Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do SMEs influence their markets? An exploratory study

Purpose – Due to their limited resources small‐ and medium‐sized firms are often assumed not to influence or “drive” their industries or markets. However, based on insights from social cognition and studies of firms' reputations it is argued that small firms might benefit from actively influencing their reputations as well as the standards against which they are evaluated. The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically whether small firms actually try to influence their markets in such a manner.Design/methodology/approach – A detailed longitudinal tracking of a top manager's (of a medium‐sized manufacturing firm) interactions with the firm's external constituencies is applied to investigate whether and how this manager tries to influence other market actors.Findings – The results show that considerable efforts are devoted to try to influence a wide range of external actors in relation to a range of topics, but with an emphasis on the characteristics of his own firm. This indicates that the firm aims .
The Determinants of Housing Demolition and Abandonment

This paper explains variations in the rates of private demolition and abandonment of residential housing across the neighborhoods of a city (Chicago). An explicit distinction is purposely made between private demolition and abandonment. Such a distinction is necessary for Chicago (the data base of this study), where local statutes effectively provide a property owner with the possibility of shifting responsibility for the cost of demolition as well as some property taxes to the city by "walking away from" (and ultimately forfeiting the title to) the property. This possibility will be defined as abandonment and can be contrasted to private demolition, whereby the owner does his own demolition and retains title to the property. ' We are, therefore, investigating the response of housing producers to both market and non-market (legal) forces insofar as the decision to remove housing from the market is concerned.
Analysis and optimization of noise and gain performances for various topologies of microwave ring resonator planar active filters

This article presents multipole ring resonator planar active filters. We show how the noise factor of this category of filters can be analytically derived and effectively minimized by using appropriate unbalanced power couplers and amplifiers. Topologies of devices achieving a minimum noise factor with a maximum gain are presented. We validate our approach with simulated examples for each topology.
A two-sector small open economy model with monopolistically competitive non traded markets

This paper explores the consequences of introducing a monopolistic competition in a two-sector open economy model. The effects of fiscal and technological shocks are simulated. First, unlike the perfectly competitive framework, the present model is consistent with the saving-investment correlations found in the data. Second, the degree of competition observed in non traded markets matters in determining the current account and investment responses to fiscal and technological shocks. Third, simulations show that the perfectly competitive two-sector model is too restrictive when investigating the relationship between the relative price of non traded goods and real factors like fi scal policies and productivity disturbances.
Design of flip-OFDM system for optical wireless communication

Optical wireless communication (OWC) has captivated an increasing interest in academia and industry recently with the widespread deployment of light emitting diodes (LEDs). OWC has been expected to be an appealing alternative to radio frequency (RF) systems due to its distinct advantages that include rich spectrum resources and high communication security. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is employed in OWC to achieve high data rates and bearable inter-symbol interference (ISI). This paper focuses on designing a Flip-OFDM system for OWC. The performance of the Flip-OFDM OWC system is compared with the conventional OWC system employing QAM. From the simulation result, it is clear that the proposed system can provide a tremendous improvement in BER performance and high data rate can also be achieved and is well suited for future 5G applications.
Conceptualization and measurement of resistance to treatment: the resistance to treatment questionnaire for people with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE This research describes the process of building a tool which allows assessment of resistance to treatment and its intensity among patients with diabetes. METHODS This study was undertaken in Maccabi Health care Services a preferred provider health care organization. This is a multistage study using both qualitative and quantitative methods. A semi-structured interview using 14 key questions identified the reasons for resistance to treatment among 64 people with diabetes. A questionnaire was built based on these themes and then validated with a further 123 people with diabetes. A further validation was undertaken comparing our questionnaire with that of Kavookjian. RESULTS This resulted in a four theme, 40-item questionnaire which can be administered in about 10 minutes. Resistance patterns and their intensity were different in each patient. This resistance questionnaire identifies the core reasons for non-compliance: lack of faith or dissatisfaction with the treatment or with the medical team, emotional reasons, specific problems or constraints and factors connected to despair and failure. CONCLUSIONS We present a tool 'The Resistance to Treatment Questionnaire' which may be used by medical personnel to identify the barriers to treatment for each individual and in turn improve patient compliance to treatment.
Basal-like breast carcinomas: clinical outcome and response to chemotherapy

