Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Willingness to Pay for Shifting Inventory Risk: The Role of Contractual Form

In order to reduce their inventory risk, firms can attempt to contract with their suppliers for shorter supply lead‐times, with their buyers for longer demand lead‐times, or both. We designed a controlled laboratory experiment to study contracts that shift a focal firm's inventory risk to its supply chain partners and address two questions. First, is it more effective if the cost of shifting inventory risk is framed as a fixed fee or in per‐unit cost terms? We find that, generally, our participants are willing to pay more to avoid supply–demand mismatches than the expected costs from such mismatches. This tendency to overpay is mitigated under fixed fee schemes. Second, does it matter whether the option to reduce inventory risk is the outcome of either increased responsiveness from the upstream supplier or advanced demand information from the downstream buyer? Our results suggest that this difference, when only a matter of framing, has no significant effect on willingness‐to‐pay.
A Control Variate Method for Monte Carlo Simulations of Heath–Jarrow–Morton Models with Jumps

This paper examines the pricing of interest rate derivatives when the interest rate dynamics experience infrequent jump shocks modelled as a Poisson process. The pricing framework adapted was developed by Chiarella and Nikitopoulos to provide an extension of the Heath, Jarrow and Morton model to jump‐diffusions and achieves Markovian structures under certain volatility specifications. Fourier Transform solutions for the price of a bond option under deterministic volatility specifications are derived and a control variate numerical method is developed under a more general state dependent volatility structure, a case in which closed form solutions are generally not possible. In doing so, a novel perspective is provided on control variate methods by going outside a given complex model to a simpler more tractable setting to provide the control variates.
Microarray data classification based on principal curves

In this paper, a novel classifier is proposed to classify microarray data using principal curves. Principal curves are the non-linear generalization of principal components. Intuitively, a principal curve ‘passes through the middle of the data cloud’. As a kind of new classification technique, Principal Curve-based classifier (PC) involves a novel way of computing a principal curve for each class using the training data. A test sample is given the class-label of the principal curve that is closest to it according to Expected Squared Error. Experimental results illustrate the performance of the PC is better than other existing approaches when a very small sample size is concerned.
Heavy Metal Stress and Sulfate Uptake in Maize Roots1

ZmST1;1, a putative high-affinity sulfate transporter gene expressed in maize (Zea mays) roots, was functionally characterized and its expression patterns were analyzed in roots of plants exposed to different heavy metals (Cd, Zn, and Cu) interfering with thiol metabolism. The ZmST1;1 cDNA was expressed in the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) sulfate transporter mutant CP154-7A. Kinetic analysis of sulfate uptake isotherm, determined on complemented yeast cells, revealed that ZmST1;1 has a high affinity for sulfate (Km value of 14.6 ± 0.4 μm). Cd, Zn, and Cu exposure increased both ZmST1;1 expression and root sulfate uptake capacity. The metal-induced sulfate uptakes were accompanied by deep alterations in both thiol metabolism and levels of compounds such as reduced glutathione (GSH), probably involved as signals in sulfate uptake modulation. Cd and Zn exposure strongly increased the level of nonprotein thiols of the roots, indicating the induction of additional sinks for reduced sulfur, but differently affected root GSH contents that decreased or increased following Cd or Zn stress, respectively. Moreover, during Cd stress a clear relation between the ZmST1;1 mRNA abundance increment and the entity of the GSH decrement was impossible to evince. Conversely, Cu stress did not affect nonprotein thiol levels, but resulted in a deep contraction of GSH pools. Our data suggest that during heavy metal stress sulfate uptake by roots may be controlled by both GSH-dependent or -independent signaling pathways. Finally, some evidence suggesting that root sulfate availability in Cd-stressed plants may limit GSH biosynthesis and thus Cd tolerance are discussed.
The Limits of Immigration Policies

