Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Service Quality Perception and Satisfaction: Buying Behaviour Prediction in an Australian Festivalscape

The study was conducted on 358 attendees at a major wine festival in Australia. A positive relationship between quality perception and overall satisfaction constructs exists. New insight to festivalscape knowledge is provided through the first‐time and repeat visitor dynamic as predictor of actual buying behaviour. Higher percentage of repeat visitors correlates with higher likelihood of (wine) buying. Overall satisfaction is a stronger predictor of buying behaviour than any individual service quality dimension and of these quality dimensions overall. Repeat visitors, 35 years and older, are the highest yielding visitor group from a financial viewpoint. First‐time visitors are more short‐term oriented in their planning when making the final decision to attend the event. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 12 February 2012; Revised 23 May 2012; Accepted 11 June 2012
The effect of an educational program upon hospital antibiotic use

AbstractThe effect of an educational program on the use of antibiotics was studied in a university-affiliated Veterans Administration Hospital. Following an initial survey of antibiotic usage, educational presentations of the collected data were made to the hospital staff which included specific prescribing errors and alternative recommendations. Then, another survey was conducted. Measurable changes following the educational presentations were limited to decreasing costs of unjustified antibiotic use. An effect was noted in decreasing unjustified use of antibiotics in prophylactic situations, but this remained the most common misuse. Thus, an educational program directed at specific prescribing errors produced little noticeable effect on the use of antibiotics in a university-affiliated hospital. The study indicates that more direct measures, such as control of use of particular antibiotics, may be required to produce a meaningful change in prescribing practices.
Autism in Angelman syndrome: implications for autism research

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe mental retardation, ataxia, and a happy/sociable disposition. Maternally, but not paternally, derived defects, such as duplications, within the AS critical region result in autistic symptomatology, suggesting that the UBE3A gene might be implicated in the causation of autism. This study examined the prevalence of autism in AS in 19 children representing three known molecular classes of AS. Children were studied over the course of 1 year. Forty‐two percent of this population, eight of 19 children, met criteria for autism according to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Parents of children who were diagnosed with autism according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)‐IV criteria as well as the ADOS – Generic, Module 1 (ADOS‐G) were administered the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI‐R). Data from the ADI‐R were convergent with data from the ADOS‐G in all cases. Children with comorbid autism and AS scored lower on measures of language, adaptive behavior, and cognition, and demonstrated a slower rate of improvement over the course of the study. Furthermore, they demonstrated deficits in communication and socialization that mirror those observed in children with idiopathic autism. The study highlights the phenotypic overlap between autism and AS and increases the probability that dysregulation of UBE3A may play a role in the causation of autism.
The Effect of Quality on Hotel Risk

Analysis of the variation – increase or decrease – in the risk to a hotel chain's performance of the introduction of a new quality system is a crucial aspect of decision making. With this in mind, this paper detects changes in such risk deriving from the implementation of quality systems signalled by quality awards. The authors analyse this issue in the Spanish hotel market by employing autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity models. The results show that, in the short term, the increase in fixed costs derived from quality systems is higher than the augmentation in sales; that is, there is an increment in the operating leverage and the firm's operational risk.
Pulmonary delivery of beclomethasone liposome aerosol in volunteers. Tolerance and safety.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To test the tolerance and safety of single doses of beclomethasone dipropionate (Bec)-dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) liposome aerosol in volunteers. DESIGN Single-dose inhalations of liposome preparations of Bec-DLPC and DLPC alone were administered for 15 min from a jet nebulizer (Puritan-Bennett, modified twin jet; mass median aerodynamic diameter of 1.6 microns) under close clinical and laboratory surveillance. Two dose levels (0.5 mg Bec/12.5 mg DLPC per milliliter, and 1.0 mg Bec and 25 mg DLPC per milliliter in the reservoirs, respectively) were administered. The Bec doses were selected to approximate the dosages of this glucocorticoid used with metered-dose inhalers (MDIs). First, four volunteers were exposed to an initial low dose; the mean (+/-SD) inhaled doses were 0.56 +/- 0.07 mg of Bec and/or 14.0 +/- 1.8 mg of DLPC. Subsequently, a second group of six volunteers was exposed to a higher dose; the mean (+/-SD) inhaled doses were 1.29 +/- 0.14 mg of Bec and/or 34.6 +/- 6.8 mg of DLPC. SETTING Outpatient and inpatient. PATIENTS Normal male (n = 6) and female (n = 4) adult volunteers. INTERVENTIONS Inhalation of Bec-DLPC and DLPC liposome aerosols in a single-dose tolerance study involving 10 normal volunteers. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Spirometry, clinical observations, clinical chemistry, and hematology were monitored. No adverse clinical or laboratory events were observed. CONCLUSIONS Bec-DLPC liposome aqueous aerosol was well tolerated in doses equivalent to those currently administered by MDIs and dry powder inhalers for treatment of asthma.
A Case of Infective Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm due to Haemophilus influenzae Type B

