Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Firm-Specific Advantages in UK Export Initiation

Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify potentially significant differences in perception of export motives based on the variations in the firm‐specific advantages (FSAs) and the firm's export strategy. It proposes that Rugman's (1981) (FSA/country‐specific advantage (CSA)) framework provides a sound theoretical base for integrating findings from different studies.Design/methodology/approach – A set of export motives are identified as key initiation stimuli and their significance is tested on an original data set of 356 British exporters. The factor analysis produced four conceptually meaningful groups of motives. Propositions were developed to test the discriminating effect of the firm‐specific resources and capabilities on export stimulation and the potential variations in critical export motivators when executing different export strategies.Findings – Findings endorse the study's main propositions: internal proactive motives are the most significant export initiation factors; distinct firm‐speci.
Market orientation and performance in service firms: role of innovation

There is wide acceptance of the precept that market orientation is associated with superior firm performance. However, empirical support for the proposition in prior literature is weak. This study examines the relationship between market orientation and performance with data from 201 international hotels and finds that market orientation is positively associated with both judgmental measures of performance – service quality, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction, and objective measures of performance – occupancy rate, gross operating profit, and market share. Specifically, the study finds that the immediate impact of market orientation is to spur innovation, which, in turn, enhances judgmental performance, which, in turn, enhances objective performance.
A meta-analysis of effect sizes based on direct marketing campaigns

We document the effect sizes (i.e., the strength of a relationship or the magnitude of a difference between variables) of results of direct marketing campaigns that were submitted as entries in the Direct Marketing Association's 1991 Echo Awards Program. A total of 837 Echo Award entries was analyzed. Of these entries, only 211 campaigns were complete to the extent that effect sizes could be estimated. The 211 experimental effects are all defined as response rates (i.e., the percentage of consumers responding for more information from the total number of consumers having been exposed to an advertising campaign). The results indicate that certain direct marketing variables such as the use of color, toll-free phone numbers, response forms, etc., may not in fact have an important influence on response rates. The size of the campaign, however, may influence the response rate, indicating that smaller, more focused, campaigns result in higher response rates.
Amniotic Fluid Lecithin: Sphingomyelin Ratio and Fetal Lung Development

The normal range and trends of the ratio between lecithin and sphingomyelin in the amniotic fluid, estimated on thin-layer chromatograms, have been established for the last trimester. The accuracy of the ratio as an index of fetal lung development and of the risk of neonatal respiratory distress has been confirmed. The usual increase in the ratio towards term was not found in some pregnancies complicated by diabetes or severe rhesus incompatibility. Determination of the ratio may prove a valuable guide in the management of pregnancies with these complications.
Impact of portal technologies on EIS implementations in organizations in KwaZulu-Natal

Portal technologies integrate information, content and enterprise applications. Executive information systems (EIS) grew out of the information needs of top executives. Web-based technologies are causing a revisit to existing IT implementation models, including those for EIS. Some technologies include: intranet, internet, extranet, e-commerce business-to-business (B2B), e-commerce business-to-consumer (B2C), wireless application protocol (WAP) and other mobile and portal technologies. The authors conducted a survey of 31 well-established organizations in KwaZulu-Natal, which successfully implemented EIS. A validated survey instrument was administered to an EIS stakeholder in each organization surveyed. This article is a report on (a) on the activity sectors of organizations surveyed; (b) an analysis of the different commercially purchased EIS software tools and/or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software with EIS features used by stakeholders in organizations surveyed; and (c) the impact level of portal technologies on EIS implementation. The authors report that after the Intranet and Internet, portal technologies have the third highest impact on EIS implementations in organizations surveyed in KwaZulu-Natal.
Functional and phenotypic differences between glioblastoma multiforme-derived and normal human brain endothelial cells.

