Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motor maintenance: A survey of techniques and results

Preventative and predictive maintenance programs for motors are effective practices in manufacturing plants. These maintenance procedures involve a sequence of steps plant personnel use to prolong motor life or foresee a motor failure. These technicians use a series of diagnostics such as motor temperature and motor vibration as key pieces of information in learning about the motors. This paper outlines and discusses such diagnostics and describes some common pieces of hardware used to obtain the data. One way a technician can use these diagnostics is to compare the vibration signature found in the motor with the failure mode to determine the cause of the failure. Often failures occur well before the expected design life span of the motor and studies have shown that mechanical failures are the prime cause of premature electrical failures. This paper looks into the various mechanical problems which lead to those electrical failures and ways to avoid them. Preventative maintenance takes steps to improve motor performance and to extend its life. Common preventative tasks include routine lubrication, allowing adequate ventilation, and ensuring the motor is not undergoing any type of unbalanced voltage situation. This paper provides greater detail on preventative procedures which improve overall plant efficiency.more » The goal of predictive maintenance programs is to reduce maintenance costs by detecting problems early which allow for better maintenance planning and less unexpected failures. Predictive maintenance programs for motors observe the temperatures, vibrations, and other data to determine a time for an overhaul or replacement of the motor. This paper explains the different tests and equipment used to incorporate a predictive maintenance program in a facility. « less
Univariate and multivariate analyses of the prognostic significance of discontinuous intramural metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer

A review of 167 cases of esophageal carcinoma without preoperative treatment revealed 24 (14.4%) to have intramural metastasis (IM) within the esophagus. Among the clinicopathologic factors, the length of the lesions (P < 0.01), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), and the depth of the invasion of the tumor (P < 0.0001) were found to be statistically significant different factors between the two groups of patients both with and without intramural metastasis. The survival curve for patients with IM was significantly lower than that for patients without IM (P < 0.0001). A univariate analysis revealed that the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, IM (P < 0.0001), and the length of the lesion (P < 0.001) all had a significant correlation with the prognosis. Moreover, in a multivariate analysis, the depth of the invasion (<0.001), length of the lesion (0.001), and IM (0.049) were all determined to be significant prognostic factors. Therefore, IM is considered to be one of the independent significant prognostic factors for predicting a poor prognosis in esophageal cancer. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
No prevention of ischemic preconditioning by the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine in swine.

The delay of infarct size development by ischemic preconditioning involves the activation of protein kinase C in rats and rabbits. In dogs the role of protein kinase C in ischemic preconditioning is controversial. We investigated whether or not the activation of protein kinase C is a prerequisite for ischemic preconditioning in swine. Swine were used, since they are large mammals and since infarct development in this species, due to the lack of an innate collateral circulation, is similar to that in humans. In 20 enflurane-anesthetized swine, the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery was cannulated and perfused from an extracorporeal circuit. The impact of continuous intracoronary infusion of 10(-7) mol/L staurosporine, a potent protein kinase C inhibitor, on global and regional myocardial function (sonomicrometry), subendocardial blood flow (ENDO, microspheres), and infarct size (IS, triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining after 120 minutes of reperfusion) was analyzed. Staurosporine (10(-7) mol/L) abolished the 1.6-fold increase in coronary arterial resistance in response to 10(-6) mol/L IC 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a potent protein kinase C activator. In the presence of staurosporine, 90 minutes of low-flow ischemia at an ENDO of 0.05 +/- 0.04 (mean +/- SD) mL.min-1.g-1 resulted in an IS of 12.5 +/- 8.6% (n = 10) of the area at risk. Also, in the presence of staurosporine, ischemic preconditioning by a cycle of 10 minutes of low-flow ischemia followed by 15 minutes reperfusion before the 90 minutes sustained ischemic period (ENDO, 0.05 +/- 0.03 mL.min-1.g-1) reduced IS to 3.3 +/- 3.4% (n = 10, P < .05). The protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine does not prevent ischemic preconditioning in swine.
Corporate Philanthropy Disclosure: Does Board’s Education Matters?

