Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Submesoscale spatiotemporal variability of North American monsoon rainfall over complex terrain

Abstract The authors analyze information from rain gauges, geostationary infrared satellites, and low earth orbiting radar in order to describe and characterize the submesoscale (<75 km) spatial pattern and temporal dynamics of rainfall in a 50 km × 75 km study area located in Sonora, Mexico, in the periphery of the North American monsoon system core region. The temporal domain spans from 1 July to 31 August 2004, corresponding to one monsoon season. Results reveal that rainfall in the study region is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability, strong diurnal cycles in both frequency and intensity with maxima in the evening hours, and multiscaling behavior in both temporal and spatial fields. The scaling parameters of the spatial rainfall fields exhibit dependence on the rainfall rate at the synoptic scale. The rainfall intensity exhibits a slightly stronger diurnal cycle compared to the rainfall frequency, and the maximum lag time between the two diurnal peaks is within 2.4 h, with earlier pe.
An example of how false conclusions could be made with personalized health tracking and suggestions for avoiding similar situations

Personalizing interventions and treatments is a necessity for optimal medical care. Recent advances in computing, such as personal electronic devices, have made it easier than ever to collect and utilize vast amounts of personal data on individuals. This data could support personalized medicine; however, there are pitfalls that must be avoided. We discuss an example, longitudinal medical tracking, in which traditional methods of evaluating machine learning algorithms fail and present the opportunity for false conclusions. We then pose three suggestions for avoiding such opportunities for misleading results in medical applications, where reliability is essential.
The Internet, Strategy and Performance: A Study of Australian Export Market Ventures

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of the Internet, firm-specific characteristics, market characteristics, and export marketing strategy on export marketing performance. The unit of analysis was an individual product/market export venture. Data were gathered via a self-administered mail survey of 315 Australian firms involved in exporting. The findings indicate that, when the Internet was used for communication purposes and to provide the firm with a competitive advantage, it had a significant impact on export marketing performance. Firm-specific characteristics and export marketing strategy also had a significant impact on export marketing performance.
Diagnostic and Treatment Algorithms of Ulcerative Colitis in Ukraine

Questions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in Ukraine are described. In recent years, there has been considerable progress in conservative therapy and new drugs have been developed that provide persistent remission of the inflammatory process after long-term application in many cases. The results of our own investigation on the efficiency of rebamipide in the complex treatment of UC patients are presented. Optimization of treatment with substitution of mesalazine in tablet or granule form, especially with an additional rebamipide prescription and a once-daily administration of budesonide, leads to an increased effectiveness of treatment and improvement of quality of life in UC patients. In the future, development of new approaches in the pharmacotherapy of UC will use medications as a basic therapy with the purpose of achieving high-quality and effective ‘convalescence of mucous membrane’, including cytoprotectors, bilious acids, endogenous substances, stabilization of membranes, antihyp-oxants and correction of microbiocenosis disorders.
Employee Attractiveness and Customers’ Service Failure Perceptions

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore how hotel customers in Turkey respond to service failures when the service personnel they interact with are attractive or not. Based on 239 scenario-based surveys, it is established that customers are positively influenced by the attractiveness of service personnel. The findings point out that there are marked differences in terms of the type of service failure experience and hotel customers’ gender, income, and the level of education. The study has important theoretical and practical implications.
Entrepreneurship development among farm women through finger millet processing and value addition: A case study in Karnataka

Finger millet is a major staple food crop of Chikkaballapura district. It is a coarse grain appropriately called as “nutritious millet”. People use it extensively in their daily diet in the form of dumpling. Finger millet has certain intrinsic quality characteristic suited for product development. The excellent and unique taste is found suitable for making variety of food products suitable for marketing. The present study was undertaken on value addition and market linkage to the various products of finger millet which have a commercial feasibility and to enhance the income of the farm families. With this intension the women members of farm family of Talagawara village, Chintamani taluk were extensively trained on processing, preparation of value added products, packing, branding and various possible avenues for market linkages. After acquaint with these aspects, the farm women under the leadership of Mrs. Roopa Rajendra with technical guidance of Krishi Vigyan Kendra established a small scale processing and value addition unit and registration was done for marketing of finger millet value added products under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India – 2006. At present, they are involved in preparation and marketing of value added finger millet products viz., malt, laddu, Chakkuli and hurihittu under a brand name of “CHIRAYUSH” food products and marketing in and around chikkaballapura district and Bangalore. The monthly production of the products is 550 to 600 kgs with a turnover of Rs. 60,00070,000/-.
Active Loan Trading

