Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring service quality in urban bus transport: a modified SERVQUAL approach

Purpose – The paper adapts and applies a modified SERVQUAL approach compliant with the EN 13816, a European standard on service quality in public transport. The purpose of the study is to provide a quality evaluation tool readily usable by transport operators willing to certify the service offered.Design/methodology/approach – Correspondence between the SERVQUAL and the standard is ensured by guaranteeing that the 15 attributes investigated encompass the eight macro‐areas of the norm. Primary data were collected by means of an on‐board survey conducted in Cagliari over a two week period.Findings – The study shows the possibility to implement a SERVQUAL approach abiding by the requirements set by the EN 13816. The results illustrate a high degree of importance placed on attributes such as on‐board security, bus reliability, cleanliness and frequency, with these latter three characterized by the widest negative gaps between perceptions and expectations. The sole quantitative supply of transport does not see.
MicroRNAs as a Novel Class of Diagnostic Biomarkers in Detection of Oral Carcinoma: a Meta-Analysis Study.

BACKGROUND Recent studies have highlighted the potential diagnostic values of microRNAs (miRNA) in various cancers involving oral cancer. This meta-analysis sought to summarize the global diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs for patients with oral cancer (OC). METHODS A systematic review of multiple databases was performed to obtain original studies fulfilling search criteria and the quality of studies was assessed by the QUADAS tool. The bivariate meta-analysis model was employed to plot the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve. Influence analysis, meta-regression, and publication bias assay were all conducted using Stata 12.0 software. The trim-fill adjustment method was used to further assess the possible effect of publication bias. RESULTS A total of 8 studies were included. The SROC analysis showed that miRNA profiling allowed for the discrimination between patients with high-risk oral lesions (OC or pre-cancer) and healthy donors, with a sensitivity of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78-0.88) and specificity of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.87), corresponding to an area under curve (AUC) of 0.90. Our subgroup analyses suggested that miRNA signature harbored higher accuracy in diagnosing oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) than pre-cancer lesions (AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.90, 0.83, or 0.82, respectively). Moreover, stratified analyses revealed that parallel miRNA profiling, plasma- and Caucasian-based analyses all conferred promising accuracies for OC detection. The funnel plot assay manifested evidence of a publication bias. After the adjustment by the trim and fill method, the pooled adjusted efforts were slightly attenuated. CONCLUSIONS MiRNA profiles hallmark a potential diagnostic value for detection of OC and potentially malignant disorders. Further studies should be performed to rigorously evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of miRNA profiling for OC.
The Effect of Managerial Ownership on Stock Split-Induced Abnormal Returns

This paper tests the proposition that split announcements are informative signals that play a greater information role for widely held firms. We present evidence for an inverse relationship between managerial ownership and the magnitude of stock split-induced abnormal returns. After controlling for industry and firm size, we find that splitting firms have lower managerial ownership, on average, than nonsplitting firms. We also find no evidence that managers trade on inside information prior to announcing splits. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
A toxic equivalency factor scale for polychlorinated dibenzofurans.

The ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) induction of 20 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) was examined in the H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay. The selection of the compounds tested was based on a multivariate chemical characterization laying the groundwork for covering the whole chemical series of PCDFs. The EROD induction potency was found to vary in ED50 values from 25 to 100,000,000 pg/mg, i.e., nearly seven orders of magnitude. The response of the bioassay was calibrated against the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, enabling the corresponding toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) to be calculated. In order to establish a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) for the TEF values, 37 physicochemical descriptor variables were used to chemically characterize the 87 tetra- to octachlorinated PCDFs. Using partial least-squares modeling on a training set of 10 congeners, a QSAR model with sound predictive power was obtained. The QSAR model was validated with a validation set of additional 10 congeners. The predicted TEFs indicate that a large number of congeners are potent EROD inducers.
CAPITAL GAINS TAXATION AND YEAR‐END STOCK MARKET BEHAVIOR

