Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-business Information Systems Security Design Paradigm and Model

This thesis is concerned with a new approach to Information Systems Security management for an e-business organisation. One of the characteristics of a modern organisation (and especially of an ebusiness organisation) is the distribution of organisational resources and assets. Management of resources is also distributed between various hierarchical functions. With the move to an e-business mode, the number of users involved in business operations has increased, and these users (both inside and outside the organisation) need access to the organisation’s information. Hence, the organisational IT perimeter has necessarily become much more frequently and easily crossed. Thus the modern business environment makes the effectiveness of the perimeter security approach highly questionable. The challenge addressed here is to develop a model for e-business security that provides an alternative approach to both the way security is viewed and the way it is designed and managed. The new paradigm (approach) for e-business organisation security suggested here is a business-process oriented security paradigm. The design of the novel paradigm and the development of the methodology rest on the belief that modern business and technological systems are complex dynamic systems. Security will then be achieved by focusing on a specified set of security requirements, and by securing the business logic and individual information flows of an e-process. Using the new security paradigm, a methodology for its implementation is presented, in the form of an e-Business Process Security Methodology (eBPSM), which identifies and describes the sequence of the phases that should be performed. Each phase is defined in terms of the level of the organisational hierarchy, professionals, tasks, outcomes, and phase specifics. The methodology was tested on a real-life case study of an aviation company. The company and its Information Systems were
Point shear wave elastography method for assessing liver stiffness.

AIM To estimate the validity of the point shear-wave elastography method by evaluating its reproducibility and accuracy for assessing liver stiffness. METHODS This was a single-center, cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients with chronic viral hepatitis scheduled for liver biopsy (LB) (Group 1) and healthy volunteers (Group 2) were studied. In each subject 10 consecutive point shear-wave elastography (PSWE) measurements were performed using the iU22 ultrasound system (Philips Medical Systems, Bothell, WA, United States). Patients in Group 1 underwent PSWE, transient elastography (TE) using FibroScan (Echosens, Paris, France) and ultrasound-assisted LB. For the assessment of PSWE reproducibility two expert raters (rater 1 and rater 2) independently performed the examinations. The performance of PSWE was compared to that of TE using LB as a reference standard. Fibrosis was staged according to the METAVIR scoring system. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to calculate the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3 and F = 4. The intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of PSWE were assessed by calculating Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. RESULTS To assess the performance of PSWE, 134 consecutive patients in Group 1 were studied. The median values of PSWE and TE (in kilopascals) were 4.7 (IQR = 3.8-5.4) and 5.5 (IQR = 4.7-6.5), respectively, in patients at the F0-F1 stage and 3.5 (IQR = 3.2-4.0) and 4.4 (IQR = 3.5-4.9), respectively, in the healthy volunteers in Group 2 (P < 10(-5)). In the univariate analysis, the PSWE and TE values showed a high correlation with the fibrosis stage; low correlations with the degree of necroinflammation, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT); and a moderate negative correlation with the platelet count. A multiple regression analysis confirmed the correlations of both PSWE and TE with fibrosis stage and GGT but not with any other variables. The following AUC values were found: 0.80 (0.71-0.87) for PSWE and 0.82 (0.73-0.89) for TE (P = 0.42); 0.88 (0.80-0.94) for PSWE and 0.95 (0.88-0.98) for TE (P = 0.06); and 0.95 (0.89-0.99) for PSWE and 0.92 (0.85-0.97) for TE (P = 0.30) for F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3 and F = 4, respectively. To assess PSWE reproducibility, 116 subjects were studied, including 47 consecutive patients scheduled for LB (Group 1) and 69 consecutive healthy volunteers (Group 2). The intraobserver agreement ranged from 0.83 (95%CI: 0.79-0.88) to 0.96 (95%CI: 0.95-0.97) for rater 1 and from 0.84 (95%CI: 0.79-0.88) to 0.96 (95%CI: 0.95-0.97) for rater 2. The interobserver agreement yielded values from 0.83 (95%CI: 0.78-0.88) to 0.93 (95%CI: 0.91-0.95). CONCLUSION PSWE is a reproducible method for assessing liver stiffness, and it compares with TE. Compared with patients with nonsignificant fibrosis, healthy volunteers showed significantly lower values.
A Review of Organizational and Individual Career Management: A Dual Perspective

This paper views career management as a combination of both organizational career management (OCM) and individual career management (ICM). It highlights the important impact of career management on personal and organizational successes. It also emphasizes on the effective career management which fosters personal career growth and sustains organizational competitive advantages. At the personal level, the notion of career management brings forth the employee’s capability to develop a career in the workplace. Likewise, it provides organizations with the ability to proactively respond to the rapidly changing organizational environments. This paper differentiates between OCM and ICM that could lead to a clearer understanding of the two terms. The concept of career management is important to academics and practitioners who are involved in this area.
AMMA's contribution to the evolution of prediction and decision‐making systems for West Africa

The AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) project set out to better understand the geophysical processes which govern the evolution of the monsoon and provide the science needed to improve prediction and decision‐support systems. The control exerted by weather and climate on agronomic production, water resources and public health was studied to evaluate the potential for populations to adapt. AMMA made advances which have the potential to improve forecasts from weather to climate scales. Translating them into operational tools for decision making will require improvements to the observational networks, and stronger support for the organizations which generate and disseminate application forecasts. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Sustained intra-cartilage delivery of low dose dexamethasone using a cationic carrier for treatment of post traumatic osteoarthritis.

Disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) should reach their intra-tissue target sites at optimal doses for clinical efficacy. The dense, negatively charged matrix of cartilage poses a major hindrance to the transport of potential therapeutics. In this work, electrostatic interactions were utilised to overcome this challenge and enable higher uptake, full-thickness penetration and enhanced retention of dexamethasone (Dex) inside rabbit cartilage. This was accomplished by using the positively charged glycoprotein avidin as nanocarrier, conjugated to Dex by releasable linkers. Therapeutic effects of a single intra-articular injection of low dose avidin-Dex (0.5 mg Dex) were evaluated in rabbits 3 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Immunostaining confirmed that avidin penetrated the full cartilage thickness and was retained for at least 3 weeks. Avidin-Dex suppressed injury-induced joint swelling and catabolic gene expression to a greater extent than free Dex. It also significantly improved the histological score of cell infiltration and morphogenesis within the periarticular synovium. Micro-computed tomography confirmed the reduced incidence and volume of osteophytes following avidin-Dex treatment. However, neither treatment restored the loss of cartilage stiffness following ACLT, suggesting the need for a combinational therapy with a pro-anabolic factor for enhancing matrix biosynthesis. The avidin dose used caused significant glycosaminoglycan (GAG) loss, suggesting the use of higher Dex : avidin ratios in future formulations, such that the delivered avidin dose could be much less than that shown to affect GAGs. This charge-based delivery system converted cartilage into a drug depot that could also be employed for delivery to nearby synovium, menisci and ligaments, enabling clinical translation of a variety of DMOADs.
Ivory Tower or Real World: Do Educators and Practitioners See the Same World?

Much research has been conducted regarding how to make marketing education more “relevant. “ This study addresses the fundamental question of the “ivory tower” premise. That is, to what extent do marketing educators fail to understand the “real” business world? In particular, the study compares the perceptions of educators and executives to ascertain if the two groups hold similar or divergent perceptions of the marketplace. Some gaps in perceptions were evident in areas of marketing, while on other areas the two groups agreed fully. Generally, educators and executives see issues in the same basic light, with only gradations in the strength of their positions on the various issues.
Environment Regulation, Technology Innovation and Efficiency Improvement of Chinese Thermal Power Industry

Based on the efficiency, the paper analyses the impact of environmental regulation on efficiency of the thermal power in 30 provinces of China 2004, including autonomous regions and municipalities. First, the effects of environment and statistical noise are excluded. Then, the relationship between the level of environment regulation and the efficiency of Chinese thermal power is studied according to non-regulation, weak-regulation and strong-regulation. The results demonstrate that environment regulation can improve the efficiency of Chinese thermal power as a whole, however, which isn't suitable for every region. In the end, three different developing modes are proposed, which are environment friendly promoted by internal force, weak environment friendly and environment friendly promoted by external force. According to the three modes, three different regulation tendencies are also put forward.
Causes of differential cardiovascular sensitivity to cocaine. II: Sympathetic, metabolic and cardiac effects.

