Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public companies as social institutions

Many UK public companies invest considerable resources in charitable donations and community involvement. Using semi-structured interviews with public company officers, the author sought to investigate the motivations behind this activity. Was it undertaken because of an expectation of commercial benefit, out of a sense of obligation, or for other reasons? It appeared that public companies were increasingly anxious to make connections between corporate activity in the community and business activities. Public companies linked with local communities clearly felt a sense of connection with them. Corporate officers were constantly dealing with the management of reputation, which was seen as a valuable business asset, and community links made this task easier.
Managing the product development process - (Part I: an assessment)

Recent studies have indicated that a company's chances of success in launching new products is dependent upon the management of the new product development process. The increasing rate of technological change coupled with increasing global competition, means that a high rate of new product development and introduction in the marketplace is vital to a company's continued growth and long-term survival. In this part, methodologies for new product development, including (a) Phased Development, (b) Stage/Gate Models, (c) Product and Cycle -time Excellence - PACE and, (d) Total Design, are investigated. The strengths and weaknesses of each methodology are assessed and proposals for improved management of the new product development process in manufacturing are discussed.
International trade, technological shocks and spillovers in the labour market: a GVAR analysis of the US manufacturing sector

We empirically analyse the response of labour market related variables in the US manufacturing sector to various shocks, notably to trade openness and technology, as well as examining spillovers from industry-specific labour market shocks. The econometric approach involves an application of the recently developed Global Vector Autoregression methodology of Dées et al. (2007) to 12 manufacturing industries over the period 1977–2003. The framework allows us to analyse the response of a standard set of labour-market related variables (employment, real compensation, productivity and capital stock) to exogenous factors (a sector-specific measure of trade openness, a common technology and oil price shock), along with industry spillovers using specific measures of manufacturing-wide variables for each sector. Generalized impulse responses indicate that increased trade openness negatively affects real compensation, has negligible employment effects and leads to higher labour productivity. These impacts, however, are relatively weaker than those induced by technology shocks, with the latter positively and significantly affecting both real compensation and employment. There is also evidence of positive spillovers across industries from sector-specific employment and productivity shocks. Impact elasticities suggest strong intra-sectoral linkages for employment and capital stock formation, contrasting with weak linkages for what concerns real compensation and productivity.
Near-Field Shielding Performances of Absorbing Materials for Integrated Circuits (IC) Applications. Part II: Crossing Excitation

This contribution analyzes the performance of a commercial absorbing material, in near field, selected for the reduction of electromagnetic emissions generated by an integrated circuit (IC). The signal port is placed as far as possible from the ground port, in order to force the current to follow the longest path. Shielding effectiveness, wave impedance, and Reflection, Transmission, and Absorbtion (RTA) plots, obtained from full-wave simulations, are compared with the configuration “lateral” described in Part I, in which the ports are placed in two adjacent pins of the IC. Both arrangements reported in Part I for the absorber are adopted: as patch on top of the plastic package of the IC and as an enclosure totally covering the IC.
Property in corporate financial statements: The UK evidence

Summary This paper investigates the role of property in corporate financial statements. Whilst in practice the majority of non‐property companies in the service industry acknowledge the importance of property in the delivery of their main function, little is known of the importance of intensity value of property (i.e. the proportion of total tangible assets represented by property in a company's asset structure) in corporate financial management. This seems to be inconsistent with the fact that property is a sizable corporate asset in the balance sheets of UK service sector companies. Using financial statement data of companies in four UK ‘property‐intensive’ (non‐property) sectors, this research has adequately exposed the interaction of a corporation's property asset intensity with the overall financial structure of the firm. Our empirical results therefore support the USA findings that real estate plays an important role in corporations’ financial statements although in the UK it is a relatively under‐r.
Innovation and creativity at work::Psychological and organizational strategies

This review of existing research aims to provide students and researchers with a clear perspective on this aspect of social change. The book adopts a largely psychological approach, arguing that the introduction of new ways of working can best be understood as a social process in which human reactions are vital in determining the outcome. The book therefore has major implications and recommendations for the human resource management school. The contributors, from Europe and North America, offer insights into innovation and creativity in working life.
Characterization and Measurement of Radiometer Stability

For the characterization of radiometer noise and stability a new and very practical method is introduced. It consists of the measurement of the "Allan-variance" well known for the characterization of the stability of frequency standards. The plot of the Allan variance versus integration time allows one to determine the different types of fluctuations of the radio-meter output signal. In particular, the best range of integration time for optimum use of the system can accurately be evaluated. Theoretical considerations and experimental results are presented.
The Intra-Day Impact of Communication on Euro-Dollar Volatility and Jumps

