Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of Malaysian Tourism and Hospitality Students' towards a Career in the Industry

This study explored Malaysian undergraduate tourism and hospitality students' views of the industry as a career choice. Four hundred and twenty-nine tourism and hospitality students, from three Malaysian institutions completed a questionnaire rating the importance of 20 factors in influencing their choice of career, and then the extent to which they believed tourism and hospitality as a career offers these factors. All of the 20 factors tested have been identified as being significantly different. From the results, it is clear that students generally do not believe that a career in tourism and hospitality will offer them the factors that they find important.
[Correlations between MRI apparent diffusion coefficient and histological grade and molecular biology of breast invasive ductal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE To study the correlation between the MRI apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value and histological grade and molecular biology of breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). METHODS This retrospective study included 125 patients with IDC verified by pathology from February 2010 to February 2013. Conventional MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) examination were performed using a 3.0T scanner with diffusion factor of 0 and 800 s/mm(2). The region of interest (ROI) was drawn on the largest lesion and/or its two adjacent slices. The ADC value of the whole tumor was calculated as the mean ADC value. The correlation between mean ADCs and histological grade and biological factors was analyzed. RESULTS The mean ADC of pathological grade I, II and III IDC was (1.152 ± 0.072)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, (1.102 ± 0.101)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, and (1.035 ± 0.107)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference among them (P = 0.003). Statistically a significant difference was observed between grade III and I (P = 0.034), grade III and II (P = 0.006), but not between grade I and II (P = 0.741). A significant correlation was observed between ADC value and pathological grade (r = -0.342, P < 0.001). The median ADC values were significantly higher in the ER-negative than in the ER-positive cases [(1.130 ± 0.115)×10(-3) mm(2)/s vs. (1.060 ± 0.089) ×10(-3) mm(2)/s, P < 0.001)], in PR-negative than in PR-positive cases [(1.121 ± 0.106)×10(-3) mm(2)/s vs. (1.055 ± 0.096) ×10(-3) mm(2)/s, P < 0.001)], and in Ki-67-negative than in Ki-67-positive cases [(1.153 ± 0.090)×10(-3) mm(2)/s vs. (1.063 ± 0.101) ×10(-3) mm(2)/s, P < 0.001]. A statistically significant correlation was observed between ADC value and expressions of ER, PR, and Ki-67 (r = -0.311, r = -0.317, r = -0.414, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION ADC value of breast invasive ductal carcinoma is correlated with histological grade, and expression of ER, PR and Ki-67.
Exact geometric computation in LEDA

Almost all geometric algorithms are based on the RealRAM model. Implementors often simply replace the exact real arithmetic of this model by fixed precision arithmetic, thereby making correct algorithms incorrect. Two approaches have been taken to remedy this sit uation. The first approach is redesigning geometric algorithms for fixed precision arithmetic. The redesign is difficult and can inherently not lead to exact results. Moreover it prevents application areas from making use of the rich literature of geometric algorithms developed in computational geometry. The other approach advocat es the use of exact real arithmetic.
Transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations and reflux: mechanistic analysis using concurrent fluoroscopy and high-resolution manometry.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The aim of this study was to perform a detailed analysis of the mechanics leading to esophagogastric junction (EGJ) opening during transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (tLESRs) using high-resolution manometry coupled with simultaneous fluoroscopy. METHODS Six subjects without hiatus hernia had endoclips placed at the squamocolumnar junction and 10 cm proximal. A 36-channel solid-state manometric assembly was placed spanning from stomach to pharynx, and subjects were studied for 2 hours after a high-fat meal. An esophageal pH electrode also was placed and fluoroscopy was initiated at the onset of a tLESR. Axial clip movement was measured during replay of the videotaped fluoroscopy and was correlated with manometric data. RESULTS Ninety-three tLESRs were recorded, 62 tLESRs of which had good fluoroscopic visualization. Seventy-eight tLESRs had manometric evidence of flow and the majority had evidence of a common cavity (88%), but few were detected by the pH electrode. Esophageal shortening and crural diaphragm inhibition always preceded EGJ opening and common cavity. A positive pressure gradient between the stomach and the EGJ lumen of 7.1 mm Hg (interquartile range, 4.1-9.1 mm Hg) preceded the EGJ opening. CONCLUSIONS Key events leading to the EGJ opening during tLESRs were LES relaxation, crural diaphragm inhibition, esophageal shortening, and a positive pressure gradient between the stomach and the EGJ lumen. The manometric signature of opening was pressure equalization within the EGJ, but this only occasionally was associated with pH evidence of reflux. Future investigations will need to analyze how this delicately balanced anatomic-physiologic system is perturbed in subjects with reflux disease.
Production, partial purification and characterization of protease from a phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria solani (Ell. and Mart.) Sorauer