Cocaine elicits a decrease in cardiac output only in a subset of rats; this reduction is mitigated by prazosin, nifedipine, verapamil or pentolinium and exacerbated by propranolol. In the present study, we examined other correlates or causes of differential responsiveness, including differences in cocaine metabolism, sympathetic nerve responses, catecholamine sensitivity and direct cardiac actions. Arterial pressure and heart rate responses to cocaine (5 mg/kg i.v.) were similar in all rats, yet cardiac output responses, as determined by pulsed Doppler flowmetry, varied widely. Cocaine elicited a mean maximal decrease of more than 15% in 17 rats designated responders, whereas the remaining rats (n = 19) were classified as nonresponders. Maximal heart rate responses to phenylephrine- and nitroprusside-induced pressor and depressor stimuli were greater in responders than in nonresponders. Phenylephrine also elicited significantly greater decreases in cardiac output and smaller increases in stroke volume in responders. After we determined the responses to cocaine in conscious rats, animals were anesthetized with alpha-chloralose for renal nerve recording. Several rats (14 of 21 tested) demonstrated an initial brief (2-12 sec) increase in sympathetic activity, whereas all rats subsequently had a delayed sympathoinhibition. Responders were more likely to have sympathoexcitation compared with nonresponders and had an enhanced initial pressor response and a smaller decrease in heart rate. There were no differences in plasma or cerebrospinal fluid levels of cocaine or its metabolites, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester. Intravenous benzoylecgonine elicited a pressor response and bradycardia in conscious rats. Finally, there were no differences in contractile, electrocardiographic or coronary vascular responses to cocaine in isolated, perfused hearts from responders and nonresponders. These results suggest that the differential cardiovascular responsiveness to cocaine in rats is mediated, at least in part, by central sympathoexcitation and not by differences in cocaine metabolism or in direct cardiac responsiveness to cocaine.
The Volume of Venture Capital Funds of Latvia and Their Financing Sources

The venture capital funds (VCF) financing sources of Latvia are considered in this paper. In the course of the work, a comparison was made between VCF financing sources generally used in Europe, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries, and Latvia. Based on the results of questionnaire of VCF partners, an investigation of sources and structure of the capital attracted by all of the Latvian VCF was performed. In process of the investigation, the following methods were applied: questionnaire, logical constructive method, and comparative analysis. Moreover, some VCs were interviewed. As a result, it has been revealed that as little as five financing sources exist in Latvia unlike Europe, where VCF have not less than 13 financing sources, and unlike CEE countries where the funds are supported by at least eight financing sources. The average size of a VCF in Latvia is 10.8 M EUR, which constitutes 35% of that of European VCF. Among the main reasons for a small size of Latvian VCF and a small number of types (classes) of their investors, the country’s low financial appeal for VC and immaturity of some types of investors in Latvia can be mentioned. For that reason, the State has to compensate for a shortcoming of VC; as a result, the share percentage of social capital in VCF financing sources of Latvia has reached 76.2 % while all VCF of Latvia are hybrid.
Preencounter Affective States of Business Travelers and Service Responses

This study identifies the preencounter affective states of business travelers and suggests that they offer opportunities for hospitality providers to personalize services and forge emotional bonds with business customers. The results are based on a qualitative exploration of the emotions of business travelers, as well as a quantitative survey of 240 business travelers in Taiwan. Three dimensions of the emotions of business travelers are identified: anxiety, annoyance and excitement. Using a cluster analysis, three types of business travelers are categorized based on their predominant emotional state: worried, annoyed, and emotionless. Among the Chinese business travelers studied, the two emotionally charged types are most prominent. In contrast, the stereotypical emotionless business traveler only represents a minority of respondents. This has important ramifications for service providers, such as business hotels. Service providers are well advised to provide effective service responses to the affective states of business travelers. The study finds two different types of services responses: problem focused and purely empathetic.
Exploring the potential energy surface of retinal, a comparison of the performance of different methods

The ground state structure of retinal has been investigated. We found that DFT and CASSCF produce different results for the bond length alternation in a model system of retinal. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations including the closest surrounding amino acids have been performed, using DFT and CASSCF to calculate the structure of retinal in the protein cavity. The planarity of the retinal molecule is affected by the surrounding protein. DFT and CASSCF produce different twist angles. The difference between CASSCF and DFT appears to be related to the positively charged nitrogen of the Schiff base, which leads to different π‐bond orders produced by the two methods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 26: 738–742, 2005
Contracting for Knowledge Intensive Services: An Empirical Investigation of IT Sourcing Arrangements

This paper focuses on contractual provisions in external sourcing of innovative services. Such agreements require protection of key knowledge assets, whilst simultaneously providing incentives for heuristic search to enable problem solving and knowledge transfer. We conceptualize two distinct dimensions of knowledge in the inter-organizational context: problem solving complexity and the need for synthesis of knowledge bases across organizational boundaries. Integrating explanations from transaction cost economics, incomplete contracting theory and knowledge-based research, we analyze a sample of IT outsourcing contracts to investigate the role of three contractual provisions: joint decision making rights, intellectual property safeguards, as well as the intensity of the incentives. Contracts for bilateral agreements that involve high problem solving complexity contain stronger and more clearly elucidated joint decision rights, which rely less on measurable outcomes, in conjunction with strong IP safeguards and low powered incentives. When prior experience of the vendor is critical for fulfillment of the contracted task, contracts include joint decision rights. Exchanges characterized by complementarity in knowledge bases across firms are more likely to be governed by high powered incentives contracts while exchanges characterized by co-specialization are governed by contracting arrangements involving joint decision rights in conjunction with low powered incentives.
Multiple Roles for Rsp5p-dependent Ubiquitination at the Internalization Step of Endocytosis*