Abstract Infective abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) is relatively rare, but a case which is caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B is very rare. We experienced one IAAA case due to H. influenzae type B. The patient was 69-year-old man presenting with severe abdominal and back pain and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), as inflammatory marker. The patient was found to have saccular aneurysm infrarenal aorta on computed tomography scanning. First, we started to treat him with antibiotic agent and second, we operated him at day 8 after admission with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft. Revascularization was made in situ reconstruction. As the result of culture with aneurysm wall, we found that the cause of this aneurysm was the infection of H. influenzae type B. As far as we know, this bacterium is scarcely reported as the cause of infective aortic aneurysms. We reported this IAAA case with the review of the English literature.
Differences in Student Information and Communication Technology Literacy Based on Socio-Economic Status, Ethnicity, and Gender

Abstract This research examines student information and communication technology (ICT) literacy and its relationships to a student’s socio-economic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity of middle school students. We recruited 5,990 students from 13 school districts across the state of Florida. Student participants completed the Student Tool for Technology Literacy (ST2L), a performance-based assessment of ICT literacy skills based on the 2008 National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS.S). Results show a digital divide between low and high SES, white and non-white, and female and male students on all measures of the ST2L. Specifically, high-SES, white, and female students outperformed their counterparts. The results provide compelling evidence of a digital divide within Florida schools. The article discusses the implications of the findings for practice and future research.
Discourse, Ideas, and Epistemic Communities in European Security and Defence Policy

politics and international relations comparable in significance to those of 1789–95, 1917–19 and 1945–49. The major difference with those previous turning points was the absence of war and violence as midwife. Ideas, as well as ‘reality’, were able to come fully into play. For the first time in two centuries, history offered international actors a relatively blank sheet of paper on which to write the outlines of a new world order. It also seemed to offer a reasonable breathing space during which to draft that blueprint. And yet, as a recent collected volume has demonstrated (Niblett and Wallace 2001), most European governments initially responded neither rationally (as some insist they do) nor constructively (as others suggest they can). Instead, the picture was, at least until 1997, at best one of ‘disjointed incrementalism’ (Wallace 2001: 286), at worst one of dithering, drift and perceived impotence. Sir Michael Howard (1990), pondering the 30-yearlong stranglehold of Cold War ideas, noted in his Alastair Buchan lecture to IISS in March 1990: ‘We became so accustomed to the prison that history had built for us that, like recidivists or long-term hospital patients, we became almost incapable of visualising any other kind of existence. No other world, it seemed, could exist. ’ Yet this was the first major shift in the geology of international relations since the establishment of the discipline itself. Research institutes and think-tanks existed in all European countries. Ideas abounded, and policy papers tumbled off the printers in a neverending stream. New thinking and new ideas eventually played a vital role in the shift towards new policy preferences and even a new policy paradigm. The role of legitimating discourse is more complex. In some countries it worked, in others it did not. This article will attempt to explain why. Stuart Croft (2000) analysed the clash of ideas involved in four ‘security narratives’ that competed with each other in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War. He suggested a variety of largely politico-ideational reasons for Discourse, Ideas, and Epistemic Communities in European Security and Defence Policy
Getting Doctors to Do Their Best

Adherence to medical protocol (quality) is low in most developing countries. We show that, although the differences in knowledge of protocol among doctors in Arusha region of Tanzania are explained by years of training, the differences in actual adherence to protocol and the gap between knowledge and actual adherence are best understood by examining the types of organizations in which these doctors work. These results suggest that some organizations are better at getting doctors to perform at capacity and that understanding the link between organizational structure and protocol adherence is important in any attempt to increase the quality of care.
Leader productivity and people orientations for cooperative goals and effective teams in China

