Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clients Perception on the Accuracy of Valuation Reports in Ibadan Metropolis

There is a general perception by the Valuation Reports Users that there is high degree of inaccuracy in the reports being prepared by the professional Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Nigeria. This study however aimed at examining the clients’ perception of the accuracy of valuation opinion submitted by Estate Surveyors for the use of banks in Ibadan Metropolis. There are one hundred and forty eight (148) commercial banks in Ibadan, which are the commonest users of Valuation Reports, and are the target population of this work. Questionnaires were administered on all the commercial banks in the study area while one hundred and thirty were duly filled and adequate for further analysis. Data collected from these commercial banks were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The result showed that there is high level of significance of inaccuracy in the preparation of valuation reports for banks and consequently, the study recommended that the Estate Surveyors and Valuers should display in-depth professionalism in the preparation of their Reports. Keywords: Perception, Accuracy, Variation and Valuation
Cellular and humoral immune responses to rubella virus structural proteins E1, E2, and C

Better understanding of cell-mediated immune responses to rubella virus would provide the basis for the development of safe and effective vaccines against rubella and would aid in analysis of the pathophysiology of congenital rubella syndrome. We have expressed individual rubella virus structural proteins, E1, E2 and C, via vaccinia virus recombinants. Using the expressed recombinant proteins as antigens, we were able to demonstrate antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferative responses in control individuals and individuals with congenital rubella syndrome. Among the two human groups studied, E1 glycoprotein proved to be a better immunogen than E2 or C. For the control individuals, significant differences in proliferative responses to the structural proteins E1, E2, and C were observed. These differences were not significant in individuals with congenital rubella syndrome. In parallel to the lymphoproliferative responses, immunoglobulin G responses were also found directed mainly to the E1 glycoprotein. These results suggest that E1 may be the most important rubella virus antigen to study in determining the domains required for constructing subunit vaccines against rubella.
Managing knowledge in foreign entry strategies: a resource-based analysis

International strategies vary in their potential to exploit and augment a firm's resources, especially its knowledge base. Resource-based analysis suggests clustering the diverse entry modes in terms of their exploitation and augmentation characteristics. We thus introduce a new categorization of entry modes based on their potential to augment the resources of an entrant. We then explore the antecedents of these modes, and advance testable propositions delimiting for which firms and in which circumstances each mode maximizes long-term value creation. Finally, we outline how our resource-based framework complements transaction-cost-based frameworks.
Long‐term well‐being after surgical or conservative treatment of severe vulvar vestibulitis

Objective. To compare long‐term well‐being of women who needed surgery or did not need surgery in the treatment of severe vulvar vestibulitis syndrome. We also attempted to identify factors explaining differences in the treatment response. Design. An observational case‐control study. Setting. University Hospital Vulva clinic. Population. Sixty‐six women diagnosed with severe vulvar vestibulitis and treated initially by conservative management during 1994–2005. Thirty‐nine women did not respond and underwent posterior vestibulectomy and 27 were managed without surgery. Methods. Baseline patient characteristics, degree of dyspareunia, and details of management were collected from hospital charts. At the follow‐up visit current dyspareunia, sexual well‐being, somatic and mental health, and social support were analyzed. Vestibular tenderness was measured by swab‐touch test. Main outcome measures. Visual analogue scale for dyspareunia, sexual well‐being, vestibular tenderness, and overall patient satisfaction at follow‐up. Results. Dyspareunia decreased significantly in both groups. The visual analogue scale decreased 66.7% in the surgery group and 78.1% in the conservative treatment group (p= 0.407). Posterior swab‐touch test was negative more frequently after vestibulectomy. Long‐term sexual well‐being did not differ between the two groups. Overall, 89% of the women in both groups were satisfied with the treatment. Women with atopic skin problems were less likely to need surgery (odds ratio 0.2; 95% confidence interval 0.1–0.7). Conclusion. Women with severe vulvar vestibulitis syndrome who do not respond to conservative management achieve good long‐term well‐being and decrease of dyspareunia by posterior vestibulectomy. The response is comparable to that achieved by conservative management among women who do not need surgery.
Analyzing Further Predictors of Correctional Officer Professional Orientations: The Role of Turnover Intentions

