Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The creation and evolution of new business ventures: an activity theory perspective

Purpose – The paper seeks to draw on the work of Engestrom to set out an activity theory framework for the analysis of entrepreneurs engaged in the creation of new business ventures (NBVs). Adopting an activity‐based approach involves analysing the actions of individual and groups that are mediated through a range of devices, including language and physical artefacts.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data are based on a small sample of “scholars” taking part in a UK government‐sponsored initiative to promote enterprise: the New Entrepreneur Scholarship (NES). The data were collected by means of semi‐structured interviews with the entrepreneurs. NVivo software was then used to systemise the data according to the six dimensions of the activity theory triangle.Findings – The cases illustrate the contradictions and tensions that confront nascent entrepreneurs as they consider the horizon of possibilities associated with their business idea. The paper demonstrates that the new business actually emerg.
Partner selection criteria in international joint ventures: perspectives of foreign investors from Asian NIEs of Malaysia and India

This study aimed to explore the partner selection criteria employed by foreign investors from the newly industrializing economies of Malaysia and India when forming international joint ventures in other newly industrializing economies and developing countries. Geringer's (1991) typology of task-related and partner-related selection criteria was used as a basis for determining the partner selection criteria employed by foreign investors from newly industrializing economies. The influence of issues such as past association, trust, communication, control and culture as well as the relevance of theories including the bargaining power theory, transaction cost theory and organizational learning theory on newly industrializing economies firms' partner selection process were also examined. This qualitative study revealed that newly industrializing economies firms' partner selection criteria are often influenced by firm characteristics, country and industry related factors as well as one or more of the examined issues and theories.
Wage Structure and Gender Earnings Differentials: an International Comparison

Using microdata to analyze the gender pay gap in ten industrialized nations, the authors focus on the role of wage structure--the prices of labor market skills in influencing the gender gap. They find wage structure enormously important in explaining why the U.S. gender gap is higher than that in most other countries. The authors conclude that the U.S. gap would be similar to that in Sweden and Australia (the countries with the smallest gaps) if the United States had their levels of wage inequality. This finding reflects the larger penalty in the United States for those with low skill levels or employed in low-wage sectors. Copyright 1996 by The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Do Cultural Values Shape Employee Receptivity to Leadership Styles

This article discusses management science and the contextual factors that influence how employees respond to various leadership styles. Research has explored how group level collectivism might moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and employee attitudes. The author reflects on how the use of other leadership styles, such as transactional, might influence these relationships. With consideration of increased diversity within work groups and the growth of international business, cultural values and the reaction of employees to various leadership styles warrants increased attention.
The impact of the january effect on the IPO underpricing in Poland

Abstract We examine the initial public offering (IPO) underpricing phenomenon in Poland using data from the Warsaw Stock Exchange (the main market). In the article we survey historical average IPO underpricing in Europe and outside Europe. We discuss the determinants of the IPO underpricing which is based on asymmetry of information, ownership and control, institutional explanations and behavioural explanations. We discuss the calendar effect and we examine the influence of the January effect on the IPO underpricing. On the Warsaw Stock Exchange in 2005-2011, the IPO underpricing was bigger for companies that debuted in January than for companies that debuted in other months. The empirical results are not statistically significant.
Evaluation of multiple radiographic predictors of cartilage lesions in the hip joints of eight-month-old dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine the radiographic methods that best predict the development of osteoarthritis in the hip joints of a cohort of dogs with hip dysplasia and unaffected dogs. ANIMALS 205 Labrador Retrievers, Greyhounds, and Labrador Retriever-Greyhound crossbred dogs. PROCEDURE Pelvic radiography was performed when the dogs were 8 months old. Ventrodorsal extended-hip, distraction, and dorsolateral subluxation (DLS) radiographs were obtained. An Orthopedic Foundation for Animals-like hip score, distraction index, dorsolateral subluxation score, and Norberg angle were derived from examination of radiographs. Osteoarthritis was diagnosed at the time of necropsy in dogs > or = 8 months of age on the basis of detection of articular cartilage lesions. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the radiographic technique or techniques that best predicted development of osteoarthritis. RESULTS A combination of 2 radiographic methods was better than any single method in predicting a cartilage lesion or a normal joint, but adding a third radiographic method did not improve that prediction. A combination of the DLS score and Norberg angle best predicted osteoarthritis of the hip joint or an unaffected hip joint. All models that excluded the DLS score were inferior to those that included it. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE A combination of the DLS score and Norberg angle was the best predictor of radiographic measures in 8-month-old dogs to determine whether a dog would have normal or osteoarthritic hip joints.
Estimating Incumbency Effects in U.S. State Legislatures: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This paper estimates the incumbency effects in elections to the House of Representatives of 45 states in the United States using a quasi-experimental research method, regression discontinuity design (RDD). This design isolates the causal effect of incumbency from other contemporaneous factors, such as candidate quality, by comparing incumbents and non-incumbents in close contests. I find that incumbents in state legislative elections have a significant advantage, and this advantage serves as a strong barrier to re-entry of challengers who had previously been defeated. However, the incumbency advantage estimated using the RDD is much smaller than are the estimates using existing methods, implying a significant selection bias in the latter.
Did Workers Pay for the Passage of Workers' Compensation Laws?

