Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In search of relationship quality, customer retention and shareholder value: Findings from an exploratory, qualitative multiple case study

This article reports on the findings from an exploratory, qualitative first part of a research that (1) theorises that successful creation of shareholder value in relationship marketing and management requires relationship quality, which translates into customer retention, and that (2) models relationship quality and customer retention as key mediating variables in the creation of shareholder value. A multiple case study involving companies (in exporter-importer dyads) in the Danish- British dairy sector, the Danish-British bacon sector and the New Zealand-British wine sector explored the key constructs of relationship quality; specifically, the cases examined whether or not the dimensions of relationship quality that Roberts (1998) and Roberts et al. (2000) have suggested are an appropriate framework. These dimensions are as follows: trust in credibility, trust in benevolence, commitment, conflict, satisfaction and social bonding. The evidence of the findings suggests that it does make sense to employ re.
Apaf-1, Bcl-xL, Cytochrome c, and Caspase-9 Form the Critical Elements for Cerebral Vascular Protection by Erythropoietin

Erythropoietin (EPO) plays a prominent role in the regulation of the hematopoietic system, but the potential function of this trophic factor as a cytoprotectant in the cerebral vascular system is not known. The authors examined the ability of EPO to modulate a series of death-related cellular pathways during free radical–induced injury in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (ECs). Endothelial cell injury was evaluated by trypan blue, DNA fragmentation, membrane phosphatidylserine exposure, apoptotic protease–activating factor-1 (Apaf-1), and Bcl-xL expression, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and cysteine protease activity. They show that constitutive EPO is present in ECs but is insufficient to prevent cellular injury. Signaling through the EPO receptor, however, remains biologically responsive to exogenous EPO administration to offer significant protection against nitric oxide–induced injury. Exogenous EPO maintains both genomic DNA integrity and cellular membrane asymmetry through parallel pathways that prevent the induction of Apaf-1 and preserve mitochondrial membrane potential in conjunction with enhanced Bcl-xL expression. Consistent with the modulation of Apaf-1 and the release of cytochrome c, EPO also inhibits the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3–like activities. Identification of novel cytoprotective pathways used by EPO may serve as therapeutic targets for cerebral vascular disease.
Productivity Dynamics with Technology Choice: An Application to Automobile Assembly

During the 1980's, all Japanese automobile producers opened assembly plants in North America. Industry analysts and previous research claim that these transplants are more productive than incumbent plants and that they produce with a substantially different production process. I compare the production processes by estimating a model that allows for heterogeneity in technology and productivity, both of which are intrinsically unobservable. The model is estimated on a panel of assembly plants, controlling for capacity utilization and price effects.The results indicate that the more recent technology uses capital more intensively and it has a higher elasticity of substitution between labour and capital. Hicks-neutral productivity growth is estimated to be lower, while capital-biased (labour-saving) productivity growth is higher for the new technology. Using the estimation results, I decompose industry-wide productivity growth and find plant-level changes in lean plants to be the most important contributor. Plant-level productivity growth is further decomposed to reveal the importance of capital-biased productivity growth, increases in the capital-labour ratio, and returns to scale. Copyright 2003, Wiley-Blackwell.
Scaling Social Entrepreneurial Impact

Successful scaling of social impact by a social entrepreneurial organization is driven by its capabilities in seven areas, identified in this article by using the acronym SCALERS: Staffing, Communicating, Alliance-building, Lobbying, Earnings-generation, Replicating, and Stimulating market forces. The relative importance of each of these capabilities in driving scaling will depend on several situational contingencies, such as the labor needs of the organization or the public support attracted by its causes or programs. The article presents the logic, theory, and prior research that support the SCALERS model and cites examples of case experiences that are consistent with the model.
B-50/GAP43 is localized at the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane in developing and adult rat pyramidal tract

The neuron-specific phosphoprotein B-50/GAP43 has been implicated in axonal outgrowth, since high levels of B-50/GAP43 are found in growth cones and during development of the nervous system. In adult brain, the B-50 levels are decreased. B-50 is primarily found in axons and presynaptic terminals. It is phosphorylated by protein kinase C, and this process has been implicated in the modulation of membrane signal transduction. During the outgrowth of the pyramidal tract, high levels of B-50 have been reported, whereas a low amount of B-50 persists into the adult stage. By immunoelectron microscopy, using immunogold labeling on cryosections and pre-embedding peroxidase labeling, we examined the distribution of B-50 in the pyramidal tract at the third cervical segment in developing 2-d-old and adult 90-d-old rats. B-50 immunoreactivity was found in axons and growth cones of the outgrowing tract. In the adult pyramidal tract, both unmyelinated and myelinated axons contained B-50 immunoreactivity. The immunogold label was predominantly located at the plasma membrane. Since the peroxidase reaction product was observed exclusively intracellularly, we conclude that the B-50 immunoreactivity is predominantly located at the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane of axons and growth cones. The high immunoreactivity in growth cones and axons of the outgrowing pyramidal tract further supports the hypothesis that B-50 plays a role in neurite outgrowth. The presence of B-50 in the adult pyramidal tract cannot merely be attributed to transport to the synapse. Therefore, it is suggested that B-50 plays, in addition, a local, growth-associated role in the adult tract.
Consumer Response to Commodity‐Specific and Broad‐Based Promotion Programs for Fruits and Vegetables

