Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Have We Learned? Themes from the Literature on Best-Practice Benchmarking

The aim of this paper is to review the important themes in the literature on benchmarking, and to assess the contribution to knowledge provided thus far. Four themes from the literature are highlighted: studies of the nature of benchmarking practice; criticisms of benchmarking; evaluating the effectiveness of benchmarking; and the notion of best practice. The authors argue that, while the literature does include a few critical analyzes of the practice and impacts of benchmarking, it is dominated by relatively descriptive, and even prescriptive, accounts of the realities of benchmarking. The longer-term (qualitative and quantitative) effects and perspectives of diverse stakeholders on benchmarking are largely neglected. This selective focus has implications for the contribution of benchmarking research to practice, for example, in terms of the role of internal organizational capabilities in analyzing the performance of processes and managing communications and change. The authors advocate areas of future research to improve theoretical understanding of benchmarking and thoroughly evaluate its impact within the context of performance management.
The relationship between product involvement and product knowledge: Moderating roles of product type and product knowledge type

To shed further light on the correlation between consumer product involvement and consumer product knowledge, the authors examined such correlation by treating product type and product knowledge type as moderating variables. The results show that the correlation between a consumer's product involvement and objective product knowledge is higher in a utilitarian product than in a hedonic product. On the contrary, the correlation between a consumer's product involvement and subjective product knowledge is higher in a hedonic product than in a utilitarian product. The implications of these results are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PharmaGuard: Automatic identification of illegal search-indexed online pharmacies

We present PharmaGuard, a novel system for the automatic discovery of illegal online pharmacies, aimed at assisting law-enforcement toward their early identification, blacklisting and shutdown. Given a previously labelled set of examples, the system is able to learn a profile of (illegal) pharmacies, and then exploit it to discover never-before-seen instances indexed by popular web search engines. Our experiments, performed on webpages found in the wild, indicate that our approach is lightweight, allows for high accuracy and can substantially complement state-of-the-art blacklists. We also present a report on the detected online pharmacies that better highlights the relevance of this threat for Internet users.
Characteristics and outcomes of ventilated patients according to time to liberation from mechanical ventilation.

RATIONALE A new classification of patients based on the duration of liberation of mechanical ventilation has been proposed. OBJECTIVES To analyze outcomes based on the new weaning classification in a cohort of mechanically ventilated patients. METHODS Secondary analysis included 2,714 patients who were weaned and underwent scheduled extubation from a cohort of 4,968 adult patients mechanically ventilated for more than 12 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Patients were classified according to a new weaning classification: 1,502 patients (55%) as simple weaning,1,058 patients (39%) as difficult weaning, and 154 (6%) as prolonged weaning.Variables associated with prolonged weaning(.7d)were: severity at admission (odds ratio [OR] per unit of Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001–1.02), duration of mechanical ventilation before first attempt of weaning (OR per day, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06–1.13), chronic pulmonary disease other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR,13.23; 95% CI, 3.44–51.05), pneumonia as the reason to start mechanical ventilation (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.07–3.08), and level of positive end-expiratory pressure applied before weaning (OR per unit,1.09; 95% CI, 1.04–1.14). The prolonged weaning group had a nonsignificant trend toward a higher rate of reintubation (P ¼ 0.08),tracheostomy (P ¼ 0.15), and significantly longer length of stay and higher mortality in the intensive care unit (OR for death, 1.97;95%CI, 1.17–3.31). The adjusted probability of death remained constant until Day 7, at which point it increased to 12.1%.
Eating Disorders: Problems of Contemporary Civilisation – A Review

Abstract The eating disorders have been reviewed based on state-of-art of contemporary psychology, medicine and nutrition science, with a special emphasis put on different symptoms and forms, origins and testing methods. Among promoting eating disorders, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, night eating disorder, sleep-related eating disorder are among officially approved and investigated. Among disorders resulting from lack of acceptance of own appearance, anorexia nervosa and bigorexia nervosa are the most serious improper ones. Disorders arising from health care include orthorexia nervosa and recently pregorexia. Different origins of eating disorders are considered, divided into three groups: social, psychological and pathological. The desire to possess a slim shapely silhouette and young appearance, usually under pressure of a social group, may result in disorders such as anorexia nervosa, pregorexia, ageorexia, and bigorexia nervosa. On the other hand, the focusing on eating mainly the biologically pure food, being a purely psychological and individual problem, may be a source of orthorexia nervosa. Majority of disorders have a psychological background constituting the escape and an answer to everyday life problems difficult to overcome. Recently, pathology is often considered as an additional and important determinant, which may cause or enhance the appearance of binge eating or night eating disorder. The eating disorders, if not subject to proper therapy and advising, can tend to incline and develop. The further research in order to properly recognise the eating disorders, and find their roots, is necessary at a strict cooperation of psychologists, physicians and nutritionists or dietetics.
ROADS TO POSITIVE SELF-DEVELOPMENT: STYLES OF COPING THAT PREDICT WELL-BEING

