Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The internationalisation of UK and Canadian high-tech SMEs: a comparative study of planned and unplanned ventures

This paper discusses the findings from a comparative investigation into the internationalisation strategies of U.K. and Canadian high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (HTSMEs). Findings from 24 in-depth interviews, 12 in each country, suggest that strategy formation is not as systematic as some previous studies, notably those that focus on the 'stage' models, suggest. Management teams recognise and exploit opportunities in different ways, ranging from planned strategy formation through to opportunistic behaviour; as such, no single theory could fully explain international entrepreneurial decisions. The comparative findings support the literature that has suggested a more holistic view should be undertaken in international entrepreneurship research, including the role of serendipity in unplanned overseas market ventures.
Strain-dependent difference in inducible nitric oxide synthesis (iNOS) expression in rat pancreatic islets correlates with interferon regulating factor 1 (IRF-1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression.

UNLABELLED Nitric oxide (NO) may be a necessary but not sufficient mediator of cytokine-mediated, selective beta-cell destruction. Previously, we have described a difference in NO-dependent IL-1beta sensitivity in vivo and in vitro of pancreatic islets from two rat strains, Brown Norway (BN) and Wistar Kyoto (WK), the latter being the more sensitive strain. Here we investigated whether strain-dependent, differential islet iNOS expression was associated with differences in islet expression of the IL-1 receptor type 1(IL-1RI) or interferon regulating factor 1 (IRF-1), and/or caused differences in HSP70 expression, a marker of cell defence against oxidative stress. METHODS isolated islets from both rat strains were exposed to increasing concentrations of IL-1beta (0-150 pg/ml) for 24 hours or for varying culture periods (4-48 hours) to 15 pg/ml of IL-1beta. MEASUREMENTS accumulated insulin and nitrite release into incubation medium, and islet mRNA and protein expression of iNOS, IL-1RI, IRF-1 and HSP70 by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS Higher insulin and lower nitrite release into the incubation medium were seen for BN compared to WK rats islets in both dose- and time-response experiments. IRF-1 expression preceded iNOS expression and was more pronounced in WK than in BN islets. No strain differences were observed for islet expression of IL-1RI. A strain-dependent HSP70 expression in response to IL-1beta with the highest levels in WK rat islets following iNOS expression was seen. CONCLUSION There was a strain-dependent difference in iNOS expression which was associated with IRF-1 and HSP70 expression.
The Information Content of Stock Dividend Announcements

The primary goals of this paper were (a) to test the information content of stock dividend announcements and (b) to produce evidence about the validity of the AICPA conclusion that small stock dividends almost always produce significant amounts of extra value on the ex date and that large stock dividends fail to generate such ex date value. In regard to the first objective, the authors' findings imply that the market, in the aggregate, uses stock dividend information in setting equilibrium security prices, that much of the market's reaction to such information occurs no later than the declaration date, and that such information tends to produce positive unexpected returns. With re- spect to the second goal, the results imply that the market is not conditioned to react positively to stock dividends of any size on the ex date and, consequently, that the AICPA conclusion is valid (invalid) with respect to large (small) stock dividends. N UMEROUS studies have dealt with the information content of vari- ous types of announcements. However, no contemporary study has investigated the information content of the entire range of stock dividend an- nouncements. This deficiency provided the primary impetus for this study. The
Scared away? Discouraged borrowers and Capital market information

The demand for external finance is articulated through applications to financial institutions and is displayed in the statistics on e.g. bank lending, venture capital investments etc. However, an unarticulated part of demand is the part of entrepreneurial firms who abstain from applying due to anticipation that their application will be rejected; these firms are often denoted ? discouraged borrowers? Using survey data from two waves of surveys we do the first study on discouraged borrowers in Denmark. We test the hypothesis that characteristics of firms such as their age, size, and industry may impact their likelihood of being discouraged from entering the capital markets in the first place. We discuss if the self-perception of firms regarding their develop-ment is a stronger predictor of discouragement than the objective firm characteristics. We find that the general level of discouraged borrowers in Denmark is comparable to other European countries, although slightly above these. Firm characteristics do not show out strongly in our results. We find that the self-perception of firms is a stronger predictor of discouragement than firm characteristics. We contribute to a better understanding of the demand side of financing of entrepreneurship and innovation. The study is valuable in pointing to the importance of behavioral factors in the further development of the research in this area.
Shared Reality Effects on Memory: Communicating to Fulfill Epistemic Needs