Ubiquitination of integral plasma membrane proteins triggers their rapid internalization into the endocytic pathway. The yeast ubiquitin ligase Rsp5p, a homologue of mammalian Nedd4 and Itch, is required for the ubiquitination and subsequent internalization of multiple plasma membrane proteins, including the α-factor receptor (Ste2p). Here we demonstrate that Rsp5p plays multiple roles at the internalization step of endocytosis. Temperature-sensitive rsp5 mutant cells were defective in the internalization of α-factor by a Ste2p-ubiquitin chimera, a receptor that does not require post-translational ubiquitination. Similarly, a modified version of Ste2p bearing a NPFXD linear peptide sequence as its only internalization signal was not internalized in rsp5 cells. Internalization of these variant receptors was dependent on the catalytic cysteine residue of Rsp5p and on ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes that bind Rsp5p. Thus, a Rsp5p-dependent ubiquitination event is required for internalization mediated by ubiquitin-dependent and -independent endocytosis signals. Constitutive Ste2p-ubiquitin internalization and fluid-phase endocytosis also required active ubiquitination machinery, including Rsp5p. These observations indicate that Rsp5p-dependent ubiquitination of a trans-acting protein component of the endocytosis machinery is required for the internalization step of endocytosis.
The Evolution of Services Advertising in a Services-Driven National Economy

ABSTRACT With services continuing to dominate the gross domestic product, the marketing and advertising of services remain a core issue in the discipline. Because of their generally intangible nature, however, services often face unique challenges in developing effective and appropriate advertising strategies. Given the importance of promotional decisions to service practitioners, an assessment of the current literature guiding services-advertising decisions is important. In 1997, Carolyn Tripp published an overview of the services-advertising literature covering a 15-year period corresponding to services-marketing's emergence and early development. Her overall conclusion was that the services-advertising literature lagged behind the services-marketing field in general. As a result, she proposed several specific areas that needed attention and suggestions for enhancing the quality of research on services advertising. In this paper, we provide an update to this research by identifying, classifying, and analyzing articles on services advertising that have been published since 1997. Although a number of services-advertising articles seem to have heeded Tripp's various concerns, there is still much to be done on the topic. Hence, we provide additional direction for needed areas of research in the area of services advertising.
Deriving and exploring behavior segments within a retail loyalty card program

Purpose – Despite the proliferation of retail loyalty programs, little is known about differences in the behavior patterns of the consumers within them. There may be several unique segments within a loyalty program, and significant managerial implications may accrue from identification of these segments and analysis of differences among them. This paper aims to investigate the potential for deriving meaningful, managerially relevant customer segments within a retail loyalty‐type program.Design/methodology/approach – Data from the one‐year test of a retail loyalty card program by a major US retailer were used to derive patronage‐based segments and explore determinants of segment differences and strategy implications. A numerical taxonomy process was used to group 57,650 loyalty‐card program members into distinct segments. Cluster analysis was used to generate a range of potential market structures on a set of managerially relevant variables. The most appropriate market structure was selected using scree te.
How Do Organisational Members Perceive CRM? Evidence from a U.K. Service Firm

The purpose of this study is to explore how organisational members perceive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as this process unfolds in the firm. CRM has been an emerging research theme in the marketing literature, yet how it has been received and viewed by organisational members has been essentially unexplored, and forms the key contribution in this paper. Drawn from a case study in the U.K. automotive services sector, the findings illustrate the formation of collective perceptions of CRM, which involves information seeking, meaning ascription and action based on the perceptions shaped at different phases of the CRM process: adoption, development and use. Specifically, in each of the three phases organisational members in the investigated firm approach CRM as a strategic decision; view it with concern; and consider it as a customer value driver. The paper concludes with research recommendations and implications for marketing theory and practice.
From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Further Reflections

Early summer, 2001. I am walking through the great exhibition hall at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the most important trade show in the games industry. It is hard to imagine many activities that would pack in so many men per square foot of exhibition space and so few women. Many of the women we see here are dressed in scant clothing -leather bound Valkyries, bikini-clad space bunnies, or women in tight jumpsuits prepared for motion capture demos. In what is the loudest, most visually over-saturated place I have ever been -with the possible exception of the streets of Hong Kong, women are used as bait to lure dazed buyers into the booths. One understands instantly why most of the games on the market look and sound the way they do. It has little to do with consumer tastes and everything to do with the competition for attention at the floor show. In this environment, subtle games, nuanced games, disappear without a trace. The Sims or Black and White, for example, commanded far less space at the Electronic Arts booth than the more action packed games and Majestic debuted off the floor altogether.