Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Brand Loyalty Model Involving Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Brand Loyalty and Customer Satisfaction

Despite the amount of research focusing on brand loyalty, empirical tests of the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty have not been conducted. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of attitudinal brand loyalty on the relationship between customer satisfaction and behavioral brand loyalty. More over, we developed a robust brand loyalty measurement in the lodging industry by using attitudinal and behavioral brand loyalty constructs. The majority of respondents were business travelers who stayed at an upper-middle-class business hotel. The results of this investigation suggested that customer satisfaction had a significant indirect effect on behavioral brand loyalty when mediated by attitudinal brand loyalty, including cognitive-affective-conative brand loyalty stages. Thus, practitioners should consider customers'perceptions of their brand and not rely solely on purchasing frequencies when measuring brand loyalty levels.
Monetary policy and financial (in)stability

This paper presents how monetary policy, restricted only by price stability, may easily become propitious to asset inflation and – eventually – to a financial crisis. This risk is particularly high when the financial system lacks proper regulation and effective supervision. Hasty liberalization, negligence of official oversight and „Greenspan doctrine” which refuted any activist policy promoting financial stability characterized Fed’s monetary policy under the former Fed’s governor. The paper also analyses another aspect of the linkages between monetary policy and financial crises – monetary policy reaction to financial crises. It is not surprising that it consists of cutting interest rates and bail-out of insolvent, systemically important financial institutions. Such policy, especially when run too long and changed too abruptly, not only creates moral hazards but it also sets the stage for another „search for yield” and build-up of another speculative bubble. As a result, monetary policy becomes asymmetric and pro-cyclical. Fed’s reaction to the recent crisis seems to be very much in line with this pattern typical of Fed’s policy in the past. However, this time the scale of flooding the economy with liquidity and – as a consequence – the risks of future major imbalances in the financial system are unprecedented. A general conclusion of the paper says that there can’t be a sound financial and economic system unless money itself is a scarce resource. However trivial this statement is, monetary policy of some central banks seems to miss the point.
A Microsimulation Model to Study the Interaction between Fertility and Union Formation and Dissolution: An Application to Canada and Quebec

Union formation and dissolution are among the main determinants explaining variations in fertility. Compared to the rest of Canada, Quebec’s marital histories are more complex and its prevalence of common-law unions much higher. The objective of this article is to examine the role of marital behaviours on fertility by comparing different indicators of fertility and conjugal life that were obtained through microsimulation. Parameters of the microsimulation model were estimated from hazard regressions performed on the marital and fertility histories collected in two retrospective longitudinal surveys: the Canadian General Social Survey (GSS) 2001 and 2006. Results show that the more complex marital histories of Quebecers can explain more than one-quarter of their fertility differences with the rest of the country.
Clinical documentation: composition or synthesis?

OBJECTIVE To understand the nature of emerging electronic documentation practices, disconnects between documentation workflows and computing systems designed to support them, and ways to improve the design of electronic documentation systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS Time-and-motion study of resident physicians' note-writing practices using a commercial electronic health record system that includes an electronic documentation module. The study was conducted in the general medicine unit of a large academic hospital. RESULTS During the study, 96 note-writing sessions by 11 resident physicians, resulting in close to 100 h of observations were seen. Seven of the 10 most common transitions between activities during note composition were between documenting, and gathering and reviewing patient data, and updating the plan of care. DISCUSSION The high frequency of transitions seen in the study suggested that clinical documentation is fundamentally a synthesis activity, in which clinicians review available patient data and summarize their impressions and judgments. At the same time, most electronic health record systems are optimized to support documentation as uninterrupted composition. This mismatch leads to fragmentation in clinical work, and results in inefficiencies and workarounds. In contrast, we propose that documentation can be best supported with tools that facilitate data exploration and search for relevant information, selective reading and annotation, and composition of a note as a temporal structure. CONCLUSIONS Time-and-motion study of clinicians' electronic documentation practices revealed a high level of fragmentation of documentation activities and frequent task transitions. Treating documentation as synthesis rather than composition suggests new possibilities for supporting it more effectively with electronic systems.
Special economic zones : progress, emerging challenges, and future directions