Despite its open and lenient policies for highly skilled migration, Japan has not been successful in attracting many professionals from overseas. Japanese corporations have also found it difficult to retain migrant professionals. This article, based on qualitative interviews with migrant professionals and corporate managers in the Tokyo metropolitan area, examines why the world’s third largest economy still remains a considerably small magnet for global talent. It also analyzes what kind of individual and institutional factors prevent migrant professionals’ long-term settlement in Japan. The article addresses the limits of immigration policies and emphasizes the importance of reforms in corporate structures, business practices, and overall integration policies in Japan.
Diffusion of Cogeneration in Swiss Industries: Economics, Technical Change, Field of Application, and Framework Conditions

In this article we study the economics of the adoption and diffusion of cogeneration (CHP) systems. Based on microeconomic theoretical reasoning, we identify the main variables influencing the decision-making problem of firms that plan to adopt CHP technology, and how the adoption by other firms affects optimal adoption timing. We also consider CHP-related technical change, trends in the industries studied, field of application, and relevant framework conditions with a potential impact on CHP adoption and diffusion. In the descriptive analysis our focus is on industrial CHP systems in Switzerland (>1 MWe), with particular emphasis on both the pulp and paper and the chemical industries.
Optimal issuing policy in production lot size system for items with Weibull deterioration

Abstract The effect of two issuing policies, LIFO and FIFO, on the inventory level in a production lot size model for items with varying rate of deterioration is studied An implicit form of inventory level under each policy is developed for each phase of a cycle which is shown to be consistent with known extreme cases A numerical solution procedure employing the Runge-Kutta method and Simpson's Rule is developed to select a preferable policy in terms of the amount deteriorated per unit time.
Extent and Trend of Intellectual Capital Reporting in Malaysia: Empirical Evidence

This paper aims to examine the extent of intellectual capital (IC) disclosure in the annual reports of Malaysian listed companies. The paper also aims to investigate the trend of IC disclosure (ICD) in the annual reports in the years 2002 and 2006. A comprehensive disclosure index which includes 101 items was developed to measure the extent of ICD. The paper found that listed companies disclosed, on average, 22% and 24% of IC information in the annual reports for the years 2002 and 2006, respectively. In addition, the paper found that the extent of ICD had significantly increased between the period 2002 and 2006. The paper provides practical implications for the listed companies to understand their ICD practises, hence try to improve it towards greater transparency. In addition, the paper provides empirical evidence to the standard setter, authorities and professional bodies on the current ICD practises of listed companies. Thus, it could help in developing framework and guidelines on ICD to enhance its disclosure. Furthermore, the paper is considered to be the first paper to examine the trend of ICD in the annual reports of listed companies. Moreover, it contributes to the IC literature with the development of a comprehensive ICD index.
Risk, Liability, and Monopoly

The paper explores a monopolist's safety and output choices when there are potentially large-scale claims that can lead to firm insolvency. Analysis of a monopolized market yields different conclusions than models of rule choice where perfect competition or simple cost-minimization are assumed. The following are shown to be true when consumers do not internalize expected, uncompensated hazard costs: (1) potentially insolvent firms may make more efficient safety and output choices than fully capitalized firms and (2), for any level of capitalization, compliance with a negligence rule—where liabilities are removed—may in fact result in less output and safety than under strict liability, where hazard costs are at least partially internalized. When consumers fully discount risks, a negligence rule dominates strict liability because it allows for less costly, credible commitments to profit- and welfare-maximizing safety investments. The analysis demonstrates that the optimal legal system—including financial responsibility requirements—is particularly sensitive to market structure and the characteristics of firms' risk reduction technology
The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor KDR Activates Multiple Signal Transduction Pathways in Porcine Aortic Endothelial Cells*