Communicators' tuning of a message to suit their audience's attitude about a target can bias their subsequent memory of the target. Research shows that this effect occurs to the extent that the message serves the creation of a shared reality with the audience. In two experiments we investigated the motivational processes underlying such audience-tuning memory biases. Experiment 1 found that when audience tuning was motivated by a shared-reality motive (vs. compliance with a blatant demand), the memory bias was found even when the audience-attitude information was provided after the target information had already been encoded. In Experiment 2, communicators' epistemic needs were directly manipulated by giving them bogus feedback regarding their ability to form social judgments. Only communicators in the high (vs. low) epistemic-need condition tuned their message to their audience and, by so doing, they attained a confident view of the target, as well as a memory of the target that was consistent with their message.
Impacts of non-GMO standards on poultry supply chain governance: Transaction cost approach vs resource-based view

Purpose Following a negative attitude of consumers toward genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the spaces left by the labeling legislation on GMOs of different countries, some retailers and processors introduced their own non-GMO standards, with the intention of avoiding the presence of GMOs in their products. This paper aims to understand how the implementation of these new retailer-driven standards affects governance structures along the supply chain and the determinants of such change focusing on transaction cost approach (TCA) vs resource-based view (RBV). Design/methodology/approach The non-GMO introduction is investigated as a case study in the poultry industry of France and Italy. The case relies on data primarily collected from interviews with the main actors at five stages of the supply chain from the retailer up to animal feed and crop production. Findings Findings indicate that the introduction of non-GMO products had different impacts on the transactions along the supply chain, generally leading to more integrated relationships. Theoretical relevance depends on the observed transaction and the type of governance structure considered. Interestingly, only RBV explains the shift toward hierarchical governance when this is observed. Originality/value This paper contributes to the empirical literature highlighting the upstream effects caused by the adoption of new standards. On the theoretical side, building on Conner and Prahalad’s (1996) seminal work and leveraging on the concepts of opportunism, “potential” superior knowledge and strategic importance of an activity, this research suggests a comparative framework for identifying governance structures and their determinants under TCA and RBV.
Correct use of the Apgar score for resuscitated and intubated newborn babies: questionnaire study

The Apgar score has played a crucial role in the delivery room assessment of newborn babies since 1953,1 2 but this system has its limitations and is prone to inter-observer variation.3 4 Moreover, scoring definitions in textbooks vary slightly and no specific guidelines are available for scoring intubated babies. We studied variations between observers and focused on the scoring of respiratory effort in resuscitated and intubated newborn babies. We developed a questionnaire with three case presentations of newborns in which the Apgar score had to be determined. Case 1 —A full term newborn baby is breathing irregularly at five minutes after birth. Oxygen and mask and bag ventilation are applied. The infant's heart rate is 120 beats/min. The infant cries in response to stimulation, has some flexion of …
Multiwavelength single sideband modulation for WDM radio-over-fiber systems using a fiber grating array tandem device

We demonstrate the generation of high-quality multiwavelength single sideband (SSB) signals for wavelength-division-multiplexing radio-over-fiber systems using a tandem of two identical arrays of fiber Bragg grating devices placed in a serial arrangement. SSB is confirmed by spectral measurements and also by the simultaneous cancellation of the radio-frequency fading effect in three different wavelengths. The results show a considerable improvement both in terms of insertion losses, carrier supression effect, and bandwith (extensible from the millimeter to the whole microwave band) over the previously reported configuration based on arrayed-waveguide grating devices.
Saphenous neuropathy following medial knee trauma.

Patients are frequently referred to physical therapy for musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries range from muscle strains to ligament ruptures and bone avulsion fractures. On occasion, what first may appear to be a common musculoskeletal injury can actually develop unexpected sequellae. It is imperative that the physical therapist continue to treat the patient while observing for signs and symptoms that would indicate changes to the initial diagnosis. Reevaluations include examining the progress of the patient and modifying or redirecting interventions. This is a case report of a patient referred from his primary care physician to physical therapy 6 weeks after suffering a common musculoskeletal injury (diagnosed by the physician as a hamstring muscle contusion). The patient was later determined by a neurologist, and confirmed by a neurosurgeon, to have developed a saphenous neuropathy. Saphenous neuropathy is an uncommon syndrome, accounting for less than 1% of adult patients presenting with lower-extr.
Individual Differences in the Cognitive Processes of Reading

