Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality Management Awards and Sports Facilities' Performance

Abstract This paper investigates whether achievement of externally accredited quality awards is associated with better performance in English sports and leisure centres. The investigation uses data from 98 centres which undertook the National Benchmarking Service for sport and leisure centres in 2006/07. These data are organised into four performance dimensions – access (who uses facilities), utilisation (how many users), finance and customer satisfaction. The investigation identifies differences between the performance of centres with quality awards and those without such awards. It tests the statistical significance of these differences. It also correlates the number of awards for each centre with performance. The results offer mixed evidence regarding the association of quality awards with better performance. Centres with quality awards achieve better performance in clear majorities of indicators for financial subsidy, facility utilisation and customer importance-satisfaction gaps associated with selected facility attributes. However, most of these differences are not statistically significant (p < 0.05). There is a weak correlation between the number of awards and performance, which is at its strongest for utilisation and importance-satisfaction gaps. Three of the four quality awards investigated are associated with stronger performance for certain performance dimensions. One quality award, however, is associated with weaker performance for all four performance dimensions. The main implication of this paper is that if quality awards are a means to achieving better performance, then managers need to consider carefully which dimensions of performance they are seeking to improve, as a criterion for deciding which award to aim for.
Amazon Mechanical Turk and the Commodification of Labour

Crowd employment platforms enable firms to source labour and expertise by leveraging Internet technology. Rather than offshoring jobs to low‐cost geographies, functions once performed by internal employees can be outsourced to an undefined pool of digital labour using a virtual network. This enables firms to shift costs and offload risk as they access a flexible, scalable workforce that sits outside the traditional boundaries of labour laws and regulations. The micro‐tasks of ‘clickwork’ are tedious, repetitive and poorly paid, with remuneration often well below minimum wage. This article will present an analysis of one of the most popular crowdsourcing sites — Mechanical Turk — to illuminate how Amazon's platform enables an array of companies to access digital labour at low cost and without any of the associated social protection or moral obligation.
Noncoherent autocorrelation detection of orthogonal multicarrier UWB signals

This paper demonstrates noncoherent detection of multicarrier UWB signals, using a multichannel autocorrelation receiver (AcR) frontend. The receiver detects the energy of the subcarrier signals. In principle, the receiver estimates the energy spectrum of the received multicarrier signal. It computes a Fourier transform of the AcR output signals, which are samples of an autocorrelation function of the received signal. The AcR front-end can potentially be implemented in analog hardware, yielding a low-complexity receiver. Remarkably, nonlinear cross products remain limited such that the performance loss is only around 1 dB in a nine-channel system using five AcRs, compared with an energy detector using highly selective subchannel filters.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY IN JAPANESE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

This paper examines the determinants of productivity in Japanese manufacturing industries, looking particularly at the impact of product market competition on productivity. Using a newly available panel data on around ten thousand firms in Japanese manufacturing for the years 1994-2000, I show that competition, as measured by lower level of industrial price-cost margin, enhances productivity growth, controlling for a broad range of industrial and firm-specific characteristics. Moreover, I suggest that market power, as measured by either individual firm’s price-cost margin or market share, has negative impact on productivity level of R&D performing firms. Yosuke Okada Graduate School of Economics Hitotsubashi University Naka 2-1, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8601 JAPAN yookada@econ.hit-u.ac. jp
Absence and Variant Modes of Presence of Management Accounting in New Product Development – Theoretical Refinement and Some Empirical Evidence

Abstract The purpose of this explorative multi-organisation study is to describe and explain absence and variant modes of presence of management accounting (MA) in new product development (NPD), and to problematise further the equivocal results and paradigm shift regarding the role and relevance of management control system (MCS) packages in innovative and uncertain environments, in particular, why there are environments without formal management controls such as MA. The study refines, and in certain respects develops the theory of MA absence by combining it with the theory base of MA change and stability. The theoretical analysis suggests that a wide variety of factors may explain the absence or the mode of presence of MA in NPD. These identified explanatory factors are analysed further within the developed theoretical framework. The strongest empirical evidence for MA absence arises from technical, economic and functional factors. Furthermore, lack of reasons-for-adoption of MA systems and other forms of control associated with engineering-oriented culture lead to MA absence in NPD. The empirical findings also reveal a number of variant modes of MA presence with only the ‘accounting thinking’ and concepts adopted in NPD. The contribution of the study extends from the refinement of the theory of MA absence towards increasing the understanding of the evolution, change, stability and relationship of various elements of MA systems, and the dynamics of MCS in general.
The role of eNOS in the migration and proliferation of bone‐marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells and in vitro angiogenesis