This traditional view of the effects of capital gains taxation on stock prices denies that securities are perfect substitutes and, rather, asserts that taxation-motivated transactions cause a movement along a downward sloping demand schedule.2 Thus, this view directly contradicts the widely accepted proposition that the capital markets are efficient. In addition, the traditional view of the effect of capital gains taxation on the stock market assumes that the capital gains tax has a significant influence on investors' market behavior because capital gains taxes give investors an incentive to realize capital losses and to defer the realization of capital gains.3 The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the validity of this assumption. By analyzing year-end patterns in the trading volumes of common stocks that represent unrealized capital gains or losses in their owners' portfolios, we develop empirical evidence concerning the extent to which year-end income tax considerations influence investor behavior. The paper is organized as follows: Section II summarizes our hypotheses about the year-end effects of capital gains taxation; Sections III and IV describe the methodology employed and results obtained, respectively, in the analysis of yearend trading volume; and Section V summarizes the conclusions to be drawn from the study.
Hedge Fund Risk Dynamics: Implications for Performance Appraisal

Accurate appraisal of hedge fund performance must recognize the freedom with which managers shift asset classes, strategies, and leverage in response to changing market conditions and arbitrage opportunities. The standard measure of performance is the abnormal return defined by a hedge fund's exposure to risk factors. If exposures are assumed constant when, in fact, they vary through time, estimated abnormal returns may be incorrect. We employ an optimal changepoint regression that allows risk exposures to shift, and illustrate the impact on performance appraisal using a sample of live and dead funds during the period January 1994 through December 2005.
Repeated treatment with horse antilymphocyte globulin for severe aplastic anaemia

In a single‐centre study the feasibility and efficacy of repeated antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) for patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) not responding to an initial ALG treatment or relapsing after initial response to ALG was evaluated. 139 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed SAA were treated with ALG between 1976 and 1995. 89 patients responded to a first course; 50 patients did not become transfusion independent. Of the 89 responders, 66 remained in remission, 23 relapsed. 43 patients received a second or subsequent course of ALG for failure to respond (n = 25) or relapse (n = 18) and were given a total of 53 courses. Acute reactions in the multiply exposed patients occurred during the first ALG treatment in 11 (26%) and during subsequent exposures in 16/53 courses (30%; P > 0.2). Incidence of serum sickness was 63% (27/43) after the initial course compared to 57% (30/53) after subsequent courses (P > 0.2), but clinical signs of serum sickness occurred earlier after repeated (median 6 d) as compared to initial exposure (13 d; P = 0.008). Transfusion‐independent haemopoiesis was achieved in 27/43 (63%) and survival probabilities for the 43 patients receiving multiple courses of ALG was 52 ± 8% at 10 years. The probability of developing a late clonal disorder was 53 ± 10% after multiple, as compared to 34 ± 7% after single exposure (P = 0.15). No difference in results was observed between patients retreated for failure to first ALG or for relapse. ALG of the same species can be repeated without increased risks of side‐effects in patients with SAA. A second or subsequent course of ALG from the same source can be effective when the first course has failed.
Fusion Center Accountability and Intergovernmental Information Sharing

Following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the states cooperated in the establishment of fusion centers to facilitate sharing of data across government agencies, as well as across the public and private sectors. Based on interviews with officials in thirty-six different fusion centers and review of government documents and reports on fusion centers’ activities, this article analyzes the interjurisdictional, regulatory, and legal accountability arrangements for these centers. Our findings indicate that fusion centers operate in a manner consistent with "opportunistic federalism" or "soft governance. " Accountability in such a setting is particularly difficult but especially in the absence of shared professional goals as appears to be the case for fusion centers.
Assessment of the anatomical variation to be found in the normal tricuspid valve