The importance of word decoding in accounting for individual differences in reading comprehension is discussed. Research on individual differences in the cognitive processes that mediate word decoding is reviewed. It is concluded that a large proportion of the variance in word decoding ability is accounted for by phonological processes, and that little variance is explained by differences in visual processes. Possible causal relationships and developmental changes also are discussed.
SKIN, LOCOMOTOR AND SOFT TISSUE PATHOLOGY

From the ethiopathogenetical point of view associations between certain dermatoses and diabetes havenÕt yet been explained. Therefore diagnostics of these skin diseases is complicated, and pathohistological analysis might be necessary. 160 diabetic patients (95 with insulin-independent diabetes mellitus (IIDM) and 65 with insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM)) and skin lesions have been examined according to the standard dermatovenerological and pathohistological procedure. The average number of skin diseases per patient was 1,34 in IIDM group and 1,53 in IDDM (t=1,71, p=0,08). From the total number of 160 (100%) patients, pathohistological examination was necessary in 9 (5.6%): 2 patients with Scleroedema (2.1%) in IIDM group, 4 with Necrobiosis lipoidica (4.2%) in IIDM group and 1 (1.5%) in IDDM group, and 2 with granuloma annulare (2.1%) in IDDM group. Accurate observation of skin diseases in diabetic patients also comprises pathohistological analysis.
Plasma and tissue levels of lipids, fatty acids and plasma carnitine in neonates receiving a new fat emulsion

This study was undertaken to compare Intralipid® with a new fat emulsion containing gamma‐linolenic acid and carnitine, named Pediatric Fat Emulsion 4501, in neonates with regard to lipid and carnitine metabolism over a short period of total parenteral nutrition. There were 10 neonates in each group and they tolerated the total parenteral nutrition well. In spite of the gamma‐linolenic acid supplementation in the new emulsion, arachidonic acid decreased significantly in plasma lipid esters and adipose tissue in both groups after 5 d of treatment. Also, there was a decrease in plasma docosahexaenoic acid which was more pronounced in the treatment group. The relative percentage values of linoleic and linolenic acids in adipose tissue were increased, indicating that newborns have a rapid accretion of fatty acids. Plasma triglycerides were effectively cleared during the periods without fat infusion. In the group that received Pediatric Fat Emulsion 4501 the means of both free and total plasma carnitine concentrations increased significantly, whereas they tended to decrease in the Intralipid® group.
INTERCALIBRATION OF BOREAL AND TETHYAN TIMESCALES: THE MAGNETO-BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE BOTNEHEIA FORMATION (MIDDLE TRIASSIC), AND THE LATE EARLY TRIASSIC, SVALBARD (ARCTIC NORWAY)

1 CEMP, Geography Dept., Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YB, email: m.hounslow@lancs.ac. uk; 2 SINTEF Petroleum Research, NO-7465 Trondheim, Norway, email: Atle.Mork@iku.sintef. no; 3 Geological-Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Hamburg, Bundesstr. 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany, email: fg6a106@geowiss.uni-hamburg.de; 4 Mellomila 2. NO-7018 Trondheim, Norway, email: vigran@online.no; 5 Geological Survey of Canada, 101-605 Robson St, Vancouver, BC, V6b 5J3, Canada, email: MOrchard@nrcan.gc. ca
Service guarantee as a recovery strategy : the impact of guarantee terms on perceived justice and firm motives

Abstract Purpose – When services fail, recovery efforts are often contingent upon the terms set in service guarantee policies. Service guarantees set the pledged recovery compensation (payout) and procedures (ease of invocation), and these two terms signal justice rendered to customers and the firm’s motives. This study focuses on how service guarantees are implemented as recovery strategies, and the impact of guarantee terms on customer justice perceptions, motive attributions and repatronage intentions. Design/methodology/approach – A between-subjects experiment was conducted in parcel delivery services. Findings – Customer justice perceptions vary across guarantee payout levels. Payout in the form of discount does not restore justice, and leads to inferences that the firm offers the guarantee to maximise its profits. Conversely, full refund restores justice. Full refund plus discount is perceived as undeserved, and does not enhance justice perceptions. A moderately easy-to-invoke guarantee is perceived as fair, when it includes full refund. Inferences of negative firm’s motives, however, diminish perceived fairness of easy-to-invoke guarantees. Research limitations/implications – Future research could examine the interaction of guarantee scope with payout and ease of invocation, and how types of motives differentially impact justice perceptions. Practical implications – Full refund can enhance justice perceptions, whereas discount is perceived as unfair. Firms should offer full refund as guarantee payout, but refrain from offering a discount. Flexibility should be embedded in guarantee invocation procedures. Originality/value – This study demonstrates that service guarantees employed as recovery strategies signal justice and the firm’s motives.
Critical Role of Mitochondrial Damage in Determining Outcome of Macrophage Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis1