The study on corporate philanthropy (CP) disclosure is limited and need to be given further attention. Thus, the objective of this paper is to examine the importance of board of directors’ (BOD) education, in addition to firm-specific factors, as possible determinants of CP disclosure of Malaysian public listed companies. Three BODs’ education characteristics were considered namely the level of education, field of education and place of education. Data for the study was collected using secondary data.
LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF NON COMPLIANCE WITH BID REQUIREMENTS

It is a universally accepted principle of public procurement that bids which do not meet the minimum requirements as stipulated in a bid document are to be regarded as non-responsive and rejected without further consideration. This general principle is subject to certain recognised exceptions. However, the danger always exists that organs of state may apply this rule in a rigid and mechanical fashion or worse, as a means to manipulate the outcome of a tender process. For this reason, the disqualification of bidders on grounds of non-responsiveness has generated a considerable amount of litigation in South Africa. In two recent judgments, the Constitutional Court laid down a framework within which the courts should evaluate the legal effect of bid irregularities. Briefly, the requirement of responsiveness operates in the following manner: a bid only qualifies as a responsive bid if it meets with all requirements as set out in the bid document. Bid requirements usually relate to compliance with regulatory prescripts, bid formalities, or functionality/technical, pricing and empowerment requirements. The standard practice in the public sector is that bids are first evaluated for compliance with responsiveness criteria before being evaluated for compliance with other criteria, such as functionality, pricing or empowerment. Bidders found to be non-responsive are excluded from the bid process regardless of the merits of their bids. Responsiveness thus serves as an important first hurdle for bidders to overcome. But how should administrative bodies approach the issue of non-compliance with bid requirements? How can administrative bodies avoid the twin ills of adopting an overly rigid and mechanical approach on the one hand and disregarding the clear and mandatory prescripts of a tender document on the other? Can an organ of state condone non-compliance with mandatory bid requirements? What are the factors to be considered when deciding whether a bid is responsive or not? These are among the questions which this paper seeks to address.
F wave measurements detecting changes in motor neuron excitability after ischaemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE To study mechanisms that are involved in the hyperexcitability of spinal motor neurons in upper motor neuron lesion, by means of F-wave measurements. METHODS F waves from 44 hospitalized stroke patients and 35 healthy controls were recorded from abductor pollicis brevis muscles in the course of two experiments: (1) single stimuli following high-intensity ipsilateral cutaneous conditioning were used to stimulate the median nerve; (2) paired stimuli were given to the median nerve at gradually increasing interstimulus intervals to assess recovery curves. Mean F-wave amplitudes elicited by the conditioning stimuli were compared with mean F-wave amplitudes elicited by the test stimuli on both the hemiparetic and the unaffected side. RESULTS There was no reduction on the hemiparetic side of mean F-wave amplitudes elicited following high-intensity ipsilateral cutaneous stimulation. The recovery of mean F-wave amplitude was completed at longer interstimulus intervals on the hemiparetic side than on the unaffected side and in controls. A correlation was found between this delay of recovery and hemiparetic severity. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study support the role of changes in lower motor neuron membrane excitability in the enhancement of F wave amplitudes after stroke.
Mandatorily Disclosed Materiality Thresholds, their Determinants, and their Association with Earnings Multiples

This study addresses two related research questions concerning a new requirement in the United Kingdom that auditors disclose the materiality thresholds they apply when conducting the audit of listed companies. First, are cross-sectional differences in materiality thresholds associated with differences in the demands of financial statement users for high quality information as reflected by differences in analyst following, leverage, and managerial equity stakes? We find that the firm’s reliance on debt financing and the extent of insider shareholding are associated with lower auditor materiality thresholds. Second, do investors use the materiality threshold information when assessing the reliability of earnings for equity valuation purposes? We find that the difference between the earnings multiples of high and low materiality firms decreases after the disclosure of the thresholds. This finding is consistent with low materiality firms benefiting from the revelation that auditors apply a more stringent threshold, thereby improving the perceived relative reliability of their financial statements.
Magazine Advertising: Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Celebrity Advertising

This study analyzes the differences in celebrity effectiveness in advertisements of different styles as well as the impact of source credibility. This study uses an experimental magazine to test nine fictional advertisements for three products with unreal brands and three advertising styles. The findings show that the advertising styles that generate the greatest effectiveness differ according to the product; the celebrities do not increase effectiveness, but when the respondents recognize the celebrity, effectiveness increases; and credibility influences affective and conative measures. The work also considers how celebrity-product pairings, the existence of negative celebrity information, and the familiarity with the celebrity affect the effectiveness.
Location Efficiency and Mortgage Default

Using a sample of over 40,000 mortgages in Chicago, Jacksonville, and San Francisco, we model the probability of mortgage default based on differences in location efficiency. We used two proxy variables for location efficiency: 1) vehicles per household scaled by income and 2) Walk Score™. We find that default probability increases with the number of vehicles owned after controlling for income. Further, we find that default probability decreases with higher Walk Scores in high income areas but increases with higher Walk Scores in low income areas. These results suggest that some degree of greater mortgage underwriting flexibility could be provided to assist households with the purchase of location efficient homes, without increasing mortgage default. They also support the notion that government policies around land use, zoning, infrastructure, and transportation could have significant impacts on mortgage default rates.
Identification of a novel deletion of CFTR in a 13-year-old: patient with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis.