Background: Grade-III invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type (IDCs-NST) constitute a heterogeneous group of tumours with different clinical behaviour and response to chemotherapy. As many as 25% of all grade-III IDCs-NST are known to harbour a basal-like phenotype, as defined by gene expression profiling or immunohistochemistry for basal cytokeratins. Patients with basal-like breast carcinomas (BLBC) are reported to have a shorter disease-free and overall survival. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of 49 patients with BLBC (as defined by basal cytokeratin expression) and 49 controls matched for age, nodal status and grade was carried out. Histological features, immunohistochemical findings for oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and HER2, and clinical outcome and survival after adjuvant chemotherapy were compared between the two groups. Results: It was more likely for patients with BLBCs to be found negative for ER (p<0.0001), PgR (p<0.0001) and HER2 (p<0.01) than controls. Patients with BLBCs were found to have a significantly higher recurrence rate (p<0.05) and were associated with significantly shorter disease-free and overall survival (both p<0.05). In the group of patients who received anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy (BLBC group, n = 47; controls, n = 49), both disease-free and overall survival were found to be significantly shorter in the BLBC group (p<0.05). Conclusions: BLBCs are a distinct clinical and pathological entity, characterised by high nuclear grade, lack of hormone receptors and HER2 expression and a more aggressive clinical course. Standard adjuvant chemotherapy seems to be less effective in these tumours and new therapeutic approaches are indicated.
Options on bond futures: Isolating the risk premium

The introduction of unspanned sources of risk (and frictions) implies that option prices include a risk premium. Prima facie evidence of the existence of risk premia in option prices is contained in the implied volatility smile patterns reported in the literature. This article isolates the risk premium (defined as the simple difference between estimated and observed option prices) on options on U.K. Gilts, German Bunds, and U.S. Treasury bond futures using models that include price jumps and stochastic volatility. This study finds that single and multi‐factor stochastic volatility models with jumps may explain the empirical regularities observed in bond futures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:169–215, 2003
Marine Protected Area Costs as “Beneficial” Fisheries Subsidies: A Global Evaluation

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are now generally accepted as important tools in the protection of coastal biodiversity. It is also likely that they play a positive role in enhancing fisheries. Yet currently, less than 1% of the global oceans are protected, although international agreements have targets ranging from 10–30% coverage. Despite its minuscule size, we consider the current MPA “network” to be beneficial to fisheries, and its running or maintenance cost, therefore, to be a positive contribution to the sustainability of fisheries, or a “beneficial” subsidy (“harmful” subsidies enhance fishing capacity and effort). A method was derived from data in Balmford et al. (PNAS, 101: 9694–9697) to estimate the annual cost of maintaining MPAs as a function of their size, and of the degree of development of the country in question. We provide national costs of the 53 countries that jointly contribute 95% of global fisheries catch and, assuming that this type of subsidy, in a given country, cannot exceed 15% of the ex-vessel value of its fisheries catches, estimated a global MPA subsidy to fisheries of 870 million US$. Given that total subsidies to fisheries currently range from 30–34 billion US$ annually (without MPA costs), this amounts to only 2.5–2.8% of total subsidies to fisheries being devoted explicitly to the maintenance of the biodiversity that sustains them.
Genetic changes and clonality relationship between primary colorectal cancers and their pulmonary metastases—An analysis by comparative genomic hybridization

About 10% of colorectal carcinoma patients develop pulmonary metastases during their lifetime. We address whether and how the chromosomal abnormalities differ between the primary cancers and their metastatic counterparts, what the clonality relationship (CR) is between them, and whether certain genomic aberrations contribute to this disease progression. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) experiments were performed on 18 paired samples of primary and pulmonary metastases obtained from patients who had undergone two consecutive surgeries and from whom clinical data had been collected. The CGH profiles also were used as indexes for determining the CR between the cancers. The overall CGH abnormality profiles were similar for the primary colorectal carcinomas and their pulmonary metastases. Frequent gains were found on chromosome arms 20q, 8q, 13q, and 7q, whereas common losses were found on 18q, 8p, and 18p. The pulmonary metastases, however, contained more CGH abnormalities than did the primary carcinomas (total aberration events per tumor: 12.6 ± 5.0 vs. 8.3 ± 5.7, respectively, P = 0.024; gains: 7.6 ± 3.1 vs. 5.1 ± 3.5, respectively, P = 0.036; losses: 5.0 ± 2.8 vs. 3.3 ± 2.9, respectively, P = 0.076). Comparing CGH profiles between individual primary and metastasis pairs, we found that 10 of the 18 (56%) paired samples examined exhibited a high degree of CR, indicating that they were likely to have originated from the same clone and/or that not many additional chromosomal changes had occurred in the metastases, except for 4q loss, whose incidence was much higher in the metastases than in the primaries (60% vs. 10%; P = 0.030). Also, the primary tumors of the high‐CR group carried more genomic aberrations, especially 8p loss, than did the primary tumors in the low‐CR group. We found more chromosomal changes associated with the pulmonary metastases of colorectal cancer compared with the corresponding primary tumors. We concluded that primary cancers containing more genomic lesions, especially 8p losses, are more likely to metastasize to the lungs. Loss of 4q is potentially a supplementary factor contributing to the dissemination of this disease. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
System thermodynamics: A model illustrating complexity emerging from simplicity

