Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergency and Disaster Planning at Ohio Animal Shelters

Results of a cross-sectional study to determine the level of emergency and disaster response planning at Ohio nonhuman animal shelters and the role Ohio agencies have in emergency and disaster response planning in their communities indicated a lack of preparedness coupled with underutilization of the agencies as a resource. A total of 115 agencies (68%) responded to a standardized survey mailed to 170 Ohio agencies. Most (68%) agencies agreed that emergency and disaster response planning was important to their organization, although only 13% of agencies had completed a written emergency and disaster response plan. The majority (80%) of agencies indicated they would provide critical resources in an emergency or disaster in their community. Only 38 (33%) of the responding agencies were aware of the PETS Act of 2006. Although many agencies indicated the importance of an emergency and disaster plan, there may be insufficient resources, including time and proper training, available to ensure plans are developed. Improved coordination among veterinarians, local veterinary medical associations, emergency preparedness agencies, and animal shelters would enhance the relief efforts in a crisis.
Mechanisms of Bone Loss Following Allogeneic and Autologous Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

A significant proportion of patients will be long‐term survivors of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and little is known about their risk of late bony complications. We therefore evaluated bone mineral density (BMD) prior to BMT, post‐transplantation changes in BMD, and mechanisms of bone loss in long‐term survivors. We performed two analyses. The first was a cross‐sectional study of 83 consecutive BMT patients (38 F, 45 M), examining the relationship between BMD and bone turnover, measured immediately prior to transplantation, and a number of disease and patient variables. The second was a prospective study of 39 patients (19F, 20 M) followed for a median of 30 months (range 5–64 months) following either allogeneic (allo, n = 29) or autologous (auto, n = 10) BMT to determine if bone loss was related to treatment of graft versus host disease (GVHD) with glucocorticoids and cyclosporine A, high bone turnover rates, or hypogonadism. Auto BMT recipients acted as a control group for effects of GVHD therapy on BMD. Prior to BMT, spinal and femoral neck (FN) BMDs were 8.6% and 14% lower in female auto BMT recipients than in female allo BMT recipients, respectively (p = 0.12 and p = 0.003). Urinary bone resorption markers were higher than in normal gender‐ and age‐matched control subjects. Patients treated previously with glucocorticoids also had 8% lower FN BMD. Glucocorticoid‐pretreated women with amenorrhoea had lower lumbar spine (LS) and FN BMDs than eumenorrheic women and women receiving HRT. Post‐allo BMT, patients lost 11.7% of FN BMD compared with a nonsignificant decrease of 1.1% post‐auto BMT (p < 0.001). Spinal BMD and total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) decreased by 3.9% and 3.5%, respectively, post‐allo, compared with an increase (1.5%, p = 0.03) or nonsignificant decrease (−3.7%, p = NS), respectively, post‐auto BMT. Post‐allo BMT bone loss correlated best with the cumulative prednisolone dose at the LS and FN, and with average daily prednisolone dose for TBBMC. At the spine, the rate of bone loss was 4%/10 g of prednisolone, while the rate of bone loss at the FN was greater (9%/10 g of prednisolone). Bone loss was also negatively related to the duration of cyclosporine therapy for GVHD and baseline deoxypyridinoline concentrations. Avascular necrosis of the femoral head occurred in four, and vertebral and rib fractures occurred in one of the allo BMT patients, but in no auto BMT patients. In conclusion, BMT recipients are at risk of osteoporosis secondary to bone loss associated with their underlying illness and/or chemotherapy, particularly in female autograft recipients, and in allograft recipients secondary to GVHD and its treatment.
THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCES IN THE RELATION BETWEEN CORPORATE CONTEXTS AND STRATEGIC GROUPS

The literature on strategy has explored the debate between structuralistic approaches and the Resource-Based View in terms of the determining factors for strategic positioning. While the former presents the competitive environment as a determining factor, the latter argues in favor of organizational competences. The purpose of this article was to test the hypothesis that both factors are influential and endogenous. We developed a structural equations model that was applied to the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry and estimated through the Partial Least Squares method. The data were collected through questionnaires forwarded to a population of 193 companies, of which 55 replied. The findings confirmed the influence of organizational competences in strategic groups and show that the influence of the competitive environment is mediated by the position of the companies in organizational competences.
Service portraits in service research: a critical review

Purpose – Focusing on one main research question: how is the phenomenon “service” portrayed within service research? , the aim is to describe and analyze how the concept of service is defined, how service characteristics express the concept, the relevance of the existing “service portraits”, and to suggest a new way of portraying service.Design/methodology/approach – A literature search was carried out in order to find definitions of the service concept and expressions about the service characteristics. Databases were searched and 34 articles were used for further analysis. The same procedure was carried out for service characteristics. The articles that were chosen by the databases were reviewed thoroughly and those most relevant to the search topic were chosen. Sixteen leading scholars who had been shaping the service research field were also asked two basic questions.Findings – The analysis of the concept of service and service characteristics shows that the definitions are too narrow and the characteri.
Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan produces steroidal substances that are active against Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler and that may bind to oxysterol-binding proteins.