An alkaline serine protease producing strain Alternaria solani was optimized for its enzyme production under submerged conditions. The maximum production of protease by A. solani was achieved by using sodium nitrate at the optimum concentration of 0.2% w/v. A. solani produced higher quantities (3.75 [unit/mg of protein]) of an inducible extracellular proteases on day 9 after incubation in czapek's dox broth medium amended with 1% casein as an inducer at pH 8.5, temperature 27 °C and 3% sucrose as carbon source. Extracellular proteases were precipitated by ammonium sulphate saturation (80%) method and purified on Sephadex G‐100 column chromatography. The molecular mass of SDS–PAGE and Sephadex G‐100 Column Gel permeation chromatography purified protease was estimated to 42 kDa. In addition, trypsin digestion of 42 kDa protein band was carried out and analyzed by MALDI–TOF for the identification of protease. The sequence IKELATNGVVTNVK (378–391) segment of the alkaline serine protease was found by using MS/MS spectrum at 1485 m/z from the purified fraction. It showed optimal activity at 50 °C and pH 9–10 and broad pH stability between pH 6–12. The protease activity was inhibited by phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), all the results indicated that the presence of a serine residue in the active site and is thus most likely a member of the serine protease family. This may function as a virulence protein during pathogenesis by A. solani. The results suggested that the presence of appreciable extracellular proteolytic activity in filamentous fungi may serve as a marker of their phytopathogenicity.
Nested Models and Model Uncertainty

Uncertainty about the appropriate choice among nested models is a central concern for optimal policy when policy prescriptions from those models differ. The standard procedure is to specify a prior over the parameter space ignoring the special status of some sub-models, e.g. those resulting from zero restrictions. This is especially problematic if a model's generalization could be either true progress or the latest fad found to fit the data. We propose a procedure that ensures that the specified set of sub-models is not discarded too easily and thus receives no weight in determining optimal policy. We find that optimal policy based on our procedure leads to substantial welfare gains compared to the standard practice.
Shareholder Wealth Effects of CEO Departures: Evidence from the UK

This paper examines share price behaviour surrounding announcements of CEO departures from UK firms listed on the All Share Index between 1990 and 1995. We find that many firms choose not to announce CEO departures, and that these firms have poorer performance records, and higher chances of future failure, than those firms who officially announce CEO turnover to the London Stock Exchange. The market reacts negatively to announcements of top executive departures, especially when the CEO is dismissed or leaves to take up another job. Share price reactions to the disclosure of top executive departure are significantly affected by the financial risk of the firm and whether the board announces a replacement CEO.
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF THE GHANA STOCK EXCHANGE

The study investigated the challenges and prospects of the Ghana Stock Exchange. It also sought to ascertain the level of public awareness of the Stock Exchange and discover the availability of prospects on the Stock Exchange. The study design was cross sectional. Stratified and simple random, sampling methods were used for the study. Four set of questionnaire were used to collect data from listed companies, unlisted companies, Staff of Ghana Stock Exchange and individual investors. Descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out. The result revealed that the stakeholders expected higher performance compared to the actual performance of the Exchange. Also key challenges confronting the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) are liquidity challenges, low patronage by Ghanaian firms, low earnings, strict regulations and low media attention. The prospects include safe and sound political environment for investment and favourable tax policies. Thus the government need to take real pragmatic measures to boost the market in order to increase investors’ confidence. Also the media should be seen reporting more on Stock trading activities as well as including Stock market and trading activities into the Ghanaian educational curriculum so that before student gets into senior secondary school, the awareness would have been created.
THE FATE OF PRESERVED AND TRANSPLANTED HUMAN CORNEAL ENDOTHELIUM

This paper evaluates the numbers of corneal endothelial cells that survive transplantation. The donor endothelium was photographed with a specular microscope both before enucleation and in situ after keratoplasty. The cell density was measured in 16 corneas from donors with choroidal melanoma. Of these donor corneas 12 were cryopreserved, two were preserved in McCarey and Kaufman's (M‐K) medium and two were transplanted fresh. The average follow‐up period after keratoplasty was 11 months.
Traveler Geographic Origin and Market Segmentation for Small Island Nations: The Barbados Case

Abstract This paper explores the effectiveness of geographic origin as a basis for segmenting visitors to small island nations that depend exclusively on international travelers as tourism markets. International visitation data drawn from the Barbados annual tourist survey, data on five geographic markets (USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Trinidad) are examined to determine whether country origin can be used as a segmentation criterion to effectively establish preferred visitor profiles. Visitor characteristics and profiles are found to be distinguishable by country of origin. These have implications for tourism promotion and distribution strategies for small island nations.
Switched Control of Cadence During  Stationary Cycling Induced by Functional Electrical Stimulation

