Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Removal of Foodborne Pathogen Biofilms by Acidic Electrolyzed Water

Biofilms, which are complex microbial communities embedded in the protective extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), are difficult to remove in food production facilities. In this study, the use of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) to remove foodborne pathogen biofilms was evaluated. We used a green fluorescent protein-tagged Escherichia coli for monitoring the efficiency of AEW for removing biofilms, where under the optimal treatment conditions, the fluorescent signal of cells in the biofilm disappeared rapidly and the population of biofilm cells was reduced by more than 67%. Additionally, AEW triggered EPS disruption, as indicated by the deformation of the carbohydrate C-O-C bond and deformation of the aromatic rings in the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. These deformations were identified by EPS chemical analysis and Raman spectroscopic analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed that the breakup and detachment of biofilm were enhanced after AEW treatment. Further, AEW also eradicated biofilms formed by both Gram-negative bacteria (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) and Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes) and was observed to inactivate the detached cells which are a potential source of secondary pollution. This study demonstrates that AEW could be a reliable foodborne pathogen biofilm disrupter and an eco-friendly alternative to sanitizers traditionally used in the food industry.
Preliminary Draft : Please do not quote without permission Managers Who Lack Style : Evidence from Exogenous CEO Changes C

We study managerial style effects in investment decisions, financing policies, and firm profitability by examining exogenous CEO changes arising from deaths, health issues, and natural retirements. In a comprehensive panel of 8,615 Compustat firms from 1990 to 2007, we find that policy changes and profitability changes subsequent to exogenous turnover do not display abnormally high variability. This evidence casts serious doubt on the presence of significant causal managerial style effects in investment and financing decisions and in accounting profitability. We do detect abnormally high levels of variation in policies and profitability after endogenous leadership changes arising from forced CEO turnover. While this is unlikely to reflect a causal relation, it does suggest that underperforming firms tend to simultaneously change both managers and policies. We find no convincing evidence that managers who serve at multiple firms tend to adopt a common style across employers. We also offer some methodological points on testing for the presence of managerial style.
Consumer acceptance of internet banking: the influence of internet trust

Purpose – This study seeks to investigate the role of internet trust as a specific form of technology trust in the context of internet banking. Furthermore, the integration of propensity to trust within the hierarchical structure of personality and its applicability to technological systems are investigated.Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of an empirical study with 381 bank customers in Austria (adopters and non‐adopters) and the use of a basic model of the adoption of internet banking with structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings – The results confirm the influence of internet trust on risk perception and consumer attitudes towards internet banking. Propensity to trust is a determinant not only for interpersonal relationships but also for trust in technological systems.Research limitations/implications – This is not a representative study. Future research is encouraged to systematically investigate further facets of the personality structure in trust and adoption research, a.
Surgical anatomy of the round window with special reference to cochlear implantation

Abstract When the multi-channel cochlear implant electrode is inserted into the scala tympani through the round window the operation is best performed via a posterior tympanotomy. The view of the round window membrane, however, is incomplete because of its orientation and the fact that it has a conical shape. Nevertheless, a good view along the basal turn is obtained after the antero-inferior overhang of the round window niche and the crista fenestrae have been removed. It might be damaging to drill away the postero-superior overhang as the osseous spiral lamina lies extremely close to the round window membrane.
BELOWGROUND CONSEQUENCES OF VEGETATION CHANGE AND THEIR TREATMENT IN MODELS

The extent and consequences of global land-cover and land-use change are increasingly apparent. One consequence not so apparent is the altered structure of plants belowground. This paper examines such belowground changes, emphasizing the interaction of altered root distributions with other factors and their treatment in models. Shifts of woody and herbaceous vegetation with deforestation, afforestation, and woody plant en- croachment typically alter the depth and distribution of plant roots, influencing soil nutrients, the water balance, and net primary productivity (NPP). For example, our analysis of global soil data sets shows that the major plant nutrients C, N, P, and K are more shallowly distributed than are Ca, Mg, and Na, but patterns for each element vary with the dominant vegetation type. After controlling for climate, soil C and N are distributed more deeply in arid shrublands than in arid grasslands, and subhumid forests have shallower nutrient dis- tributions than do subhumid grasslands. Consequently, changes in vegetation may influence the distribution of soil carbon and nutrients over time (perhaps decades to centuries). Shifts in the water balance are typically much more rapid. Catchment studies indicate that the water yield decreases 25-40 mm for each 10% increase in tree cover, and increases in transpiration of water taken up by deep roots may account for as much as 50% of observed responses. Because models are increasingly important for predicting the consequences of vegetation change, we discuss the treatment of belowground processes and how different treatments affect model outputs. Whether models are parameterized by biome or plant life form (or neither), use single or multiple soil layers, or include N and water limitation will all affect predicted outcomes. Acknowledging and understanding such differences should help constrain predictions of vegetation change.
Types, Sources and Frequency of Use of Formalised Marketing Information as a Catalyst of SME Growth