Four professional orientations to which correctional officers can ascribe have been identified in extant literature, and they include the counseling roles, concern for corruption of authority, social distance, and punitive ideologies. Studies have generally found officer demographics and correctional working conditions to be significant predictors of these orientations. No study to date, however, has examined the predictive influence of officer voluntary resignation intentions. Linear regression equations using questionnaire data from a statewide population of maximum security correctional officers (N = 649) were therefore estimated to explore whether officer desires to terminate their employment accounted for variance in their self-reported orientations. Stronger turnover intentions shared statistically significant associations with three orientations, including negatively predicting the counseling roles and positively predicting the punitive ideology. Implications for correctional policy are addressed.
Major depression and conduct disorder in a twin sample: gender, functioning, and risk for future psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE Major depression (MDD) and conduct disorder (CD) co-occur in adolescents at rates higher than would be expected by chance. This study described the functioning of adolescents with histories of these disorders and examined whether these patterns of association differed by gender. METHOD Subjects with a lifetime diagnosis of MDD and/or CD were selected from a sample of 17-year-old twins; control subjects had no history of either disorder. The domains of school success, substance dependence, peer relationships, and age of first sexual intercourse were examined. RESULTS Overall, each disorder separately and especially both disorders together related to increased maladjustment in the domains of school success and substance dependence. For school behavior problems, nicotine dependence, and drug dependence, the combination of MDD and CD related to particularly problematic functioning. Results were similar for males and females. Longitudinal data indicated that the occurrence of these disorders by late adolescence was predictive of subsequent depression and antisocial behavior in early adulthood. CONCLUSIONS The combination of CD and MDD relates to more serious maladjustment, especially relating to school success and substance dependence, than would be expected given the adjustment associated with each disorder alone.
Balloon Dilation Atrial Septostomy and Potts Anastomosis for Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Why, When, and How

Despite advances in pharmacologic treatment, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a fatal disease. In recent years, surgical/interventional approaches including balloon dilation atrial septostomy and Potts anastomosis have been applied to improve the hemodynamic variables associated with right ventricular failure in the setting of PAH. These interventions may improve quality of life and prolong survival in this population. In this review, we will discuss the role of these 2 therapeutic alternatives in the management of PAH.
GOVERNING THE CORPORATION IN EMERGING ECONOMIES: A PRINCIPAL-PRINCIPAL PERSPECTIVE.

A principal-agent perspective dominates corporate governance research. This perspective focuses primarily on the modern corporation in developed economies with widespread ownership and no controlling shareholders. We argue that a principal-agent perspective may have limited application in emerging economies, because most corporations in these countries are controlled by a family or the state with concentrated ownership. As a result, there is more potential for conflict between majority shareholders (principals) and minority shareholders (principals) than there is between shareholders (principals) and managers (agents). We term this variant of corporate governance problem the"principal-principal" problem, and draw on institutional theory, which focuses on the formal and informal constraints giving rise to this problem, to explore its underlying root causes. Overall, we suggest that a principal-principal perspective is a more fruitful approach to corporate governance in emerging economies, because prescript.
Ankle muscle coactivation and its relationship with ankle joint kinematics and kinetics during gait in hemiplegic patients after stroke

Abstract Introduction: Increased ankle muscle coactivation during gait is a compensation strategy for enhancing postural stability in patients after stroke. However, no previous studies have demonstrated that increased ankle muscle coactivation influenced ankle joint movements during gait in patients after stroke. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between ankle muscle coactivation and ankle joint movements in hemiplegic patients after stroke. Methods: Seventeen patients after stroke participated. The coactivation index (CoI) at the ankle joint was calculated separately for the first and second double support (DS1 and DS2, respectively) and single support (SS) phases on the paretic and non-paretic sides during gait using surface electromyography. Simultaneously, three-dimensional motion analysis was performed to measure the peak values of the ankle joint angle, moment, and power in the sagittal plane. Ground reaction forces (GRFs) of the anterior and posterior components and centers of pressure (COPs) trajectory ranges and velocities were also measured. Results: The CoI during the SS phase on the paretic side was negatively related to ankle dorsiflexion angle, ankle plantarflexion moment, ankle joint power generation, and COP velocity on the paretic side. Furthermore, the CoI during the DS2 phase on both sides was negatively related to anterior GRF amplitude on each side. Conclusion: Increased ankle muscle coactivation is related to decreased ankle joint movement during the SS phase on the paretic side to enhance joint stiffness and compensate for stance limb instability, which may be useful for patients who have paretic instability during the stance phase after stroke.
Foreign Presence and Market Concentration: The Case of Portuguese Manufacturing Industries

The impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on host country market concentration has been a controversial issue, both at the theoretical and the empirical levels. Most existing empirical studies point to a positive relationship, enhancing the negative effects of FDI on competition conditions, but there are also studies that support the argument that FDI reinforces competition. In this paper we analyze the impact of FDI on market concentration considering the Portuguese manufacturing industries in the period 2006-2009. Using panel data estimation we found a significant negative impact of FDI on industry concentration, which is in line with the results of other studies for developed countries, and gives support to arguments that FDI has positive effects on domestic firms, eventually through positive externalities.
Exponential Organizations: Why New Organizations Are Ten Times Better, Faster, and Cheaper Than Yours (and What to Do about It)

Book’s Argument: “You’re either disrupting or you’re being disrupted. ” The author argues that every company and industry is becoming information-enabled. As this “informationalization” (akin to industrialization) occurs, these companies and industries then subscribe to Moore’s Law (doubling of capacity / halving of price every 18 months). There are some companies that have achieved 10X, 100X, or even 1000X growth or price reductions; these are exponential organizations (ExPOs).
Understanding how technology paradoxes affect customer satisfaction with self‐service technology: The role of performance ambiguity and trust in technology

This study examines the role of consumer technology paradoxes within the context of self-service technology and the routes by which these paradoxes influence customer satisfaction evaluation. Analysis of survey data from online banking customers indicates that three paradoxes operate in this context: control/chaos, fulfill needs/create needs, and freedom/enslavement. The study reveals further that the effects of these paradoxes on customer satisfaction are mediated by consumer performance ambiguity and consumer trust in technology. Theoretical and managerial implications of consumer paradoxical experiences for technology-based services are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Internet-facilitated consumer-to-consumer communication: the moderating role of receiver characteristics

This study explores relationships among several factors that may influence the persuasive power of online consumer-to-consumer communication. The results call into question the assumption that consumer remarks posted on an independent online forum will automatically be more persuasive than remarks posted on a corporate website. Instead, the findings suggest that reactions to consumer-generated product reviews are moderated by receiver characteristics such as product involvement and experience with offline consumer-to-consumer communication.
The Evolution of Financial Reporting for Private Entities in the European Union

Purpose of this paper: This paper aims to discuss the recently introduced International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) and its effects, with particular emphasis on the financial reporting framework within the European Union. The study aims to explain the consequences of introducing financial reporting standards developed for a “strong equity” (Nobes and Parker, 1998) context to a situation in which there is no or little separation between ownership and control. Design: The paper opted for a conceptual approach, describing the origins of differential reporting for small and medium-sized entities, usually based on the needs of the users of financial information and assessing the consequences of reducing this degree of financial reporting by the means of the new IASB’s standard, based on the same conceptual framework as the “full IFRSs” adopted by listed companies. The authors chose to give special attention to the financial reporting framework of the European Union for two reasons: 1) the EU decided to adopt IFRSs for all listed companies in 2005, but left to each member State to decide whether to apply those standards to private companies; and 2) most EU countries can be described as “weak equity” countries, where financial reporting is oriented toward creditors, and not investors, and where publishing financial statements is a legal obligation for unlisted companies. Findings: The introduction of a new standard for small and medium-sized entities’ financial reporting in the EU would have a twofold effect: Harmonizing financial reporting for all unlisted companies within the EU and introducing standards oriented toward investors’ needs in a weak equity environment, thus creating a potential gap between small and medium-sized entities’ financial reporting and users’ needs. This paper argues, however, that a common framework for financial reporting for public and private entities is in the best interest of the users of financial information, especially from the point of view of EU financial reporting harmonization. In fact, the coexistence of a two or even three-tiered structure of accounting regulation could lead to confusion for the users and to an increase in the costs of financial reporting for the preparers. The new standard would have the welcomed outcome of reducing the degree of differential reporting between listed and private companies, thus providing users and preparers alike with one single “true and fair view” when describing a firm’s financial performance and financial position. Originality/value: This paper fulfills the need to study the potential effect of the prospective application of the new financial reporting standards for small and medium-sized entities. The issue is highly debated in literature and among practitioners, for matters of cost, opportunity and feasibility of such a great leap in financial reporting for private entities.
High-resolution range-Doppler processing by coherent block-sparse estimation

