Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pricing Corporate Defaultable Bond with Fixed Discrete Declaration Time of Firm Value

We study the pricing problem for corporate defaultable bond from the viewpoint of the investors outside the firm that could not exactly know about the information of firm. We consider the pricing of corporate defaultable bond in the case that the firm value and default barrier just can be observed in some fixed discrete time and unexpected default intensity is determined by the declared firm value. Here we provide a PDE model for such a defaultable bond and give some pricing formula of the defaultable bond. Our pricing model is derived to a solving problem of PDE with random constant default intensity and binary terminal value. Our main method is to use the solving method of PDE for bond pricing with constant default intensity in every subinterval and to take expectation to remove some random constants. Our PDE model has no any affine structural solution and we find its solution using Fourier transformation method.
Who owns the customer? Disentangling customer loyalty in indirect distribution channels

Increasing levels of vertical competition make the possession of end customers' loyalty an issue of major concern for brand manufacturers and distributors alike. While we can rely on a solid body of knowledge on the drivers and outcomes of customer loyalty, empirical insights into the interplay between different forms of customer loyalty in channels of distribution remain limited, ambiguous and void of theoretical explanations. Based on a nationwide survey of customers in a detail-intensive industry in the Netherlands and drawing on information integration theory and balance theory, this research identifies a positive and unidirectional spillover effect from customers' brand loyalty to distributor loyalty. Hence, distributors can “free ride” on a brand manufacturer's investments in customer loyalty. From the brand manufacturer's perspective, the loyalty spillover can have positive or negative consequences, depending on the level of vertical competition among channel members. While the spillover increases end customers' loyalty toward the channel, it decreases the brand manufacturer's odds of keeping end customers when it comes to the contest between a brand manufacturer and its distributor
The advantages of directly identifying continuous-time transfer function models in practical applications

The direct identification and estimation of continuous-time models from sampled data is now mature. This paper does not present any new methodology, nor does it compare the performance of existing methods. Its main aim is to discuss the advantages of direct, continuous-time model identification with the help of illustrative examples that are all based on real data from practical applications. Although the specific method of statistical parameter estimation is relatively unimportant in this regard, the latest and most sophisticated time domain identification algorithm that is freely available to the reader is used in these examples in order to ensure that the results reflect the best performance that can be achieved at this time by time-domain identification.
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease-type 2. Ultrasound, genetic and clinical correlations.

BACKGROUND Ultrasound, genetic and clinical correlations are available for ADPKD-1, but lacking for ADPKD-2. The present study was carried out to address: (i) the age-related diagnostic usefulness of ultrasound compared with genetic linkage studies; (ii) the age-related incidence and prevalence of relevant symptoms and complications; and (iii) the age and causes of death in patients with ADPKD-2. METHODS Two hundred and eleven alive subjects, from three ADPKD-2 families at 50% risk, were evaluated by physical examination, consultation of hospital records, biochemical parameters, ultrasound and with genetic linkage and DNA mutation analyses. Nineteen deceased and affected family members were also included in the study. RESULTS Of the 211 alive members, DNA linkage studies and direct mutation analyses showed that 106 were affected and 105 were not. Ultrasound indicated 94 affected, 108 not affected and nine equivocal results in nine children under the age of 15. For all ages, the false-positive diagnostic rate for ultrasound was 7.5% and the false-negative rate was 12.9%. The difference between ultrasound and DNA findings was most evident in children aged 5-14 years where the ultrasound was correct in only 50% and wrong or inconclusive in the remaining 50%. The mean age of the 106 alive, ADPKD-2 genetically affected patients was 37.9 years (range: 6-66 years). Among them, 23.5% had experienced episodes of renal pain, 22.6% were treated for hypertension, 22.6% had experienced at least one urinary tract infection, 19.8% had nephrolithiasis, 11.3% had at least one episode of haematuria, 9.4% had asymptomatic liver cysts, 7.5% had developed chronic renal failure and 0.9% had reached end-stage renal failure. Of the 19 deceased members, nine died before reaching end-stage renal failure at a mean age of 58.7 years (range: 40-68 years), mainly due to vascular complications, while the remaining 10 died on haemodialysis at a mean age of 71.4 years (range: 66-82 years). CONCLUSIONS DNA analysis is the gold standard for the diagnosis of ADPKD-2, especially in young people. Ultrasound diagnosis is highly dependent on age. Under the age of 14, ultrasound is not recommended as a routine diagnostic procedure, but ultrasound becomes 100% reliable in excluding ADPKD-2 in family members at 50% risk, over the age of 30. ADPKD-2 represents a mild variant of polycystic kidney disease with a low prevalence of symptoms and a late onset of end-stage renal failure.
DO HOSPITALS REALLY CARE INFORMATION PRIVACY?: EVIDENCE FROM A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THEIR WEBSITES