This study aims to demonstrate that the use of marketing information by SMEs could be an important catalyst for SME growth. It tests the hypotheses that the type and source of information used in marketing decision-making, as well as its frequency of use affect business growth in SMEs. The purpose of this study is rooted in current marketing literature accepted view that SMEs' marketing decision-making is affected by their use of marketing intelligence. Hence, the SME's ability to acquire, analyse and utilise formalised marketing information is a critical tool for gaining competitive advantage and drive business growth. Data analysed with principal component analysis (PCA) and binary logistic regression, on a sample of 296 SMEs in the food and drink industry demonstrated that the use of marketing information play an important role in increasing SME growth probability. Statistically significant results were found on the type (p<.05), source (p<.02) and information use frequency (p<.02). Business size and the firm’s strategic approach were found to moderate some of the relationships.
Market Implied Costs of Bankruptcy

This paper takes a novel approach to estimating bankruptcy costs by inference from market prices of equity and put options using a dynamic structural model of capital structure. This approach avoids the selection bias of looking at firms in or near default and therefore permits theories of ex ante capital structure determination to be tested. We identify significant cross sectional variation in bankruptcy costs across industries and relate these to specific firm characteristics. We find that asset volatility and growth options have significant positive impacts, while tangibility and size have negative impacts. Our bankruptcy cost variable estimate significantly negatively impacts leverage ratios. This negative impact is in addition to that of other firm characteristics such as asset intangibility and asset volatility. The results provide strong support for the tradeoff theory of capital structure.
INFECTION OF WHITE SWISS MICE WITH AIRBORNE CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS

Smith, C. D. (Communicable Disease Center, Kansas City, Kansas), R. Ritter, H. W. Larsh, and M. L. Furcolow. Infection of white Swiss mice with airborne Cryptococcus neoformans. J. Bacteriol. 87:1364–1368. 1964. —A group of 39 white Swiss male mice were allowed to run 3 days on previously sterilized soil that had been seeded with Cryptococcus neoformans 1 year previously. It was determined that the soil contained an average of 1.6 × 106 viable yeast cells per ml. The mice were observed for 24 weeks, at which time the survivors were necropsied. The total mortality rate during this period was 44%; 67% of the mice had positive cultures, including all who had a fatal infection. Two additional experiments were done with the same strain with the use of aerosols produced by a Henderson apparatus. In experiment 1, 39 mice received 11,000 viable cells each; in experiment 2, 40 mice received 14,622 viable cells. Both groups of mice showed similar mortality rates, with a total of 77% dead after 20 weeks in experiment 1, and 80% in experiment 2. All of the mice in experiment 1 had positive cultures, as did 95% of the mice in experiment 2.
Determinants of access to credit by agribusiness operators in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.

Aim: The study was conducted to analyze the factors that influence access to credit by Agribusiness operators in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Study Design: The study used a multi-stage sampling technique to select 151 SME operators engaged in the agribusiness sector. Well structured, mostly closed ended questionnaires were used to collect cross sectional data from the respondents. Location and Place of Study: The study was conducted in the Kumasi Metropolis, which is the capital of Ghana’s second largest city with a population of about 2 million people and has a relatively large agribusiness sector, especially in the informal sector. Methodology: Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to analyze data. The Logit model was employed as the statistical tool to quantitatively analyze the factors that influenced access to credit by the agribusiness operators in the study area. Results and Discussion: The empirical results showed that the factors that significantly influenced Original Research Article Opoku–Mensah and Agbekpornu; AJEA, 6(5): 333-346, 2015; Article no.AJEA. 2015.092 334 credit accessibility for respondents in the study area were the credit management skills, borrowing experience, possession of collateral security, firm size, extra income earned by operators and membership of business organization. The major constraining factors faced by respondents in their credit application from the formal sector include high interest rate, inadequate loan amount and unfavorable loan terms. Conclusion and Recommendation: Agri-SME operators should be encouraged to form or join business organizations and also strengthen such associations for enhanced networking leverage. Agri–SME operators should be encouraged to build on their credit management skill by engaging more with financial institutions and strengthening relationship as a means of enhancing credit access. Financial institutions, especially the Rural and Community Banks and Savings and Loans Companies, should strive to offer more competitive terms and conditions, especially interest rates to Agri-SMEs that apply for credit as a group.
High Profit Strategies in Mature Capital Goods Industries: A Contingency Approach

