Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The value of assurance on voluntary nonfinancial disclosure : an experimental evaluation

SUMMARY: This study examines whether assurance on the voluntary provision of nonfinancial performance indicators affects the stock price estimates of a group of sophisticated financial report users. We conducted an experiment where participants were provided with a case study containing excerpts from a hypothetical company's annual report. Nonfinancial performance and assurance were manipulated in a 2 (positive and negative nonfinancial performance indicators) ×2 (assurance and no assurance) +1 (control condition) between‐subjects design. After reading the case materials, the participants indicated whether they believed the company's stock price would increase or decrease based on the information provided. As expected, we found that the nonfinancial performance indicators had a significant effect on stock price estimates. In addition, consistent with attribution theory, an assurance report on the voluntarily disclosed nonfinancial performance indicators only had a significant effect on stock price estimat.
Intra- and inter-regional knowledge spillovers: Evidence from European regions

Is the knowledge creation process linear or characterized by feedback relations among actors involved in the regional innovation system? How can the innovation process of ‘lagging’ regions be strengthened? What is the role and extent of inter-regional knowledge spillovers? The paper aims at providing satisfactory answers in investigating a knowledge production function framework adapted to the specific questions and which is tested on an extended sample of European regions. On the basis of the results, concrete policy measures are derived aiming at upgrading the knowledge creation capacity of European regions.
Lean Service: A literature analysis and classification

The service sector in the USA accounts for 80% of gross domestic product. However, in spite of the pivotal role of the service sector in the US economy and its impact on daily life, the level of productivity in this sector has been much lower than that of the manufacturing area. This situation has been in existence for some time, but in the current context, there are growing external pressures to reduce costs, increase flexibility, improve quality and cut down on lead times. Companies are thus turning their attention to the manufacturing sector with the aim of implementing their techniques and methods which encourage a ‘lean’ approach. The purpose of this article is to review the extant literature on the subject that goes under the umbrella-title of ‘Lean Service’, analyse it, classify it into preliminary categories and suggest possible gaps in the research literature from the point of view of researchers and practitioners. The paper systematically categorises the published literature where the term Lean Service appears, including the early publications on the subject. Then, the categories are revised and analysed methodically. The research found that the literature referring to Lean Service can vary widely from the exploration of the meaning of the concept, its applications (case studies), the setting up of theoretical concepts (models) to the generation of new definitions. Within each category, certain gaps have been identified and possible future lines of research which clarify and distinguish the concept of Lean Service. In addition, within the category of ‘applications’, sub-categories have been identified such as banks and financial institutions, the health sector, education, the airline industry, and hotels and restaurants. The paper aspires to be of interest as much to researchers as to professionals in the service industry, whether they have middle management responsibilities, or are service managers, and also to all those employees whose work is related to this sector, with the object of understanding the management of service organisations from the Lean Service perspective.
The small proteoglycans decorin and biglycan in human articular cartilage of late-stage osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE Disturbances in proteoglycan metabolism of hyaline cartilage play an essential role in the pathology of degenerative joint disease. We investigated the relation between transcript expression, protein synthesis and the ultrastructural localization of the matrix-organizing proteoglycans decorin and biglycan within intra- and extracellular compartments of late-stage osteoarthritic human articular cartilage. METHODS Human cartilage samples of a macroscopically intact area, the adjoining area and an area of the main defect from knee joints of 10 patients with late stage osteoarthritis were investigated. In situ hybridization and immunogold histochemistry were carried out separately and in combination at the light and electron microscopic level. RESULTS Ultrastructurally, three main chondrocyte types were identified. The highest levels of mRNA of decorin and biglycan were produced by elongated secretory type 2 cells, already known to synthesize type I collagen. Cells with high levels of mRNA also translated the corresponding proteins to be found in the extracellular compartment. The highest production rate of decorin and biglycan was seen in the tissue area adjoining the main defect. CONCLUSION The results indicate that at late stages of osteoarthritis the levels of transcription and translation for decorin and biglycan are up-regulated, probably in an effort to compensate for the general proteoglycan loss, characteristic of this disease stage.
Evolution récente et future des paysages sylvo-pastoraux du Jura vaudois

Recent and future evolution of the silvopastoral landscape in the Jura vaudois Land-use management in silvopastoral landscapes is particularly complex because such ecosystems depend on a subtle equilibrium in the management scheme which aims to provide various ecological goods and services such as fodder, timber and biodiversity, as well as areas for leisure and attractive scenery. In this study we investigated land-use changes in the Parc naturel regional Jura vaudois, and the changes in tree cover density in two pastures using land-use statistics and aerial photographs. A prospective modelling approach was also undertaken on one pasture to assess changes in the landscape structure under two climate scenarios. A general tendency towards segregation between closed forests and open pastures was observed. The agriculture policy has markedly influenced the dynamics of tree cover density, but this effect depended very much on the local situation, for example, the proximity of a village, which allows a better .
Attlee's inheritance and the financial system: whatever happened to the National Investment Board?