BACKGROUND In previous studies, the extract from Anadenanthera colubrina was active against Alternaria alternata in vitro and reduced the disease caused by this fungus on Murcott tangor fruits to levels that have been obtained using commercial fungicides. Therefore, the goal of the present work was to isolate and identify the active substances in this extract and identify in silico their protein target in the fungus. RESULTS The bioguided fractionation of the methanol extract from the fruits of A. colubrina resulted in the isolation of β-sitosterol and β-sitosteryl linoleate, which had minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 250 and 500 µg mL(-1) , respectively, against A. alternata. Under the same conditions, the MICs for two commercial fungicides were 1250 and 19 µg mL(-1) . In silico studies showed that these steroidal substances bind well to oxysterol-binding proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. CONCLUSION β-Sitosterol and β-sitosteryl linoleate, produced by A. colubrina, are active against A. alternata. In silico studies suggest that these substances may act by binding to oxysterol-binding proteins. Therefore, both substances and these proteins have potential use in the development of new steroidal structures and analogues to control the disease caused by A. alternata.
Interleukin-2 inhalation therapy temporarily induces asthma-like airway inflammation.

BACKGROUND Inhaled interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an effective and safe treatment in metastasing renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) but known to potentially elicit respiratory symptoms. OBJECTIVES The present study analyses the effects of IL-2 using a panel of measures including markers of airway inflammation. METHODS Ten patients with mRCC (7m/3f; mean age, 63 yrs) were measured at baseline, 6-10 days after start of therapy (n = 5, inhaled IL-2 only; n = 5, inhaled IL-2 plus 1/11th of daily dose subcutaneously), and 16-29 days later under continuous combined (inhaled plus subcutaneous) therapy, including additional subcutaneous IFN-alpha in 8 patients. RESULTS After start of therapy median FEV1 declined from 108 to 85 to 90 % predicted and the provocative concentration of methacholine eliciting a 20 % fall in FEV1 (PC20 FEV1) from 16 to 8 to 3 mg/mL, while the level of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) rose from 27 to 79 to 60 ppb and the percentage of sputum eosinophils from 2 to 18 to 37 % (p<0.01, each), accompanied by cough and dyspnoea (p<0.05). One patient who stopped therapy, was back to baseline values when measured 2 months later. Cytokine production by blood or sputum T lymphocytes was not markedly altered by IL-2 inhalation. CONCLUSIONS IL-2 inhalation therapy in patients with metastasing renal cell carcinoma is capable of temporarily inducing symptomatic, functional and inflammatory alterations similar to those of bronchial asthma.
Complementarity, status similarity and social capital as drivers of alliance formation

Using data on U.S. investment banking firms’ syndication in underwriting corporate stock offerings during the 1980s, this study explores the factors that drive alliance formation between two specific firms. We compare resource complementarity, status similarity, and social capital as a basis of alliance formation. The findings indicate that the likelihood of investment banks’ alliance formation is positively related to the complementarity of their capabilities, as well as their status similarity. Social capital arising from banks’ direct and indirect collaborative experiences also plays a very important role in alliance formation. The number of deals given by a lead bank to a potential partner over the past three years has an inverted U-shaped relationship to the probability that the lead bank will invite the potential partner to form an alliance. Our findings indicate that status similarity and social capital have a stronger effect on alliance formation in initial public offering deals than in secondary offering deals, as the former are more uncertain than the latter. Using these findings, we discuss the role of complementarity, status similarity, and social capital in alliance formation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in UK BERD after the Introduction of R&D Tax Credits

This paper documents the increase in R&D intensity in the UK manufacturing sector in the period following the introduction of R&D tax credits in 2000-02. This increase is broadly in line with that predicted by econometric studies of the impact of R&D tax credits, notably Bloom, Griffith and Van Reenen (2002). If anything, UK manufacturing R&D intensity has risen faster than their model predicts. The timing of this increase is not simply explained by trends in neighbouring economies, although one puzzle is that the increase is largely confined to high tech sub-sectors of manufacturing.
Opaqueness in the Insurance Industry: Why are Some Insurers Harder to Evaluate than Others?

