Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploratory studies into strategies to enhance innovation-driven international competitiveness in a port context

Research has highlighted that firms competing in dynamic environments have to balance exploitative (efficiency-directed) activities with explorative (innovation-directed) ones in order to remain internationally competitive. In economically advanced countries, whose competitiveness is innovation-driven, this prerequisite of ambidexterity also holds at the aggregate level of (sea)ports. Ports, being important junctions in international integrated chain systems, however, appear to focus predominantly on exploiting their existing assets and market position, minimizing the costs of freight flows, and enhancing overall efficiency levels. This dissertation contains six different exploratory studies into how efficiency-dominated ports in economically advanced countries can become more ambidextrous and, in turn, strengthen their innovation-driven international competitiveness. These studies variably emphasize how firms, business associations and, in particular, port authorities can play a role in this endeavor. Drawing on case study findings and prior literature, it is shown how new ways of organizing and managing, i.e. management innovation, introduced by these organizations at the intra-, inter- or multi-organizational level may contribute to enhanced resource productivity, greater environmental performance, advancements in technological innovation, improved safety procedures in ports, and to a more innovative business climate in general. Also, it is elaborated how the business model of port authorities and, in this connection, their strategic use of generic policy instruments are related with a port’s level of strategic connectivity and strategic value creation for its country. Several conceptual framework and propositions are developed that provide interesting directions in which future studies on management innovation, multi-organizational collaboration, and port authority strategies may be usefully enriched.
A consumer ethnocentrism model of foreign grocery retail store patronage in Beijing : do extrinsic cues and shopping orientation matter?

The most widely used marketing concept to explain consumers' reluctance to patronise foreign retail stores and to purchase imported products is consumer ethnocentrism (CET). To date, however, research has mostly concentrated on the antecedents and consequences of CET, whilst little is known about variables that may offset the impact of CET. This study represents the first step in addressing this gap by examining shopping orientation, specifically utilitarian value, as a moderator of the relationship between CET and the consumers' willingness to shop in foreign grocery retail stores (WTS). Other important research gaps addressed in this study are context specific (i.e., consumers and grocery retailers in China), which includes an investigation of the impact of country-of-origin cue, store brand cue, CET and shopping orientation on WTS, the causal relationships between CET, WTS and customer loyalty (i.e., attitudinal and behavioural loyalty) as well as between shopping orientation and customer loyalty, and the robustness of the CETSCALE (i.e., CET measurement instrument) in relation to socially desirable response bias. Building on an extensive literature review, a consumer ethnocentrism model of foreign grocery retail store patronage was conceptualised and examined for its theoretical applicability in Beijing via an initial qualitative study. The conclusive quantitative phase was store-intercept surveys conducted in four Beijing hypermarkets owned by two established domestic and foreign grocery retailers in China; this achieved a total sample of 500 questionnaires. Rigorous statistical assessment of the collected questionnaires was undertaken, where the raw data was verified for data entry accuracy, missing values in the raw datasets were resolved via the multiple imputation method, and the multiple imputed datasets were assessed for outliers and non-normality. The conceptual model was then tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Based on conventional SEM procedures, the main results revealed that utilitarian value was a significant moderator of the relationship between CET and WTS, whilst the country-of- origin cue and store brand cue returned non-significant effects. In addition, store origin was a significant moderator of the relationship between WTS and loyalty intention towards foreign grocery retailers, i. e. , this relationship was positively related for Beijing consumers who shop in foreign grocery stores but non-significant for those who shop in domestic grocery stores. The findings, theoretical and managerial implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Absence of superconductivity above 4 K in LiPdHx.

Nearly stoichiometric ${\mathrm{LiPdH}}_{\mathit{x}}$ with a unit-cell volume of 31.3 A${\mathrm{\r{}}}^{3}$ is found to be nonsuperconducting above 4 K. The compound is comparatively soft in the c-axis direction. The temperature coefficient of the electrical resistance increases with increasing temperature.
Taking ACE inhibitors during early pregnancy: is it safe?

QUESTION I knew that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were risky to use during late pregnancy because they can cause renal shutdown in the fetus. Recently I heard of a study that claimed first-trimester exposure (when many patients still are unaware of their pregnancies) can also cause major malformations. Is this proven? ANSWER A recent study did suggest an increased risk of malformations after first-trimester exposure to ACE inhibitors among women treated for hypertension. We believe this study had serious limitations that preclude drawing any conclusions at present.
Budgetary Participation: How it Affects Performance and Commitment