To the Editor: C hronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by irreversible inflammatory changes of the normal pancreatic structure, with endocrine and/or exocrine dysfunction. There are still some patients without confirmed etiological factors, referred to be idiopathic CP (ICP). We first identified a novel c.319-326del of GCTTCCTCA in the exon 4 of CFTR as a germline de novo mutation in a 13-year-old girl with ICP characterized by the marked dilation of pancreatic duct and calcifications.
Oceanographic changes and exploitation drive the spatio- temporal dynamics of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) has always displayed spectacular changes in its spatial distribution, but the underlying mechanism of such variations still remains obscure. This study focuses on this challenging issue by scrutinizing the intriguing ‘Brazilian episode’ during which a large quantity of ABFT (a temperate species) was caught during the 1960s in the equatorial Atlantic. To investigate this event, we applied a niche model to an extensive data set of catch and environmental variables from 1960 to 2009. ABFT exhibited a remarkably large ecological niche, which matches well with our current knowledge of ABFT. Our results also depicted a high probability of ABFT occurrence in the South Atlantic and, more interestingly, favorable environmental conditions in the western equatorial Atlantic during the 1960s, but not later. ABFT could thus have migrated from their northern spawning grounds to the South Atlantic during the 1960s through the western equatorial Atlantic, playing the role of an ‘ecological bridge’. We argue that the rarity of ABFT in the southern Atlantic during the last four decades would result from the interaction of several processes, particularly oceanographic conditions, migratory behavior, density-dependence, exploitation levels and population structure. Examination of the catch data further indicated that the fish caught in the equatorial Atlantic were from the western stock and we concluded that the lack of rebuilding of this stock could result from a regime shift due to the combination of oceanographic changes in the equatorial Atlantic and overfishing in the North Atlantic in the 1960s and 1970s.
Entrepreneurial orientation in small and medium-sized enterprises during economic crisis

Juha Soininen ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES DURING ECONOMIC CRISIS Lappeenranta, 2013 86 p. Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 526 Diss. Lappeenranta University of Technology ISBN 978-952-265-446-5, 978-952-265-447-2 (PDF), ISSN-L 1456-4491, ISSN 1456-4491 The economic importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship has increased significantly in recent decades and entrepreneurial activity and SMEs are deemed vital to economic progress. Therefore, it is justifiable to study how small firms and entrepreneurs can enhance their performance and emergence in the turbulent economic environment. The concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has recently attracted considerable attention in the field of entrepreneurship research. EO generally refers to a firm’s propensity to be innovative, to be proactive and to take risks. A majority of EO studies so far have found that adopting EO associated entrepreneurial behaviors will help firms to create or sustain a high level of performance. This dissertation explores the main drivers and performance implications of EO for SMEs in time of economic crisis. Hence the first objective of this dissertation is to examine the performance implications of EO and to test the role of EO on how firms are treated by the crisis at operative level. The second objective is to expand the prevailing understanding of determinants of EO by exploring the relationship between owner's work related values, attitudes, demographic characteristics, firm’s financial resources and EO. EO was found to be a significant and positive factor behind a firm’s long run growth. Hence it can be said that EO has positive implications for firm performance. But on the other hand, during a time of economic crisis the different dimensions of EO had both positive and negative effects on performance of SMEs. The performance implications varied across different stages of the crisis and were also dependent on what measure was used for measuring the performance. The main drivers of EO in SMEs were the personal work related values of the entrepreneur and his/her prior experience as an entrepreneur. The intrinsic work values related to interest, responsibility, challenge, self-development or intellectual stimulation and values related to status, power, achievement and recognition had a positive effect on the level of EO. On the other hand, extrinsic values related to high income, material possessions, benefits such as generous holidays, job security, and comfort through good working conditions decreased the level of EO.
Categorizing networked services: The role of intrinsic‐, user network‐ and complement network attributes