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (here referred to as VEGF) is an endothelium-specific growth factor that binds to two distinct receptor tyrosine kinases, designated Flt-1 and KDR/Flk-1. VEGF stimulates autophosphorylation of both receptors, but little is known about their signal transduction properties. In this study, we used porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells overexpressing KDR (PAE/KDR) to evaluate the interaction of KDR with intracellular proteins and compared them with Flt-1-expressing PAE cells (PAE/Flt-1). VEGF-induced stimulation of KDR results in the association and phosphorylation of the 46-, 52-, and 66-kDa isoforms of Shc and the induction of Shc-Grb2 complex formation. In a similar fashion, KDR associates with Grb2 and Nck in a ligand-dependent fashion, suggesting Shc, Grb2, and Nck as potential candidates involved in the regulation of endothelial function. Another strong candidate is mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, which is strongly activated in response to VEGF stimulation as demonstrated by phosphorylation of the specific substrate myelin basic protein. Inhibition of MAP kinase activation by PD98059, a specific MAP kinase kinase inhibitor, results in inhibition of VEGF-induced proliferation of PAE/KDR cells. In contrast, VEGF-induced stimulation of Flt-1 does not activate MAP kinase in PAE/Flt-1 cells. In this study we provide the first two examples of molecules potentially capable of functionally counteracting the endothelial response to VEGF, namely SHP-1 and SHP-2. These two SH2 protein-tyrosine phosphatases physically associate with KDR secondary to VEGF stimulation, raising the interesting possibility that both molecules participate in the generation and/or modulation of VEGF-induced signals. Taken together, our results substantially broaden the spectrum of KDR-associating molecules, indicating that endothelial function and angiogenesis are regulated by a diverse network of signal transduction cascades.
Enhancing effectiveness of anti-money laundering laws through whistleblowing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review inadequacies of anti-money laundering (AML) and whistleblowing laws particularly in the UK financial services sector and suggest various reforms initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – The article relies extensively on secondary data analysis including extensive literature review, analysis of applicable cases and evaluation of current whistleblowing and AML laws. Findings – The preponderance of defensive reporting particularly in the financial services sector appears to blunt the effectiveness of AML laws in the UK. Working adults generally are unaware or unfamiliar with whistleblowing laws, whereas the laws themselves are also deficient in some ways even though they have been adopted and adapted in various other jurisdictions because of its perceived comprehensiveness. Preliminary indications from money laundering scandals demonstrate how and why early disclosures of wrongdoings through whistleblowing might have helped to reduce the magnitude of the adv.
Time dissemination services: The experimental results of the European H2020 DEMETRA project

In 2015 and 2016 a European Consortium of 15 scientific and industrial partners from 8 different countries collaborates on the DEMETRA (DEMonstrator of EGNSS services based on Time Reference Architecture) project, funded by the European Union in the frame of the Horizon 2020 program, aimed at developing and experimenting time dissemination services based on the European GNSS. The project aims at being a prototype of an European time dissemination service, based on the timing signal of the Galileo system, adding particular features like - among the others - certification, calibration, or integrity, that could be of interest to a wide range of users belonging to different sectors as traffic control, energy distribution, finance, telecom, and scientific institutions. Nine time dissemination services are proposed. The project is under experimentation since March 2016, we report the first experimentation results of the system, showing potentialities and limits of the proposed services, aiming to foster the development and possibly standardization of the time dissemination services.
The analysis of effective factors on product brand image after extension (PBI) in home appliance industry in Iran

Nowadays, brand is vital in business. An important parts of each brand’s life is brand extension which firms often use for introducing their new products. This paper’s purpose is analyzing the effects of brand associations and fit perception on product brand image after the extension. In this research we have used a questionnaire with 21 questions to study a 198 sample of home appliance consumer in Isfahan (Iran). A conceptual model has been designed to show all relationships among all variables which is tested by LISREL software. According to the obtained results, it has been determined that brand associations and fit perception influence attitude toward brand extension directly and indirectly through product brand image after extension (PBI). It means, attitude toward brand extension affect product brand image after extension. Amount of goodness indexes (AGFI= 0.97, GFI= 0.99) shows suitability of the model. Key words: Brand loyalty, brand awareness, parent brand quality, fit perception, PBI.
Building change leadership capability: ‘The quest for change competence’