Abstract Using a novel dataset of leveraged loan trades executed by managers of collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), we document the importance of “active loan trades” – trades executed at a manager’s discretion. More active trading increases the returns to CLO equity investors, lowers collateral portfolio default rates, and increases the manager’s chances of closing a new deal. Examining the observed loan trades, we find that more active CLOs trade at better prices than less active CLOs, selling leveraged loans earlier and before they get downgraded. Our findings suggest that more active CLOs are better at anticipating deteriorations in loan credit quality.
A p21waf1‐independent pathway for inhibitory phosphorylation of cyclin‐dependent kinase p34cdc2 and concomitant G2/M arrest by the chemopreventive flavonoid apigenin

Apigenin, a nonmutagenic flavonoid, has been shown to inhibit ultraviolet light–induced skin tumorigenesis when topically applied to mouse skin. Our previous studies have shown that apigenin treatment of cultured mouse keratinocytes induces G2/M arrest accompanied by an increase in p53 protein stability and expression of p21waf1. In this study, we determined whether the G2/M arrest induced by apigenin was dependent upon the presence of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21waf1. We exposed WWT.8 (p21waf1 wild‐type) and WKO.16 (p21waf1 null) mouse keratinocytes to various doses of apigenin for 24 h and observed G2/M arrest in both cell lines, thereby establishing that the apigenin‐induced G2/M arrest was p21waf1 independent. A 4‐h treatment with apigenin induced increases in p53 protein level by sixfold and tenfold in the WWT.8 p21waf1 wild‐type cells and WKO.16 p21waf1 null cells, respectively. After 24 h in WWT.8 cells, p21waf1 protein also was induced in a dose‐dependent manner, but it was not expressed in WKO.16 keratinocytes. We then measured the effect of apigenin treatment on the mammalian homologue of the yeast cdc2 gene (p34cdc2) cyclin‐dependent kinase and cyclin B1 (cycB1), because these proteins complex to regulate G2/M progression. Apigenin treatment decreased the protein level of p34cdc2, and p34cdc2 kinase activity was inhibited in both p21waf1+/+ and p21waf1−/− cell lines by approximately 40%. The inhibition of p34cdc2 kinase activity by apigenin treatment correlated with increasing levels of p34cdc2 phosphorylation at Tyr15, a site in the p34cdc2 kinase that undergoes inhibitory phosphorylation by Wee1 kinase. Apigenin treatment also had no effect on the protein level or activity of the competing phosphatase, cdc25c, which dephosphorylates p34cdc2 kinase at Tyr15. Apigenin had little effect on the accumulation of cycB1 protein. These results supported the conclusion that G2/M arrest induced by apigenin was accompanied by inhibition of the p34cdc2 cyclin‐dependent kinase protein level and activity in a p21waf1‐independent manner. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distressing behaviour of schizophrenics at home

The care of mentally ill people at home is being encouraged nowadays. As a result, the family members feel an increased burden of care and find it difficult to cope with the care of a schizophrenic patient at home. We interviewed the relatives of 62 schizophrenics systematically regarding the behaviour of the patients that was perceived to be distressful. This was done using the Scale for Assessment of Family Distress. It was noted that behaviours related to activity and self‐care were perceived to be most distressful, and not aggressive or psychotic behaviour. Distress was more often reported by younger relatives and those with more education. The findings have implications in planning appropriate family intervention methods.
Segmentation of Text and Graphics from Document Images

Text, graphics and half-tones are the major constituents of any document page. While half-tone can be characterised by its inherent intensity variation, text and graphics share common characteristics except difference in spatial distribution. The success of document image analysis systems depends on the proper segmentation. The success of document image analysis systems depends on the proper segmentation of text and graphics as text is further subdivided into other classes such as heading, table and math-zones. Segmentation of graphics is essential for better OCR performance and vectorization in computer vision applications. Graphics segmentation from text is particularly difficult in the context of graphics made of small components (dashed or dotted lines etc.) which have many features similar to texts. Here we propose a robust technique for segmenting all sorts of graphics and texts in any orientation from document pages.
Digital literacy in the marketing curriculum