Many articles have investigated various tools used to evaluate the financial strength of insurers. This is the first study to investigate whether certain insurers are simply inherently more difficult to evaluate than others, regardless of the tool used. The article identifies certain specific insurer characteristics that are associated with greater difficulty in financial strength evaluation, as proxied for by the level of rating disagreement by Moody's and Standard and Poor's. Specifically, the empirical results indicate that insurers that exhibit the following characteristics are more difficult to assess in terms of financial strength: smaller insurers, stock insurers, insurers with a history of reserving errors, insurers that use less reinsurance, insurers with greater levels of investment in stocks and low-grade bonds, and insurers that are more geographically diversified.
Do Malaysian and Nigerian Accounting Standards Produce Similar Earnings Quality for Banks?

Accounting standards are developed and issued by individual nations through their accounting standard setting bodies for users and preparers of financial statements, investors, commercial enterprises and regulatory agencies of government. Judgement about earnings quality is made based on accounting information contained in the financial statement. Therefore, the objective of this study is to empirically provide an evidence of the impact of Malaysian Financial Reporting Standards (MFRSs) and Nigerian Statement of Accounting Standards (NSASs) on the earnings quality of their respective banking sectors. The period of study is 2007-2011 with Malaysian and Nigerian banks constituting the study sample. The Jones model is modified to investigate the quality of earnings in both economies and a comparative analysis of the different country banks related accounting standard is equally made. It was discovered that Malaysian banks exhibit better earnings quality than Nigerian banks. Findings equally show that Malaysian FRSs are IFRSs compliant, thus more detailed, stricter, and contemporary and prescribe clearer rules than Nigerian SASs indicating that though significant relationship exist between accounting standards and banks earnings quality, MFRSs do not produce similar banks earnings quality with NSASs. It is therefore recommended that Nigerian government, standard setters and appropriate regulatory and supervisory bodies should, as a matter of urgency and seriousness embrace the full adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and ensure compliance with BASEL II requirements.
Antecedents and Consequences of Attitude Toward Sales

This article deals with antecedents of attitude toward sales in the clothing industry, and its behavioral consequences. After developing a measure of attitude toward sales and of its antecedents, we conducted several studies to test our conceptual framework. The results suggest that although most costs and benefits have the same impact on attitude for men and women, there are some differences concerning certain antecedents (ability to buy goods at lower prices, to buy more, doubts concerning product quality, and the need to be different). In addition, we also find differences in terms of patronage, purchasing behavior and social interactions during the sales period. Finally, we describe managerial implications and outline avenues for future research.
The modern asset: Big Data and Information Valuation

The Modern Asset: Big Data and Information Valuation J. B. Stander Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. Thesis: M.Eng (Engineering Management) August 2015 The volatile nature of business requires organizations to fully exploit all of their assets while always trying to gain the competitive edge. One of the key resources for improving efficiency, developing new technology and optimizing processes is data and information; with the arrival of Big Data, this has never been more true. However, even though data and information provide tangible and often indispensable value to organizations, they are not appropriately valued or controlled. This lack of valuation and control is directly related to the lack of a reliable and functional valuation method for them. This study takes a qualitative and inductive approach to developing Decision Based Valuation (DBV); a proof-of-concept information valuation method. DBV addresses the need to correctly value the data and information an organisation has and may require. Furthermore, DBV is presented with its valuation framework and value optimization and performance assessment tools. These tools address the issue of management and control of information, following in the footsteps of Physical Asset Management (PAM). By using complimentary valuation methods and attributes from PAM in combination with intangible asset valuation methods, DBV is able to capture what is essential to the value of information. Beginning with a background to Big Data and PAM, their value is made clear to reader. Furthermore, the difficulty and need for a valuation method catered towards information is presented. This will set the stage for the introduction of data and information principles as well as physical and intangible asset valuation methods. These methods are drawn upon for the development of DBV as well as the valuation framework it is based upon. The valuation ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Predicting Consumer Intention to Use Mobile Payment Services: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

Mobile payment has relative advantages compared to other payment methods, thus providing benefits for both consumers and the society. This study attempts to examine factors influencing consumer intention to use mobile payment services. Survey data are used to investigate the impact of consumersi¯ perceptions of mobile payment services and social influence on use intention. Empirical evidence from 489 Vietnamese consumers confirms a significant relationship between the factors and behavioral intention, and reveals that perceived trust is the strongest predictor of intention to use mobile payment services followed by perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness and subjective norm, respectively. The results contribute to the evolving literature, and suggest that mobile payment service providers should particularly focus on building up consumer trust, and making their services clear, understandable and easy to use. Future research directions for extending this study are also discussed.
The Meaning of Technology for People with Chronic Renal Failure