While the literature highlights the continuing, and indeed growing, significance of the challenge of implementing change effectively (eg Kotter, 1994; Carnall, 1999) and explores reasons for failures (eg Kotter, 1996) there seems to be little agreement on a way forward. The seeds for potential progress appear to lie within the examination of change competencies and the building of capability for managing significant and continuing change. This paper examines the literature relating to change competencies and capabilities and presents a case study which demonstrates how a competence-based approach has been applied in practice. The process of identifying critical competencies is explored, and a specific change competency framework is examined. In exploring the case, qualitative evidence is presented which suggests that the competency framework, and its application in practice, has had a real impact on the development of change capability in an organisation. This research is seen as being exploratory, however, and providing a stimulus for further research streams which are described towards the end of the paper. The paper concludes that it is focusing on what is involved in implementing change which will lead to a real understanding of the critical competencies required and of a means of building change capability with an organisation.
Intonation as a cue to emotional speech perception: An experiment with normal and delexicalised speech

This study aims to investigate the role of intonation in the perception of emotion in spoken Brazilian Portuguese (BP). Recordings of 32 BP speakers were downloaded from the internet and presented to 36 listeners divided equally into two nationality groups (Brazilian vs. English). The participants performed two perception experiments, one based on normal speech and the other on delexicalised (lowpass-filtered) speech. Aspects of the speakers’ productions were subjected to automatic analysis and compared to the listeners’ judgments. The results show that: (i) Brazilians perform well in the normal speech condition, while the English participants’ performance is moderately accurate; (ii) for both groups, performance was lower in the delexicalised speech condition; (iii) simple and multiple linear regressions show that median F0, F0 dispersion, the duration of intonation units, and related parameters can predict the perception of emotional speech by native and non-native speakers of BP.
Visitor Satisfaction

Abstract The number of Chinese tourists travelling internationally has increased significantly during the last decade and this trend looks set to continue, making this population an important tourism market. This study provides an analysis of the visitor satisfaction of Chinese tourists to the Gold Coast, based on the recognition of the importance of satisfaction in encouraging word of mouth recommendations and repeat visitation. The data required for this paper was collected using a questionnaire that was distributed to a convenience sample of Chinese tourists holidaying on the Gold Coast between January and February 2003. Analysis of the data indicates a relatively high level of overall satisfaction with the destination, but room for improvement in areas relating to shopping and food provision.
Psychomotor function and psychoactive drugs.

A cursory review of the literature reveals that the techniques used to assess psychomotor functions are diverse, often complex, frequently insensitive to drug induced changes and sometimes inconvenient to enact or replicate. Adams (1974) used proof reading ability; Croucher & Hindmarch (1974), the duration of the spiral after effect ; Betts, Clayton & Mackay (1972), low speed car handling tasks; Malpas, Rowan, Joyce & Scott (1970), card sorting ability; Fargus & Hindmarch (1974), a cardriving simulator; Ashton, Hall, Savage, Telford & Thompson (1972), a pursuit rotor; File & Bond (1979), symbol copying; Van Houten & Zenhausern (1967), the absolute auditory threshold; Davis, Hollister, Overall, Johnson & Train (1976), short and long term memory; Ghoneim & Mewaldt (1977), verbal learning; Gendreau, Sherlock, Parsons, McLean, Scott & Suboske (1972), discrimination conditioning of the eyelid response; Gupta (1974), the kinaesthetic figural after effect.
Latent Ordering Conjoint Model Under Lexicographic Preferences