In this paper, we examine the intra-day effects of verbal statements and comments on the FX market uncertainty using two measures: continuous volatility and discontinuous jumps. Focusing on the euro-dollar exchange rate, we provide empirical evidence of how these two sources of uncertainty matter in measuring the short-term reaction of exchange rates to communication events. Talks significantly trigger large jumps or extreme events for approximately an hour after the news release. Continuous volatility starts reacting prior to the news, intensifies around the release time and stays at high levels for several hours. Our results suggest that monetary authorities generally tend to communicate with markets on days when uncertainty is relatively severe, and higher than normal. Disentangling the US and Euro area statements, we also find that abnormal levels of volatility are mostly driven by the communication of the Euro area officials rather than US authorities.
Religious Market Competition and Clergy Salary: Evidence from SBC Congregations in the South

We utilize a rich and unique data source covering 13,825 Southern Baptist Convention churches in seven Southern states to test the impact of religious market competition, or pluralism, on clergy salary. We link county-level religious market and socioeconomic data to the county in which each church is located. Two measures of religious output market are used. One is a narrow output market definition calculated using only SBC churches. The other is a more broadly defined measure calculated using 132 Judeo-Christian denominations. Using regression analysis, we conclude that greater concentration among Southern Baptist Churches' members within a given county area has a positive, and statistically significant, impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries, while greater concentration among other denominations has no impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries. Most importantly, we show that Southern Baptist Churches exhibit predictable economic behavior despite the ethereal nature of the product they provide.
Unions in Restructured States: Laborism in Australia and Economic Liberalism in the United Kingdom

There have been major reforms in the public sector in both Australia and the United Kingdom from the 1980s onwards. In each case, governments restructured their state sectors. These initiatives brought about not only widely acknowledged changes in organisation but also changes in the labour process and class relations as well as differing prospects for state sector trade unions.
Market escape through exchange: home swap as a form of non-commercial hospitality

The purpose of this paper is to examine home swap – a form of non-commercial hospitality that has witnessed a great expansion in the last decade. In conjunction with prior writings on various subjects related to home swap, this study can be utilised in compiling a preliminary conceptualisation of home swapping, as a form of non-commercial hospitality, with its own characteristics. In particular this study identifies six dimensions of home swap, namely (a) escape of the market, (b) asymmetric exchanges, (c) need for trustiness, (d) use of a hospitality exchange network, (e) demand for domesticity and (f) quest to experience local authenticity. The results of this study are being utilised to construct a preliminary conceptualisation of home swapping as a distinct vacation alternative building on old virtues and using new technology.
Engaging Youth In Creating A Healthy School Environment: A Photovoice Strategy

This study examined a pilot participatory needs assessment that was conducted with nine senior high school students from Port of Spain, Trinidad. Photovoice was used to engage these students in critical dialogue about their perceptions of issues affecting their health. Trained graduate students facilitated a 3-day training session in photovoice technique/ethics, writing narratives, critical reflection and dialogue with these students. Once trained, they were given disposable cameras and asked to photograph their school environment and document their thoughts on what they had photographed. After collation of photos and dialogue, seven health themes emerged. The most recurring themes included quality of the food served at schools, need for safe, clean and well-maintained school facilities, and role modeling by teachers, parents and community. Recommendations to address the concerns identified were discussed by the participants. The study concluded that conducting needs assessment, which concentrates on the voices of those affected, can be a first step in creating successful and cost-efficient programs and interventions tailored to specific groups. A needs assessment using photovoice should be a technique considered by school staff, government leaders, health professionals, and NGOs.
Economics of Agricultural Water Conservation: Empirical Analysis and Policy Implications

Climate change and recurrent drought in many of the world's dry places continue to inspire the search for economically attractive measures to conserve water. This study analyzes water conservation practices in irrigated agriculture in a sub-basin in North America's Rio Grande. A method is developed to estimate water savings in irrigated agriculture that result from public subsidies to farmers who convert from surface to drip irrigation. The method accounts for economic incentives affecting farmers' choices on irrigation technology, crop mix, water application, and water depletion. Findings show that farmers will invest in technologies that reduce water applications when faced with lower financial costs for converting to drip irrigation. Subsidies for drip irrigation increase farm income, raise the value of food production, and reduce the amount of water applied to crops. However, an unexpected result is that water conservation subsidies that promote conversion to drip irrigation can increase the demand for water depleted by crops. Our findings show that where water rights exist, water rights administrators will need to guard against increased depletion of the water source in the face of growing subsidies for drip irrigation. Our approach for analyzing water conservation programmes can be applied where water is scarce, irrigation is significant, food security is important, and water conservation policies are under debate.
Neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitrotyrosine immunoreactivities in the cerebral cortex of the aging rat

Neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase (nNOS and iNOS) and nitrotyrosine immunoreactivities were localized and semiquantitatively assessed in the cerebral cortex of aged rats by means of light microscopic immunocytochemistry and Western blotting, using a new series of specific polyclonal antibodies. In the aged rats the strongly nNOS‐immunoreactive multipolar neurons found in layers II–VI of the cortex of young rats were seen in similar numbers, but showed varicose, vacuolated, and fragmented processes, with an irregular outline and loss of spines. A large number of more weakly nNOS‐positive neurons, characterized by a ring of immunoreactive cytoplasm, and not seen in young rats, were observed in layers II–VI of aged rat cortex. While no iNOS‐immunopositive neurons were found in the cortex of young rats, a large number of such neurons appeared throughout the aged rat cortex. Nitrotyrosine‐positive cells outnumbered total NOS‐positive neurons in the cortex of young rats, but this relation was inverted in the aged rats, although these showed a slight increase in the number and staining intensity of nitrotyrosine‐positive cells. Western blots of brain extracts showed a several‐fold increase in both nNOS‐ and iNOS‐immunoreactive bands in the aged rat, but a less marked increase in nitrotyrosine‐containing proteins. The results suggest that while nNOS and iNOS expression is substantially increased in the aged rat cortex, this is not necessarily accompanied by a proportionate increase in nitric oxide synthesis. The mechanisms underlying the increased expression of nNOS and iNOS, and the functional implications of this increase, require elucidation. Microsc. Res. Tech. 43:75–88, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Factors influencing household food security among smallholder farmers in the Mudzi district of Zimbabwe

This article examines factors influencing household food security among smallholder farmers in Mudzi district of Zimbabwe. Data for this study were collected from 120 randomly selected households, using a structured questionnaire. Analytical techniques employed included descriptive statistics of respondents' characteristics and linear regression analysis to identify factors influencing their household food security. The results show that household dietary diversity is influenced by the age and education of the household head, household labour and size, livestock ownership, access to market information and remittances. Linear regression on another indicator, the household food insecurity access score, shows that labour, education of the household head, household size, remittances, livestock ownership and access to market information all affect household food security. The study therefore recommends that government and other development agencies enhance food security among smallholders through promoting labour-saving technologies, enhancing the flow of remittances to rural areas, facilitating access to market information, and farmer education.
The Importance of Magnesium in Clinical Healthcare

The scientific literature provides extensive evidence of widespread magnesium deficiency and the potential need for magnesium repletion in diverse medical conditions. Magnesium is an essential element required as a cofactor for over 300 enzymatic reactions and is thus necessary for the biochemical functioning of numerous metabolic pathways. Inadequate magnesium status may impair biochemical processes dependent on sufficiency of this element. Emerging evidence confirms that nearly two-thirds of the population in the western world is not achieving the recommended daily allowance for magnesium, a deficiency problem contributing to various health conditions. This review assesses available medical and scientific literature on health issues related to magnesium. A traditional integrated review format was utilized for this study. Level I evidence supports the use of magnesium in the prevention and treatment of many common health conditions including migraine headache, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, asthma, premenstrual syndrome, preeclampsia, and various cardiac arrhythmias. Magnesium may also be considered for prevention of renal calculi and cataract formation, as an adjunct or treatment for depression, and as a therapeutic intervention for many other health-related disorders. In clinical practice, optimizing magnesium status through diet and supplementation appears to be a safe, useful, and well-documented therapy for several medical conditions.
Theoretical perspectives of perceived control in older adults: a selective review of the literature.

AIM This paper is a report of a theoretically based review of literature exploring the concept of perceived control in relation to older adults. BACKGROUND Perceived control is a cognitive attribute that is a precursor to function, a mediator between social support and psychological wellbeing, and instrumental for effective disease self-management. It has been defined from several theoretical perspectives with either a global or a specific focus. METHODS A review of literature was conducted. Articles were abstracted into a table in order to compare the purpose, theoretical framework, definition of perceived control, scope of application of perceived control, research questions, subjects, methods, instruments and findings across studies. The articles were sorted by theoretical framework for analyses among and between theoretical frameworks. RESULTS Twenty papers published between 1995 and 2005, listed in CINAHL or Medline, with the words 'perceived control' in the title, and which included older adults as at least half of the sample and used one of five predominant theoretical frameworks were included in a review of the literature. In this review, perceived control is defined within the theories of social learning, self-efficacy, planned behaviour, the lifespan theory of control, and from a person-environment framework. There is little consensus among researchers as to the definition of perceived control. CONCLUSION Lack of consensus on the theoretical underpinnings and variability in definition of perceived control exist. The mechanisms through which perceived control develops and is exercised are also in dispute. Nevertheless, there is general agreement that high perceived control is important for wellbeing in older adults.
Analiza determinant wyboru momentu rozpoczęcia własnej działalności gospodarczej