This work contemplates advanced signal processing techniques for narrow band pulsed radar systems. If we assume a sparse scene of point-like targets and formulate the data model for the received signal in Fourier space, we can produce a block sparse estimation problem for the range profile spectra in all relevant Doppler channels. The range profile spectra are jointly estimated by coherent versions of block matching pursuit and basis pursuit algorithms. Then, in each Doppler channel, we compute the delays using a parametric high-resolution method. The mixed sparse/parametric approach overcomes the disadvantages of matched filters concerning resolution and ambiguities and has less computational complexity than full two-dimensional sparse estimation methods. We show results from numerical simulations and experimental measurements recorded with a passive bistatic radar using Global System for Mobil Communications (GSM) base stations as illuminators of opportunity.
HOW THE MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS DRIVES IMPACT THE PORTFOLIO RETURNS- ANALYSIS-CUM- FACT FINDING STUDY

Mergers & Acquisitions have been a corporate buzz for the consolidated innovation in the business streamlines. We have analysed the impact of the mergers & acquisition drives over the return on stock values over the periods under this study. How mergers & acquisition affect the overall portfolio returns is the prime focus of this paper.
Knee strength deficits after hamstring tendon and patellar tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the strength of the knee flexors and knee extensors after two surgical techniques of ACL reconstruction and compare them to an age and activity level matched control group. METHODS Twenty-four subjects who had undergone ACL reconstruction greater than 1 yr previously were placed into one of two groups according to autograft donor site: patellar tendon (BPB; N = 8) and hamstring (H; N = 16), and compared with an active, control group (N = 30). Knee flexor and extensor strength was evaluated using isovelocity dynamometry (5 speeds, eccentric and concentric, 5-95 degrees ROM). Strength maps were used to graphically analyze strength over a broad operational domain of the neuromuscular system. Average strength maps were determined for each autograft group and compared with controls. A difference map (control minus graft group) and confidence (t-test) maps were used to quantitatively identify strength deficits. RESULTS The combined ACL group (N = 24) revealed a global 25.5% extensor strength deficit, with eccentric regional (angle and velocity matched) deficits up to 50% of control. Strength deficits covered over 86% of the sampled strength map area (P < 0.01). These knee extensor strength deficits are greater than previously reported. In addition, the BPB group demonstrated a concentric, low velocity, knee extensor strength deficit at 60-95 degrees that was not observed in the H group. Significant graft site dependent, regional knee flexor deficits of up to 50% of control were observed for the H group. CONCLUSIONS Strength deficits localized to specific contraction types and ranges of motion were demonstrated between the ACL and control groups that were dependent upon autograft donor site. Postoperative rehabilitation protocols specific to these deficits should be devised.
Anti–tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy (adalimumab) in Rasmussen's encephalitis: An open pilot study

Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE) is a severe chronic inflammatory brain disease affecting one cerebral hemisphere and leading to drug‐resistant epilepsy, progressive neurologic deficit, and unilateral brain atrophy. Hemispherotomy remains the gold standard treatment but causes permanent functional impairment. No standardized medical treatment protocol currently exists for patients prior to indication of hemispherotomy, although some immunotherapies have shown partial efficacy with functional preservation but poor antiseizure effect. Some studies suggest a role for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) in RE pathophysiology.
Discrimination of primer 3'-nucleotide mismatch by taq DNA polymerase during polymerase chain reaction.

We investigated the effect of primer-template mismatch on the efficiency of polymerase chain reaction. For primers with T, C, or G as the 3' nucleotide, Thermus aquaticus (Taq) DNA polymerase was highly specific for template complementarity to this base, but was somewhat less constrained opposite the penultimate nucleotide. In contrast, primers with a 3'-terminal A were less efficiently amplified regardless of the corresponding nucleotide on the template strand. Thus, allele-specific PCR with Taq polymerase offers the greatest template discrimination (40- to 100-fold) against mismatch to a primer's 3'-terminal T, G, or C, but not A. Nucleotides at the penultimate position are responsible for roughly one-fifth as much mismatch discrimination (8- to 20-fold), and amplification efficiency is reduced when T and especially A occupy this primer position. We thus have defined conditions which allow robust discrimination for PCR-mediated analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and for reduction in complexity of anchor-ligation PCR products.
Digital image forgery detection based on shadow texture features

Digital images are widely used nowadays and there are powerful and convenient software tools for various types of image processing and enhancement. Unfortunately, these tools also facilitate for easy digital image forgery. In this paper we present an algorithm for digital image forgery detection that deals with the situation when some object, together with its shadow, is copied and pasted to some other location in the same or different image. Algorithm is based on the property that shadows do not change the texture of the underlaying surface. Our algorithms uses local binary patterns from shadow and adjacent non-shadow regions and features extracted from their histograms where energy and entropy proved to be the most discriminative. The proposed method was tested on some benchmark forged images and compared with other approaches from literature where it proved to be successful in detection of this type of forgery.