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the properties and attributes of networked services and to propose a general categorization scheme for such services.Design/methodology/approach – Two separate studies were conducted to test the validity and applicability of the categorization scheme. First, industry experts categorized a set of pre‐selected mobile services based on the services' dominant source of value. Second, a large‐scale end‐user study of the same services was conducted for testing cross‐service differences between the proposed service categories in terms of what drives perceived customer value. It is argued that services can be categorized on the basis of whether their dominant source of value stems from intrinsic, user network, or complement network attributes.Findings – The study results largely support the proposed categorization scheme. The two studies suggest that categorizing networked services as driven by either intrinsic, user network, or complement network attributes is fruitful an.
Supply chain management research using case studies: a literature analysis

The concept of supply chain management (SCM), first introduced in a conference paper in the early 1980s, has since been developed in numerous publications. The concept is also widely used in everyday business. Production and operations management research was quick to absorb this "new approach" too: competition in the global marketplace has intensified in every manufacturing sector and competitiveness depends not only on single companies (such as original equipment manufacturers), but is created throughout the entire supply chain. By applying SCM principles, firms aim to increase the effectiveness of the whole chain; improvements include shortening lead times, flexibility, significantly lower total inventory and better customer orientation. This paper analyses case study research results in 55 articles on SCM in refereed journals. Case study research aims to gain a deep understanding from the phenomenon under study using a limited number of observations (companies or supply chains). Our results indicate where and how supply chain research has been conducted. Interestingly, most articles lack a rigorous methodological discussion. Typically, a single case has been examined, and the cases represent only few manufacturing sub-sectors. Our analysis indicates that mostly global manufacturers feature in SCM research. Despite the argumentation in case study methodology literature, we were not able to find any support that a deductive research approach would lead to the use of quantitative methods, and that the use of inductive approach would lead to qualitative methods. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used almost equally, and analyses within and between cases were employed.
Beliefs of small, independently owned rural retailers about internet use: a typology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of small, rural retailers based on personal beliefs about business use of the internet and to identify similarities and differences between the retailer subgroups in attitude, perceptual performance, and behavioral intention to use the internet.Design/methodology/approach – A mail survey is completed by owners of small, independently owned retailers in rural communities across the USA.Findings – Cluster analysis reveals three types of retailers: optimists, efficiency minded, and skeptics. Differences in attitudes towards use of the internet and intention to use the internet for purposes of strategic positioning are found across the groups.Research limitations/implications – The sample frame consists of small, independently owned retailers in rural communities, the response rate is low, and results will not generalize to small retailers in urban areas.Practical implications – The stories of optimist retailers can show efficiency‐minded retailers .
The road to the Single European Market as seen through the Danish retail trade: Cross-border shopping between Denmark and Germany

Traditionally, Denmark has a tax structure in which VAT and excise duties played a significant role. This has caused large price differences between goods in shops in Denmark and the same goods in shops in the neighbouring country of Germany. At one time the system of duty-free allowances prevented Danes from buying many times in quantity in Germany. But since 1973, when Denmark became a member of the EEC, a large number of Danes have gone cross-border shopping in Germany. The purpose of this paper is to show how Danish-German cross-border shopping has reacted to changing conditions during the first decades of the Danish membership of the EEC up to the establishment of the Single European Market in 1993 and during the years immediately following. In the paper findings are presented from a number of surveys made on this topic between 1977 and 1996. It is shown that, even with a large difference in VAT rates, the cross-border shopping done by Danes involves hardly anything but items subject to excise duty.
Fibronectin patterns in hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance

Fibronectin, a high molecular weight glycoprotein component of the extracellular matrix, was localized extracellularly and intracellularly in the nuclei and the cytoplasm of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) by the use of the biotin–avidin method on paraffin‐embedded, pepsin‐treated tissue. The specificity of the staining was confirmed by absorbing the antibodies with purified fibronectin. Twenty HCC were investigated (7 were autopsy specimens and 13 biopsy and surgical specimens). The fibronectin was either increased or decreased. When increased the fibronectin consisted of thin or thick feathery strands and was either pericellular, sinusoidal, periglandular, or stromal. Marked increase of fibronectin was seen in fibrolamellar HCC, clear cell HCC, and encapsulated HCC, correlating with the better prognosis. Decreased fibronectin was seen in two undifferentiated HCC. HCC obtained at autopsy displayed nuclear and cytoplasmic fibronectin staining. Nuclear fibronectin may be an expression of the DNA binding ability of fibronectin which becomes demonstrable in cells with increased membrane permeability. Cancer 56: 1643‐1648, 1985.