Scientific literature has been registering an increasing interest in the field of well-being. Though the conceptual consensus is that coping is one of the factors responsible for well-being preservation through life span, few empirical researches address this issue using appropriate well-being measures. Thus, this work aimed essentially to explore the relations between well-being and coping, examining more specifically the influence of styles of coping in psychological well-being. In order to do so, we worked with a sample of 293 individuals with ages ranging from 18 to 84 years old, which completed three instruments: a Socio-Demographic Questionnaire (Maia de Carvalho & Vale Dias, 2010), the Portuguese version of Brief Cope (Carver, 1997) by Pais- Ribeiro and Rodrigues (2004) and the Portuguese version of the Psychological Well-Being Scales from Carol Ryff (1989b) by Ferreira and Simoes (1999). It was found that particular styles of coping predict specific dimensions of psychological well-being and that socio-demographic factors explain a small proportion of the variance in well-being. The discussion addressed the results implications regarding the understanding of well-being development.
Evaluation of common bean for drought tolerance in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

Drought tolerance is an increasingly important trait in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) due to the reduction in water resources, a shift in production areas and increasing input costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate 29 genotypes for drought tolerance under drought stress (DS) and reduced stress treatments in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The use of DS and reduced stress treatments facilitated the identification of drought tolerant germplasm that also had good yield potential under more optimal conditions. Based on the results of seed yield under DS and reduced stress conditions, and DS indices, including the geometric mean (GM), stress tolerance index (STI) and percent yield reduction (YR), genotypes were identified with greater yield potential under the tested environment. Based on average GM over the 2 years, the superior common bean genotypes identified were SEA 5, G 21212, A 686, SEN 21 and SER 21. These genotypes performed well in both years and under both treatment conditions and thus may serve as parents for DS improvement and genetic analysis.
From Ineffectiveness to Destruction: A Qualitative Study on the Meaning of Negative Leadership

This article aims at analyzing the content and structure of managers' conceptions of negative leadership. Using semi-structured interviews, 42 managers were asked about their conceptions of negative leadership, its antecedents and consequences. Results show that the concept of negative leadership is associated with eight behavioural categories: insincere, despotic, exploitative, restrictive, failed, laissez-faire, and active- and passive-avoiding leadership. Negative leadership was causally attributed to the environment of the leader, especially the followers, the immediate working field, as well as organizational processes, structures, and resources were seen as potential sources for negative leadership. The main factors regarded as its consequences included negative follower feelings and attitudes, destructive follower behaviour, and devastating organizational results. An analysis of the relationship between the leadership categories revealed two underlying dimensions of human- versus task-orientation and passive versus active behaviour. Limitations of the present approach, implications for future research and organizational practice are discussed.
O contexto educacional e sua influência na criatividade

The article focuses on some myths associatecl to creativity and recent theoretical contributions that emphasize creativity as a multifaceted phenomenon and its complex nature. The need to develop creative abilities in school, in addition to behaviors through which the teacher may promote the students creativity are also discussed. The article concludes with a description of the author's research data concerning creativity at the university level. More specifically, characteristics of a creative-facilitating and creative- inhibiting teacher (i.e. through pedagogical activities, quality of the teacher-student relationship, personality traits) are described and then compared to the results from other researchers.
The mechanism of action of tyramine on the blood vessels of the forearm in man.

In 1926 Tainter showed that tyramine acted as a circulatory stimulant in rabbits, cats and dogs. The stimulation involved the heart and blood vessels and occurred independently of the vasomotor centres, sympathetic ganglia and the adrenal glands. The pressor response that resulted from the infusion of tyramine resulted partly from the constriction of the peripheral vessels and partly from a direct action on cardiac muscle. The vasoconstriction that occurred in the cat was attributed to stimulation of the' sympathetic nerve endings and in the dog to direct stimulation of vascular smooth muscle. Further experimentation using a variety of isolated organs suggested that direct smooth muscle stimulation was the predominant action of tyramine. In 1958 Burn & Rand found that tyramine lost its pressor action in a cat which had been pretreated with reserpine and no longer caused contraction of the nictitating membrane or the spleen. The action of tyramine could be restored in such an animal by infusion of noradrenaline into the blood stream. These observations suggested that tyramine acted by releasing noradrenaline or adrenaline from stores in the artery wall. Farmer (1966) studied the central artery of the rabbit ear using the technique described by de la Lande and Rand (1965) and reported that tyramine had both direct and indirect constrictor actions. The indirect action was abolished by sympathectomy and reserpine pretreatment, while the direct action remained unaffected by these procedures.
Has loneliness amongst older people increased? An investigation into variations between cohorts