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Taiwanese hospital websites display a defined privacy policy, and if so, do such privacy policies conforms to fair information practices? Content analysis methodology was applied to investigate the online privacy policies of the 475 Taiwanese hospital websites. The results revealed that only 19.6% of the hospitals posted defined privacy policies on their websites. Notice was the highest percentage (100%) and access was the lowest percentage (20.4%) of compliance by hospitals. The other percentage for choice, security, and enforcement was 84.9%, 52.7%, and 21.5% respectively. Omissions most often occurred in terms of security, access, and enforcement practices. Further, the privacy policies of hospital websites’ should be exceedingly improved to enhance individual’s trust of their websites.
THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL STUDY OF SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION

Purpose – This research aims to focus on supply chain coordination and its three determinants, i.e. responsibility interdependence, uncertainty, and inter‐functional conflict, developing research propositions to conceptualize how supply chain coordination is driven by its determinants.Design/methodology/approach – The research propositions are tested by a case study in a shoe factory to examine the differences between the theory and the practice of coordination.Findings – The findings show that the firm carried out only piecemeal coordination in defining and fulfilling customer needs.Originality/value – A supply chain is known as a network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers. Supply chain coordination plays a critical role in integrating different actors along the supply chain to enhance performance.
Consumers' intentions of buying own‐label premium food products

Purpose – Each own‐label product enjoys different levels of customer acceptance and perceived risk and requires different attention with respect to the different elements of the marketing mix. This paper explores the factors affecting consumers' intentions to buy an own‐label premium food product. More specifically, this study focuses on the case of own‐label olive oil.Design/methodology/approach – The research involved a review of the available literature on factors affecting consumer attitudes towards own‐label products. For the collection of data, a survey was designed and conducted in the greater area of Athens, Greece. The research questionnaire was administered by means of personal interviews to 799 consumers.Findings – Data analysis results, using structural equation modelling, showed that consumers' purchase intention is directly affected by consumers' attitudes towards own‐label olive oil, which in turn are influenced by consumers' perceived benefits, economic situation, brand loyalty and trust.
Associations Between Internal and External Corporate Governance Characteristics and the Consequences of Regulating Governance Practices

We characterize the corporate governance system as a portfolio of external and internal governance procedures that addresses firm-specific governance problems. External governance consists of statutory and contractual provisions that determine the costs of active shareholder participation in the management process. Internal governance concerns interaction between firm management and Boards of Directors. The evidence suggests that external and internal corporate governance mechanisms function as substitutes. Further analysis indicates that associations between internal and external governance characteristics are less substantial after than before recent corporate governance regulation. Moreover, we find that provisions that weaken external governance are more likely in firms where increases in internal governance are substantial. Such evidence raises questions regarding the consequences of corporate governance legislation such as that imposed by the 2002 Sarbanes Oxley Act.
Designing for Human Sustainability: The Role of Self-Reflection

There is a growing realization that the notion of sustainability should encompass the aspect of human energy as well as environmental resources. Indeed, many HCI researchers have already concerned themselves with designing persuasive technologies leading towards human sustainability. Self-reflection plays at least two critical roles in these initiatives: (1) it is frequently used as a research method to understand behaviors and inform design; (2) technology-mediated reflection can be provided as a system feature that catalyzes learning and behavior change towards more effective management of human energetic resources. We argue that automatically-captured first-person-perspective images can add utility to both routes by augmenting participants/users' self-reflection process.
Nitric Oxide Triggers Phosphatidic Acid Accumulation via Phospholipase D during Auxin-Induced Adventitious Root Formation in Cucumber1[W][OA]

Auxin and nitric oxide (NO) play fundamental roles throughout plant life. NO is a second messenger in auxin signal transduction leading to root developmental processes. The mechanisms triggered by auxin and NO that direct adventitious root (AR) formation are beginning to be unraveled. The goal of this work was to study phospholipid (PL) signaling during the auxin- and NO-induced AR formation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) explants. Explants were labeled with 32P-inorganic phosphate and treated with the auxins indole-3-acetic acid or 1-naphthylacetic acid, or the NO donor S-nitroso N-acetyl penicillamine, in the presence or absence of the specific NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide. PLs were separated by thin-layer chromatography and quantified. We report that the signaling PLs phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylinositol phosphate, and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate accumulated within 1 min after auxin or NO treatment. Both auxin and NO evoked similar and transient time course responses, since signaling PLs returned to control levels after 20 or 30 min of treatment. The results indicate that auxin relies on NO in inducing PA, phosphatidylinositol phosphate, and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate accumulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that auxin and NO trigger PA formation via phospholipase D (PLD) activity. Explants treated for 10 min with auxin or NO displayed a 200% increase in AR number compared with control explants. In addition, PLD activity was required for the auxin- and NO-induced AR formation. Finally, exogenously applied PA increased up to 300% the number of ARs. Altogether, our data support the idea that PLD-derived PA is an early signaling event during AR formation induced by auxin and NO in cucumber explants.
Supply Chain Development for the Lean Enterprise: Interorganizational Cost Management