The Malaysian public sector has undergone a number of reforms in the past two decades. They have focused on decentralization to improve performance and participative decision-making. A Modified Budgeting System (MBS) was adopted to encourage more participation from employees. Previous researchers report that budgetary participation can lead to certain behaviours such as employees’ positive attitude and performance. This study examines the role of organizational commitment and budgetary participation on managerial performance. We distributed questionnaires to middle level managers involved in the budget process of a government ministry to identify their budgetary participation level and the impact on managerial performance. The findings reveal that budgetary participation has a significant effect on managerial performance by enhancing organizational commitment. Overall, the study findings provide a better understanding of the effects of budgetary participation in the public sector, allowing governments to improve organizational commitment among employees and refine budgetary processes so more employees can participate. Most of the studies on budgetary participation has been conducted in the private sector rather than the public sector even in developing countries. This study attempts to fill up the gap. In addition, this study relies on participative decision-making approach to examine the relationship between budgetary participation and managerial performance.
A Case Study in Smartphone Usage and Gratification in the Age of Narcissism

This research tracked the daily smartphone usage and checking habits of 43 undergraduate students at a mid-sized university for a minimum of thirty days to examine the primary uses of smartphones as well as the gratifications received from their usage. Empirical data was correlated with narcissism levels to better understand what drives a person to access media, often involuntarily. Results indicated significant differences between genders for device usage (how smartphones are used), the resulting gratifications (why smartphones are used), and narcissism. Findings showed an inverse relationship between smartphone usage and narcissism, and between usage and GPA. There also was a positive relationship between a user's smartphone checking habits and exhibitionism. These results are explained further through the lens of modern society's dependence on personal technologies and the gratifications that are satisfied.
ESTIMATION OF GENETIC PARAMETERS AND SELECTION FOR EGG PRODUCTION TRAITS IN A NIGERIAN LOCAL CHICKEN ECOTYPE

Genetic evaluation and selection of a Nigerian local chicken ecotype was carried out over three generations. Heritabilities, genetic and phenotypic correlations in body weight at first egg, egg number and egg weight were estimated. The estimates were used to a construct selection index in each generation which was used to select the hens used as parents in the next generation. Pooled heritability estimates (over the three generations) of body weight at first egg, egg number and egg weight were 0.56, 0.44 and 0.28, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between body eight at first egg and egg weight were 0.41 and 0.70, respectively, with egg number: -0.18 and -0.28, respectively. They were estimated to be -. 23 and -. 39 for egg number and egg weight, respectively. Selected birds performed significantly (p<0.05) better than the base population in terms of egg production traits studied. The results of this study suggest that the egg production traits studied can be improved with selection in the Nigerian local chicken ecotype.
Combined optical and X-ray tomosynthesis breast imaging.

PURPOSE To explore the optical and physiologic properties of normal and lesion-bearing breasts by using a combined optical and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) imaging system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval and patient informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant study. Combined optical and tomosynthesis imaging analysis was performed in 189 breasts from 125 subjects (mean age, 56 years ± 13 [standard deviation]), including 138 breasts with negative findings and 51 breasts with lesions. Three-dimensional (3D) maps of total hemoglobin concentration (Hb(T)), oxygen saturation (So(2)), and tissue reduced scattering coefficients were interpreted by using the coregistered DBT images. Paired and unpaired t tests were performed between various tissue types to identify significant differences. RESULTS The estimated average bulk Hb(T) from 138 normal breasts was 19.2 μmol/L. The corresponding mean So(2) was 0.73, within the range of values in the literature. A linear correlation (R = 0.57, P < .0001) was found between Hb(T) and the fibroglandular volume fraction derived from the 3D DBT scans. Optical reconstructions of normal breasts revealed structures corresponding to chest-wall muscle, fibroglandular, and adipose tissues in the Hb(T), So(2), and scattering images. In 26 malignant tumors of 0.6-2.5 cm in size, Hb(T) was significantly greater than that in the fibroglandular tissue of the same breast (P = .0062). Solid benign lesions (n = 17) and cysts (n = 8) had significantly lower Hb(T) contrast than did the malignant lesions (P = .025 and P = .0033, respectively). CONCLUSION The optical and DBT images were structurally consistent. The malignant tumors and benign lesions demonstrated different Hb(T) and scattering contrasts, which can potentially be exploited to reduce the false-positive rate of conventional mammography and unnecessary biopsies.
Cyber Security Scenarios and Control for Small and Medium Enterprises

As the world advances towards the computing era, security threats keeps on increasing in the form of malware, viruses, internet attack, theft of IS assets / technology and a lot more. This is a major concern for any form of business. Loss in companyâ€™s status / liability / reputation is a huge downfall for a running business. We have witnessed the attacks getting carried out; large firmâ€™s data getting breached / government bodiesâ€™ sites getting phished / attacked. These huge entities have technology expertise to safeguard their companyâ€™s interest against such attacks through investing huge amounts of capital in manpower and secure tools. But what about SMEs? SMEs enrich a huge part of the countryâ€™s economy. Big organizations have their own security measures policy which ideally is not applied when it comes to a SME. The aim of this paper is to come out with an Information Security Assurance Cyber Control for SMEs (ISACC) against common cyber security threats implemented at a cost effective measure.
Information technology outsourcing by large Australian organisations