A high‐level model of a self‐sustaining system exhibiting the life cycle phases of growth, survival, and decay is introduced. The model, which is anchored in thermodynamics, does not make any assumptions about the functionality or physical nature of the system, and only very general assumptions about the structure of the system and the processes involved in growth and decay. The central features of the model are that the interaction between the system and its environment depends on the match between the structures of the system and the environment and that the decay of the system is caused by fluctuations in this match. The relationship between fluctuations and lifespan is investigated through numerical simulation, and it is shown that the space spanned by fluctuation amplitude and mismatch tolerance is divided into a stable and an unstable region. An example of how the model might be applied is provided, and some extensions of the model are suggested. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 7: 271–284, 2004
Community Detection in Partially Observable Social Networks

The discovery of community structures in social networks has gained significant attention since it is a fundamental problem in understanding the networks’ topology and functions. However, most social network data are collected from partially observable networks with both missing nodes and edges. In this article, we address a new problem of detecting overlapping community structures in the context of such an incomplete network, where communities in the network are allowed to overlap since nodes belong to multiple communities at once. To solve this problem, we introduce KroMFac, a new framework that conducts community detection via regularized nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) based on the Kronecker graph model. Specifically, from an inferred Kronecker generative parameter matrix, we first estimate the missing part of the network. As our major contribution to the proposed framework, to improve community detection accuracy, we then characterize and select influential nodes (which tend to have high degrees) by ranking, and add them to the existing graph. Finally, we uncover the community structures by solving the regularized NMF-aided optimization problem in terms of maximizing the likelihood of the underlying graph. Furthermore, adopting normalized mutual information (NMI), we empirically show superiority of our KroMFac approach over two baseline schemes by using both synthetic and real-world networks.
Maize Source Leaf Adaptation to Nitrogen Deficiency Affects Not Only Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism But Also Control of Phosphate Homeostasis1[W][OA]

Crop plant development is strongly dependent on the availability of nitrogen (N) in the soil and the efficiency of N utilization for biomass production and yield. However, knowledge about molecular responses to N deprivation derives mainly from the study of model species. In this article, the metabolic adaptation of source leaves to low N was analyzed in maize (Zea mays) seedlings by parallel measurements of transcriptome and metabolome profiling. Inbred lines A188 and B73 were cultivated under sufficient (15 mm) or limiting (0.15 mm) nitrate supply for up to 30 d. Limited availability of N caused strong shifts in the metabolite profile of leaves. The transcriptome was less affected by the N stress but showed strong genotype- and age-dependent patterns. N starvation initiated the selective down-regulation of processes involved in nitrate reduction and amino acid assimilation; ammonium assimilation-related transcripts, on the other hand, were not influenced. Carbon assimilation-related transcripts were characterized by high transcriptional coordination and general down-regulation under low-N conditions. N deprivation caused a slight accumulation of starch but also directed increased amounts of carbohydrates into the cell wall and secondary metabolites. The decrease in N availability also resulted in accumulation of phosphate and strong down-regulation of genes usually involved in phosphate starvation response, underlining the great importance of phosphate homeostasis control under stress conditions.
Beyond disease susceptibility—Leveraging genome‐wide association studies for new insights into complex disease biology

Genetic studies in complex diseases have been highly successful, but have also been largely one‐dimensional: predominantly focusing on the genetic contribution to disease susceptibility. While this is undoubtedly important—indeed it is a pre‐requisite for understanding the mechanisms underlying disease development—there are many other important aspects of disease biology that have received comparatively little attention. In this review, I will discuss how existing genetic data can be leveraged to provide new insights into other aspects of disease biology, why such insights could change the way we think about complex disease, and how this could provide opportunities for better therapies and/or facilitate personalised medicine. To do this, I will use the example of Crohn's disease—a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease that has been one of the main success stories in complex disease genetics. Indeed, thanks to genetic studies, we now have a much more detailed understanding of the processes involved in Crohn's disease development, but still know relatively little about what determines the subsequent disease course (prognosis) and why this differs so considerably between individuals. I will discuss how we came to realise that genetic variation plays an important role in determining disease prognosis and how this has changed the way we think about Crohn's disease genetics. This will illustrate how phenotypic data can be used to leverage new insights from genetic data and will provide a broadly applicable framework that could yield new insights into the biology of multiple diseases.
Why Do Traders Choose to Trade Anonymously?