The role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the activities of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) including migration, proliferation, and tube formation in vitro was investigated. EPCs were obtained from rat bone mononuclear cells by culturing for 7–10 days in EGM‐2MV and identified by their capacity for FITC‐UEA‐1 binding and acetylated low‐density lipoprotein (Dil‐ac‐LDL) intake using fluorescence microscopy. Migration, proliferation and tube formation activities were assessed in the presence or absence of Nω‐nitro‐L‐argininemethylester (L‐NAME), an eNOS inhibitor. mRNA and protein expression of CXCR4, CXCR7, VEGFR2, and eNOS were detected by real‐time PCR and western blotting in the presence or absence of L‐NAME. Nitric oxide production was detected by nitrate reductase in the presence or absence of L‐NAME. Typical spindle‐shaped cells appeared on the 7th–10th day and confluence reached about 80%. The percentage of FITC‐UEA‐1 and Dil‐ac‐LDL double‐stained cells was about 85%. Cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation were significantly weakened after eNOS was inhibited (P < 0.05), and the expressions of CXCR4 and eNOS were significantly reduced (P < 0.05, respectively), but there was little change in CXCR7 and VEGFR2. NO production was dramatically decreased after eNOS was inhibited (P < 0.05). In summary, L‐NAME significantly reduced the expression of eNOS and NO production by EPCs and inhibited migration, proliferation and tube formation by these cells, suggesting that eNOS affects EPC activities; CXCR4 may be implicated in the action of eNOS.
GRACE - the EU risk research project sold out to industry

2 Introduction 5 1. The Testbiotech analysis 5 1.1 Conflicts of interest at GRACE 5 1.2 Flaws in the process of publication 7 1.3 Archives of Toxicology too close to industry 8 1.4 What Testbiotech is demanding 9 2. Responses to the Testbiotech report 10 2.1 First open letter from the GRACE Consortium 10 2.2 Second open letter from the GRACE Consortium 11 2.3 Letter from the editor of the Archives of Toxicology 11 2.4 GRACE communication to journalists 12 2.5 Response from the EU Commission 12 3. Checking the facts 12 3.1 The presentation of the results from the feeding study 13 3.2 Conflicts of interest amongst GRACE experts 13 3.3 Editors of the Archives of Toxicology too closely tied to industry 14 4. Further discussion 14 5. Conclusions 15 References 17 Annex: The Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) and the tobacco industry 18
Stair ascent with an innovative microprocessor-controlled exoprosthetic knee joint

Abstract Climbing stairs can pose a major challenge for above-knee amputees as a result of compromised motor performance and limitations to prosthetic design. A new, innovative microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joint, the Genium, incorporates a function that allows an above-knee amputee to climb stairs step over step. To execute this function, a number of different sensors and complex switching algorithms were integrated into the prosthetic knee joint. The function is intuitive for the user. A biomechanical study was conducted to assess objective gait measurements and calculate joint kinematics and kinetics as subjects ascended stairs. Results demonstrated that climbing stairs step over step is more biomechanically efficient for an amputee using the Genium prosthetic knee than the previously possible conventional method where the extended prosthesis is trailed as the amputee executes one or two steps at a time. There is a natural amount of stress on the residual musculoskeletal system, and it has been shown that the healthy contralateral side supports the movements of the amputated side. The mechanical power that the healthy contralateral knee joint needs to generate during the extension phase is also reduced. Similarly, there is near normal loading of the hip joint on the amputated side.
In vitro mutagenesis identifies a region within the envelope gene of the human immunodeficiency virus that is critical for infectivity

Site-specific mutagenesis was used to introduce amino acid substitutions at the asparagine codons of four conserved potential N-linked glycosylation sites within the gp120 envelope protein of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). One of these alterations resulted in the production of noninfectious virus particles. The amino acid substitution did not interfere with the synthesis, processing, and stability of the env gene polypeptides gp120 and gp41 or the binding of gp120 to its cellular receptor, the CD4 (T4) molecule. Vaccinia virus recombinants containing wild-type or mutant HIV env genes readily induced syncytia in CD4+ HeLa cells. These results suggest that alterations involving the second conserved domain of the HIV gp120 may interfere with an essential early step in the virus replication cycle other than binding to the CD4 receptor. In long-term cocultures of a T4+ lymphocyte cell line and colon carcinoma cells producing the mutant virus, revertant infectious virions were detected. Molecular characterization of two revertant proviral clones revealed the presence of the original mutation as well as a compensatory amino acid change in another region of HIV gp120.
Promotion and Fast Food Demand