The 1945-51 Labour government in Britain has been widely seen as having set the parameters of British economic policy and institutions for several decades. The nationalisation of 20 per cent of industry, the (eventual) transition to a predominantly fiscally-managed economy, alongside the creation of a welfare state, are all obvious long-lived legacies of this period, not significantly altered until the 1980s. Yet like all reforming governments, this one had its limits, areas which largely escaped significant change. Perhaps most striking in this period was the lack of reform of the financial system. Whilst some part of that conservatism might be attributed to a desire to avoid financial panic, this cannot be the whole story. In other areas much of the reform after 1945 can be seen as grounded in responses to the economic crisis of the 1930s. Marwick long ago stressed the emergence in the 1930s of a 'progressive consensus' with significant implications for pohcies after 1945. More recently, there has been much discussion deriving from Addison's view that the Attlee governments inherited a pohcy consensus from the wartime coalition, with the implication that the particular contribution of Labour's socialism to policy after 1945 was rather small. This view probably overstates the continuity of war and postwar policy debate, though few would now doubt that the wartime discussions were important in shaping what happened after 1945. 1 I am grateful to members of a seminar at Cambridge University, to a referee, and to Nick Tiratsoo for helpful comments on this paper. 2 For recent assessments of this government's economic policies see A. Cairncross, Years of Recovery: British Economic Policy 10,45-51 (London, 1985); C. Barnett, Audit of War (London, 1986); J. Tomlinson, 'Mr Attlee's supply-side socialism', Economic History Review, 47 (1993), pp. 1-22; H. Mercer, N. Rollings and J. Tomlinson (eds), Labour Governments and Private Industry: Tlie Experience of1945—51 (Edinburgh, 1992). 3 B. Pimlott, Hugh Dalton (London, 1985), pp. 459-60. S. Howson, British Monetary Policy 1945-51 (Oxford, 1993), is the first work to take a serious look at this conservatism, though her focus of concern is monetary policy, not how finance related to Labour's approach to planning. 4 A. Marwick, 'Middle opinion in the Thirties: planning, progress and "political agreement" ', English Historical Review, 79 (1964), pp. 285-98; P. Addison, Tlie Road to 1945 (London, 1975); K. Jeffreys, 'British politics and social policy during the Second World War', Historical Journal, 30 (1987), pp. 123—44; S. Brooke, 'Revisionists and fundamentalists: the Labour Party and economic policy
The Impact of Integration and Responsiveness on MNC Subsidiaries’ Market Orientation

ABSTRACT In this study, the author explored the impact of integration and local responsiveness on the market orientation of multinational corporations’ foreign subsidiaries. An investigation of a sample of 250 foreign subsidiaries in the United Kingdom revealed different effects of integration and local responsiveness on market orientation. In specific, integration directly impacts the development of market orientation of multinational corporations’ subsidiaries, whereas responsiveness effects on market orientation are mainly indirect through first affecting the top management emphasis and then the use of market-based reward systems at subsidiaries. Managerial and research implications are discussed.
Transmit power aware cross-layer optimization for LTE uplink video streaming

The rapid developments of advanced wireless communication technologies and mobile devices are boosting the uplink multimedia applications. In this paper, a transmit power aware cross-layer optimization scheme is proposed to achieve a good trade-off between the transmit power and the perceived video quality for Long Term Evolution uplink video streaming. Specifically, the video coding quantization parameter and encoding mode at the application layer, and the uplink transmit power as well as modulation and coding scheme at the physical layer are jointly adjusted in the cross-layer optimization. To further improve the perceptual video experience for the end user with limited transmission resources, unequal quality control is performed by enhancing the video quality of region of interest. Additionally, the structural similarity is adopted as the video quality measurement metric to make the optimized video properly preserve the structural information during the cross-layer optimization process. Experimental results show that significant performance improvements in terms of the transmit power reduction and the perceptual video quality are achieved for the proposed transmit power aware cross-layer optimization scheme.
Dutch Boards and Governance: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Board Roles and Member (S)election Procedures