Researchers have traditionally distinguished leaders by the extent to which they are oriented to people and productivity, and meta-analytic results indicate that these orientations have consistent and practically important effects. But research is needed to understand the dynamics by which these orientations induce team effectiveness. This study empirically relates leader orientations to teamwork by suggesting that productivity- and people-oriented leaders develop cooperative goals among team members that in turn results in team effectiveness. A total of 146 team leaders from 21 organizations in China completed measures of productivity and people orientations and their encouraging cooperative goals among team members; 1067 team members rated their effectiveness. Results of the structural equation analysis support the theorizing that leader productivity and people values when complemented by strengthening cooperative relationships can contribute to making teams effective in China and perhaps in other countries as well.
Stress distribution of three NiTi rotary files under bending and torsional conditions using a mathematic analysis.

AIM To compare and evaluate the stress distribution of three NiTi instruments of various cross-sectional configurations under bending or torsional condition using a finite-element analysis model. METHODOLOGY Three NiTi files (ProFile, ProTaper and ProTaper Universal) were scanned using Micro-CT to produce a three-dimensional digital model. The behaviour of the instrument under bending or torsional loads was analysed mathematically in software (ABAQUS V6.5-1), taking into consideration the nonlinear mechanical characteristic of NiTi material. RESULTS ProFile showed the greatest flexibility, followed by ProTaper Universal and ProTaper. The highest stress was observed at the surface near the cutting edge and the base of (opposing) flutes during cantilever bending. Concentration of stresses was observed at the bottom of the flutes in ProFile and ProTaper Universal instruments in torsion. The stress was more evenly distributed over the surface of ProTaper initially, which then concentrated at the middle of the convex sides when the amount of angular deflection was increased. CONCLUSION Incorporating a U-shaped groove in the middle of each side of the convex-triangular design lowers the flexural rigidity of the origin ProTaper design. Bending leads to the highest surface stress at or near the cutting edge of the instrument. Stress concentration occurs at the bottom of the flute when the instrument is subjected to torsion.
Pricing a class of exotic commodity options in a multi-factor jump-diffusion model

In a recent paper, Crosby introduced a multi-factor jump-diffusion model which would allow futures (or forward) commodity prices to be modelled in a way which captured empirically observed features of the commodity and commodity options markets. However, the model focused on modelling a single individual underlying commodity. In this paper, we investigate an extension of this model which would allow the prices of multiple commodities to be modelled simultaneously in a simple but realistic fashion. We then price a class of simple exotic options whose payoff depends on the difference (or ratio) between the prices of two different commodities (for example, spread options), or between the prices of two different (i.e. with different tenors) futures contracts on the same underlying commodity, or between the prices of a single futures contract as observed at two different calendar times (for example, forward start or cliquet options). We show that it is possible, using a Fourier transform-based algorithm, to derive a single unifying form for the prices of all these aforementioned exotic options and some of their generalizations. Although we focus on pricing options within the model of Crosby, most of our results would be applicable to other models where the relevant ‘extended’ characteristic function is available in analytical form.
Genes Affecting the Repair and Survival of Escherichia coli Following Psoralen-Induced Damage: a DNA Interstrand Crosslinking Agent

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Recommended Citation Perera, Anthonige Vidya, "Genes Affecting the Repair and Survival of Escherichia coli Following Psoralen-Induced Damage: a DNA Interstrand Crosslinking Agent" (2015). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2195.
Ageing, Migration and Labour Mobility

This paper provides insights into the relationship between the substantial ageing of the European labour force, large migration movements, and individual labour mobility. First, qualitative predictions are derived using the theory of production with multiple inputs. Second, quantitative relationships are measured using a large sample of German individual data. Mobility is measured by the number of job changes of an individual during a ten-year period. We address some methodological issues raised by the use of non-negative integer data in an econometric investigation. The estimates are used to evaluate the interactions in several simulations: What is the age-mobility profile? How is it affected by migration? What are the potential effects of labour-force ageing as predicted for Germany and Europe up to the beginning of the next century?
Factors Impacting Agricultural Landowners' Willingness to Enter into Conservation Easements: A Case Study

Agricultural lands offer an abundance of environmental goods and services, yet face residential development pressures. Conservation easements are frequently used to protect both productive land and environmental amenities. The landowner retains ownership, and may donate development rights or receive compensation for permanently limiting development on the property. Focus groups were conducted with agricultural landowners in Wyoming and Colorado to explore factors affecting their preferences for conservation easements. Results from the focus groups reveal that landowners have concerns about providing easements in perpetuity. They also considered public access to and loss of managerial control of their property as obstacles. Focus-group results indicated that landowners valued the provision of public goods, such as wildlife habitat and open space, to neighboring communities, and generally felt something important would be lost to their communities if their lands were developed. Addressing landowner concerns could potentially increase the volume of easement transactions.
Real exchange rate misalignment in China : an empirical investigation.