Outsourcing of Information Technology (IT) is a well-established part of Australian business. Offshore outsourcing of IT support and development is a critical and widespread part of the globalised Australian and other nations’ economies. In Australia, national organisations such as the National Australia Bank (NAB) and Australia’s largest telecommunication company, Telstra, continue to outsource work to outsourcing vendors – that is, obtaining goods and services from outside suppliers. It has long been thought that IT outsourcing is motivated primarily by cost cutting in the IT department but the latest trends suggest that outsourcing is more about improving usage of internal resources and service satisfaction. Authors Lee, J-N (2000) and Loh & Venkatraman (1992) argue that outsourcing IT functions to external service providers is done in order to acquire economic, technological and strategic advantage. In this thesis, it is proposed that the main driver for outsourcing IT has matured from being purely cost driven to one of strategic business practice.
Locoregional Recurrence of Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Comparison of Irradiation Alone Versus Irradiation and Systemic Therapy

The role of systemic therapy in addition to irradiation for locoregional recurrence of breast cancer is controversial. In the absence of prospective randomized trials, treatment decisions must be based on retrospective studies. We retrospectively analyzed 230 patients treated for locoregionally recurrent breast cancer between 1964 and 1986. Forty-seven were premenopausal, 173 were postmenopausal, and the menopausal status was unknown in 10 patients. Each patient treated with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy or with RT and hormonal therapy was matched with a control patient treated with RT alone. The addition of hormonal therapy to radiation therapy significantly improved the 5-year overall survival (50 versus 28%), disease-free survival (37 versus 26%), and distant metastases-free survival (45 versus 29%). No improvement in locoregional control was observed. In contrast, chemotherapy did not confer such survival benefits, but there was a trend towards improvement in 5-year locoregional control (68 versus 50%), p = 0.08. Our data support the use of hormonal therapy along with RT at the time of locoregional recurrence of breast cancer. Although our data suggest that chemotherapy is not routinely indicated, controlled clinical trials are needed to define which subsets of patients, if any, benefit from systemic therapy.
Intrinsic connections in the caudal subdivision of the dorsolateral visual area (DLC) in squirrel monkeys

Patterns of intrinsic connections and features of individual intrinsic axons in the caudal subdivision of the dorsolateral visual area (DLC) were investigated in four squirrel monkeys (Saimiri) following extracellular injections of the tracers biocytin, biotinylated dextran amine, and wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase. Injections were defined in DLC by reference to architectonic borders and patterns of connections with other cortical areas. Intrinsic connections extended up to 6 mm from an injection and were usually anisotropic, extending farther dorsoventrally than anteroposteriorly. Injections that involved the supragranular layers produced up to 20 mainly supragranular patches of projections that had a width of 285 ± 8 μm (mean ± standard error) and area of 0.125 ± 0.016 mm2. Seventy‐four intrinsic axon segments with a total of 3,290 boutons were drawn and their bouton spacing measured. The sample included axons in layers 1, 2–3, 5, and multiple (>2) layers; horizontally and vertically oriented axons; and axons in an injection halo, patch, or nonpatch region of projections. There were no differences in bouton spacing for axons in halo, patch, or nonpatch regions. Layer 1 axons (n = 7) had a significantly sparser distribution of boutons (median interbouton interval of 45.2 ± 17.8 μm) than the layers 2–3 (n = 35) and layer 5 axons (n = 26), which did not differ in bouton spacing (median interbouton intervals of 8.1 ± 0.4 μm and 8.4 ± 0.8 μm, respectively). Patterns of intrinsic connections in DLC are related to neural organization and properties reported for DL or visual area V4, and are compared to intrinsic connections of other areas. J. Comp. Neurol. 420:52–69, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Web-based Corporate Reporting in Bangladesh:An Exploratory Study

This research paper investigates the utilization of the Internet for communicating corporate information by the listed companies of Bangladesh.The sample for the study consists of 268 companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE). Corporate websites of the sample companies were browsed by using a standard web browser for collecting data relating to corporate reporting on the Internet. The study shows that web-based corporate reporting in Bangladesh is still in its infancy. Only 38.81 percent of 268 companies have a web. A scoring scheme has been developed to measure the level of on-line corporate reporting. A wide variation in the level of on-line corporate reporting across 15 sectors has been found. The highest-ranking sector was the Banking, Leasing & Finance sector. This paper adds to the existing body of literature on on-line corporate reporting studies by exploring on-line corporate reporting practices of Bangladesh.
Private standards and certification in fisheries and aquaculture : current practice and emerging issues

