Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supply chain performance and the adoption of new logistics technologies for logistics service providers in Taiwan

Abstract Logistics service providers play an important role in a supply chain system and should pay attention to adopt efficient logistics technologies to provide better services for their customers. This paper conducts questionnaire survey to study the factors influencing new logistics technology adoption for logistics service providers in Taiwan and the influences of new technology adoption on supply chain performance. The influencing factors include technological, organizational, and environmental characteristics. Supply chain performance is measured using financial and non-financial indices. The method of factor analysis is used to find some major configurations for each influencing factor, and the multiple regression method is employed to test the proposed research hypotheses. It can be found that adopting new technologies will increase supply chain performance and the adoption of new logistics technologies is influenced by technological, organizational and environmental characteristics.
Are Families Who Use E-Banking Better Financial Managers?

Using the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances, the contribution of various electronic banking technologies to financial management practices of U.S. households are explored. Results for a three-level ordered probit model reveal that, controlling for a range of socioeconomic, demographic, experiential and attitudinal characteristics, consumers’ use of direct deposit, phone banking and computer banking are associated with "better" financial management. Implications for firms, educators, and policy makers are provided.
Does Leptin Mediate the Effect of Photoperiod on Immune Function in Mice?1

Abstract Seasonal fluctuations in immune status have been documented for avian and mammalian populations. During the late summer and early fall, immune function is bolstered to help animals cope with the more physiologically demanding winter. The environmental cue for these seasonal changes is apparently decreasing photoperiod. In the present study, we determined the potential role of leptin in mediating the effect of photoperiod on cell-mediated immune responses in male mice. Leptin-deficient (ob/ob) and littermate control mice were housed for 10 wk in either a short (8L:16D) or a long (16L:8D) photoperiod beginning at 6 wk of age. After the mice were killed, immune and reproductive organs were weighed and splenocytes isolated. The proliferative and cytokine responses (interleukin [IL]-2 and IL-4) of splenocytes to the T-cell mitogen, concanavalin A (Con A; 0–40 μg/ml), were determined. Body weights were elevated and both testes and seminal vesicle weights subnormal in ob/ob mice (by ANOVA, main effect of leptin deficiency), but thymuses and spleens were of normal size. Serum leptin levels were at minimum detection limits in ob/ob mice, but leptin levels in control mice housed at 8L:16D were higher than in control mice housed at 16L:8D. The proliferative response of splenocytes from ob/ob mice to Con A was subnormal (by ANOVA, main effect of leptin deficiency), but photoperiod had no effect on this response. Production of IL-2 in splenocytes of ob/ob mice was subnormal (by ANOVA, main effect of leptin deficiency) irrespective of photoperiod, but cells from mice housed at 8L:16D (by ANOVA, main effect of photoperiod) produced more IL-2 than cells from animals housed at 16L:8D. In contrast, a leptin deficiency did not alter IL-4 production, but cells from animals (ob/ob and controls) housed at 16L:8D produced less IL-4 than cells from animals housed at 8L:16D (by ANOVA, main effect of photoperiod). The present study suggests that both photoperiod and leptin have mutually independent effects on the proliferation of lymphocytes and cytokine production profiles. The data do not provide definitive support for the hypothesis that photoperiod-induced changes in leptin secretion mediate the effects of season on immune status.
Built-in self-repair IC logic with area optimized error-correcting codes

Integrated Circuits (ICs) suffer from malfunctioning because of permanent production errors, and transient or permanent errors during operation. ICs can be made tolerant for these errors by building in self-repair. This is implemented by the use of (known) error correction codes. These are now optimized for minimum silicon area, which essentially differs from using the classical criterion of minimal code redundancy. As compared to majority voting, our area-optimized Hamming codes and product codes offer sufficient fault protection for less than half the silicon area overhead.
First Choice? Last Resort? Social Risks and Gift Card Selection

In this paper, we use a field study to explore why consumers choose gift cards in lieu of actual gift items. We focus specifically on consumers' self-perceptions and metaperceptions in gift-giving situations, including how these processes are linked to the givers' gender and the strength of the relationships between givers and receivers. Deriving support from the existing gift card literature, our findings suggest that reducing social risks is one of the dominant reasons driving people to choose gift cards; risk reduction is more prominent in situations when gift cards are a last resort, rather than the giver's first choice. Moreover, we find that when social relationships between givers and recipients are weak, givers are more concerned about meeting their own social needs than their recipients' needs. The implications and results of this study can be applied by retailers, such as when designing customized gift cards, and by academics, in better understanding gift-giving paradigms.
Study on Technique of Basin Water-Quality Target Management:V. Economic Policies for Water Pollution Control