Generic promotion activities have traditionally been used for individual agricultural commodities, yet there is renewed interest in implementing a mandatory "broad-based" promotion program for all fruits and vegetables. Here we use data from an experiment that introduce subjects to various promotional efforts for fruits and vegetables to estimate the shift and rotational effects of advertising. Econometric results indicate that commodity-specific promotional efforts may not be effective at increasing demand for fruits and vegetables. After controlling for various demographic differences among treatments, our results show that consumers' valuation of fruits and vegetables was highest among subjects exposed to broad-based advertisements. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.
Influence of management and environment on Australian wheat: information for sustainable intensification and closing yield gaps

In the future, agriculture will need to produce more, from less land, more sustainably. But currently, in many places, actual crop yields are below those attainable. We quantified the ability for agricultural management to increase wheat yields across 179 Mha of potentially arable land in Australia. Using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM), we simulated the impact on wheat yield of 225 fertilization and residue management scenarios at a high spatial, temporal, and agronomic resolution from 1900 to 2010. The influence of management and environmental variables on wheat yield was then assessed using Spearman’s non-parametric correlation test with bootstrapping. While residue management showed little correlation, fertilization strongly increased wheat yield up to around 100 kg N ha−1 yr−1. However, this effect was highly dependent on the key environment variables of rainfall, temperature, and soil water holding capacity. The influence of fertilization on yield was stronger in cooler, wetter climates, and in soils with greater water holding capacity. We conclude that the effectiveness of management intensification to increase wheat yield is highly dependent upon local climate and soil conditions. We provide context-specific information on the yield benefits of fertilization to support adaptive agronomic decision-making and contribute to the closure of yield gaps. We also suggest that future assessments consider the economic and environmental sustainability of management intensification for closing yield gaps.
Effective sensor-bridging with visual preattentive features

The goal of sensor-bridging is to map sensory information to a modality that humans are able to process effectively. As our vision has the highest bandwidth to our brain from all our senses, data visualization has an important role in presenting such information. We review research in data visualization and human visual perception, show several examples for images that are easy to process, and provide some recommendations for effective visual sensor-bridging. At the end, we pose some open research questions for the area of cognitive infocommunications and human-computer interaction.
Labour Market Transitions and Unemployment Duration: Evidence from Bulgarian and Polish Micro-data

The segmentation of the labour market is one of the most striking characteristics of the transition process in Central and Eastern European countries. Not only do the young, unskilled workers and women face a high risk of unemployment, but joblessness also varies significantly geographically. This paper sheds some light on labour market segmentation in transition countries by analysing individual records of individuals registered at the labour offices of two Polish regions (Warsaw and Ciechanov and two Bulgarian regions (Sofia and Botevgrad) over the initial three to four years of the transition to a market economy. The empirical results confirm the existence of highly selective firing and hiring processes in the Polish and Bulgarian labour markets. Overall, unskilled or poorly educated workers have the highest probability of becoming unemployed and remaining without a job for a long period of time. We also analysed the determinants of unemployment duration across regions and over time using a piece-wise constant hazard model with multiple destinations, i.e. employment and exit from the labour force. The results suggest that the unemployed with a high education and previous experience in the private sector have a higher probability of getting a new job, especially in the more dynamic labour markets, while those without previous work experience tend to stay unemployed for a longer period of time and often leave the labour market. The econometric results also suggest that the reforms of the unemployment benefit systems have produced important effects on unemployment flows.
Hysteresis Power-Loss Heating of Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles Designed for Magnetic Thermoablation

We have fabricated ferromagnetic Fe-oxide nanoparticles as a candidate of hysteresis-loss heating materials used for hyperthermia and thermoablation and examined heating abilities. The coercivities were controlled in a range between 50 Oe and 240 Oe. The temperature-rising characteristics were examined for randomly oriented solid nanoparticles by applying a 17-kHz ac magnetic field with an amplitude up to 550 Oe. A temperature rising rate DeltaT/Deltat was proportional to the square of the peak magnetic field H 0 in the lower H 0 region; however, the relation dose not hold at higher H 0. The maximum loss power was obtained to be 4 W/g, which is smaller than the value expected from the minor loop experiment (13.7 W/g). The reason for small heating capability is discussed.
Using High-Frequency Transaction Data to Estimate the Probability of Informed Trading