OBJECT Glioblastomas multiforme (GBMs) are hypervascular tumors characterized by endothelial cell (EC) proliferation. There is increasing evidence that ECs that infiltrate systemic tumors are different from normal blood vessel cells; whether this difference is seen in the central nervous system between GBM and normal brain tissue is not known. The goal of this investigation was to characterize and compare the functional and phenotypic properties of GBM-associated ECs and normal brain ECs. METHODS Human ECs were isolated from fresh tissue specimens, purified using flow cytometry, and characterized by immunostaining. Proliferation was measured by determining bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and Ki-67 staining, and by performing the monotetrazolium assay. The migration rate of the cells was determined using the modified Boyden chamber technique. Apoptosis was evaluated by performing the TUNEL assay, cell death enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and annexin V staining. Growth factor production was analyzed using the ELISA technique. The brain tumor ECs differed from normal brain ECs morphologically and by their expression and distribution of specific markers (that is, vascular endothelial cadherin [VE-cadherin] and CD31). Functional differences between the two cell populations were also evident. The brain tumor ECs proliferated more slowly and underwent less apoptosis than normal brain ECs; however, the tumor ECs migrated faster than the normal ECs. The normal ECs were sensitive to growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), whereas the tumor ECs were not. In addition, the brain tumor ECs constitutively produced higher levels of ET-1 and VEGF, compared with the normal ECs. CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrated that ECs derived from normal brain and from GBMs have significant phenotypic and functional distinctions. Further characterization of brain tumor ECs is essential for efficient antiangiogenic treatment of gliomas.
Low discharge weight and outcome in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE Because recent limitations in health care coverage have resulted in shorter lengths of inpatient stay, many patients with anorexia nervosa are discharged while still underweight. The authors' goal was to determine whether anorectic patients who were underweight when they were discharged had a worse outcome and a higher rate of rehospitalization than those who had achieved normal weight at discharge. METHOD They assessed weight and height, eating disorder symptoms, and severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms in 22 women with anorexia nervosa at hospital admission and at follow-up a mean of 29 months after discharge. RESULTS Anorectic patients who were discharged while severely underweight reported significantly higher rates of rehospitalization and endorsed more symptoms than those who had achieved normal weight before discharge. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that brief hospitalization for severely underweight women with anorexia may not be cost effective because the majority are rehospitalized.
Impaired fear extinction in mice lacking protease nexin‐1

The serine protease inhibitor protease‐nexin‐1 (PN‐1) has been shown to modulate N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR)‐mediated synaptic currents and NMDAR‐dependent long‐term potentiation of synaptic transmission. Here, we analysed the role of PN‐1 in the acquisition and extinction of classical auditory fear conditioning, two distinct forms of learning that both depend on NMDAR activity in the amygdala. Immunostaining revealed that PN‐1 is expressed throughout the amygdala, primarily in γ‐aminobutyric acid containing neurons of the central amygdala and intercalated cell masses (ITCs) and in glia. Fear extinction was severely impaired in mice lacking PN‐1 (PN‐1 KO). Consistent with a role for the basal nucleus of the amygdala in fear extinction, we found that, compared with wild‐type (WT) littermate controls, PN‐1 KO mice exhibited decreased numbers of Fos‐positive neurons in the basal nucleus after extinction. Moreover, immunoblot analysis of laser‐microdissected amygdala sub‐nuclei revealed specific extinction‐induced increases in the level of phosphorylated alpha‐calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II in the medial ITCs and in the lateral subdivision of the central amygdala in WT mice. These responses were altered in PN‐1 KO mice. Together, these data indicate that lack of extinction in PN‐1 KO mice is associated with distinct changes in neuronal activity across the circuitry of the basal and central nuclei and the ITCs, supporting a differential impact on fear extinction of these amygdala substructures. They also suggest a new role for serine protease inhibitors such as PN‐1 in modulating fear conditioning and extinction.
Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific decision-making skill

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the impact of mental fatigue on soccer-specific decision-making. Twelve well-trained male soccer players performed a soccer-specific decision-making task on two occasions, separated by at least 72 h. The decision-making task was preceded in a randomised order by 30 min of the Stroop task (mental fatigue) or 30 min of reading from magazines (control). Subjective ratings of mental fatigue were measured before and after treatment, and mental effort (referring to treatment) and motivation (referring to the decision-making task) were measured after treatment. Performance on the soccer-specific decision-making task was assessed using response accuracy and time. Visual search behaviour was also assessed throughout the decision-making task. Subjective ratings of mental fatigue and effort were almost certainly higher following the Stroop task compared to the magazines. Motivation for the upcoming decision-making task was possibly higher following the Stroop task. Decision-making accuracy was very likely lower and response time likely higher in the mental fatigue condition. Mental fatigue had unclear effects on most visual search behaviour variables. The results suggest that mental fatigue impairs accuracy and speed of soccer-specific decision-making. These impairments are not likely related to changes in visual search behaviour.
Vertical Product Differentiation and Exchange Rate Pass-Through: Evidence from Trade between China and Japan