Environmental economic policy system is an important component of technique in basin water-quality target management.Based on an analysis of current implementation status and characteristics of environmental economic policies and the main measures both at home and abroad,the shortcomings and problems of China's environmental economic policy system were pointed out.The basic connotation and characteristics of policy system for protecting water environment regarding basin control unit were proposed.Based on the principle of "by region,by type,by grade and by term",the basic framework and construction approach of environmental economic policy system suitable for watershed management in China were proposed,and the economic policy means concretely expounded,such as environmental finance,environmental investment and financing,pollutant charge and pollution tax,ecological and pollution compensation,and so on.Finally,the integrated implementation mechanism of environmental economic policy system and relative policy guarantee demands were put forward.
Rapid identification of "very virulent" strains of infectious bursal disease virus by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction combined with restriction enzyme analysis

A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) combined with restriction enzyme analysis (REA) was developed for differentiation of classical virulent (cv) and very virulent (vv) strains of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). The VP2 gene was used for primer annealing to amplify the hypervariable region. An amplification product was obtained with serotype 1 and serotype 2 strains of IBDV.The restriction enzymes SacI and BspMI were used to identify and to differentiate the serotype 1 strains: SacI only cleaved cvIBDV RT-PCR products, whereas products obtained with vvIBDV strains were only cleaved with BspMI; serotype 2 strain products were not cleaved by either of these restriction enzymes. RT-PCR combined with REA as described in this study is thus suitable to detect IBDV of both serotypes and to distinguish rapidly between cvIBDV,vvIBDV and serotype 2 IBDV.Our investigation of a total of 11 different IBDV isolates and available nucleotide sequence data of other isolates indicate that the application of this protocol might be a useful tool for the rapid identification of vvIBDV isolates, a prerequisite for the effective control of this economically important virus infection of commercial poultry.
DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGY AND INTERNATIONALIZATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR MNE PERFORMANCE

This study examines potential explanations for performance differences among multinational enterprises (MNEs). The research variables, diversification strategy and degree of internationalization, involve basic elements of firms' strategy: range and relatedness of products, and relative emphasis on foreign versus domestic operations. The sample included the 100 largest MNEs from the U.S. and Europe. Diversification strategy was significantly related to MNE performance, extending Rumelt's seminal research to international business. Degree of internationalization was also significantly related to MNE performance.
Directed Evolution of a Virus Exclusively Utilizing Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor as the Entry Receptor

ABSTRACT Rational design and directed evolution are powerful tools to generate and improve protein function; however, their uses are mostly limited to enzyme and antibody engineering. Here we describe a directed-evolution strategy, named the tandem selection and enrichment system (TSES), and its use in generating virus with exclusive specificity for a particular cellular receptor. In TSES, evolving viruses are sequentially and iteratively transferred between two different host cells, one for selection of receptor specificity and the other for enrichment of the fittest virus. By combining rational design and TSES, we generated human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific virus 1 (ESV1). ESV1 has the backbone of Sindbis virus (SINV) and displays an EGF domain engrafted onto structural protein E2 after residue Pro192, together with eight amino acid changes stabilizing the E2-EGF chimera. ESV1 uses EGFR to initiate infection and has lost the capacity to interact with all known SINV receptors. A 12.2-Å cryoelectron microscopic (cryoEM) reconstruction of ESV1 reveals that the E2-EGF fusion adopts a fixed conformation, with EGF sitting at the top of the E2 spike; The EGFR binding interface faces outward, and the EGF domain completely masks SINV receptor binding. The cryoEM structure of ESV1 explains the desirable properties of ESV1 and provides insights for its further modification. TSES expands the scope of directed evolution and can be easily extended to other targeting molecules and viral systems.
Slow processes in supercooled o-terphenyl: relaxation and decoupling.