Employers seeking to capitalize on current marketing graduates’ technological savvy may find a disappointing gap between their expectations and students’ digital preparedness. This study examines these issues by investigating female students’ attitudes and expectations with regard to using digital tools in marketing coursework and in a future career. Although students often claim they are confident about using technology, many actually feel discomfort about their preparedness for using technology in career contexts. Females in particular struggle to feel confident about their technological competence. This presents a challenge for marketing instruction, because employers have indicated that digital tools are critical for new marketing careers. Thus, it is incumbent upon marketing faculty to help prepare students for the job market not only by offering instruction on marketing’s theoretical foundations but also by providing hands-on opportunities for students to improve their digital skills and confidence.
High Dose Anticholinergic Therapy in Adult Dystonia

ABSTRACT: Forty-four adult patients with various forms of dystonia were treated with anticholinergics slowly increased to maximum tolerated doses. Thirty-seven per cent of the 35 idiopathic dystonia patients had a moderate to marked improvement with an average dosage of 21.5 mg of trihexyphenidyl. Younger patients with a shorter duration of dystonia and those who tolerated higher doses tended to benefit most. However there were exceptions to all of these factors. None of the nine patients with symptomatic dystonias improved more than mildly and most had no benefit despite the use of dosages similar to those resulting in improvement in idiopathic dystonia patients. Side effects were common. These often forced drug withdrawal at lower doses than those which might have resulted in improvement. These results suggest that high dose anticholinergics should be the first line of therapy for disabling dystonia.
Advertising targeting young children: an overview of 10 years of research (2006–2016)

ABSTRACT A review of 138 published academic articles was conducted to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of academic research of the past decade (2006–2016) on advertising directed to young children up to 12 years old. The research overview resulted in a conceptual framework comprising five research domains that were found to be most prominent. For each of these five domains, an overview, discussion and future research agenda is presented. We conclude that much of the research of the past decade included food advertising and its effects. Progress has been made in the domain of children's advertising processing, specifically with regard to advertising literacy. Despite the growing importance of embedded advertising, many of the new ad formats remain neglected (e.g. native and mobile advertising). Additionally, only a few studies investigated which executional factors (e.g. humour) are effective in advertisements to target children and social influences are also less often considered.
Banking regulatory constraints and personal bankruptcy filings

The economic well-being of a household depends on its access to credit and to a legal system for managing debt overload. Our hypothesis is that the removal of regulatory constraints on a bank’s ability to expand in new geographic markets increases credit access to households, which in turn, contributes to the rise in consumer defaults. We find a net increase in Chapter 13 bankruptcies following a loosening of the state’s restrictions on multi-branch banking, compared to the increase in Chapter 13 bankruptcies in states that did not change their banking rules. The increased mortgage lending after branch deregulation helps explain this rise in Chapter 13 filings, suggesting that homeowners use the Chapter 13 code to save their houses. Further, the effects of the mortgage supply channel are greater in areas with less bank concentration. Overall, our findings are relevant to policymakers in their efforts to either set up a new personal insolvency regime or modify the existing bankruptcy process.
Long-Term Effects of a Parenting Preventive Intervention on Young Adults’ Painful Feelings About Divorce

This study examined whether the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a parenting preventive intervention for divorced mothers that was designed to reduce children’s postdivorce mental health problems, reduced painful feelings about divorce in young adults whose families had participated 15 years earlier. This study also explored whether NBP participation reduced the relations between young adults’ painful feelings about divorce and their concurrent internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems. Participants (M = 25.6 years; 50% female; 88% Caucasian) were from 240 families that had been recruited into a randomized experimental trial (NBP vs. literature control). Data from the pretest and 15-year follow-up were used. NBP participants reported less feelings of seeing life through a filter of divorce (e.g., thinking about how the divorce causes continued struggles for them) than those in the control condition. Program effects on maternal blame and acceptance of the divorce were moderated by pretest risk, a composite of divorce-related stressors and externalizing problems. NBP participants with elevated risk at program entry had lower levels of maternal blame. Program participation was associated with higher acceptance for those with elevated risk at program entry but lower acceptance for those with low risk at program entry. Program participation decreased the relations between maternal blame, acceptance of the divorce and filter of divorce and some, but not all, of the adjustment outcomes. These findings suggest that programs designed to help families after divorce have benefits in terms of long-term feelings about parental divorce as well as their relations with adjustment problems.
Molecular characterization of Campylobacter spp. isolated from poultry faeces and carcasses in Poland