* Executive Summary* How Firms Compete Using the Confrontation Strategy* The Role of Cost Management in Confrontation Strategy* The Research Project* Lean Buyer-Supplier Relations* Lean Supplier Networks* An Overview of Interorganizational Cost Management* Target Costing* Interorganizational Implications of Target Costing* Chained Target Costing and Functionality-Price-Quality* Interorganizational Cost Investigations* Concurrent Cost Management* Kaizen Costing* Interorganizational Implications of Kaizen Costing* Increasing the Efficiency of the Buyer-Supplier Interface* Interorganizational Cost Management in Action* Lessons for Adopters Case Studies * Citizen Watch Company: Cost Reduction for Mature Products* Kamakura Ironworks Company, Ltd* Komatsu, Ltd: Target Costing System* Miyota Company, Ltd* Olympus Optical Company, Ltd: Cost Management for Short-Life Cycle Products* Omachi Olympus Company, Ltd* Tokyo Motors Works, Ltd: Target Costing System* Toyo Radiator Company, Ltd* Yokohama Corporation, Ltd: The Yokohama Production
The Unappreciated Value of Marketing: The Moderating Role of Changes in Marketing and R&D Spending on Valuation of Earnings Reports

Because current earnings predict future financial performance, the stock market reacts strongly to earnings announcements. How rapidly and in what manner information about marketing actions and strategies is accounted for in the stock valuation is less clear. We examine the financial market's ability to fully and timely value marketing-related information released along with quarterly earnings announcements. We find evidence consistent with the market initially under-appreciating marketing and R&D effort. Specifically, we find differences in the immediate market response to earnings announcements for firms expanding versus reducing their marketing and R&D effort. However, we also observe a significantly greater positive stock price drift (i.e., systematic stock price adjustment) in the months following an earnings announcement for firms increasing marketing and/or R&D expenditures. We examine the dynamics and the mechanism underlying this differential drift. Firms increasing their marketing and/or R&D spending report significantly greater future operating performance than firms decreasing their marketing and R&D spending and the stock price adjustment (drift) accelerates around the time of the subsequent earnings announcement. Our findings suggest that the stock market takes time to fully incorporate implications of strategic marketing decisions. They also suggest the stock market tends to update firm valuation when the outcomes of marketing strategies are realized in future financial performance and new performance signals are sent to the market.
Secretion of interleukin-1 beta and Escherichia coli galactokinase by Streptomyces lividans

The functionality of the Streptomyces lividans beta-galactosidase signal peptide to direct heterologous protein export was examined. The signal peptide plus eight amino acids of mature protein were sufficient to export not only a naturally exported protein, interleukin-1 beta, but also a naturally occurring cytoplasmic protein, Escherichia coli galactokinase. Interestingly, cells which expressed yet exported galactokinase were phenotypically Gal-. The potential use of the exported galactokinase system for the isolation and characterization of mutations within signal peptides and the export machinery of the host is discussed.
Dynamic analysis of 8-joint Gimbal system executing 4 DOF motion

A 4 DOF IR/EO Gimbal system is used for surveillance and navigation of UAV's. The purpose of this paper is to present a dynamical model for the gimbal, emphasizing on the significance of camera offset in case of short distances between end effector and the moving target. Two facets of this article are kinematics and the derivation of equation of motion. The proposed dynamical model can defy not only the mechanical constraints but also the damping flexibility and camera offset relative to moving target.
Service Quality in Punjab Telecom Circle

Service Quality has become a significant differentiator and the most powerful competitive weapon, which all the service organizations want to possess. Telecommunication sector is one of the competitive sector which needs the attention of the service providers on the quality that they are offering to the customers. This study focuses on generating a customized index to measure service quality based on the dimensions of SERVQUAL scale of GSM service providers in the Punjab Circle of Indian Telecom Industry and measurement of their service quality level. The study is based on the customer's survey sample of 200 respondents. The basic structure of the scale has been borrowed from the SERVQUAL Scale where the service quality construct would be measured as the difference score between customer expectation and perception. The scale required to measure service quality level was devised by generation of items from already existing models and from interview with industry experts. After screening the 22 items across, four dimensions - appearance, performance, knowledge and courtesy, and responsiveness - were selected to measure the service validity.
α‐Defensins and outcome in patients with chronic heart failure