The normal tricuspid valve is tri‐leaflet, supported by tendinous cords, which are themselves supported by papillary muscles. There can be marked variation in the anatomy of the normal tricuspid valve, which must be understood to differentiate it from pathological malformations. The tricuspid valve of 100 normal heart specimens was examined. The three leaflets of the tricuspid valve, along with the papillary muscles supporting the zones of apposition were identified, and details of the anatomy recorded and analyzed. All three leaflets were identified in all 100 hearts. The septal leaflet had tendinous cord attachments in 93 specimens to the ventricular septum. The medial papillary muscle had a single head in the majority of specimens, supporting the zone of apposition with the antero‐superior leaflet in 97 specimens. The anterior papillary muscle attached to the mid‐portion of the antero‐superior leaflet in 62 specimens, and supplied the zone of apposition between the antero‐superior and inferior leaflets in 81 specimens. There were rough zone cord attachments to the antero‐superior leaflets in all specimens. The inferior leaflet had basal cord attachments in 87 specimens, with attachments to multiple small muscular heads in 37 specimens. The inferior papillary muscle was well formed in only 58 specimens. Although certain features are relatively constant, multiple variations in the normal tricuspid valve have been identified. Knowledge of these normal variations is necessary in understanding the function of this complex valve apparatus, along with the potential for pathology. Clin. Anat. 29:399–407, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and recruitment of neutrophils after traumatic brain injury in rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often accompanied by an acute inflammatory reaction mediated initially by neutrophils. Adhesion molecules expressed on vascular endothelium are requisite elements during recruitment of leukocytes at sites of inflammation. In a rat model of TBI the induction and persistent expression of E‐selectin (CD62E) on cerebrovascular endothelium ipsilateral, but not contralateral, to the site of contusion was demonstrated (P < 0.05 at 4 and 48 h posttrauma). In addition, these studies confirmed up‐regulation and prolonged expression of ICAM‐1 (CD54) on endothelium in the traumatized hemisphere (P < 0.05 at 4, 24, 48, and 72 h posttrauma). It is of interest that increased expression of CD54 was noted on blood vessels in the contralateral, non‐traumatized hemisphere 48 h posttrauma. Expression of a third endothelial adhesion molecule, PECAM‐1 (CD31), was unchanged following trauma. Administration of a murine monoclonal antibody (TM‐8) that inhibits the adhesive function of CD54 blocked a significant portion (37.9%) of neutrophil recruitment 24 h posttrauma (P = 0.04). Employing immunocytochemistry and a monoclonal antibody specific for rat neutrophils (RP‐3), peak infiltration of neutrophils was shown to occur 48 h after trauma. In contrast to emigration of neutrophils from blood vessels within the contusion, however, entry of neutrophils occurred from the surrounding leptomeninges and choroidal vessels. These studies demonstrate the relevance of CD54 (ICAM‐1) in recruitment of neutrophils following TBI. However, the majority of neutrophil influx relies on endothelial adhesion molecules other than CD54. Because emigration of neutrophils was shown to occur predominantly from vessels within the leptomeninges and choroid plexus, intrathecal delivery of agents that inhibit the adhesive interactions between neutrophils, endothelial CD54, and other endothelial adhesion molecules to be defined may offer a novel form of therapy to prevent the acute inflammatory response that follows TBI. J. Leukoc. Biol. 61: 279–285; 1997.
An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Influencing Initial Market Response and Media Reports Following Shock Corporate Events

This article examines market efficiency in a natural environment using minute-by-minute share prices following fatal industrial disasters and sudden CEO deaths, and their subsequent media reports. Prices of affected firms start to react within an hour of shock events and fall by 3%; half this fall is reversed prior to the first media reports with the balance reversed by the next trading day. Spreads behave in similar fashion. This is interpreted as market overreaction as risk-averse investors respond to uncertainty created by the shock; prices return to pre-shock levels once it is clear that the event is to be expected and already built into valuations.
Uncovering the genetic basis of adaptive change: on the intersection of landscape genomics and theoretical population genetics