Consumer's preference structure varies over product categories. For some durable goods, such as laptops and smartphones, consumers tend to distinguish a product from its competing ones by differences in several features ordered in their importance. This preference structure, so called lexicographic preference, does not allow us to simply find the optimal marketing mix strategy because of two reasons: First, there is no simple utility function that captures the cardinal link with a continuous price variable as well as the ordinal preference structure. Secondly, the latent process of ordering attributes according to their importance cannot be easily calibrated in the conventional manners, such as MLE, GMM, and Bayesian methods. In this paper, we propose an economic framework that takes into account the ordinal lexicographic preference, the cardinal link with prices, and the latent ordering process by introducing a recursive utility specification and a data augmentation technique that employs multinomial-Dirichlet conjugacy.
Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory and Anti-Obesity Potential of Sorrel Calyx Extracts in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (sorrel) has been widely used in the development of tropical beverages and folk medicine. This study’s objective was to investigate the anti-obesity potential of sorrel calyx extracts (methanol and water) on 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. Phytochemical content, antioxidant potential as DPPH (1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and enzyme (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase) inhibitory activities were determined in sorrel methanol extracts (SME) and sorrel water extracts (SWE). Effect of SWE and SME on lipid accumulation, lipolysis and apoptosis were tested in 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation and maintenance stage of cells at selected concentrations (200 - 1000 μg/ml) was studied. The total phenolic (GAE mg/100g dry weight) and total flavonoid (mg catechin equi/ 100g dry weight) contents in SME and SWE were 158.31 and 317.27 and 90.77 and 100.08. DPPH% inhibition (IC-50-mg/ml) and FRAP (mmol Fe [II]/100g dry weight) were 0.82 and 0.33 and 1799.13 and 2296.38 for SWE and SME, respectively. SME and SWE inhibited α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase activities by more than 40% at 4mg/ml. Significant (p < 0.05) reduction in lipid accumulation and increased glycerol release in 3T3-L1 cells was observed at concentrations ranged from 600 mg/ml of both extracts. Treating cells with SME-1000 μg/ml at differentiation resulted inhibition (p < 0.05) of lipid accumulation by 45% compared to untreated cells. Highest (p < 0.05) (35%) decrease in triglyceride content as well as higher glycerol release was seen in cells exposed to SME at the differentiation stage. Sorrel extracts induced apoptosis in adipocytes at higher concentrations with prominent effect of treating cells at differentiation stage. The results of this study showed effect of sorrel extracts in reduction of lipid accumulation and increase in lipolysis of 3T3-L1 cells.
Impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 RNA Dimerization on Viral Infectivity and of Stem-Loop B on RNA Dimerization and Reverse Transcription and Dissociation of Dimerization from Packaging

ABSTRACT The kissing-loop domain (KLD) encompasses a stem-loop, named kissing-loop or dimerization initiation site (DIS) hairpin (nucleotides [nt] 248 to 270 in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strains HIV-1Lai and HIV-1Hxb2), seated on top of a 12-nt stem-internal loop called stem-loop B (nt 243 to 247 and 271 to 277). Destroying stem-loop B reduced genome dimerization by ∼50% and proviral DNA synthesis by ∼85% and left unchanged the dissociation temperature of dimeric genomic RNA. The most affected step of reverse transcription was plus-strand DNA transfer, which was reduced by ∼80%. Deleting nt 241 to 256 or 200 to 256 did not reduce genome dimerization significantly more than the destruction of stem-loop B or the DIS hairpin. We conclude that the KLD is nonmodular: mutations in stem-loop B and in the DIS hairpin have similar effects on genome dimerization, reverse transcription, and encapsidation and are also “nonadditive”; i.e., a larger deletion spanning both of these structures has the same effects on genome dimerization and encapsidation as if stem-loop B strongly impacted DIS hairpin function and vice versa. A C258G transversion in the palindrome of the kissing-loop reduced genome dimerization by ∼50% and viral infectivity by ∼1.4 log. Two mutations, CGCG261→UUAA261 (creating a weaker palindrome) and a Δ241–256 suppressor mutation, were each able to reduce genome dimerization but leave genome packaging unaffected.