In this article, the pattern of institutional change affecting board roles and board member selection in the Netherlands is discussed. A set of propositions is developed concerning the relationships between three stakeholder groups related to capital, labor, and management. From the analysis of these propositions, we conclude that Dutch corporate management is the key stakeholder holding, largely, the control rights of their firms. Consistent with this position is a corporate governance structure that articulates the service role of the board of directors. However, recent higher-order institutional changes in the Netherlands may call for a more distant and detached board. From this perspective, the current situation in the Netherlands reflects a mismatch between corporate governance institutions.
Performing Industrial Relations: The Centrality of Gender in Regulation of Work in Theatre and Television

Women performers have worked in a formally unsegregated occupation since 1660. However, formal and informal regulation of their access to work can only be understood in the context of their interaction as gendered workers with other, gendered, institutions and processes. This analysis has wider implications for the study of industrial relations.
Percutaneous retrograde screw fixation of non-displaced fractures of the scaphoid waist: an antirotation wire may not be necessary

Some authors recommend using an antirotation wire when performing percutaneous screw fixation of acute non-displaced scaphoid waist fractures. The aim of this study of 21 cadaveric wrists was to assess the usefulness of such a wire in Herbert’s B2-type fractures. A B2-type fracture was created experimentally on each scaphoid. An antirotation wire was inserted in eight wrists. Retrograde percutaneous fixation using a double-threaded headless cannulated screw was performed on all wrists. Computed tomography was used to measure interfragmentary rotation. No interfragmentary rotation was noted in either group. Our study suggests that using an antirotation wire may be unnecessary when performing retrograde percutaneous screw fixation of isolated B2-type scaphoid fractures.
On not being the last to give up the old or the first to adopt the new.

As the Hypertension editorial office prepares to move to Jackson, Miss, those of us who have worked on the editorial staff can confidently say that we have learned a great deal from the experience. The opportunity to observe the scientific review process up close could not help but raise issues and questions for later consideration. One of the more interesting things about the past 8 years is the recognition that science has indeed progressed, that the field has been advanced in a meaningful way, and that Hypertension has played at least a small part in that progress by giving voice to the work of so many. Eight years ago, the biology of angiotensin type 1 and type 2 receptors was not well understood, the role of angiotensin-(1-7) was unclear, the benefits of ACE inhibitors in diabetes and vascular disease were unappreciated, and the utility of angiotensin receptor blockade was more a promise than a reality.1–4 Progress has been made in all these areas and many others. Medicine advances. The system does work. On the other hand, one cannot help but wonder whether the system works optimally. The deliberate evaluation of new data, the careful honest skepticism that greets any new formulation of biology, and the continual demand for confirmatory data are all essential to orderly progress. This is particularly important in those areas of clinical research in which extremely stringent standards must be applied to results that could modify patient care. But could it be that in other areas the system sometimes is too slow to adopt the new, or that fashions are too hard to change? Perhaps I raise this …
Applying Agent‐based Simulation in Industrial Ecology

Agent-based simulation is simply . a permutation of existing modeling techniques for describing complex, adaptive, reallife systems in a form that can be solved by digital computers in order to gain new insights into the behavior of those systems. It has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. market behaviors (Ma and Nakamori 2005). Other authors1 have described how a multiagent simulation platform could be used to assist construction companies in task contracting, project coordination, and supply chain dynamics in the construction sector. The goal of this column is to clarify what an agent-based simulation is and to provide an industrial ecology context. We hope that this column will encourage researchers in industrial ecology to consider how agent-based modeling approaches might appropriately complement other modeling tools widely applied in the field, such as life-cycle assessment methods, systems dynamics, material flow analysis, and environmental analyses based on input-output tables. Industrial ecology views anthropogenic activities through the metaphor of natural ecology and ecosystems. This approach often leads to
Quality Check and Analysis of BeiDou and GPS Observation Data in the Experiment of Air-Gun in Reservoir

The next few years promises drastic improvements to global navigation satellite systems. USA is modernizing GPS, Russia is GLONASS, Europe is moving ahead with its own Galileo System, and China is expanding its BeiDou system from a regional navigation system to a full constellation global navigation satellite system known as BeiDou-2/Compass. Chinese BeiDou satellite navigation system constellation currently consists of twenty-six BeiDou satellites and can provide services of navigation and positioning in the Asia-Pacific Region. In this paper, we calculate the high frequency data of GPS and BeiDou by using the broadcast ephemeris, and the results are applied to the real-time positioning of the float platform in the experiment of Air-Gun in reservoir. We use the data to analyze the quality by multipath effect, signal noise ratio, positioning accuracy and so on. The results show that the accuracy of the BeiDou is slightly lower than that of GPS. The accuracy of GPS in horizontal direction is about 5 mm and that of vertical direction is about 12 mm, and the accuracy of BeiDou in horizontal direction is about 5.5 mm and that of vertical direction is about 16 mm.
Met overexpression confers HGF‐dependent invasive phenotype to human thyroid carcinoma cells in vitro