Based on the theory of equilibrium real exchange rate, this paper estimates the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate and the resulting misalignment in China. Evidence shows chronic overvaluation in China's central planning period, but economic reforms have brought the real exchange rate closer to equilibrium. The cumulative effect of exchange rate reform led to a substantial real depreciation of the Chinese currency after 1981. Indications are that China now has a proactive exchange rate policy with the nominal exchange rate used as a policy tool to attain real targets.
Do Banks Follow Their Customers Abroad?

Abstract: The market share of U.S. business loans made by foreign-owned banks has increased dramatically since 1980. At the same time, foreign direct investment in the U.S. rose, so that much of the increase in foreign-owned U.S.-based bank lending to businesses in the U.S. could conceivably be accounted for by an increase in loans to the U.S. affiliates of firms headquartered abroad, an expectation in line with the conventional wisdom that banks "follow their customers" abroad. Our study investigates the lending patterns of U.S.-based banks from Japan, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K., countries which account for the vast majority of foreign-owned bank activity in the U.S. Simultaneously, we look at the borrowing patterns of U.S. nonbank affiliates of firms from those countries. We find that banks from four of the six countries (Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.K.) allocated a majority of their loans to non-home country borrowers, for some or all of the 1981-1992 period. That result suggests that the "follow the customer" hypothesis may have a more limited applicability than previously supposed.
Masai and Kikuyu Responses to the Establishment of British Administration in the East Africa Protectorate

This paper attempts to study the contrasting responses of two Kenya tribes, the Masai and the Kikuyu, to the establishment of British administration. It suggests that neither reacted in the way expected of them by early British officials, who anticipated that the Masai would forcefully oppose the British entry, while little or no resistance was expected from the Kikuyu. Instead, the Masai actively co-operated with the British, through the support of a laibon, Lenana, and the provision of levies who accompanied British punitive expeditions. Although twice removed from their lands, the Masai still did not fight, but appealed to the law courts. When this failed, they showed little or no interest in further opposition. Although apparently having some cause to resent treatment received at the hands of the British, they showed virtually no interest in the protest movements of the twenties. By contrast the Kikuyu, far from standing aside as had been expected, opposed the British entry in a series of short engagements, in which they suffered considerable casualties. Soon, however, collaborators began to emerge and ‘chiefs’ such as Kinyanjui—created by the British and beholden to them–benefited considerably from the connexion. Despite this co-operation, the earlier resentments continued and were reinforced by losses of land to European settlers, and by the unsettling effects upon tribal life of the proximity of Nairobi and the teaching of the missions. When, after the acute sufferings of the war years, further demands were made by the government, the Kikuyu responded by active participation in organized political protest. Possible reasons are put forward for these contrasting responses, and the suggestion is made that differing attitudes to the protest movements of the twenties can be more fully appreciated when the history of these earlier years is taken into account.
Psychological Trauma in a Relief Worker—A Case Report from Earthquake-Struck Areas of North Pakistan

Abstract Vicarious traumatization is now a well-known entity and may have negative influences on those that are involved in rescue efforts in any disaster or traumatic events. Healthcare workers work with trauma survivors and witness an immense array of gruesome and ghastly images. This work has the potential to cause those engaged in rescue efforts to become affected subconsciously. Job-related stress may cause psychological symptoms in care providers who provide support and listen to the survivors' account of trauma. A therapist working in disaster situations may become a victim of psychological anguish—undermining their physical and mental well-being as well as their profession, adversely affecting their traumatized patients, and leading to a counter-productive therapist-survivor relationship. This significant theme of secondary trauma must be recognized in relief workers at early stages and must be addressed at an individual as well as organizational level. The key may lie in turning to social supports, adapting positive coping mechanisms, and subsequently seeking mental health consultation. Further research is required in this area to determine the best resolution.