A workshop recently held at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) was dedicated to understanding the genetic basis of adaptive change, taking stock of the different approaches developed in theoretical population genetics and landscape genomics and bringing together knowledge accumulated in both research fields. Indeed, an important challenge in theoretical population genetics is to incorporate effects of demographic history and population structure. But important design problems (e.g. focus on populations as units, focus on hard selective sweeps, no hypothesis‐based framework in the design of the statistical tests) reduce their capability of detecting adaptive genetic variation. In parallel, landscape genomics offers a solution to several of these problems and provides a number of advantages (e.g. fast computation, landscape heterogeneity integration). But the approach makes several implicit assumptions that should be carefully considered (e.g. selection has had enough time to create a functional relationship between the allele distribution and the environmental variable, or this functional relationship is assumed to be constant). To address the respective strengths and weaknesses mentioned above, the workshop brought together a panel of experts from both disciplines to present their work and discuss the relevance of combining these approaches, possibly resulting in a joint software solution in the future.
Can “Tax-for-Fee” Reform Reduce Rural Tension in China? The Process, Progress and Limitations

This article questions the effectiveness and viability of the fiscal response to rural stability adopted by the Chinese state. Tax-for-fee reform (feigaishui) has been heralded as a possible solution to the cancer of excessive fiscal predation by local government. While the experiment may have achieved in relief of peasant burden, the success is simply based on central government financial sponsorship and is thus hardly sustainable as a national programme. And unless there is fundamental reform of fiscal redistribution, the new scheme will ironically hurt rather than help the poorest peasants. Putting all the blame on local cadres is politically expedient, but the central government needs to admit that the present crisis is a result of the systemic discrimination against peasants and the consequent deficit in financing rural governance. The ultimate solution entails a full-scale eradication of structural bias against the peasantry.
Characterization of pra, a gene for replication control in pSAM2, the integrating element of Streptomyces ambofaciens

pSAM2 is a genetic element found integrated in Streptomyces ambofaciens (B2) and additionally in a replicating form in two mutants B3 and B4. The presence of the pSAM2 replicating form in these mutants was the result of mutations located on pSAM2 in the pra locus, named pra3 and pra4, respectively. The pra gene is not directly involved in replication, but its inactivation led to the disappearance of the pSAM2 free form; therefore, it was considered as a replication regulator. The pra3 and pra4 mutations were located in the pra promoter and were shown to be point substitutions that increase the promoter strength. The replication regulator role of pra was demonstrated by the fact that its constitutive expression in cells harbouring pSAM2B2 which is normally only integrated, led to the appearance of the pSAM2 replicating form. Northern analysis showed that the pra gene transcript can be detected only for the replicating mutants B3 and B4 and that the three adjacent genes korSA, pra and traSA were transcribed separately. As replication of pSAM2 is not needed for its maintenance but is an indispensable stage of its transfer, the pra gene, described formally as an activator of pSAM2 replication, is patently involved in pSAM2 transfer.
Sect-State Relations: Accounting for the Differing Trajectories of Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses

Seventh-day Adventists and Jeho~ah's Wimesses share common roots; both began as o~ca/yp~ sects with lyremiUennial expectat/ons; both rejected political participation as contaminaang and distracting from their God-~ven purposes; both expected to be the object of l)ersecution from the state; and both held theolos positions that put them ora of step with demands of the state, suda as a re. [usal to bear amas in wartime. However, over time tho foUowed ve~ different trajectories in the matter of relations with g~. While the Witnesses increased their intransig�91 and endared considerable lx, rsecution, Advena increasingly compromt~ their orinal posiaons, prifmg governmental approval. Ir, foUo~ing Stark and Bair/m~e, r}ae degree of ten.sima uiith state and socie~ is invok~ as the measure of a re//g/ous group's posit/on cm the church-sect conanuum, Wimesses ate … to be ah "esmb//shed sea" wh//e Advenasts have trave/ed a co.s/derab/e d/stance hora sea tmuards denominat/on. This palx'r sets ola to acwurtt … these differing trajectories. In doing so, ir focgw.s on the evoluaon of the rdoxionships of &ese sects ~th eove.mman, pa~ine particular attenaon to ~ rda~ns in tinw.s of ~. ,ar and heiehte.d ruaio.olism. The d, aa leacl ~o an ~~ tl~ p.ds several rela~, imeracane Ÿ Tt~se ~ d~ ~eree of ~ea.iz, aio.al operm~, ideolof~ r~l~, apocalyptic urgeno, the. inm~t~ ~ ~aich they ind~trinate converts, and the ext~ to ~ tkO hape faced persecu~on. These factors to~ther shape the group's rdat/ons ~th the state and soc/et% and consequem/y a/so its pos/t/on on the daa'ch-sect corufnuum. Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses share common roots. Adventists grew directly out of the Millerite movement: They were one of several fragments which survived the "great disappointment" of October 22, 1844, the date which Baptist [ay preacher and biblical chronologist William Miller had set for the Second Coming of Christ (Judd 1987:33). Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Intemational Bible Students, later renamed Jehovah's Wimesses, was heavily influenced by members of other Millerite fragments, especially Advent Christians. He began his religious joumey in 1869 asa resuk of the preaching of Advent Christian James Wadell. He adopted the doctrine of condi
Defective carotid body function and impaired ventilatory responses to chronic hypoxia in mice partially deficient for hypoxia-inducible factor 1α

To investigate whether the transcriptional activator hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is required for ventilatory responses to hypoxia, we analyzed mice that were either wild type or heterozygous for a loss-of-function (knockout) allele at the Hif1a locus, which encodes the O2-regulated HIF-1α subunit. Although the ventilatory response to acute hypoxia was not impaired in Hif1a+/− mice, the response was primarily mediated via vagal afferents, whereas in wild-type mice, carotid body chemoreceptors played a predominant role. When carotid bodies isolated from wild-type mice were exposed to either cyanide or hypoxia, a marked increase in sinus nerve activity was recorded, whereas carotid bodies from Hif1a+/− mice responded to cyanide but not to hypoxia. Histologic analysis revealed no abnormalities of carotid body morphology in Hif1a+/− mice. Wild-type mice exposed to hypoxia for 3 days manifested an augmented ventilatory response to a subsequent acute hypoxic challenge. In contrast, prior chronic hypoxia resulted in a diminished ventilatory response to acute hypoxia in Hif1a+/− mice. Thus partial HIF-1α deficiency has a dramatic effect on carotid body neural activity and ventilatory adaptation to chronic hypoxia.
Social finance and crowdfunding for social enterprises: a public–private case study providing legitimacy and leverage

The authors work closely with academia and governmental organizations in the UK and abroad to develop new, innovative schemes for social impact investing. Such schemes include considerations for public–private collaborations, legislative actions, and especially in this case, for the leveraged use of public and philanthropic funds in Crowdfunding (CF). The relatively new phenomenon of CF can not only provide necessary funds for the social enterprises, it may also lead to a higher legitimacy of these through early societal interaction and participation. This legitimacy can be understood as a strong positive signal for further investors. Governmental tax-reliefs and guarantees from venture-philanthropic funds provide additional incentives for investment and endorse future scaling by leveraging additional debt-finance from specialized social banks. This case study identifies idiosyncratic hurdles to why an efficient social finance market has yet to be created and examines a schema as a case of how individual players’ strengths and weaknesses can be balanced out by a concerted action. The paper discusses the necessary actions, benefits and implications for the involved actors from the public, private and third sector.
Are tourism markets of Turkey converging or not? A Fourier stationary analysis

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the convergence hypothesis of Turkey's tourism markets over the period January 1996–December 2010. We employ a recently introduced Fourier stationary test that does not lose power due to unknown number, form and locations of structural breaks. The results reveal that 10 out of 14 markets support the hypothesis of convergence, which implies that tourism policies for attracting visitor arrivals are effective and new strategies to attract the tourist arrivals from the markets where the convergence hypothesis could not be rejected must be developed to boost the number of visitors coming into Turkey.