Many believe that fast food promotion is a significant cause of the obesity epidemic in North America. Industry members argue that promotion only reallocates brand shares and does not increase overall demand. We study the effect of fast food promotion on market share and total demand by estimating a discrete / continuous model of fast food restaurant choice and food expenditure that explicitly accounts for both spatial and temporal determinants of demand. Estimates are obtained using a unique panel of Canadian fast food consumers. The results show that promotion primarily increases demand and has a smaller effect on restaurant market shares. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.
Polar amplification and elevation-dependence in trends of Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent, 1971–2014

Recent years (i.e., 2007–2014) have exhibited large declines in snow cover extent (SCE) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), marked by earlier snowmelt in the springtime. In Northern latitudes, the snow-albedo feedback (SAF) is most pronounced in the spring and may be contributing to these decreasing trends in SCE. Rising surface air temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns could also vary the declining trends in SCE depending on latitude and elevation. Previous trend analyses of NH SCE are extended here to cover the period 1 October 1971 to 30 September 2014 using observed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration snow chart climate data record. Trends in snow coverage (significant when p < 0.05) with latitude and elevation are investigated using the Mann–Kendall test. Over the 43 year period, strong polar amplification of negative trends in snow cover are observed. The majority of statistically significant negative trends are found in the mid- to high-latitudes, reaching a maximum reduction at 75.5°N. There is also elevation dependence of SCE over time as statistically significant negative trends occur at most elevations, with the strongest observed at 3950 m a.s. l. These significant negative trends exhibited in the mid- to high-latitudes and mid- to high-elevations provide evidence of polar amplification and elevation dependence of trends in snow cover in a warming climate, suggesting a leading role of the SAF on the recent retreat of NH snow cover.
On the causal effects of selective admission policies on students’ performances: evidence from a quasi-experiment in a large Italian university

Using a difference-in-differences approach, we exploit a quasi experiment occurred in a large public university located in southern Italy to examine whether the introduction of a selective admission test affects students’ performances. Our analysis on this unique data set shows that a change of regime to a restrictive admission policy reduces the drop-out rate of first-year students by about 14 percentage points, increasing their grade point average (GPA) by 0.78 point. In addition to the increase in average quality of admitted students, our results suggest that positive effects of an admission policy change largely operate through the impact of a better quality of social interactions at class level on the average individual performances. Results are robust to several checks. Compared with other studies using a similar approach, our own provides evidence that selective admission policies can induce different educational outcomes in diverse geographic areas of the same national system of higher education.
A new classification system for liver metastases from colorectal cancer in Japanese multicenter analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Although numerous authors have reported various prognostic factors for liver metastases from colorectal cancer, there is not yet a general classification. METHODOLOGY A total of 478 colorectal cancer patients from 18 institutes were studied. Prognostic factors were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS Independent prognostic factors for colorectal liver metastases were number of liver metastases, size of the largest liver metastases, mesenteric lymph node metastases (pN0/1: < or =3 lesions, pN2: > or =4 lesions), and extrahepatic metastases (EM0: absence of extrahepatic metastasis, EM1: presence of extrahepatic metastases). We defined the following classification system; Stage A: HT1 (< or =4 lesions and < or =5cm) and pN0/1, Stage B: HT2 (> or =5 lesions or >5cm) and pN0/1, or HT1 and pN2, Stage C: HT2 and pN2, HT3 (> or =5 lesions and >5cm) with any pN, or any HT and any pN with EM1. Five-year survival rates were 53.5% for Stage A patients, 25.4% for Stage B patients, and 5.8% for Stage C patients. Median survival time was 70.4 months, 31.4 months, and 17.2 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our classification was advocated to evaluate prognoses for liver metastases from colorectal cancer. It can help guide decision making in terms of liver resection and assessing patient prognosis.
Beyond Engagement and Participation: User and Community Coproduction of Public Services

In recent years, there has been a radical reinterpretation of the role of policy making and service delivery in the public domain. Policy making is no longer seen as a purely top-down process but rather as a negotiation among many interacting policy systems. Similarly, services are no longer simply delivered by professional and managerial staff in public agencies but are coproduced by users and their communities. Th is article presents a conceptual framework for understanding the emerging role of user and community coproduction and presents several case studies that illustrate how diff erent forms of coproduction have played out in practice. Traditional conceptions of service planning and management are now outdated and need to be revised to account for coproduction as an integrating mechanism and an incentive for resource mobilization — a potential that is still greatly underestimated. However, coproduction in the context of multipurpose, multistakeholder networks raises important public governance issues that have implications for public services reform.
C‐H…O hydrogen bonds in FK506‐binding protein–ligand interactions