Compares and analyzes the strategies for success for two categories of mature industrial-product environments. The two categories considered are the disciplined capital goods makers and the aggressive makers of complex goods. Data used in the analysis were drawn from the PIMS database. Six position attributes were identified for examination, including market share and capital intensity, while eleven choice attributes were used including value added and current assets. The results are presented in terms of clusters of high profit firms and low profit firms. These results support the proposition that the primary strategies pursued by the high performers in the two groups considered closely resemble Porter's three strategic types – cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. Interestingly, not all three of these strategic types were found in each setting. In fact, none of the high profit aggressive makers demonstrated the cost leadership strategy. In this attempt to contribute to the medium-grain contingency view of strategy, this analysis demonstrates that there are various strategies that lead to high profitability within an industry, but the effective strategies used differ by industry. (SRD)
Sarcoidosis blood transcriptome reflects lung inflammation and overlaps with tuberculosis.

RATIONALE Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, although M. tuberculosis may play a role in the pathogenesis. The traditional view holds that inflammation in sarcoidosis is compartmentalized to involved organs. OBJECTIVES To determine whether whole blood gene expression signatures reflect inflammatory pathways in the lung in sarcoidosis and whether these signatures overlap with tuberculosis. METHODS We analyzed transcriptomic data from blood and lung biopsies in sarcoidosis and compared these profiles with blood transcriptomic data from tuberculosis and other diseases. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Applying machine learning algorithms to blood gene expression data, we built a classifier that distinguished sarcoidosis from health in derivation and validation cohorts (92% sensitivity, 92% specificity). The most discriminative genes were confirmed by quantitative PCR and correlated with disease severity. Transcript profiles significantly induced in blood overlapped with those in lung biopsies and identified shared dominant inflammatory pathways (e.g., Type-I/II interferons). Sarcoidosis and tuberculosis shared more overlap in blood gene expression compared with other diseases using the 86-gene signature reported to be specific for tuberculosis and the sarcoidosis signature presented herein, although reapplication of machine learning algorithms could identify genes specific for sarcoidosis. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that blood transcriptome analysis provides a noninvasive method for identifying inflammatory pathways in sarcoidosis, that these pathways may be leveraged to complement more invasive procedures for diagnosis or assessment of disease severity, and that sarcoidosis and tuberculosis share overlap in gene regulation of specific inflammatory pathways.
Learning Bridge: Curricular Integration of Didactic and Experiential Education

Objectives. To assess the impact of a program to integrate introductory pharmacy practice experiences with pharmaceutical science topics by promoting active learning, self-directed learning skills, and critical-thinking skills. Design. The Learning Bridge, a curriculum program, was created to better integrate the material first-year (P1) students learned in pharmaceutical science courses into their introductory pharmacy practice experiences. Four Learning Bridge assignments required students to interact with their preceptors and answer questions relating to the pharmaceutical science material concurrently covered in their didactic courses. Assessment. Surveys of students and preceptors were conducted to measure the effectiveness of the Learning Bridge process. Feedback indicated the Learning Bridge promoted students' interaction with their preceptors as well as development of active learning, self-directed learning, and critical-thinking skills. Students also indicated that the Learning Bridge assignments increased their learning, knowledge of drug information, and comprehension of relevant data in package inserts. Conclusion. The Learning Bridge process integrated the didactic and experiential components of the curriculum, enhancing student learning in both areas, and offered students educational opportunities to interact more with their preceptors.
Power and control in distribution channels: The case of automobile distribution in turkey