&NA; The article is based on the findings of a hermeneutic study that focused on the experience of individuals receiving hemodialysis for chronic renal failure. The purpose of the research was to begin to understand the experience and meaning of technology for these individuals. Three themes reflected the dimensions of the participants' individual and collective experiences: coming to terms with loss and limitations, abiding with technology, and enduring the treatment environment. Overall, the participants found themselves struggling to remain embodied while being transformed by a reluctant partnering with technology.
Individual and Opportunity Factors Influencing Job Creation in New Firms

We build on multiple theoretical perspectives to investigate the unique and joint effects of individual- and opportunity-level factors affecting job creation in new firms. We tested hypotheses using survey data from individuals who transitioned from unemployment to self-employment under the auspices of a German public policy program. Our findings reveal that an entrepreneur's breadth of knowledge has a negative influence on the firm's job creation, whereas the entrepreneur's leadership experience has a positive influence. However, as the sector-specific labor requirements of a business opportunity increase, both breadth of knowledge and leadership experience allow founders to operate their firms with fewer employees.
Epidemiology in neurobiological research: exemplified by the influenza-schizophrenia theory.

BACKGROUND During recent years the strategy for aetiological research in schizophrenia has been to concentrate on two closely connected directions: the search for the genetic element and the search for environmental factors. Damage to the immature brain during pregnancy and delivery has given us the most interesting results from recent environmental research. AIMS To examine the validity of the influenza-schizophrenia hypothesis. METHOD A review of register-based epidemiological studies in Denmark conducted over a 10-year period. RESULTS The studies reviewed provided strong inferential evidence in favour of the hypothesis, but some methodological problems are unresolved and not all replication studies have been positive. CONCLUSIONS The brain-damage hypothesis points to possibilities for identifying high-risk individuals at an early stage of life and perhaps establishing specific preventive programmes. There is, however, a great need for closer international collaboration in future research.
Foreign Expansion under Uncertainty - The Case of Multinational Companies in China

Corporate expansion in foreign markets with a high degree of uncertainty is a difficult process even for experienced multinational companies. Real options theory provides guidance on how expansion strategies should be structured in such environments. An in-depth longitudinal study of the expansion chronology and strategy of 41 of the largest global manufacturing companies in China reveals that the within-country expansion of market-seeking multinational companies is contingent on exogenous and endogenous uncertainty and that it typically follows a sequential pattern that can be characterised as: Probing, Dispersion and Scaling. The hypotheses are tested within a strategic-options framework, using detailed data from 105 China subsidiaries of manufacturing companies from Europe, North America and Asia. The results show that the level of uncertainty shapes the optimal balance between flexibility and commitment over time. The findings support an optionsbased approach for foreign expansion under uncertainty, where the creation of a portfolio of subsidiaries is used as a means to broaden opportunities and hedge downside risk. A better understanding of this process is of high practical as well as theoretical relevance. The findings are discussed by connecting various research streams from the fields of financial economics, strategic management and international management.
Social value in retail banking

Purpose – The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of perceived value on customer loyalty, going into depth in the special case of social value.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 200 personal surveys have been conducted on customers of financial institutions, and structural equation modelling has been used to compare the relationships arising.Findings – The importance of perceived value for consumer loyalty is confirmed, and the core performance of the service received is the main determinant of satisfaction. The effect of social value on customer loyalty is also examined in two ways: as a determinant of the attitude of the individual and as a normative component directly influencing behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implications – This research was carried out in financial services. Further research of the proposed conceptual model across different industries and countries is needed to determine the generalizability and consistency of this study's findings.Practical implications –.
Prevalence and determinants of HIV in tuberculosis patients in Wuxi City, Jiangsu province, China: a cross-sectional study

At least one-third of the 34 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide are infected with latent tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to determine the rate of HIV infection in TB patients and its determinants in Wuxi City, China. TB patients attending health institutions (12 selected sites) for TB diagnosis and treatment were enrolled in this study. TB diagnosis, treatment and HIV testing were done according to the national guidelines. Blood samples were collected for anonymous HIV testing. Among the TB patients, the HIV prevalence was 13.66% (1493/10,926). Multivariate analysis showed that gender, age, education, marital status, per capita monthly income, patient residence, family size, distance from a health institution, knowledge of HIV–TB co-infection, and knowledge of HIV may be risk factors for HIV–TB co-infection (all: odds ratio > 1, p < 0.05). The prevalence of TB in those with HIV was higher among the study participants. Improving public awareness of HIV–TB co-infection, regularly screening and improving follow-up can reduce the occurrence of HIV–TB co-infection.