Market responses to legislative reforms often mitigate the expected gains that reformers promise in legislation. Contemporaries hailed workers' compensation as a boon to workers because it raised the amount of post-accident compensation paid to injured workers. Despite the large gains to workers, employers often supported the legislation. Analysis of several wage samples from the early 1900s shows that employers were able to pass a significant part of the added costs of higher post-accident compensation onto some workers in the form of reductions in wages. The size of the wage offsets, however, were smaller for union workers.
Employment Relationships as the Centrepiece of a New Labour Policy Paradigm

This paper examines changes in employment relationships in Canada during the late twentieth century. Despite well-documented transformations in labour market structures and work contexts, we are only now grasping the significance of these trends for the relationships between workers and employers. Considerable debate revolves around the extent and nature of new employment relationships. Still, it is clear that fewer workers fit the historical benchmark of the post-WWII "standard employment model. " Consequently, the labour and employment policy framework fashioned during the postwar decades no longer meets the needs of an increasingly differentiated workforce. Furthermore, the current policy emphasis on learning and skills for innovation and productivity requires a fuller understanding of how trust, communication, and other elements of employment relationships mediate human capital development. The ideal focus for the next generation of labour policy must be the workplace, which is where relationships among co-workers and between workers and management can either hinder or enable the achievement of major social and economic goals.
Divided by Color: Racial Politics and Democratic Ideals

When news of the O.J. Simpson verdict swept across the United States, a nation stood divided as blacks and whites reacted differently to the decision. Seldom has the racial division that permeates American society come so clearly and prominently into view. This book aims to supply the reasons for this division, asserting that racial resentment continues to exist. Despite a parade of recent books optimistically touting the demise of racial hostility in the United States, the authors marshal a wealth of the most current and comprehensive evidence available to prove their case. They reveal that racial resentment remains the most powerful determinant of white opinion on such racially-charged issues as welfare, affirmative action, school desegregation, and the plight of the inner city. The book seeks to explain just why black and white Americans believe what they do. It analyzes the critical factors that shape people's opinion on race-related issues, uncovering the relative importance of self-interest, group identity, ideological principles, as well as racial animosity. Finally, the authors explore how the racial divide has insinuated itself into the presidential election process, and they examine the role of political elites in framing racial issues for ordinary citizens.
Resuscitative Strategies to Modulate The Endotheliopathy of Trauma: From Cell to Patient.

Clinical data has supported the early use of plasma in high ratios of plasma to red cells to patients in hemorrhagic shock. The benefit from plasma seems to extend beyond its hemostatic effects to include protection to the post-shock dysfunctional endothelium. Resuscitation of the endothelium by plasma and one of its major constituents, fibrinogen, involves cell surface stabilization of syndecan-1, a transmembrane proteoglycan and the protein backbone of the endothelial glycocalyx. The pathogenic role of miRNA-19b to the endothelium is explored along with the PAK-1 mediated intracellular pathway that may link syndecan-1 to cytoskeletal protection. Additionally, clinical studies using fibrinogen and cyroprecipitate to aid in hemostasis of the bleeding patient are reviewed and new data to suggest a role for plasma and its byproducts to treat the dysfunctional endothelium associated with nonbleeding diseases is presented.
Utilizing Warm-Up Games in MOOC Discussion Forums

Instructors of Massive Open Online Courses frequently use written introductions in a discussion forum to introduce learners. To offer a more visual, interactive, and purposeful approach, we adapted "warm-up games" from the context of design thinking and improvisational theatre for the discussion forums of two MOOCs. In this paper, we explain the context and aims of these games, describe our set-up, and conclude that warm-up games help to boost discussion forum usage and warm-up game activity may be used as an indicator for assignment performance.
Fuzzy Connection Admission Control for ATM Networks Based on Possibility Distribution of Cell Loss Ratio