In this paper, we investigate the impact of vertical product differentiation on exchange rate pass-through (ERPT). We define product vertical differentiation as a spectrum of products that range from high end to low end. Using a comprehensive dataset that includes highly disaggregated products traded between China and Japan from Jan 2000 to Dec 2008, we proxy product vertical differentiation with unit values of imports and exports and find that Japanese exports to China are more toward the high end while Chinese exports to Japan are more on the low end. Our further empirical tests show that exchange rate pass-through to Chinese Yuan selling prices of Japan imports is incomplete and is strongly affected by the degree of vertical differentiation. In particular, higher pass-through is observed where the vertical differentiation is larger between Japan import and China local-made, which suggests higher end Japan exporters are able to keep their Japanese Yen markup more stable.
Dunkl Operators for Complex Reflection Groups

Dunkl operators for complex reflection groups are defined in this paper. These commuting operators give rise to a parameterized family of deformations of the polynomial De Rham complex. This leads to the study of the polynomial ring as a module over the ‘rational Cherednik algebra’, and a natural contravariant form on this module. In the case of the imprimitive complex reflection groups G(m, p, N), the set of singular parameters in the parameterized family of these structures is described explicitly, using the theory of non‐symmetric Jack polynomials. 2000 Mathematical Subject Classification: 20F55 (primary), 52C35, 05E05, 33C08 (secondary).
Near‐infrared spectroscopy: exposing the dark (venous) side of the circulation

The safety of anesthesia has improved greatly in the past three decades. Standard perioperative monitoring, including pulse oximetry, has practically eliminated unrecognized arterial hypoxia as a cause for perioperative injury. However, most anesthesia‐related cardiac arrests in children are now cardiovascular in origin, and standard monitoring is unable to detect many circulatory abnormalities. Near‐infrared spectroscopy provides noninvasive continuous access to the venous side of regional circulations that can approximate organ‐specific and global measures to facilitate the detection of circulatory abnormalities and drive goal‐directed interventions to reduce end‐organ ischemic injury.
Timing of Employee Stock Option Exercises and the Cost of Stock Option Grants

This study examines how executives' and lower-level employees' option exercise behavior affects firms' stock option grant cost estimates. Prior research suggests that option grant cost estimates are not materially different when calculated a using utility-based model or a risk-neutral model adjusted for historical exercise rates. This study shows, however, that estimates of exercise times are significantly improved when the model accounts for behavioral and economic determinants of option exercise such as the attainment of performance benchmarks, recent vesting, the intrinsic value of an employee's option portfolio, and employee rank. Hazard analysis of all executive and employee option grants within a proprietary sample of firms yields lower out-of-sample exercise timing prediction errors relative to utility-based models and estimates using historical exercise patterns. More importantly, option cost estimates are materially different when improved estimates of exercise times are used, which may have implications for financial reporting.
Follicular fluid concentrations of zinc and copper are positively associated with in vitro fertilization outcomes

Objective: To determine follicular fluid concentrations of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) and to assess whether they are associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted based on 53 patients recruited from June 2013 to February 2014 in Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children’s Hospital. These women with normal ovulatory cycles but with tubal infertility underwent IVF using the GnRH-agonist long protocol. Out of these 53 patients, 23 had successfully conceived (pregnant group) and the other 30 failed (nonpregnant group). Follicular fluid samples were collected from these women on the oocyte retrieval day. Concentrations of Zn and Cu in these follicular fluid samples were measured. The correlations between follicular fluid concentrations of Zn and Cu and the number (No.) of MII oocyte retrieved, fertilization rate, and cleavage rate were determined. Results: In all subjects studied, the mean follicular fluid concentrations of Zn and Cu were 1.16 ± 0.19 mg/L and 0.96 ± 0.23 mg/L, respectively. However, no difference was observed in follicular fluid concentrations of Zn and Cu on the oocyte retrieval day between pregnant and non-pregnant groups. However, for both pregnant and non-pregnant groups combined, follicular fluid concentrations of Zn were positively correlated with fertilization rate (r = 0.2904, P = 0.0349) and cleavage rate (r = 0.2942, P = 0.0325). Follicular fluid concentrations of Cu were positively correlated with the No. of MII oocyte retrieved (r = 0.5010, P = 0.0001) and fertilization rate (r = 0.2894, P = 0.0356). Conclusions: These data suggest that in infertile patients who undergo IVF using the GnRH-agonist long protocol, optimal follicular fluid concentrations of Zn and/or Cu may be beneficial to oocyte growth, fertilization, and early embryonic development.
Can Enforcement Actions on Engagement Auditors Improve Audit Quality?