This paper applies the asymmetric autoregressive conditional duration (AACD) model of Bauwens and Giot (2003) to estimate the probability of informed trading (PIN) using irregularly spaced transaction data. We model trade direction (buy versus sell orders) and the duration between trades jointly. Unlike the Easley, Hvidkjaer, and O'Hara (2002) approach, which uses the aggregate numbers of daily buy and sell orders to estimate PIN, our methodology allows for interactions between consecutive buy-sell orders and accounts for the duration between trades and the volume of trade. We extend the Easley--Hvidkjaer--O'Hara framework by allowing the probabilities of good news and bad news to vary each day. Our PIN estimates can be computed daily as well as over intraday intervals. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org. , Oxford University Press.
An Empirical Study on Public Service Motivation of the Next Generation Civil Servants in China

Why do the Chinese university students choose government jobs instead of private companies? Do they have similar job motivations as those who are seeking private sector jobs? Surprisingly, literature on public administration in China has rarely posed this question despite China’s adoption of the civil service system since 1993. Specific examination of public service motivation (PSM) literature also revealed a lack of empirical studies on the public service spirit of potential public sector employees. This article analyzes the differences in job motivations between public and private job seekers using survey data of 329 Chinese university students from the Peking University, Renmin University, Fudan University, and Nankai University. The results suggest that both private and public job seekers commonly rank “stable and promising future,” “high salary,” “chance to exercise leadership,” and “high prestige and social status” as the most important motivators. Notwithstanding the commonality, public job seekers, especially female students, show higher public service spirit than private job seekers.
Genealogical and molecular analysis of a family-based cohort of congenital heart disease patients from the São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal)

Abstract Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one common birth malformation, accounting for ∼30% of total congenital abnormalities. Aim: Considering the unknown role of consanguinity in causing CHD, this study hypothesised that consanguineous unions and/or familial aggregation may be frequent in the Azorean Island of São Miguel (Portugal). To that end, a retrospective observational study was performed based on genealogical and molecular analyses. Subjects and methods: The study enrolled 112 CHD patients from São Miguel Island, which allowed the assessment of type of family (simplex or multiplex), parental consanguinity and grandparental endogamy. Based on 15 STR markers, inbreeding coefficients (FIS) in the CHD cohort and healthy control group (n = 114) were estimated. Results: Multiplex families were 37.6% (n = 41/109), a rate considerably higher than previously described in the literature (< 15%). Moreover, 9.2% (n = 10/109) of the CHD families were consanguineous, mostly derived from third cousin unions, and 20.2% (n = 22/109) presented full grandparental endogamy. Higher FIS values were found in patients with parental consanguinity (0.0371) and patent ductus arteriosus (0.0277). Conclusion: This study analysed several genealogical and genetic features related with CHD, revealing the presence of parental consanguinity and extensive familial aggregation in the CHD patients from São Miguel Island.
The relation of weight suppression and BMI to bulimic symptoms.

OBJECTIVE High levels of weight suppression have been associated with greater binge eating and weight gain as well as poorer treatment outcome in bulimia nervosa. This study examined the relationship between weight suppression and bulimia nervosa symptoms and explored how weight suppression might interact with body mass index (BMI) in accounting for level of symptomatology at presentation for treatment. METHOD Participants were 64 women with threshold or sub-threshold bulimia nervosa. A clinical interview assessed binge eating and purging. RESULTS Weight suppression and the interaction between BMI and weight suppression predicted frequency of binge eating such that participants with low BMI and high weight suppression engaged in the most binge eating. High levels of weight suppression also predicted more frequent purging. DISCUSSION Additional research is warranted to examine mediators of these relationships.
Parallel distributed network characteristics of the DSCT.