Ask three people to describe a special economic zone (SEZ) and three very different images may emerge. The first person may describe a fenced-in industrial estate in a developing country, populated by footloose multinational corporations (MNCs) enjoying tax breaks, with laborers in garment factories working in substandard conditions. In contrast, the second person may recount the 'miracle of Shenzhen,' a fishing village transformed into a cosmopolitan city of 14 million, with per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growing 100-fold, in the 30 years since it was designated as an SEZ. A third person may think about places like Dubai or Singapore, whose ports serve as the basis for wide range of trade- and logistics-oriented activities. In this book, the author use SEZ as a generic expression to describe the broad range of modern economic zones discussed in this book. But we are most concerned with two specific forms of those zones: (1) the export processing zones (EPZs) or free zones, which focus on manufacturing for export; and (2) the large-scale SEZs, which usually combine residential and multiuse commercial and industrial activity. The former represents a traditional model used widely throughout the developing world for almost four decades. The latter represents a more recent form of economic zone, originating in the 1980s in China and gaining in popularity in recent years. Although these models need not be mutually exclusive (many SEZs include EPZ industrial parks within them), they are sufficiently different in their objectives, investment requirements, and approach to require a distinction in this book.
Success factors in strategic supplier alliances: The buying company perspective

The emerging area of supply chain alliances has received considerable attention in the academic and managerial press, yet there are many unanswered questions regarding the dynamics of such relationships. A number of such fundamental issues drive this research initiative, including how alliances are developed, their key success factors, and the specific benefits to be achieved. The study begins by establishing a definition of strategic supplier alliances, based on a comparison of both theoretical and managerial descriptions. The critical antecedents associated with the success of strategic supplier alliances are next developed, and the magnitude of the effect of these factors on partnership success is assessed. The analysis employs both qualitative and quantitative data, collected through an electronic network of over 200 companies, as part of an ongoing benchmarking initiative in supply chain management. From the perspective of the buying company in the alliance, the following attributes of supplier alliances were found to be significantly related to partnership success: trust and coordination, interdependence, information quality and participation, information sharing, joint problem solving, avoiding the use of severe conflict resolution tactics, and the existence of a formal supplier/commodity alliance selection process. Resource commitment and smoothing over problems were found to be poor predictors of alliance success. The implications of these results for managerial decision making in supplier alliance development are discussed.
Resistin as a Prooxidant Factor and Predictor of Endothelium Damage in Patients with Mild Acute Pancreatitis Exposed to Tobacco Smoke Xenobiotics

Objectives The study was aimed to assess the influence of tobacco smoke exposure on the intensity of inflammation measured by IL-6, α1-antitripsin (AAT) and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) concentrations, and Cd level and oxidative stress intensity measured by advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) concentration in the blood of healthy subjects and AP patients during hospitalization. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and resistin concentrations, markers of endothelium injury, were determined. Results An increased IL-6 concentration in healthy smokers compared to nonsmokers and AP patients compared to controls was shown. An increased AAT and AGP concentrations during hospitalization of AP patients were noted, in both smokers (AAT, AGP) and nonsmokers (AAT). In comparison to control groups, in AP patients, a 2-fold increased resistin concentration correlating with ET-1 concentration and decreased albumin concentration accompanied by increased AOPP concentration were demonstrated. AOPP concentration was higher in smokers with AP compared to nonsmokers and gradually enhanced during their hospitalization. Conclusions Tobacco smoke exposure can have a proinflammatory effect in both healthy subjects and AP patients. Increased resistin concentration in AP patients negatively correlating with albumin concentration has prooxidative effect on this protein resulting in enhanced AOPP level. Increased resistin concentration can intensify AAT and AGP production during AP.
The possible function of stone ramparts at the nest entrance of the blackstart

Blackstarts, Cercomela melanura, Turdidae, construct a rampart of stones at the entrance to their nests. These ramparts may reach remarkable proportions, containing hundreds of flat rocks. We investigated several hypotheses regarding the function of stone ramparts, by monitoring individually marked blackstarts at the En-Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel. Stones were collected solely by females, who carried them in their beaks, while flying to the nest, at a rate of up to one stone per min, after pair formation had occurred. The number and total weight of stones as well as rampart height showed a highly positive correlation with the size of the nest cavity opening. The rampart decreased the size of the cavity entrance to some nests by as much as 67%, which suggests an antipredator barrier function. Survival rates of eggs and chicks were extremely low and the major cause of reproductive failure was predation. Successful nests tended to be located higher off the ground than predated nests, and often contained fewer stones. Furthermore, larger females in terms of wing and tail length nested in cavities higher off the ground and built smaller ramparts containing lighter stones. An artificial nest predation experiment did not reveal a difference in predation rates between nests with and without stone ramparts. Spiny mice, Acomys sp. , were the main egg predators. However, in 37% of nests with ramparts that were predated, the perpetrator flattened the rampart, suggesting that they may serve as a barricade, forcing the predator to invest time in clearing the stones in order to gain access to the nest, and perhaps allowing the nesting female sufficient time to escape. We propose, therefore, that owing to such high nest predation rates, females nesting close to the ground build stone ramparts as an 'early warning' mechanism to prevent themselves from being trapped inside nest cavities and predated. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
CoDe4D: Color-Depth Local Spatio-Temporal Features for Human Activity Recognition From RGB-D Videos