Private standards and related certification schemes are becoming significant features of international fish trade and marketing. They have emerged in areas where there is a perception that public regulatory frameworks are not achieving the desired outcomes, such as sustainability and responsible fisheries management, or to ensure food safety, quality and environmental sustainability in the growing aquaculture industry. This report analyses the two main types of private standards, namely ecolabels and food safety and quality standards, their impact on fish trade and their implications for a range of stakeholders. It addresses issues that are driving the development of private standards, their policy and governance implications, the assessment of their credence, the costs implications, traceability, etc., and the challenges and opportunities for developing countries.
p63 and its isoforms as markers of rat oral mucosa epidermal stem cells in vitro

Although techniques for purifying epidermal stem cells (ESCs) have been established, enriching a pure population of viable ESCs is still a challenging task. One approach toward enhancing the purity and viability of ESCs involves cell markers. While evidence suggests that p63 plays a role in maintaining the population of ESCs, whether p63 can function as a specific marker for ESCs is unclear. We isolated and cultured oral ESCs and illustrated the expression of p63 and its isoforms in rat oral mucosa tissues and stem cells before and after differentiation. Semi‐reverse transcription PCR detected the TA, ΔN, α and β isoforms when cells were cultured for 2 days, but only TA and γ were detected after 14 days. We also found that p63 is expressed in basal and suprabasal epithelial layers of rat oral mucosa, but it was implied p63 does not mark stem cells specifically, while the ΔNp63α and ΔNp63β isoforms may be specific markers of rat oral mucosa stem cells. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Point-of-Care Assessment of the Effects of Desmopressin on Impaired Platelet Function Using Multiple Electrode Whole-Blood Aggregometry in Patients After Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND: Blood loss after cardiac surgery can be caused by acquired platelet dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass. Monitoring of platelet function is clinically important for the identification of patients experiencing such platelet dysfunction. 1-Deamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin (desmopressin acetate, DDAVP) has been shown to augment platelet function and to reduce blood loss in patients with platelet dysfunction. In this study, we examined the feasibility of whole blood multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) for the detection of cardiopulmonary bypass–induced platelet dysfunction and investigated its ability to monitor DDAVP treatment. METHODS: Fifty-eight consecutive patients with blood loss exceeding 150 mL/h in the first 2 consecutive hours after cardiac surgery were screened for suspected isolated platelet dysfunction. Twenty-two patients had suspected isolated platelet dysfunction and were enrolled in the study. Platelet dysfunction was assumed if conventional coagulation analyses (platelet count, activated partial thromboplastin time, international normalized ratio, and fibrinogen) did not show abnormal values as defined for transfusion of allogenic blood products, and no surgical cause of bleeding was suspected. Eleven patients received 0.3 &mgr;g/kg DDAVP, and 11 patients received no therapy in a nonrandomized manner. MEA was performed after stimulation with thrombin receptor–activating peptide (TRAPtest, 32 &mgr;M), adenosine diphosphate (ADPtest, 6.4 &mgr;M), and arachidonic acid (ASPItest, 0.5 mM) before and 2 hours after intervention. Conventional laboratory variables were recorded. The Mann-Whitney test was used to detect differences between the groups, and the Wilcoxon test was used to detect differences before and after intervention. RESULTS: All enrolled patients showed platelet dysfunction that manifested as impaired platelet aggregation in MEA before intervention. After the intervention, platelet function improved in the DDAVP group (49 U [30/72 U], median [25th/75th percentile] postintervention vs 15 U [8/21 U] preintervention for the ASPItest [P < 0.001]; 35 U [24/54 U] vs 14 U [7/28 U] for the ADPtest [P = 0.002]; and 85 U [66/115 U] vs 64 U [26/88 U] for the TRAPtest [P = 0.007]). In contrast, MEA remained unchanged in the control group (22 U [10/50 U] postintervention vs 33 U [14/57 U] preintervention for the ASPItest [P = 0.175]; 17 U [12/20 U] vs 14 U [10/28 U] for the ADPtest [P = 0.147]; and 65 U [41/89 U] vs 57 U [30/91 U] for the TRAPtest [P = 0.123]). CONCLUSIONS: Impaired platelet function after cardiac surgery can be assessed at the bedside using MEA. The effect of DDAVP on impaired platelet function can also be detected as significant improvement in platelet aggregation to all activators. This device might be helpful for the identification of patients who may benefit from DDAVP therapy.
No . 814 OVERCONFIDENCE INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY

Recent studies report that productivity increases under tournament reward structures than under piece rate reward structures. We conduct maze-solving experiments under both reward structures and reveal that overconfidence is a significant factor in increasing productivity. Specifically, subjects exhibiting progressively higher degrees of overconfidence solve more mazes. This result shows a positive aspect of overconfidence, which usually has been examined in its negative aspect as an expectation bias. JEL: C9, D03, J33