Research into the behaviour, management and control of distribution channels has traditionally relied on behavioural frameworks of analysis. Agency theory offers a different but complementary perspective and by integrating behavioural concepts within the framework of agency theory, analytic approaches can be developed which explicitly acknowledge the importance of power within hierarchical relationships. The case of distribution channels for cars in Turkey is used to provide an illustration of the issues relating to power and control within a vertically quasi‐integrated distribution system.
Risk Factors for Late-Onset Cytomegalovirus Infection or Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background CMV-D+/R− serostatus is the only well-established risk factor for late-onset cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease (i.e., incident CMV infection/disease after cessation of prophylactic antiviral therapy). This study aimed to explore other potential risk factors for late-onset CMV infection/disease in kidney transplant recipients. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 641 kidney transplant recipients in Toronto, Canada, from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010. The cumulative incidence of late-onset CMV infection/disease was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier product–limit method. Potential risk factors for late-onset CMV infection/disease were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results Cumulative incidence estimates for CMV infection/disease after prophylaxis cessation in D+/R− versus D+/R+ versus D−/R+ patients were 26.2% versus 7.4% versus 3.1% at 6 months and 30.0% versus 7.7% versus 3.7% at 1 year, respectively. D+/R− serostatus (vs. R+ serostatus) and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 45 mL/min (vs. ≥60 mL/min) at prophylaxis cessation were independently associated with late-onset CMV infection/disease (hazard ratio, 4.04 [95% confidence interval, 2.39–6.83]; and hazard ratio, 2.03 [95% confidence interval, 1.07–3.88], respectively). Conclusions Patients with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate at prophylaxis cessation may be at an increased risk of late-onset CMV infection/disease and should be considered for more intensive CMV viral load monitoring, particularly within the first year after prophylaxis cessation.
A Study of Consumer Attitude and Purchasing Behavior toward Agricultural Products using Social Network Service

Abstract This purposes of this study were to explain consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviors towards agricultural products using a social network service and to determine the influencing factors such as experience, technology ability, innovation, self-efficacy, perception of usefulness, perception of trust, attitude, purpose of purchase and individual characteristics on them. We analyzed the survey data set, using the ‘logit model’, ‘simultaneous equation model’, and ‘LISREL-Type model’ In this study, the results obtained are summarized as follows. The result for the comprehensive statement of “Trust” was the biggest influence on the purchase agricultural products using the social network service. Therefore, in order to expand agricultural e-commerce using SNS, trust should be to the fore of marketing and publicity campaigns, in order to promote and stabilize the market. Key words: agricultural, social network service, logit, simultaneous, LISREL † Corresponding author: Seog-Won Lee, Dept. of Food and Nutrition, Yuhan College, Bucheon 422-749, Korea. Tel:+82-2-2610- 0320, Fax:+82-2-2610-0809, E-mail: goodabba@yuhan.ac. kr
Riding a Tiger without Being Eaten: How Companies and Analysts Tame Financial Restatements and Influence Corporate Reputation

textabstractThe primary objective of financial statements is to provide capital market participants with information that enables them to make informed decisions. They also serve to alleviate the so-called ‘agency problem’ – through true and fair disclosures, financial statements contribute to keeping the interest of outsiders (shareholders) aligned with those of the insiders (executives). Material errors, however, will render these financial statements unreliable and can cause great uncertainties to investors and other stakeholders. Subsequent correction of these errors – restatements – often leads to the following question: Can management still be trusted? And subsequently: Where were the gatekeepers? The avalanche of accounting scandals a few years ago, coupled with the current global credit crises, reiterate that our knowledge of corporate governance failures needs continuous upgrading. This dissertation contributes to understanding why the watchdogs did not bark, and also dissects how common human biases affect the mechanisms of corporate monitoring roles, in particular during restatement crises. Three connected studies were conducted. A first qualitative study develops a model for gauging restatement severity and provides insight into the forces blurring the 20/20 vision on restatement situations. A second quantitative study is the first study to comprehensively elicit analysts’ perceptions of CEO pressures and behaviours during restatements. A third study corroborates our findings through in-depth interviews with analysts. Combined the studies show that bounded awareness and common human biases heavily influence functioning of executives and gatekeepers in safeguarding corporate reputation during restatements.
Exploring Factors Affecting Consumer Intention to Use Mobile Advertising in Taiwan

Abstract Mobile advertising refers to advertisements delivered through a mobile device. The present research employs variables adapted from the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2) and examines how social influence and past adoption behavior influence consumer intention to use mobile advertising among college students in Taiwan. The paper also examines the relationship between consumer attitudes toward and intention to use mobile advertising. The research used a survey method to investigate consumer attitudes toward mobile advertising among 468 college students in Taiwan. Empirical data from several regression analyses demonstrated consistent relationships between attitudes toward using mobile commerce, and attitudes toward and intention to use mobile advertising. As predicted in TAM2, social influence processes significantly influenced consumer attitudes toward using mobile commerce. Furthermore, their attitudes toward using mobile commerce also affect consumer attitudes toward and intention to use mobile advertising. The above findings reveal important factors that predict consumer attitudes toward and intention to use mobile advertising. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.