1. We examined the functional organization of the dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) and found that it is similar to that of a parallel distributed network having widespread connectivity among parallel elements. The prevailing view is that the DSCT provides receptor-specific information to the cerebellum regarding muscle and cutaneous inputs from the hindlimbs, but that view does not consider the convergent inputs to DSCT neurons from multimodal polysynaptic pathways. 2. Spontaneously active DSCT neurons respond to peripheral stimulation with changes in their firing probability. We characterized the temporal patterns of poststimulus excitability changes for a large number of neurons using principal component analysis. The response of each neuron was represented by a response vector in three-dimensional principal component space, in which similar vectors represent responses having a similar waveform for their poststimulus activity patterns. 3. We compared the responses of large populations of DSCT units to two types of stimuli: small (3-8 deg) passive rotations of the foot at the ankle of an intact limb (234 cells) and stretch or contraction of an isolated muscle group (gastrocnemius-soleus, 168 cells). Most of the cells tested had significant responses (P < 0.05) to both types of stimuli (40-78% responded to muscle stimulation and 88% to foot rotation), and they exhibited similar patterns of poststimulus activity. Long-lasting inhibitory responses and excitatory responses with a range of peak times (< 10- > 60 ms) were prevalent in all cases. The population response to each stimulus was characterized by the relative incidence of response types among the units in a representative sample of the population. 4. The time course of excitability changes induced in DSCT cells by the stimuli could have been determined primarily by the presynaptic circuitry or by postsynaptic factors intrinsic to the DSCT cells. The evidence presented suggests that the selection of response waveforms and their distribution among the DSCT cells was determined presynaptically. We found that individual cells were capable of diverse responses to different stimuli. 5. Sample groups of 7-30 cells were selected at random and also on the basis of the similarity of their responses to one type of stimulus. The distributions of response types among the cells of the sample groups were compared to the distributions for the entire population recorded for each stimulus. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Vaccinia Virus Uracil DNA Glycosylase Has an Essential Role in DNA Synthesis That Is Independent of Its Glycosylase Activity: Catalytic Site Mutations Reduce Virulence but Not Virus Replication in Cultured Cells

ABSTRACT Previous findings that the vaccinia virus uracil DNA glycosylase is required for virus DNA replication, coupled with an inability to isolate a mutant with an active site substitution in the glycosylase gene, were surprising, as such enzymes function in DNA repair and bacterial, yeast, and mammalian null mutants are viable. To further study the role of the viral protein, we constructed recombinant vaccinia viruses with single or double mutations (D68N and H181L) in the uracil DNA glycosylase conserved catalytic site by using a complementing cell line that constitutively expresses the viral enzyme. Although these mutations abolished uracil DNA glycosylase activity, they did not prevent viral DNA replication or propagation on a variety of noncomplementing cell lines or human primary skin fibroblasts. In contrast, replication of a uracil DNA glycosylase deletion mutant occurred only in the complementing cell line. Therefore, the uracil DNA glycosylase has an essential role in DNA replication that is independent of its glycosylase activity. Nevertheless, the conservation of the catalytic site in all poxvirus orthologs suggested an important role in vivo. This idea was confirmed by the decreased virulence of catalytic-site mutants when administered by the intranasal route to mice.
No Relationship Between Joint Position Sense and Force Sense at the Shoulder

ABSTRACT In practice, a single test is used to quantify an individual's proprioception. Previous studies have not found a correlation between joint position sense (JPS) and force sense (FS), which are submodalities of proprioception. The purpose of the present study is to determine if root mean square (RMS) error in JPS and FS are related at the shoulder, controlling for external load and elevation angle. Active shoulder angle and force reproduction protocols were performed. No correlation was found between JPS and FS (r = –.019, p = .941) nor were any individual angle and load combinations significant. The main effect for angle in JPS was significant (p < .001). Follow-up contrast demonstrated a significant (p < .001) decrease in RMS error with increased elevation. A significant load by angle interaction was found for FS (p = .014). Follow-up simple effects tests by angle demonstrated RMS error decreased with load at 50° and 70° but not at 90°. By load, RMS error only decreased for 120% between 50° and 90°. JPS and FS demonstrate different behavior with load and angle. This differing behavior is more likely responsible for the lack of correlation than angle and load differences in JPS and FS protocols.
Equilibrium interest rate and financial transactions in post-Keynesian models. Pointing out some overlooked features

The paper argues that beyond the deviations of the long-term interest rate the monetary authority may cause, it is the rate determined by the market conventional expectations that prevails eventually. Lasting influence requires the authority to be capable of changing the market conventional expectations, not only refinancing conditions. The paper also explores the implicit financial transactions behind interest rate determination in post-Keynesian simple macro-models. It points out symmetry between the money and finance markets in equilibrium models. As a consequence of endogenous money, the finance market cannot but clear along with the money market, which sheds light on the rejection of the 'loanable funds' theory. In disequilibrium business cycle models, on the other hand, the symmetry is between the financial and goods markets, as in the 'loanable funds' theory.
Taking it to the Streets: Raising the Costs of Electoral Authoritarianism in Russia

Abstract The electoral authoritarian regime under Vladimir Putin's presidency in Russia has successfully ensured that political opposition remains either neutered or is removed from the political process altogether. The article argues that the unprecedented level of protest after the flawed parliamentary elections of December 2011 has altered the political landscape in Russia. Using a framework derived from the works of Alfred Stepan the article examines ways in which political opposition in Russia may be able to build on the advances made over the winter of 2011–2012 and more effectively challenge the regime.