Abstrakt Cel: Autor przedstawia wyniki badań nad determinantami wyboru momentu rozpoczęcia własnej działalności gospodarczej. Metodologia: W pracy zastosowano metodę badań kwestionariuszowych (częściowych). Przeprowadzono je na losowo dobranej grupie 604 studentów studiów stacjonarnych w Polsce. Badania stanowią kontynuację realizowanych począwszy od 2003 roku w Uniwersytecie Szczecińskim badań przedsiębiorczości studentów studiów stacjonarnych SES. Dane pozyskane w prezentowanych badaniach porównywano w pracy ze zgromadzonym w poprzednich edycjach badań materiałem międzynarodowym, pozyskanym wśród studentów litewskich, łotewskich, rosyjskich, ukraińskich i węgierskich. Wnioski: Wyniki przeprowadzonego badania pozwalają na pozytywne zweryfi kowanie hipotezy, iż rzeczywista skłonność jednostek do założenia własnej fi rmy ujawnia się zazwyczaj po kilku latach kariery zawodowej. Tłumaczy to znaczną dysproporcję między odsetkiem osób deklarujących chęć otworzenia własnej fi rmy a rzeczywistym odsetkiem samozatrudnionych w populacji pracujących. Preferencje w tym zakresie mają wpływ na kształtowanie się poziomu stopy samozatrudnienia w danym kraju. Praktyczne implikacje: Materiał zgromadzony w pracy może by użyteczny dla adekwatnych służb publicznych zajmujących się wspieraniem rozwoju przedsiębiorczości obywateli. Oryginalność: Wyniki prezentowanych badań stanowią próbę uzupełnienia luki występującej w literaturze przedmiotu z zakresu przedsiębiorczości. Brakuje bowiem publikacji koncentrujących się na kwestiach czynników determinujących wybór momentu rozpoczęcia własnej działalności gospodarczej. Słowa kluczowe: przedsiębiorczość, aktywność gospodarcza, własna fi rma, samozatrudnienie.
Weight-bearing exercise and its impact on arm lymphoedema

Background: There is conflicting information about whether weight-bearing exercises can make lymphoedema worse. Aims: To evaluate the influence of a programme of weight-bearing exercises on the severity of arm lymphoedema. Methods: Eighteen women with breast cancer-related arm lymphoedema took part in a stepped weight-bearing exercise programme. After each session, perceived exertion was rated on a Borg scale. The arm volume (TAV) was measured by water displacement (and multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (MFBIA)), and the patients' experiences of tightness and heaviness were measured on a 10-point scale. All measurements were made before and after training and 30 minutes and 24 hours after the end of the sessions. Results: A statistically significant increase of lymphoedema absolute volume (LAV) was measured immediately after exercise. There was also a tendency towards an increase in TAV and lymphoedema relative volume (LRV). MFBIA showed a tendency towards increase in LRV 30 minutes after training. The TAV, LAV and LRV returned to pre-training values after 24 hours and TAV showed a tendency to reduce, supported by the subjective assessments. Conclusions: A controlled short- duration arm exercise programme with increasing weights does not increase lymphoedema arm volume. Declaration of interest: This study was supported by research grants from the Swedish Cancer Foundation. Karin Johansson, Neil Piller
The C-terminal Region of TIM17 Links the Outer and Inner Mitochondrial Membranes in Arabidopsis and Is Essential for Protein Import*

The translocase of the inner membrane 17 (AtTIM17-2) protein from Arabidopsis has been shown to link the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes. This was demonstrated by several approaches: (i) In vitro organelle import assays indicated the imported AtTIM17-2 protein remained protease accessible in the outer membrane when inserted into the inner membrane. (ii) N-terminal and C-terminal tagging indicated that it was the C-terminal region that was located in the outer membrane. (iii) Antibodies raised to the C-terminal 100 amino acids recognize a 31-kDa protein from purified mitochondria, but cross-reactivity was abolished when mitochondria were protease-treated to remove outer membrane-exposed proteins. Antibodies to AtTIM17-2 inhibited import of proteins via the general import pathway into outer membrane-ruptured mitochondria, but did not inhibit protein import via the carrier import pathway. Together these results indicate that the C-terminal region of AtTIM17-2 is exposed on the outer surface of the outer membrane, and the C-terminal region is essential for protein import into mitochondria.