Campylobacter infection is one of the most common enteric human diseases world-wide but the mechanism of Campylobacter pathogenicity has not been exactly explained yet. One of the main reasons is genotypic, hence phenotypic diversity of the bacterial isolates. The aim of the present study was to perform a molecular characterization of randomly selected C. jejuni and C. coli strains isolated from poultry faeces and carcasses in Poland. Several virulence gene markers were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Furthermore, genetic typing has also been used by the macrorestriction profiling with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The results of the present study showed that all analyzed isolates of C. jejuni (n = 24) and C. coli (n = 24) contained the flaA and cadF sequences. On the other hand, the virB11 gene was present only in 6 of 48 (12.5%) of the analyzed isolates, whereas most of the strains contained the cdt genes. Other virulence gene iam linked to Campylobacter invasiveness was present in 34 of 48 (72.9%) strains. The restriction analysis of the whole genome digested with SmaI produced three main clonal groups designed as I, II (with two subgroups IIa and IIb), and III obtained by the comparison of macrorestriction profiling patterns. The results showed a poor correlation between Campylobacter profiles generated by a clonal molecular technique and the presence of virulence markers. Therefore, PCR detection of Campylobacter virulence markers can be utilized as a simple and rapid tool to discriminate stains recovered from different sources, especially when used in conjunction with the PFGE profile analysis as a complex strategy. These kinds of analyses had not been previously carried out in Poland and these results may generate more knowledge regarding the genetic diversity and molecular relationship of Campylobacter.
Consumer Initial Trust towards Internet-Only Banks in France?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate internet-only banks’ (IOBs) adoption by French consumers and attempt to understand the factors that influence consumers’ initial trust in this type of service. Design/methodology/approach A non-probability convenience sample of potential IOBs adopters from France was used to test a structural equation model that analyzed the antecedents of initial trust and usage intentions of IOBs. Findings The study shows that trust is a major influencer in IOBs’ adoption in France. It has also been found that consumer familiarity with internet banking, high perceived structural assurance, perceived website quality, bank reputation and relative advantage are critical factors influencing IOBs’ initial trust formation. Research limitations/implications This study shows the applicability of the initial trust-building model in the context of IOBs and underlines the importance of factors such as familiarity, reputation and perceived quality in the context of online banking services in France. Practical implications This paper provides e-banking companies with the most important factors that contribute to build the initial trust of customers. E-banks need to focus on making themselves known and promoting their brand more effectively through advertising and advocacy. Originality/value This study contributes significantly to the marketing research related to consumer trust and brand reputation, as well as to the electronic banking literature. The results show the importance of initial trust in the context of services and the main factors that influence it, including a key branding variable such as reputation. The paper also focuses on the IOBs’ adoption in France, a market understudied compared to the USA, and seeks to understand the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of French consumers’ trust toward it.
Agile software development in theory and practice

Kalermo, Jonna Maria Rissanen, Jenni Karoliina Agile software development in theory and practice / Jonna Kalermo and Jenni Rissanen Jyvaskyla, University of Jyvaskyla, 2002. 188 pp. Master's thesis In turn of the millennium, new software development ideas were presented in the form of Agile Manifesto as a counteraction to the traditional, rigorous development methods and process models. Agile Manifesto consists of four values and twelve principles of which the authors of this thesis formed a conceptual framework. It assists in analysing different aspects of agile software development one by one but also as a whole. Agile software development aims at fast, light and efficient development that supports customer's business without being chaotic or following any rigorous method. The aim of this study was to analyse Agile Manifesto and its applicability. This was done by conducting a literature review and an empirical case study. Agile Manifesto gives an ideological background for agile methods, such as Extreme Programming (XP). Such methods are most feasible for small organisations developing innovative software products. We analysed Agile Manifesto and found out that literature supported the ideas of it, although no revolutionary ideas were discovered. We used an empirical case study as an example of an agile in-house software development method in corporate venturing context. The case study supported principles and values of Agile Manifesto and confirmed the assumption that agility is heavily based on tacit knowledge, skilled and motivated employees and frequent communication. This sets several requirements for management and employees working in an agile mode: they have to be communicative, social, responsible and skilled.