We mapped the relaxation times of inter- and intramolecular correlations in o-terphenyl by a quasielastic scattering method using nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation. From the obtained map, we found that the slow β process is decoupled from the α process at 278 K, and this temperature is clearly below the previous decoupling temperature of 290 K, at which the α-relaxation dynamics changes. Then, it was also concluded that sufficient solidlike condition achieved by further cooling from 290 K is required to decouple the slow β process from the α process and, due to the difference of the length scales between the α and the slow β processes, these two averaged relaxation times are concluded not to cross as an extrapolation assumed so far. Furthermore, evidence of the restricted dynamics of the slow β process could be obtained as an anomalous momentum transfer (q) dependence of ( ∝q(-2.9)) at 265 K, observed at q values of 18-48 nm(-1).
A critical examination of start-up business growth through employment decisions

In the United Kingdom, small businesses account for 99.9% of all private sector businesses, 59.1% of private sector employment and 48.8% of private sector turnover (BIS, 2012). Small business growth is considered to offer benefits to the economy via wealth creation and employment. Implicit in policy and the management literature is the idea that in order to grow, businesses must recruit additional resource. However, there is limited research into how, why and when businesses take this first step. The complex transition from being a sole trader to a manager is largely ignored in studies of business growth and human resource management in in favour of normative accounts, which relate to larger or more established businesses. To address this gap in the extant research, this research aims to critically investigate the complexities of employment decision making in a start-up business context in order to further understand start-up business growth. The research adopted a longitudinal, qualitative case study design to critically evaluate business owners’ employment decisions. Visual data elicitation tools (mapping) complemented semi-structured interviews and observational data collection to develop four case studies, presented as the empirical contribution of this study. Employing the theoretical lens of effectuation, this study moves towards an expanded theory of human resource management in growth orientated start-up businesses and provides an empirically grounded conceptualisation of effectual logic in practice in a start-up business context. The contributions are an expanded understanding of the practices of hrm in growth oriented start-up businesses, strongly influenced by kinship and notions of legitimacy, and an understanding of the role of effectuation in relation to hrm in growth oriented start-up businesses. These findings make a valuable contribution to extending perspectives on growth, support and employment practices in the UK small business sector. Specifically contributing to the academic discussions regarding effectual decision making and growth. It also offers practical utility via policy and practice implications.
Using netnography for the study of role-playing in female online games: Interpretation of situational context model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth the special context and unique life experience of the online role-playing game and to provide insights regarding an interpretation of the situational context model. Design/methodology/approach This study uses netnography, online interviews, and the physical travel of researchers to the field for field participation and observations. The combination of netnography and online interviews combines online and offline studies to achieve more consistency in the data collection, analysis, and other processes. In-person participation in observations makes the research more realistic. The combination of these qualitative methods is helpful in achieving a more comprehensive and accurate research process. Findings The findings of the study can be classified into a three-stage situational context approach, which is presented in the form of propositions. Finally, the insight of the situational context model was developed. Research limitations/implications This study only focussed on office workers and students in online role-playing game. Therefore, the samples should be extended to other massively multiplayer online games, including different nationalities and professions for comparative analysis and related studies. Through the expansion of the sample size, a representative and stable cyber model can be established. Originality/value The theoretical contribution of this study is to establish an interpretation of the situational context model and eight related propositions. The study revealed the mystery of female online role-playing games.
Lean manufacturing implementation in an automated production line: a case study

The paper aims at improving production performance of an automated production line by lean manufacturing implementation. The production performance has been improved in an Indian industry by identifying and eliminating non-value added activities through value stream mapping. An increase in the production rate per day by 10.37%, decrease in production lead time by 10.51%, and reduction of non-value added time by 4.00% have been observed. Production levelling has been done to meet the increased customer demand without investment. The present case study will provide the managers an approach to improve productivity even in an automated production line.
A Conceptual Model on the Relationships between Business Strategy, Business Model Innovation, Resource Configuration and Performance

The main objective of this study is to develop a research framework for strategic management researchers to develop sound strategic business model innovation that has practical implication on how to innovate firms' business models. The research identifies factors attributing to effective business model: business strategies, type of business model innovations and types of resource configurations. This study framework can guide leaders and managers to acquire the appropriate capability of coping with business model dynamics as well as major transformation that arises from business model innovations. In addition, the study provides insightful contributions in explaining the influence of business strategies (defender, prospector, analyzer) on business model innovations and firm resource configuration, and their influence on business model effectiveness. This study model is valuable considering the limited amount of empirical work previously done on the topic in question. Based on a case-study research survey in seven companies in Indonesia that took place in 2011-2012, we have drawn first conclusions expressed in four research propositions that deem further tests. One case (Food Co.) is highlighted for the description of the study to show some presence and absence of alignment between business strategy, business model innovation, and resource configuration.
Strategic Management and Determinism