Abstract This paper examines the use, determinants, and impact of anonymous orders in a market where disclosure of broker identity in the trading screen is voluntary. We find that most trading occurs nonanonymously, contrary to prior literature that suggests liquidity gravitates to anonymous markets. By strategically using anonymity when it is beneficial, traders reduce their execution costs. Traders select anonymity based on various factors including order source, order size and aggressiveness, time of day, liquidity, and expected execution costs. Finally, we report how anonymous orders affect market quality and discuss implications for market design.
Design a 10-Bit 100MHz pipelined ADC using RB-OTA in 90nm CMOS technology

In this paper a low consumption 10bits pipelined analogue to digital converter (ADC) by using a new operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) is introduced. The ADC is designed to work at 100MHz with 1 volt bias voltage in a CMOS 90nm technology. The simulation results at frequency of 5MHz show the spurious free dynamic range and signal to noise ratio of 66dB and 58.4dB (9.4 ENOB) respectively. The power consumption for the designed ADC including digital and analogue parts is 14.4mW.
Disney's Return to Theme Park Dominance in Florida

This paper investigates the increasing evidence that Disney has restored its market share dominance and price leadership power in the Central Florida theme park market, while reasserting this region as the base for its global empire. Disney appears to have weathered deep-pocketed challenges from Universal Studios and Las Vegas Hotels successfully, as well as addressing concerns about its ageing brands, adverse demographic trends and post-9/11 international travel restrictions. After analysing attendance data series and updating ticket price patterns, the authors design a classical attendance demand model to investigate alternative explanations for Disney's surprising re-emergence. The model generates estimates of critical elasticities with rival theme park admission prices, gasoline prices, airfares, income and currency exchange rate fluctuations. These findings are pitted against conventional wisdom in explaining Disney's resurgence.
The Governance of Global Production Networks and Regional Development: A Case Study of Taiwanese PC Production Networks

This article applies a global production networks (GPN) perspective to the trans-border investments of Taiwanese personal computer (PC) companies in the Northern Taiwan, Greater Suzhou and Greater Dongguan regions. The findings of extensive field research are used to illustrate two conceptual arguments. First, we show the on-the-ground complexity of inter-firm governance arrangements within the PC industry, thereby casting doubt upon attempts to reduce notions of governance to simplistic, industry-wide categorisations. Second, by comparing Greater Suzhou and Greater Dongguan, we demonstrate that even within a single production system, there is geographical variation in the nature of the strategic coupling between the GPN and local institutional formations. We argue that conceptualising such geographical and organisational complexity is critical to understanding the regional development potential of GPNs. Copyright (c) 2009 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of Price on Consumer Meal Choice in a Bundling Context

This study investigated the joint effects of component pricing and bundle pricing on consumers' choice processes. Specifically, consumer preferences were examined for various menu options in the context of fixed menu pricing. Findings suggest that consumers attach larger utilities to highly priced appetizers and entrees. Consistent with prior research, this study shows that consumers are more likely to choose a bundle that provides the highest value (i.e., the highest savings between the bundle price and the sum of its individual components). Managerial implications of these findings will be briefly discussed.
Real Exchange Rate Behavior: Evidence From Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand

In this paper, the mean reversion behavior of CPI-based real exchange rates in US dollar is investigated for three Southeast Asian economies: Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Using linear and non-linear unit root tests to detect possible endogenous break(s), real exchange rates for currencies of the three countries are examined for the long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) during the period of January 1980 to December 2014. Results show that structural breaks mostly occur in two periods: 1985 and 1997/1998, and that, the evidences for the PPP hypothesis are relatively mixed for these three countries. Results obtained from all test fail to provide sufficient evidences for the non-linear adjustment of real exchange rates towards PPP. The misalignment in exchange rates cannot be found during the study period due to a relatively high persistency of real exchange rates (half-life > three years) found for all the three countries. Moreover, Engle-Granger procedure and Johansen multivariate cointegration methods are also carried out. The results indicate that a stronger evidence of PPP exists for the three countries relative to the USA after allowing for the presence of structural break(s), implying that the three Asian countries were affected by global financial crises during the study period. In brief, the findings reveal that misalignment in the three Southeast Asia economies is relatively slow; both exchange rates and price levels of these countries converge in the long run.