile contexts from the perspective of the digital divide

Building on concepts of the digital divide, this study explores and compares users’ perceptions of web digital libraries and mobile digital libraries in terms of ease of use and usefulness. Data collected from 306 university library users were analyzed. Two figures were used to present the exact nature of users’ perceptions of ease of use and usefulness in terms of data distribution. These figures were supplemented by the paired samples t test which presents the exact mean difference between web digital libraries and mobile digital libraries in terms of ease of use and usefulness. The data distribution suggests that there are more users who think digital libraries are both easy to use and useful whereas mobile digital libraries are neither easy to use nor useful. The mean comparison of ease of use and usefulness shows that web digital libraries significantly exceed mobile digital libraries. These findings and implications are discussed.
Gingival hyperplasia in renal allograft recipients receiving cyclosporin-A and calcium antagonists.

Although it is established that the immunosuppressant cyclosporin-A (CsA) and calcium antagonists [Nifedipine (Nif) and Diltiazem (Dz)] can independently induce gingival enlargement, little has been documented on the significance of the salivary CsA levels and the combined effect of CsA and a calcium antagonist upon gingival tissues. In the present cross-sectional investigation, clinical periodontal parameters and the pharmacologic profiles of CsA, Nif, and Dz were determined for 66 renal transplant recipients. Subjects were divided into the following groups: Group (Gp) 1: CsA [n = 18]; Gp 2: CsA + Nif [n = 15]; Gp 3: CsA + Dz [n = 12] and a negative Control Gp 4: azathioprine [n = 21]. A gingival enlargement score was assessed for each patient from study models using a hyperplastic index (HI). Pharmacologic profiles included CsA whole blood and whole saliva levels as measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The HI scores between Gp 1, 2 and 3 were not significantly different. However, when compared with controls (Gp 4), there was a significant difference in HI and all individual groups (Gp 1, 2, 3) (p < 0.05). Gingival hyperplasia was only weakly related to plaque and calculus but was unrelated to CsA dose (mg/kg/day), duration of CsA therapy (months), CsA blood or saliva levels (ng/ml), or the concurrent administration of a Nif or Dz. Gingival enlargement was found to occur in 49% of subjects who were either on CsA or CsA and a calcium antagonist. It is concluded that CsA alone or in combination with a calcium antagonist caused a significant increase in gingival enlargement compared with controls. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Letter to the editor: Applying the blood flow restriction pressure: the elephant in the room.

to the editor: We read with interest the article by Spranger et al. ([7][1]) in which the authors discussed the exercise pressor reflex in response to blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise. Within, the authors cite an impracticality of standardizing cuff pressure due to differences in cuff width,
Intertemporal Substitution in Macroeconomics: Consumption, Labor Supply, and Money Demand

This paper introduces money into the consumption-leisure based intertemporal substitution model. The optimization problem poses that the household chooses consumption, labor supply, money demand, and wealth. Holdings of real money balances along with consumption and leisure determine utility. The constant decomposes wealth into money and an alternative asset. The authors estimate the derived semireduced-form equations using per capita U.S. data. The findings indicate significant interest-rate intertemporal substitution in labor supply, but weak effects in consumption and money demand. The empirical evidence supports contemporaneous nonseparability of consumption, money, and leisure within a well-behaved underlying utility function. Copyright 1992 by MIT Press.
Value Frameworks in Oncology: Comparative Analysis and Implications to the Pharmaceutical Industry.

BACKGROUND As the cost of oncology care continues to rise, composite value models that variably capture the diverse concerns of patients, physicians, payers, policymakers, and the pharmaceutical industry have begun to take shape. OBJECTIVES To review the capabilities and limitations of 5 of the most notable value frameworks in oncology that have emerged in recent years and to compare their relative value and application among the intended stakeholders. METHODS We compared the methodology of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Value Framework (version 2.0), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Evidence Blocks, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center DrugAbacus, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review Value Assessment Framework, and the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale, using a side-by-side comparative approach in terms of the input, scoring methodology, and output of each framework. In addition, we gleaned stakeholder insights about these frameworks and their potential real-world applications through dialogues with physicians and payers, as well as through secondary research and an aggregate analysis of previously published survey results. RESULTS The analysis identified several framework-specific themes in their respective focus on clinical trial elements, breadth of evidence, evidence weighting, scoring methodology, and value to stakeholders. Our dialogues with physicians and our aggregate analysis of previous surveys revealed a varying level of awareness of, and use of, each of the value frameworks in clinical practice. For example, although the ASCO Value Framework appears nascent in clinical practice, physicians believe that the frameworks will be more useful in practice in the future as they become more established and as their outputs are more widely accepted. CONCLUSIONS Along with patients and payers, who bear the burden of treatment costs, physicians and policymakers have waded into the discussion of defining value in oncology care, as well as pharmaceutical companies that seek to understand the impact of these value frameworks on each stakeholder, as they model the value and financial threshold of innovative, high-cost drugs.
Ideological congruency and decision-making speed: The effect of partisanship across European Union institutions