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) can be used to activate the dysfunctional lower limb muscles of individuals with neurological disorders to produce cycling as a means of rehabilitation. However, previous literature suggests that poor muscle control and nonphysiological muscle fiber recruitment during FES-cycling causes lower efficiency and power output at the cycle crank than able-bodied cycling, thus motivating the investigation of improved control methods for FES-cycling. In this paper, a stimulation pattern is designed based on the kinematic effectiveness of the rider's hip and knee joints to produce a forward torque about the cycle crank. A robust controller is designed for the uncertain, nonlinear cycle-rider system with autonomous, state-dependent switching. Provided sufficient conditions are satisfied, the switched controller yields ultimately bounded tracking of a desired cadence. Experimental results on four able-bodied subjects demonstrate cadence tracking errors of 0.05 ±1.59 and 5.27 ±2.14 revolutions per minute during volitional and FES-induced cycling, respectively. To establish feasibility of FES-assisted cycling in subjects with Parkinson's disease, experimental results with one subject demonstrate tracking errors of 0.43 ±4.06 and 0.17 ±3.11 revolutions per minute during volitional and FES-induced cycling, respectively.
Optimization of novel pentablock copolymer based composite formulation for sustained delivery of peptide/protein in the treatment of ocular diseases

Abstract This manuscript is focussed on the development of pentablock (PB) copolymer based sustained release formulation for the treatment of posterior segment ocular diseases. We have successfully synthesised biodegradable and biocompatible PB copolymers for the preparation of nanoparticles (NPs) and thermosensitive gel. Achieving high drug loading with hydrophilic biotherapeutics (peptides/proteins) is a challenging task. Moreover, small intravitreal injection volume (≤100 μL) requires high loading to develop a long term (six months) sustained release formulation. We have successfully investigated various formulation parameters to achieve maximum peptide/protein (octreotide, insulin, lysozyme, IgG-Fab, IgG, and catalase) loading in PB NPs. Improvement in drug loading can facilitate delivery of larger doses of therapeutic proteins via limited injection volume. A composite formulation comprised of NPs in gel system exhibited sustained release (without burst effect) of peptides and proteins, may serve as a platform technology for the treatment of posterior segment ocular diseases.
Stock market returns and the temperature effect: new evidence from Europe

In this article we investigate if stock market returns are related to temperature. Research in behavioural finance shows that lower temperature can lead to aggression, while higher temperature can lead to both apathy and aggression (Cao and Wei, 2005). Evidence from previous studies suggests that the temperature anomaly is characterized by a negative relationship between stock market returns and temperature. We consider daily financial and temperature data from five European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Greece and UK. Using a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) method, we find a negative relationship between temperature and stock market returns for Austria, Belgium and France only. Greece and UK show a positive but not significant correlation between temperature and stock market returns. These findings are strongly recommended to financial managers and investors dealing with European stock indices.
The price linkages between Malaysian unit trust funds and the stock market: Short run and long run interrelationships

Purpose - The primary objective of the paper is to examine the short and long run price linkages between Malaysian unit trust funds and the stock market index as proxied by the Kuala Lumpur composite index (KLCI) over the period 1996-2000. Design/methodology/approach - Cointegration analyses are used to identify the long run relationship between unit trust funds and the stock market index while Granger causality tests are used to measure the short run price linkages. Findings - Cointegration results show that the long run pricing performance of the unit trust funds differs significantly from that of the KLCI. Interestingly, the findings also reveal that two index funds are found not to be cointegrated with the stock market index. In the short run, one-way Granger causality test shows that changes in the KLCI Granger causes changes in the unit trust funds. This suggests that fund managers are responding to the past changes in the stock market index over the short run. Research limitations/implications - The findings of non-cointegration between passively managed funds and the KLCI are restricted to only two index funds in the sample among other actively managed funds. Since there were not enough index funds available over the study period, future research should include more index funds in the analysis. Practical implications - In the short run, investors may gather information on the changes in their portfolio composition by observing the movement in the KLCI. Originality/value - The paper represents the first evidence on the pricing relationships between unit trust funds and the local stock market index and the findings are important to investors in terms of their investment strategies.
The proteoglycan contents of the temporomandibular joint disc influence its dynamic viscoelastic properties.