Loneliness has been consistently identified as one of the specific ‘social problems’ which accompanies old age and growing older: 90 per cent of the general population of Britain feel that loneliness is a problem associated with old age. There is a widespread presumption that loneliness and isolation have become more prevalent in Britain in the period since the Second World War as a result of the decline in multi-generation households and changes in family structure. This paper examines the accuracy of this stereotype and considers if current cohorts of older people are more likely to report experiencing loneliness than previous generations of elders, through a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary data. Historical data are provided by three ‘classic’ social surveys undertaken in England between 1945 and 1960. Contemporary data are from a postal survey of 245 people aged 65–74 living in South London in 1999. The questions used in all four surveys were comparable, in that respondents self-rated their degree of loneliness on scales ranging from never to always. The overall prevalence of reports of loneliness ranged from five to nine per cent and showed no increase. Loneliness rates for specific age or gender sub-groups were also stable. Reported loneliness amongst those living alone decreased from 32 per cent in 1945 to 14 per cent in 1999, while the percentages decreased for both those reporting that they were never lonely and that they were ‘sometimes’ lonely.
The third dialect of English: Some Canadian evidence

ABSTRACT Whereas Labov (1991) made a case for the existence of three major dialects of English, this article offers Canadian evience that runs counter to the idea of a relatively homogeneous North American third dialect area in which vowel systems remain fairly stable. It shows that the lax vowels of Canadian English are undergoing a substantial shift, the pivot for which is suggested to be vowel merger in the Cot/Caught sets. This shift is to some degree conditioned by the voicing properties and the manner of articulation of a following consonant; gender differences prove significant as well. The article also examines back vowel fronting in Candian English and its relationship to the shift affecting the front lax vowels, as well as to the general principles of vowel chain shifting articulated by Labov (1994). The Canadian Shift raises the issue of internal versus external motivation of vowel change; in addition, it brings, macrosociolinguistic evidence to bear on the purely microsociolinguistic interpretation of similar patterns of vowel shifting as symbols of local group identity (Eckert, 1991b).
Policing and Social Change

The form and structure of the original policing model developed in the first half of the nineteenth century in England has undergone significant reforms as a result of broader social changes. However, police organisations have experienced serious difficulties in adapt ing conventional police ideologies and practices to new social norms. The police response is characterised by conservatism, internal organisational tensions, and a growing disjunction between them selves and the community. To understand this response and its implications, this article considers changes in policing in terms of (a) functions (b) policewomen (c) educational standards and (d) legal status of police officers. These examples highlight a number of structural contradictions within modern policing as well as suggest ing the likely form of future policing.
English in the linguistic landscape of Suzhou

The concept of linguistic landscape (LL) covers all of the linguistic objects that mark the public space, i.e. any written sign one observes from road signs to advertising billboards, to the names of shops, streets or schools (Landry & Bourhis, 1997). Because it both shapes and is shaped by social and cultural associations (Ben-Rafael, 2009; Jaworski & Thurlow, 2010: 6–23), the LL has proved an important area for investigating the dynamics of major aspects of social life (e.g. Backhaus, 2006; Huebner, 2006; Curtin, 2009; Lado, 2011; Papen, 2012). One strand of this research is particularly concerned with the role of LL in relation to ethnolinguistic vitality that ‘makes a group likely to behave as a distinctive and active collective entity in intergroup relations’ (Giles, Bourhis & Taylor, 1977: 308). The higher the vitality an ethnolinguistic group enjoys, the more it will be able to use language so as to survive and thrive as a collective entity.
Computer self‐efficacy, academic self‐concept, and other predictors of satisfaction and future participation of adult distance learners