Hydrogen bonds are important interaction forces observed in protein structures. They can be classified as stronger or weaker depending on their energy, thereby reflecting on the type of donor. The contribution of weak hydrogen bonds is deemed as an important factor toward structure stability along with the stronger bonds. One such bond, the C‐H…O type hydrogen bond, is shown to make a contribution in maintaining three dimensional structures of proteins. Apart from their presence within protein structures, the role of these bonds in protein–ligand interactions is also noteworthy. In this study, we present a statistical analysis on the presence of C‐H…O hydrogen bonds observed between FKBPs and their cognate ligands. The FK506‐binding proteins (FKBPs) carry peptidyl cis–trans isomerase activity apart from the immunosuppressive property by binding to the immunosuppressive drugs FK506 or rapamycin. Because the active site of FKBPs is lined up by many hydrophobic residues, we speculated that the prevalence of C‐H…O hydrogen bonds will be considerable. In a total of 25 structures analyzed, a higher frequency of C‐H…O hydrogen bonds is observed in comparison with the stronger hydrogen bonds. These C‐H…O hydrogen bonds are dominated by a highly conserved donor, the Cα/β of Val55 and an acceptor, the backbone oxygen of Glu54. Both these residues are positioned in the β4‐α1 loop, whereas the other residues Tyr26, Phe36 and Phe99 with higher frequencies are lined up at the opposite face of the active site. These preferences could be implicated in FKBP pharmacophore models toward enhancing the ligand affinity. This study could be a prelude to studying other proteins with hydrophobic pockets to gain better insights into ligand recognition. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antibodies Generated in Cats by a Lipopeptide Reproducing the Membrane-Proximal External Region of the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Transmembrane Enhance Virus Infectivity

ABSTRACT The immunogenicity of a lipoylated peptide (lipo-P59) reproducing the membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of the transmembrane glycoprotein of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was investigated with cats. In the attempt to mimic the context in which MPER is located within intact virions, lipo-P59 was administered in association with membrane-like micelles. Analyses showed that in this milieu, lipo-P59 had a remarkable propensity to be positioned at the membrane interface, displayed a large number of ordered structures folded in turn helices, and was as active as lipo-P59 alone at inhibiting FIV infectivity in vitro. The antibodies developed differed from the ones previously obtained by immunizing cats with the nonlipoylated version of the peptide (G. Freer, S. Giannecchini, A. Tissot, M. F. Bachmann, P. Rovero, P. F. Serres, and M. Bendinelli, Virology 322:360-369, 2004) in epitope specificity and in the fact that they bound FIV virions. However, they too lacked virus-neutralizing activity and actually enhanced FIV infectivity for lymphoid cell cultures. It is concluded that the use of MPER-reproducing oligopeptides is not a viable approach for vaccinating against FIV.
Has the caveat of case-mix based payment influenced the quality of inpatient hospital care in Portugal?

Portugal was the first country with a national health system to incorporate diagnosis related group (DRG) case-mix adjustment in formulating hospital budgets on a nation-wide basis. Most of the case-mix payment-outcomes literature comes from the USA where the quality of data is superior to that of many other countries. The purpose of this article is to assess the initial impact of case-mix financing on the quality of inpatient care in Portuguese hospitals using a methodology that may be appropriate for health care systems whose information is not as complete as that of the USA. Estimating a count data model at the hospital level with inpatient mortality as a quality indicator, the authors find no evidence that case-mix based payment has had adverse consequences on inpatient mortality for the most frequent non-obstetric DRG during the three year time period under study.
States’ defense policy formation : A study of Sweden in front of the election 2014 from a rational choice perspective

This study uses variables derived from Rational Choice Theory to examine the theory’s predicted covariancebetween public opinion and the parties’ policies. The collection of material has been guided by three arenas: the parliamentarian, the media and the voter’s. It has categorized the analysis based on the strategy concept, using ends, means and ways. It asks how the Moderate Party and the Social Democratic Party changed their strategy within the period of 31 May 2013 and 14 September 2014, and how this can be understood from a rational choice perspective. The purpose of the study is to examine the assumptions of Rational Choice Theory in the Swedish context in front of the election in 2014, and to understand this from the perspective of the theory. This can help in our understanding of defense policy formation and to our understanding of states’ relations on the international arena. The results show that there has been a more ambitious change in defense policy which covariates with the indicated positive change in public opinion on defense issues, but this did not make defense issues one of the 2014 election’s most important questions for the voters in choice of party to vote for. This can be understood as rational, seen from a RCT-perspective, since the other issues renders more support, a circumstance that is in line with the history of Swedish elections.