The collagen fibers and proteoglycans in the disc of temporomandibular joint provide resistance to various loadings. Thus far, however, the role of the proteoglycans in determining the viscoelastic properties of the disc has not been investigated. In the present study the hypothesis was tested that the viscoelastic behavior of the disc decreases by the removal of proteoglycans. In 32 bovine discs, dynamic tensile tests with a wide range of frequencies were performed. Before testing, specimens were treated with different concentrations of alpha-amylase to remove proteoglycans. As the frequency increased from 0.1 to 100 Hz, the disc became more viscoelastic. Increasing the concentration of alpha-amylase significantly decreased its viscoelasticity. It was concluded that proteoglycans play an important role in determining the viscoelastic properties of the disc and, therefore, give the disc a greater capacity for distributing and reducing stresses.
The Deadlock of Democracy in Brazil

Many countries have experimented with different electoral rules in order either to increase involvement in the political system or make it easier to form stable governments. Barry Ames explores this important topic in one of the world's most populous and important democracies, Brazil. This book locates one of the sources of Brazil's "crisis of governance" in the nation's unique electoral system, a system that produces a multiplicity of weak parties and individualistic, pork-oriented politicians with little accountability to citizens. It explains the government's difficulties in adopting innovative policies by examining electoral rules, cabinet formation, executive-legislative conflict, party discipline and legislative negotiation.The book combines extensive use of new sources of data, ranging from historical and demographic analysis in focused comparisons of individual states to unique sources of data for the exploration of legislative politics. The discussion of party discipline in the Chamber of Deputies is the first multivariate model of party cooperation or defection in Latin America that includes measures of such important phenomena as constituency effects, pork-barrel receipts, ideology, electoral insecurity, and intention to seek reelection. With a unique data set and a sophisticated application of rational choice theory, Barry Ames demonstrates the effect of different electoral rules for election to Brazil's legislature.The readership of this book includes anyone wanting to understand the crisis of democratic politics in Brazil. The book will be especially useful to scholars and students in the areas of comparative politics, Latin American politics, electoral analysis, and legislative studies.Barry Ames is the Andrew Mellon Professor of Comparative Politics and Chair, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh.
ISO 9000: integration rationales and organizational impacts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical study of the impact of motivational factors underlying ISO 9000 certification on several aspects of organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – An extension of a typology based on motivational factors is proposed and four integration rationales (quality enthusiasts, ISO integrators, ritual integrators, and dissidents) are exposed. The paper then evaluates how each of these four rationales related to potential organizational problems and benefits. Various statistical analyses were conducted on data obtained from a sample of 872 certified Canadian firms. A factor analysis was completed to develop an instrument allowing to develop a typology distinguishing between the four integration rationales.Findings – The results demonstrate that the nature and intensity of motivations behind a decision to adopt the ISO 9000 standard play a key role in the success of the implementation process and the emergence of organizational p.
Types of Shares and Idiosyncratic Risk

This study seeks to examine whether being listed as a particular type of share (H share, red-chip stock, Taiwan-based stock, or Hong Kong local stock) on the main board of the Hong Kong Exchange will affect the idiosyncratic risks and market risks. The findings are as follows: (1) different political connections mainly affect idiosyncratic risk, (2) the hypothesis of big size with high market risk is supported, (3) the idiosyncratic risks of all the companies in each category taken by category are negatively correlated with expected short-run returns. These results mean that investors should hold the stocks with previous low idiosyncratic risk to earn high expected returns.
Impact of a Clinical Pharmacokinetic Service on Patients Treated with Aminoglycosides: A Cost‐Benefit Analysis

In a prospective, randomized study, 75 adults receiving aminogly-cosides were followed by a clinical pharmacokinetic service and 70 followed as controls. The two groups were similar in age, gender, height, and APACHE II score. A cost-to-charge ratio was used to derive direct costs of hospitalization and calculate cost-benefit. Excluded from this comparison were patients with incomplete acceptance of pharmacokinetic service recommendations and patients followed by other clinical pharmacists. Pharmacokinetic service patients had shorter hospitalizations (322.67 ± 270.28 h; controls 442.89 ± 536.81, p = 0.087) and febrile periods (50.05 ± 79.38 h; controls 92.23 ± 122.50, p < 0.05). More pharmacokinetic service patients had adequate peak levels. Pharmacokinetic service direct costs were lower (7,102.56 ± 9,898.19; controls 13,758.64 ± 22,874.31, p < 0.05). Calculated direct cost of the service was 85.00/patient. Annual savings for 500 patients is 2,220,540.00.
Facilitating, accelerating, and sustaining the innovation diffusion process: an epidemic modeling approach

Our focus in this article is on a conceptual framework that has the potential to help managers achieve the goals of facilitating, accelerating, and sustaining the innovation diffusion process in organizations. We use concepts and variables from epidemic modeling to develop a series of algebraic equations that mathematically demonstrates the process by which innovative ideas are diffused throughout organizations, and then derive a set of propositions from the equations that specify how variables in the equations might be affected to facilitate, accelerate, and sustain the innovation diffusion process. After identifying strategies designed to affect these variables, we discuss factors that may be required to implement the strategies successfully. Finally, we discuss other factors that managers should consider as they take actions to facilitate, accelerate, and sustain the innovation diffusion process.