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model of satisfaction of adult learners in a Web‐based distance education course and their intent to participate in future Web‐based distance education courses. The factors examined were computer self‐efficacy, academic self‐concept, age, gender, academic status, years of computer use, frequency of computer use, computer training, Internet experience in a class, and participation in a workshop for a Web‐based course. Computer self‐efficacy was the only predictor variable that was statistically significant. There was a positive relationship between learners' satisfaction with their Web‐based distance education courses and their intent to participate in future Web‐based courses.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis SigM Positively Regulates Esx Secreted Protein and Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Genes and Down Regulates Virulence-Associated Surface Lipid Synthesis

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome encodes 12 alternative sigma factors, several of which regulate stress responses and are required for virulence in animal models of acute infection. In this work we investigated M. tuberculosis SigM, a member of the extracytoplasmic function subfamily of alternative sigma factors. This sigma factor is expressed at low levels in vitro and does not appear to function in stress response regulation. Instead, SigM positively regulates genes required for the synthesis of surface or secreted molecules. Among these are genes encoding two pairs of Esx secreted proteins, a multisubunit nonribosomal peptide synthetase operon, and genes encoding two members of the proline-proline-glutamate (PPE) family of proteins. Genes up regulated in a sigM mutant strain include a different PPE gene, as well as several genes involved in surface lipid synthesis. Among these are genes involved in synthesis of phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM), a surface lipid critical for virulence during acute infection, and the kasA-kasB operon, which is required for mycolic acid synthesis. Analysis of surface lipids showed that PDIM synthesis is increased in a sigM-disrupted strain and is undetectable in a sigM overexpression strain. These findings demonstrate that SigM positively and negatively regulates cell surface and secreted molecules that are likely to function in host-pathogen interactions.
Traffic exposure and incident venous thromboembolism in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Summary. Background: Two recent case–control studies in Italy reported that long‐term exposure to particulate air pollution or living near major traffic roads was associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). No prospective evidence exists on the possible association between long‐term traffic‐related air pollution and incident venous thromboembolism (VTE). Objectives: To examine the association between long‐term traffic exposure and incident VTE in a population‐based prospective cohort study. Methods: We studied 13 143 middle‐aged men and women in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study without a history of DVT or pulmonary embolism at baseline examination (1987–1989). The Geographical Information System‐mapped traffic density and distance to major roads in the four study communities served as measures of traffic exposure. We examined the association between traffic exposure and incident VTE with proportional hazards regression models. Results: A total of 405 subjects developed VTE in 2005. Traffic density was not significantly associated with VTE. Relative to those in the lowest quartile of traffic density, the adjusted hazard ratios across increasing quartiles were 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88–1.57), 0.99 (95% CI 0.74–1.34) and 1.14 (95% CI 0.86–1.51) (P‐value for trend across quartiles = 0.64). For residents living within 150 m of major roads, as compared with subjects living further away, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.16 (95% CI 0.95–1.42, P = 0.14). Conclusions: This first prospective study in the general population does not support an association between air pollution exposure or traffic proximity and risk of DVT. More data may be needed to clarify whether traffic or air pollution influences the risk of VTE.
Effect of Nisoldipine and Olmesartan on Endothelium‐Dependent Vasodilation in Essential Hypertensive Patients

SUMMARY Aims: To investigate whether nisoldipine and olmesartan improve endothelial function, decrease asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and alleviate the inflammatory and oxidative process. Methods: Fifty‐five essential hypertensive patients were randomized to receive nisoldipine or olmesartan for 8 weeks according to a parallel‐group, active‐controlled, single blind study, and 28 matched normotensive subjects served as healthy controls. Flow‐mediated dilation (FMD), and plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), high‐sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), 8‐isoprostane (also named 8‐isoPGF2α), and ADMA were determined. Results: At baseline, the plasma levels of ADMA, ET‐1, hs‐CRP, and 8‐isoPGF2α were markedly higher in patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive subjects (P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between plasma levels of ET‐1 and ADMA in patients with essential hypertension, but not in normotensive subjects. The NO plasma concentrations were significantly lower in patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive subjects. Furthermore, hypertensive subjects demonstrated significantly lower FMD than healthy control (P < 0.05). Nisoldipine and olmesartan significantly and similarly reduced blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension (P < 0.001). At the end of the 8‐week treatment, plasma ADMA and ET‐1 levels were decreased significantly (P < 0.01). FMD increased significantly in nisoldipine or olmesartan‐treated patients (P < 0.05). A significant decrease in plasma hs‐CRP contents was observed in patients receiving nisoldipine (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that nisoldipine and olmesartan both improve FMD in patients with essential hypertension. This may be associated with decreased circulating levels of CRP, ET‐1, and ADMA.