Human activity recognition has a variety of important real-world applications, such as video analysis, surveillance, and human-robot interaction. As a promising video representation method, local spatio-temporal (LST) features have received increasing attention from computer vision, machine learning, and robotics communities. However, approaches based on traditional LST features only use color information, which face several challenges, such as illumination changes and dynamic backgrounds. The recent availability of commercial color-depth cameras makes it much cheaper, faster, and easier to acquire depth information, which provides a potential to implement more discriminative and robust LST features. In this paper, we introduce the new 4-D color-depth (CoDe4D) LST feature that incorporates both intensity and depth information acquired from RGB-D cameras. Our feature detector constructs a saliency map through applying independent filters in xyzt dimension to represent texture, shape and pose variations, and selects its local maxima as interest points. Our multichannel orientation histogram descriptor applies a 4-D support region, which is adaptive to linear perspective view changes, on each interest point. Then, image gradients of color-depth patches within the support region are computed and quantized using a spherical coordinate-based method to form a final feature vector. We build a complete activity recognition system by combining our features with bag-of-features representations and support vector machines. To evaluate the performance of our CoDe4D LST features and the complete system, we conduct experiments using four benchmark color-depth human activity data sets, including UTK Action3-D, Berkeley MHAD, ACT42, and MSR daily activity 3-D data sets. Experimental results demonstrate the promising representative power of our CoDe4D features, which obtain the state-of-the-art performance on activity recognition from RGB-D visual data.
Evaluation of collars and microchips for visual and permanent identification of pet cats.

OBJECTIVE To determine the percentage of pet cats still wearing collars and having functional microchips 6 months after application. DESIGN Randomized controlled clinical trial. ANIMALS 538 client-owned cats. PROCEDURES Cats were randomly assigned to wear 1 of 3 types of collars: plastic buckle, breakaway plastic buckle safety, and elastic stretch safety. Each cat was fitted with the assigned collar, and a microchip was inserted SC between the scapulae. Owners completed questionnaires about their experiences and expectations of collars at enrollment and at the conclusion of the study. RESULTS 391 of the 538 (72.7%) cats successfully wore their collars for the entire 6-month study period. Owners' initial expectations of the cats' tolerance of the collar and the number of times the collar was reapplied on the cats' necks were the most important factors predicting success. Type of collar likely influenced how often collars needed to be reapplied. Eighteen (3.3%) cats caught a forelimb in their collar or caught their collar on an object or in their mouth. Of the 478 microchips that were scanned at the conclusion of the study, 477 (99.8%) were functional. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Most cats successfully wore their collars. Because even house cats can become lost, veterinarians should recommend that all cats wear identification collars since they are the most obvious means of identifying an owned pet. For some cats, collars may frequently come off and become lost; therefore, microchips are an important form of backup identification. Owners should select a collar that their cat will tolerate and should check it often to ensure a proper fit.
Open Innovation and Firm Performance: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

This article examines the role of social relations and networks in open innovation settings. Building on extant open innovation literature as well as on social capital theory, we develop a model that conceptualizes social capital as a mediator between the implementation of open innovation instruments and firm performance. In doing so, this paper adds to the understanding of the role of structure and content of social relations in open innovation contexts as well as of sustainable side‐effects of open innovation. In particular, we argue that apart from a direct effect of open innovation instruments on firm performance, there is also a mediated relationship between these variables. More precisely, we propose that the implementation of open innovation instruments strengthens an organization's social capital, which is, in turn, positively related to firm performance.
Anomalously thin transition zone and apparently isotropic upper mantle beneath Bermuda: Evidence for upwelling

The origin of the Bermuda swell and volcanism remains enigmatic. The lack of an associated time‐progressive hotspot track and absence of present‐day volcanic activity make it difficult to reconcile with a deep mantle plume model. We analyze shear wave splitting measurements to estimate mantle flow direction and receiver function stacks to place constraints on the mantle transition zone thermal structure. *KS phases exhibit well‐resolved null arrivals (no splitting) beneath the swell over a range of back azimuths. We find that the 410 and 660 km discontinuities are 49 ± 5 km and 19 ± 5 km deeper than the global average, respectively, leading to a transition zone thickness that is 27 ± 4 km thinner than the average. Together, an apparently isotropic upper mantle and a thinned mantle transition zone suggest that mantle flow is primarily vertical beneath the swell, consistent with the presence of hot, buoyant mantle at depth.
Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions from wetland and agriculture ecosystems in Sanjiang Plain

Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are important greenhouse gases (GHGs). The objective of this study is to quantify the aggregate GHG (CH4, N2O and CO2) emissions and estimate economic losses of three ecosystems (marsh, paddy field and upland) in the Sanjiang Plain, excluding the Muling-Xiangkai Plain, south of Wanda Mountain. The results indicate the economic losses from GHG emissions of marshes were from 6.40 to 7.75 × 109 CNY (Chinese Yuan), those of paddy fields were from 1.41 to 3.20 × 109 CNY; and from uplands were from 0.26 to 0.49 × 109 CNY. Using linear trend analysis, the economic losses through GHG emissions of marshes fell between 1982 and 2005, but those from paddy fields and uplands increased. In our study, the sequence in magnitude of the economic losses from GHG emissions was: marshes > paddy fields > uplands. In fact, the economic value of GHG emissions was negative because of these adverse impacts on the environment. This article could provide a reference for calculation of GHG exchange. The results suggest that improvement of fertiliser use efficiency for more precise agricultural management and returning straw to cropland could mitigate GHG emissions and would help to achieve sustainable development.
Sustainable competitiveness in global value chains: how do small Danish firms behave?

Purpose – Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have increasingly become integrated into global value chains, where they face social and environmental requirements from multinational buyers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of SMEs with respect to sustainable supply chain management in global value chains.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from a survey of sustainable supply chain management practices among 300 Danish SMEs, the paper discusses the concept of governance in global value chains. The paper addresses two questions: first, to what extent are SMEs affected by social and environmental requirements from buyers? Second, to what extent do SMEs apply such requirements to their own suppliers? Findings – The paper concludes that SMEs face requirements from their buyers much more frequently than they apply such requirements to their own suppliers. Also many buyer requirements in the value chain seem to be latent in that they are neither contractual nor subject to verification. The .
Phase 1 study of ombrabulin in combination with cisplatin (CDDP) in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors.

OBJECTIVE In clinical studies in Western countries, the recommended dose of combination ombrabulin a vascular disrupting agent, with cisplatin is 25 mg/m2 ombrabulin with 75 mg/m2 cisplatin every 3 weeks. Here, we report the first Phase 1 study of this treatment regimen in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. METHODS This was an open-label, multicenter, sequential cohort, dose-escalation Phase 1 study of ombrabulin with cisplatin administered once every 3 weeks. The study used a 3 + 3 design without intrapatient dose escalation. The investigated dose levels of ombrabulin were 15.5 and 25 mg/m2 combined with cisplatin 75 mg/m2. The latter dose level was regarded as the maximum administered dose if more than one patient experienced dose-limiting toxicities. RESULTS Ten patients were treated, but no dose-limiting toxicity was observed at both dose levels. Ombrabulin 25 mg/m2 with cisplatin 75 mg/m2 was the maximum administered dose and regarded as the recommended dose in the combination regimen for Japanese patients with cancer. The most frequently reported drug-related adverse events were neutropenia, decreased appetite, constipation, nausea and fatigue. One partial response and five cases of stable disease were reported as the best overall responses. Pharmacokinetic parameters of ombrabulin and cisplatin were comparable with those in non-Japanese patients. CONCLUSIONS Ombrabulin 25 mg/m2 with cisplatin 75 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks was well tolerated and established as the recommended dose in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. The safety and pharmacokinetic profiles were comparable between Japanese and Caucasian patients.
Social Connectedness and One-Year Trajectories Among Suicidal Adolescents Following Psychiatric Hospitalization

This study examined the extent to which posthospitalization change in connectedness with family, peers, and nonfamily adults predicted suicide attempts, severity of suicidal ideation, and depressive symptoms across a 12-month follow-up period among inpatient suicidal adolescents. Participants were 338 inpatient suicidal adolescents, ages 13 to 17, who were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months posthospitalization. General liner models were fitted for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation outcomes, and logistic regression was used for the dichotomous suicide attempt outcome. The moderating effects of gender and multiple attempt history were examined. Adolescents who reported greater improvements in peer connectedness were half as likely to attempt suicide during the 12-month period. Improved peer connectedness was also associated with less severe depressive symptoms for all adolescents and with less severe suicidal ideation for female individuals, but only at the 3-month assessment time point. Improved family connectedness was related to less severe depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation across the entire year; for suicidal ideation, this protective effect was limited to nonmultiple suicide attempters. Change in connectedness with nonfamily adults was not a significant predictor of any outcome when changes in family and peer connectedness were taken into account. These results pointing to improved posthospitalization connectedness being linked to improved outcomes following hospitalization have important treatment and prevention implications given inpatient suicidal adolescents’ vulnerability to suicidal behavior.