α‐Defensins are part of the innate immune system. Low‐grade inflammation seems to play a crucial role in development and progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). The aims of the present study were to compare plasma levels of α‐defensins in CHF patients and healthy controls and to examine the predictive ability of α‐defensins, alone and combined with N‐terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), with respect to all‐cause mortality.
Evaluation of Catalytic Effects of Chymotrypsin and Cu2+ for Development of UV-Spectroscopic Method for Gelatin-Source Differentiation

The consumers interest in gelatin authentication is high due to allergic reactions and adoption of Halal and Kosher eating cultures. This research investigated browning development due to enzymatic hydrolysis and presence of Cu2+ during Maillard reaction of fish, porcine, and bovine gelatin. The rate of browning index samples showed two phases—rapid and slow—for all the gelatin samples and changes in browning index (ΔBindex) were increased (>100%) in presence of Cu2+. ΔBindex of enzymatic hydrolysates were different among the gelatin species. Fish gelatin hydrolyzate displayed > 400% increase in browning in the first six hours compared to gelatin hydrolyzates from porcine (200%) and bovine (140%). The variation in ΔBindex of chymotrypsin digested gelatin in presence of Cu2+ could be valuable for the development of an efficient UV-spectroscopic method for gelatin differentiation.
Germinal and somatic cell interrelationships in gonadal sex differentiation

The influence of somatic cells affecting the differentiation and development of germ cells in gonadal differentiation is discussed. It has been confirmed that both the male and the female germ cells can be induced to enter meiosis under the influence of the rete ovarii. The interaction between germinal and somatic cells is also investigated using an 'artificial' chimaeric gonad which contains somatic and germinal cells of opposite sexes. The results indicate that XY germ cells can survive in the XX somatic environment and are induced to enter meiosis precociously while XX germ cells fail to survive in an XY somatic environment.
The Canadian National Retirement Risk Index: Employing Statistics Canada’s LifePaths to Measure the Financial Security of Future Canadian Seniors

Dans cet article, nous établissons un indice canadien de risque à la retraite (ICRR) – en anglais «Canadian National Retirement Risk Index». Ce type d’indice, créé à l’origine par le Center for Retirement Research, du Boston College, permet d’établir la proportion d’individus actuellement en âge de travailler qui risquent de ne pas pouvoir maintenir leur niveau de vie à la retraite. Le système canadien de revenu de retraite a été très efficace en matière de réduction de la pauvreté chez les personnes âgées, mais les résultats de notre étude montrent qu’il s’est révélé un moyen beaucoup moins efficace pour aider les Canadiens à maintenir leur niveau de vie à la retraite. Nous observons que, depuis le début des années 2000, environ un tiers des retraités canadiens ont été capables de maintenir le niveau de consommation qu’ils avaient quand ils étaient sur le marché du travail – et que phénomène devrait s’accentuer de façon importante parmi les futurs retraités. La mise au point d’un ICRR arrive à point nommé, étant donné les préoccupations généralisées, actuellement au pays, à propos de l’incapacité du système de revenu de retraite actuel de répondre aux besoins. Plusieurs propositions ont été faites récemment dans le but d’élargir ou d’améliorer ce système, et un ICRR est un outil qui permettra de les évaluer. La méthode que nous avons utilisée pour créer cet ICRR est unique, exhaustive et des plus perfectionnées, étant donné l’utilisation que nous avons faite du modèle stochastique de pointe de microsimulation LifePaths de Statistique Canada. Par exemple, l’ICRR innove en modélisant toutes les sources pertinentes de données sur la consommation avant et après la retraite, et tient compte d’éléments importants qui sont souvent négligés dans les études portant sur les risques de ne pas pouvoir maintenir son niveau de vie à la retraite – comme la taille des familles, la variation du niveau de consommation au cours de la vie d’un individu, et l’hétérogénéité des parcours de vie des individus.
A structural equation modelling approach to assessing the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives in service organisations: a systematic perspective

This study examines the strategic and operational outcomes of effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives in different service operational environments. Using a sample of 354 service organisations, this study utilises a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to investigate the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives. The results show clear strategic and operational benefits of effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives. The study concludes that the quality improvement efforts of service organisations should be viewed from a system-wide perspective. This systematic orientation leads to benefits which are not always achievable based on a piece-meal implementation orientation.