Contingency theories of management and economic theories of industrial organization both contribute to a mechanistic view of the strategic manager as “analyst. ” In this view, the secret to managerial effectiveness is through the application of scientific laws or principles, be they “laws of organization” or “laws of the marketplace. ” This paper argues for a view of strategic management as a creative activity and suggests a dialectic between free will and determinism in conceptualizations of strategic behavior.
The implementation of the Basel III Countercyclical Capital Buffer in Portugal

Basel II capital requirements are risk sensitive because they rely on the credit quality of borrowers, which means that in a downturn of the business cycle, when capital might be needed to absorb losses, capital requirements are also expected to be higher. This procyclicality may lead to excessive risk-taking during good times and to a credit crunch during bad times, amplifying the business cycle effects. Several approaches were proposed to address this problem. The new Basel III framework directly addresses this issue, mainly through the implementation of the countercyclical capital buffer. This buffer aims to protect the banking system from periods of excessive credit growth, ensuring that the financial sector, as a whole, has enough capital to maintain the flow of credit into real economy in stress periods and that capital requirements do not constraint credit supply. The objective of this thesis is to discuss the implementation in Portugal of the Basel III countercyclical capital buffer framework. The analysis was organized in two main parts, answering two different questions. First, the historical performance of the common guide Credit-to-GDP gap, proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to signal the built up of the countercyclical capital buffer, was tested. The results showed that the guide can signal the build up of the buffer complying with the objectives set. However, according to the results, some alterations to the methodology proposed may need to be considered, in order to improve the calibration for the Portuguese economy. For instance, a smoothing parameter of 1 600 instead of 400 000 to compute the trend using a recursive Hodrick-Prescott filter may provide better results, while changing the lower and upper thresholds might also be necessary. banks effects capital capital, sheet UK banks. banks to react to capital
THE EFFECT OF FIRM SPECIFIC ADVANTAGES AND MONITORING MECHANISM TO FOREIGN SUBSIDIARIES PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of firm-specific advantages and monitoring mechanisms on the performance of foreign subsidiaries in Indonesia. Firm-specific advantages refer to marketing ability, management ability, and firm size. Monitoring mechanism refer to independent commisioner and financial leverage. This study using purposive sampling in collecting the data. The sample in this study consist of manufacturing company that is listing on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2012. The results indicate that the management expertise and financial leverage significant effect on the performance of foreign subsidiaries. Business strategy that run the company failed to moderate the relationship between firm -specific advantages and monitoring mechanisms on the performance of foreign subsidiaries. Keywords: Firm-Specific Advantages, Monitoring Mechanism, Bussiness Strategy, Firm Performance, Foreign Subsidiary
Individual Factors Affecting Preferences for Feedback Message Tactics in the Contexts of Physical Activity

Tailored feedback on personal physical activity behavior has been used to inform individuals and promote physical activity among different populations. This study aimed to increase the understanding of factors associated with young men's preferences for feedback message tactics in the context of physical activity and exercise. How preferences vary was analyzed in terms of the self-reported physical activity, stage of exercise behavior change, exercise self-efficacy, objectively measured physical health status, and sociodemographic characteristics of young Finnish men. Population-based survey data, including physiological measurements (n = 525), were collected at the Finnish Defence Forces’ call-ups in the city of Oulu, Finland, in September 2011. The results indicate that the stage of exercise behavior change, exercise self-efficacy, physical health status, and educational level are associated with a preference for normative and ipsative comparison. Multivariate logistic regression models show that an advanced stage of exercise behavior change and education in the academic track of an upper secondary school are independent predictors of preferring ipsative and normative physical activity feedback among young men. The study provides new insights into how the stage of behavior change influences health information behavior and is in line with studies emphasizing social factors—including education—as being important in shaping health-related behavior. These factors could form the basis for tailoring information when designing health promotion.
Does the home country system of innovation affect the choice of FDI mode for emerging multinationals

The characteristics of the home country and the preference for mergers of acquisition (MA particularly, how the development level of the home country and the preference for M&A can be related to a dominant learning from abroad strategy. The empirical analysis is built upon a sample of 77 countries with dissimilar levels of development. Using factorial analysis we build a composed index of HNSI over some of the main pillars of the NSI conceptual approach and we estimate dynamic panel data model in the period 1996-2010. Our findings confirm that although the HNSI factor affects the two modes of FDI, there is a negative effect in cross-border M&A from developing countries leading to the learning from abroad argument and the institutional and technological escape as prevailing strategies of EMNE. For the case of Greenfield FDI, there is a positive linkage with the HNSI. Moreover, the presence of foreign MNE in developing economies affects directly the internationalization via M&A, being this effect negative in developed countries.