This paper proposes a connection admission control (CAC) method for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks based on the possibility distribution of cell loss ratio (CLR). The possibility distribution is estimated in a fuzzy inference scheme by using observed data of the CLR. This method makes possible secure CAC, thereby guaranteeing the allowed CLR. First, a fuzzy inference method is proposed, based on a weighted average of fuzzy sets, in order to estimate the possibility distribution of the CLR. In contrast to conventional methods, the proposed inference method can avoid estimating excessively large values of the CLR. Second, the learning algorithm is considered for tuning fuzzy rules for inference. In this, energy functions are derived so as to efficiently achieve higher multiplexing gain by applying them to CAC. Because the upper bound of the CLR can easily be obtained from the possibility distribution by using this algorithm, CAC can be performed guaranteeing the allowed CLR. The simulation studies show that the proposed method can well extract the upper bound of the CLR from the observed data. The proposed method also makes possible self-compensation in real time for the case where the estimated CLR is smaller than the observed CLR. It preserves the guarantee of the CLR as much as possible in operation of ATM switches. Third, a CAC method which uses the fuzzy inference mentioned above is proposed. In the area with no observed CLR data, fuzzy rules are automatically generated from the fuzzy rules already tuned by the learning algorithm with the existing observed CLR data. Such areas exist because of the absence of experience in connections. This method can guarantee the allowed CLR in the CAC and attains a high multiplex gain as is possible. The simulation studies show its feasibility. Finally, this paper concludes with some brief discussions.
Preoperative Hypoalbuminemia is an Independent Risk Factor for the Development of Surgical Site Infection Following Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Multi-Institutional Study

Background:Surgical site infection (SSI) is an infection occurring in an incisional wound within 30 days of surgery and significantly effects patient recovery and hospital resources. Objective:This study sought to determine the relationship between preoperative serum albumin and SSI. Methods:A study of 524 patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery in 4 institutions was performed. Patients were identified using a prospective SSI database and hospital records. Serum albumin was determined preoperatively in all patients. Hypoalbuminemia was defined as albumin <30 mg/dL. Data are presented as median (interquartile range) and a difference between groups was examined using Mann-Whitney U and Fisher exact test and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results:A total of 105 patients developed a SSI (20%). The median time to the development of SSI was 7 (5–10) days. Having an emergency procedure (P = 0.003), having a procedure over 3 hours in duration (P = 0.047), being American Society of Anaesthetics grade 3 (P = 0.03) and not receiving preoperative antibiotics (P = 0.007) were associated with SSI while having a laparoscopic procedure reduced the likelihood of SSI (P = 0.004). Patients who developed a SSI had a lower preoperative serum albumin (30 [25–34.5] vs. 36 [32–39], P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, hypoalbuminemia was an independent risk factor for SSI development (relative risk, RR = 5.68, 95% confidence interval: 3.45–9.35, P < 0.001). Albumin <30 mg/dL was associated with an increased rate of deep versus superficial SSI (P = 0.002). The duration of inpatient stay was negatively correlated with preoperative albumin (R2 = −0.319, P < 0.001). Conclusions:Hypoalbuminemia is an independent risk factor for the development of SSI following gastrointestinal surgery and is associated with deeper SSI and prolonged inpatient stay.
Who Pays Attention to Indigenous Peoples in Sustainable Development and Why? Evidence From Socially Responsible Investment Mutual Funds in North America

Resource extraction and development have had significant impacts on Indigenous Peoples (IPs), and states have been slow to respond. The need for better engagement practices with IPs has been recognized internationally and in the academic literature. We examine the extent to which IPs and their rights are being recognized by non–state market–driven governance mechanisms meant to promote more sustainable business practices, in this case North American socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds. These funds are influential in defining SRI principles, and through shareholder activism they influence broader standards on corporate social responsibility and firm sustainability. Using a survey and a review of secondary internal documentation, we find that while some SRI funds do address IPs, recognition remains low. We find SRI funds that do pay attention have both more capabilities and a different investment orientation than those that do not, which we hypothesize limits broader uptake at this time.
Political Participation and “Teledemocracy”