How does ideological congruency affect the speed of legislative decision-making in the European Union? Despite the crucial importance of actor preferences, the effect of partisan alignments and ideological composition of the European institutions has largely been neglected. However, we argue that the ideological congruence between legislative bodies has an important effect on the duration of policy-making. We test our theoretical expectations based on a large new dataset on decision-making speed in the European Union using event history analysis. The findings confirm our theoretical claim indicating that the ideological distance between the European institutions slows down policy-making which has important implications for the problem-solving capacity of political systems more generally.
1-(2,3-Di-O-acetyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-6-O-tosyl-β-d-galactopyranosyl)propan-2-one methanol 0.25-solvate

The asymmetric unit of the title solvate, C20H25ClO9S·0.25CH3OH, contains one galactopyranosyl derivative and one-quarter of a methanol solvent molecule. The galactopyranose ring is in the usual 4 C 1 conformation, and the anomeric center of the sugar has a β configuration. The value of θ (3.44°) and the range of torsion angles [or 53.1 (5)–63.0 (5)°] reflect a slight distortion of the 4 C 1 pyranose ring. A minor orientational disorder affects a carbonyl group, which was modeled with two sites for the O atom having occupancies of 0.79 (5) and 0.21 (5). The crystal studied exhibited inversion twinning.
Dutch Works Councils in Times of Transition: The Effects of Changes in Society, Organizations and Work on the Position of Works Councils

This article assesses the current position of Dutch works councils within their organizations and within the broader system of Dutch industrial relations. The authors use data from a recently conducted national survey on works councils to establish the impact that societal and organizational developments in the 1990s have had on the formal position and actual influence of the works council. These data show that, contrary to popular opinion, societal developments and the introduction of new management concepts have not had a negative impact on the position of the works council. An exception to this is the internationalization of firms, which curtails the range of works council influence. Further, the gradual increase in the actual influence of the works council that characterized the postwar period does seem to have levelled off in the 1990s.
New Zealand Spectrum Policy: A Model for the United States?*

In 1989, the New Zealand government began to auction “management rights” to the electromagnetic spectrum, using sealed‐bid, second‐price (“Vickrey”) auctions. Subsequently, the United States began to auction spectrum through ascending‐bid, multiple‐round auctions. Although students of auction processes find the latter type of auction to be the more efficient form, I find that the prices realized in the New Zealand cellular auctions are very similar to those realized in the U.S. Personal Communications Services auctions after adjusting for differences in demographics. The flexibility of the New Zealand management rights should theoretically allow the winning bidders to find the highest‐valued use for the spectrum, but many of the auctioned rights remain unused several years later. A country as small as New Zealand simply cannot be as innovative in finding new uses for the spectrum because of the large initial costs of developing the requisite equipment for using it.
Purification, Characterization, and Expression of Multiple Glutamine Synthetases from Prevotella ruminicola 23

ABSTRACT The Prevotella ruminicola 23 genome encodes three different glutamine synthetase (GS) enzymes: glutamine synthetase I (GSI) (ORF02151), GSIII-1 (ORF01459), and GSIII-2 (ORF02034). GSI, GSIII-1, and GSIII-2 have each been heterologously expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli. The subunit molecular mass of GSI was 56 kDa, while GSIII-1 and GSIII-2 were both 83 kDa. Optimal conditions for γ-glutamyl transferase activity were found to be 35°C at pH 5.6 with 0.25 mM Mn2+ ions (GSI) or 37°C at pH 6.0 (GSIII-1 and GSIII-2) with 0.50 to 1.00 mM Mn2+ ions. GSIII biosynthetic activity was found to be optimal at 50 to 60°C and pH 6.8 to 7.0 with 10 mM Mn2+ ions, while GSI displayed no GS biosynthetic activity. Kinetic analysis revealed Km values for glutamate and ammonium as well as for hydrolysis of ATP to be 8.58, 0.48, and 1.91 mM, respectively, for GSIII-1 and 1.72, 0.43, and 2.65 mM, respectively, for GSIII-2. A quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assay (qRT-PCR) revealed GSIII-2 to be significantly induced by high concentrations of ammonia, and this corresponded with increases in measured GS activity. Collectively, these results show that both GSIII enzymes in P. ruminicola 23 are functional and indicate that GSIII-2, flanked by GOGAT (gltB and gltD genes), plays an important role in the acquisition and metabolism of ammonia, particularly under nonlimiting ammonia growth conditions.