A unique feature of Chinese auditing and one under consideration for adoption in the U.S. is regulatory oversight of individual auditors. This paper analyzes enforcement actions by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) against engagement auditors and investigates whether audit quality improves for sanctioned auditors. Our results indicate lower discretionary accruals for client firms following sanctions. Complementing this, and indicative of greater skepticism and independence by sanctioned auditors, we find that the probability of issuing a modified audit opinion increases following sanctions. We conjecture that audit quality increases because sanctions increases the likelihood of job loss and also damages reputations; consistent with this, we find evidence of job loss among some of the sanctioned auditors and of stock market losses for clients audited by sanctioned auditors. These adverse consequences appear to encourage sanctioned auditors to “clean up their act. ” Finally, we examine one channel through which sanctions improve audit quality: we find evidence of a longer lag between fiscal year end and the date of the audit report, a metric interpreted in the literature as a measure of auditor effort. Thus, it appears that sanctions, by raising the specter of job and/or reputation loss, compel sanctioned auditors to increase effort in such a way that audit quality rises. Overall, our results indicate that governmental sanctions improve audit quality. This suggests that auditor incentives stemming from oversight mechanisms play a critical role in determining audit quality.
Is small-bowel radiography necessary before double-balloon endoscopy?

OBJECTIVE Small-bowel radiography may be replaced by enteroscopy in the diagnosis of small-intestine lesions. We retrospectively elucidated the diagnostic yield of small-bowel radiography performed before double-balloon endoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred twenty-four patients who underwent double-balloon endoscopy during the period 2004-2006 were classified into those with abnormal radiographic findings (n = 45), normal radiographic findings (n = 31), and no small-bowl radiographs (n = 48). The classification was based on the use of small-bowel radiography and the diagnosis before double-balloon endoscopy. The indications for, approaches to, and diagnostic yields of double-balloon endoscopy were compared for the three groups. The diagnostic yield of small-bowel radiography was considered positive when any sign of pathologic change in the small bowel was identified. The diagnostic yield of double-balloon endoscopy was considered positive when endoscopic or biopsy findings explained the clinical manifestations. RESULTS The group with abnormal findings on small-bowel radiography was younger (15-86 years) and less frequently had obscure bleeding (8.9%) than the group with normal findings on small-bowel radiography (age, 17-84 years; frequency of obscure bleeding, 45.2%) (p = 0.01) or the group without small-bowel radiographs (age, 15-91 years; frequency of obscure bleeding, 64.6%) (p < 0.0001). The positive diagnostic yield of double-balloon endoscopy was highest in the group with abnormal findings on small-bowel radiography (71.1%), followed by the group with no small-bowel radiographs (45.8%) and the group with normal findings on small-bowel radiography (35.5%) (p = 0.0002). Among patients who did undergo small-bowl radiography, the accuracy of the technique was 68.4%, the positive predictive value was 71.1%, and the negative predictive value was 64.5%. The positive diagnostic yields of small-bowel radiography and double-balloon endoscopy were not statistically different (59.2% for small-bowel radiography, 56.6% for double-balloon endoscopy; p > 0.1). CONCLUSION The diagnostic accuracy of double-balloon endoscopy seems to improve if the procedure is preceded by small-bowel radiography.
Creating virtual product experiences: The role of telepresence

Given that direct product experience is generally the optimal method for consumers to learn about products, marketers should strive for verisimilitude in marketing communications. This research explores how computer-mediated environments can engender virtual product experiences. The construct of telepresence, a sense of presence in a remote environment, is used to examine the process by which media characteristics influence consumer responses. Through two experimental studies, we evaluate the effect of two media characteristics—user control and media richness—on the creation of telepresence and assess the impact of telepresence on consumer beliefs about and attitudes toward the advertised product. Results show that user control and media richness both contribute to creating a sense of telepresence. Moreover, through telepresence, these media characteristics influence consumers’ cognitive responses.
Optimal Translation Initiation Enables Vif-Deficient Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 To Escape Restriction by APOBEC3G

ABSTRACT APOBEC3G restricts Vif-deficient human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) by deaminating viral cDNA cytosines to uracils. This promutagenic activity is counteracted by HIV-1 Vif, which is a natural APOBEC3G antagonist. However, we previously reported that Vif-deficient HIV-1 could evolve resistance to APOBEC3G by a novel mechanism requiring an A200-to-C/T transition mutation and Vpr inactivation. A pyrimidine at nucleotide 200 in the untranslated leader region contributed to resistance by increasing virus particle production, which resulted in fewer APOBEC3G molecules per particle. Here we show that the A200-to-C/T mutation functions posttranscriptionally by inactivating an upstream start codon, which in turn enables optimal viral mRNA translation from canonical start codons.