The signs are abundant that many of the institutions and processes of American politics are becoming increasingly direct. As communication technologies erode the mediating roles played by secondary leadership, citizens and public officials interact directly with each other more intensively and more frequently. As this gale has moved through our political system, different scholars have noted their own particular “straw in the wind. ” By far the most attention has been given to the declining capacity of party as a mechanism mediating between voters and office holders (Polsby, 1983; Kirkpatrick, 1978). A different viewpoint comes from Samuel Kernell, who has revised Richard Neustadt's work on the presidency by arguing that presidential power is increasingly secured and exercised through public opinion influence (Kernell, 1986). Those who have studied the activities of incumbent Congressmen and Senators note that they have also extended their direct contact with constituents: not only have the flows of mail into and out of congressional offices increased markedly over the past two decades, but the establishment of C-Span has brought congressional business into literally millions of homes (Abramson, Arterton, and Orren, 1988). Moreover, in a constant search for new ways of contacting citizens, congressmen are in the forefront of experimentation with cable television, satellites, VCRs and computer communications (Arterton, 1987).
Patient Care Outcomes of a Tobacco Use Registry in an Academic Family Practice

Purpose: While the potential benefit of a chronic disease registry for tobacco use is great, outcome reports have not been generated. We examined the effect of implementing a tobacco use registry, including a decision support tool, on treatment outcomes within an academic family medicine clinic. Methods: A chart review of 200 patients who smoked and attended the clinic before and after registry implementation assessed the number of patients with clinic notes documenting (1) counseling for tobacco use, (2) recommendations for cessation medication, (3) a set quit date, (4) referrals to the on-site Nicotine Dependence Program (NDP) and/or QuitlineNC, and (5) pneumococcal vaccine. Data from the NDP, QuitlineNC, and clinic billing records before and after implementation compared the number of clinic-generated QuitlineNC fax referrals, new scheduled appointments for the NDP, and visits coded for tobacco counseling reimbursement. Results: Significant increases in documentation occurred across most chart review variables. Significant increases in the number of clinic-generated fax referrals to QuitlineNC (from 27 to 96), initial scheduled appointments for the NDP (from 84 to 148), and coding for tobacco counseling (from 101 to 287) also occurred when compared with total patient visits during the same time periods. Patient attendance at the NDP (52%) and acceptance of QuitlineNC services (31%) remained constant. Conclusions: The tobacco use registry's decision support tool increased evidenced-based tobacco use treatment (referrals, medications, and counseling) for patients at an academic family medicine clinic. This novel tool offers standardized care for all patients who use tobacco, ensuring improved access to effective tobacco use counseling and medication treatments.
Not Guilty? Agriculture in the 1920s and the Great Depression

Agricultural distress in the 1920s is routinely quoted among the causes of the Great Depression. This article challenges the conventional wisdom. World agriculture was not plagued by overproduction and falling terms of trade. The indebtedness of American farmers, a legacy of the boom years 1918–1921, did jeopardize the rural banks, but the relation between their crises, the banking panic of 1930, and the Great Depression is tenuous at best.
Impaired Circadian Photosensitivity in Mice Lacking Glutamate Transmission from Retinal Melanopsin Cells

Intrinsically photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) contain the photopigment melanopsin and convey retinal light inputs to the circadian system via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) projection to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The principal neurotransmitter of this projection is glutamate, and ipRGCs use the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) to package glutamate into synaptic vesicles. However, these neurons contain other potential neurotransmitters, such as pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP). To test the role of glutamate in mediating ipRGC light inputs into the SCN, we crossed mice in which Cre-recombinase expression is driven by the melanopsin promotor (Opn4Cre/+) with mice in which the second exon of VGLUT2 is flanked by loxP sites (VGLUT2fl/fl), producing ipRGCs that are unable to package glutamate into synaptic vesicles. Such mice had free-running circadian rhythms that did not entrain to a 12:12 light-dark (12:12 LD) cycle, nor did they show a phase delay after a 45-min light pulse administered at circadian time (CT) 14. A small subset of the mice did appear to entrain to the 12:12 LD cycle with a positive phase angle to lights-off; a similar entrainment pattern could be achieved in free-running mice if they were exposed to a 12:12 LD cycle with light of a greater intensity. Glutamate transmission from the ipRGCs is necessary for normal light entrainment of the SCN at moderate (0.35 W/m2) light levels, but residual transmission (possibly by PACAP in ipRGCs or by other RGCs) can weakly entrain animals, particularly at very high (6.53 W/m2) light levels, although it may be less effective at suppressing locomotor activity (light masking).