The proto‐oncogene c‐MET encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a pleiotropic cytokine controlling growth, survival, motility, invasive migration, and differentiation of epithelial cells. Like several other epithelial neoplasms, thyroid carcinomas have been found to overexpress c‐MET at both the mRNA and protein level. The biological relevance of Met overexpression to thyroid carcinoma natural history, however, remains to be elucidated. Therefore, we analyzed Met expression and response to HGF in two cell lines established from human thyroid carcinomas. In both lines we observed that the overexpressed and constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated HGF receptor maintained biochemical responsiveness to the ligand. Both cell lines were also found to respond to HGF by consistently increasing their motility and invading in vitro reconstituted basal membranes. Conversely, no effect of HGF could be observed in proliferation and survival assays. These data show that overexpression of Met specifically confers to transformed thyroid cells a motile‐invasive phenotype that is dependent on exogenous HGF stimulation. J. Cell. Physiol. 180:365–371, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reticular Fibers in the Vocal Fold Mucosa

Light and electron microscopic investigations of the reticular fibers (RFs) in the vocal fold mucosa were carried out on excised human adult larynges. The results are summarized as follows. Reticular fibers were found in the superficial and intermediate layers of the lamina propria of the vocal fold mucosa. They were most abundantly discovered around the vocal fold edge, and they decreased toward the superior and inferior portions of the vocal folds. The RFs were composed of slender fibrils, about 40 nm in diameter, and having cross-bands with a periodicity of about 67 nm. They were found in close association with the basal lamina of the epithelium and blood vessels. The slender fibrils of the RFs did not form any bundles, but branched and anastomosed. The RFs formed delicate 3-dimensional networks, and the spaces among the fibers were relatively large. Glycoprotein and glycosaminoglycan (proteoglycan) were situated around the RFs and in the spaces among the fibers. Elastic fibers were located in the spaces among the RFs. The 3-dimensional structure of the RFs in the vocal fold mucosa, first demonstrated in this study, appears to be one of the key components of the structural maintenance and viscoelasticity of the vibrating vocal fold tissue.
Deletions of the derivative chromosome 9 do not influence the response and the outcome of chronic myeloid leukemia in early chronic phase treated with imatinib mesylate: GIMEMA CML Working Party analysis.

PURPOSE Deletions of the derivative chromosome 9 [der(9)] have been associated with a poor prognosis in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) across different treatment modalities. In the imatinib era, the prognostic impact of der(9) deletions has been evaluated mainly in patients with late chronic-phase (CP) CML, giving partially conflicting results. Few data are available in the early CP setting. For this reason, in 2006, the European LeukemiaNet recommendations still considered der(9) deletions as a candidate adverse prognostic factor and required a careful monitoring of the patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS To investigate the prognostic value of der(9) deletions in early CP CML, we performed an analysis of three prospective imatinib trials of the Italian Group for Hematological Malignancies of the Adult (GIMEMA) CML Working Party. RESULTS A fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of bone marrow cells was performed at diagnosis; der(9) deletions were detected in 60 (12%) of 521 evaluable patients. At 60 months, the cumulative incidence of complete cytogenetic response and major molecular response-and the probability of event-free survival, failure-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival-in patients with and without deletions were not statistically different. CONCLUSION Our data strongly support the notion that, when investigated by FISH, der(9) deletions are not a poor prognostic factor in patients with early CP CML treated with imatinib.
Delayed diagnosis and complications of Fanconi anaemia at advanced age – a paradigm

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare recessive DNA repair disorder clinically characterised by congenital malformations, progressive bone marrow failure and a high propensity for developing malignancies at an early age, predominantly acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and squamous cell carcinoma. It is conceivable that a number of patients with hypomorphic mutations are not diagnosed as FA until severe complications in the treatment of a malignancy occur. Here, we report on a patient with FA‐A, diagnosed only at the age of 49 years due to persistent pancytopenia and myelodysplastic syndrome/AML induced by a first cycle of chemotherapy for bilateral metachronic breast cancer. This exceptional case clearly demonstrates that, in instances of long‐lasting mild pancytopenia or development of malignancies, especially at an unusually young age, FA should be ruled out, irrespective of the patient's age and features, especially before inflicting severe genotoxic stress.