Human macrophages (Mφ) respond to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection by undergoing apoptosis, a cornerstone of effective antimycobacterial host defense. Virulent mycobacteria override this reaction by inducing necrosis leading to uncontrolled Mtb replication. Accordingly, Mφ death induced by inoculation with Mtb had the characteristics of apoptosis and necrosis and correlated with moderate increase of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), mitochondrial cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 and -3 activation. We hypothesized that changes in intramitochondrial Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]m) determine whether Mφ undergo either apoptosis or necrosis. Therefore, we induced mechanism(s) leading to predominant apoptosis or necrosis by modulating [Ca2+]m and examined their physiological consequences. Adding calcium ionophore A23187 to Mφ inoculated with Mtb further increased calcium flux into the cells which is thought to lead to increased [Ca2+]m, blocked necrosis, stabilized MPT, decreased mitochondrial cytochrome c release, lowered caspase activation, and accompanied effective antimycobacterial activity. In contrast, Mφ infected with Mtb in presence of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter inhibitor ruthenium red showed increased mitochondrial swelling and cytochrome c release and decreased MPT and antimycobacterial activity. Thus, in Mtb-infected Mφ, high levels of mitochondrial membrane integrity, low levels of caspase activation, and diminished mitochondrial cytochrome c release are hallmarks of apoptosis and effective antimycobacterial activity. In contrast, breakdown of mitochondrial membrane integrity and increased caspase activation are characteristic of necrosis and uncontrolled Mtb replication.
The cost-effectiveness of the English smoking treatment services: evidence from practice.

AIMS To investigate the cost-effectiveness of English specialist smoking cessation services. DESIGN Combination of observational cost and outcome data from English smoking cessation services to calculate cost-effectiveness ratios. Multivariate analysis of factors influencing variation in services' cost-effectiveness. SETTING Fifty-eight of the 92 specialist smoking cessation services in England in 2000/01. METHODS Services' costs were estimated using survey data which described services' configurations, staffing, interventions delivered and development. Information on services' throughput and outcomes (as biochemically validated 4-week smoking cessation rates) were obtained from routine sources. With reference to relevant literature and assumptions about relapse and background cessation rates, 4-week cessation rates were converted first to 1-year rates. One-year cessation rates were adjusted to reflect the likely permanent smoking cessation rate attributable to service intervention and finally attributable life-years gained were calculated. A wide variety of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the robustness of the average cost-effectiveness ratio, calculated by combining the cost and life-year gained estimates, for all services. With additional data on deprivation levels in services' areas, ordinary least-squares regression techniques were used to investigate variations in individual services' costs per client and cost-effectiveness ratios. FINDINGS Using an up-to-date estimate for health gain accrued by stopping smoking, the average cost per life gained was pound 684 (95% CI 557811), falling to pound 438 when savings in future health-care costs were counted. With the worst case assumptions, the estimate of cost-effectiveness rose to pound 2693 per life-year saved (pound 2293 including future health-care costs) and fell to pound 227 (pound 102) under the most favourable assumptions. Findings are comparable to previous published studies. The regression results suggest that different factors influence cost per client and the net cost per life-year saved, indicating that decision makers should be careful in setting performance targets for these services. CONCLUSIONS In 2000/01, English smoking cessation services provided cost-effective services operating well below the benchmark of pound 20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year saved (QALY) that is used by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom.
FoxM1 Regulates Transcription of JNK1 to Promote the G1/S Transition and Tumor Cell Invasiveness*

The Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) protein is a proliferation-specific transcription factor that plays a key role in controlling both the G1/S and G2/M transitions through the cell cycle and is essential for the development of various cancers. We show here that FoxM1 directly activates the transcription of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1) gene in U2OS osteosarcoma cells. Expression of JNK1, which regulates the expression of genes important for the G1/S transition, rescues the G1/S but not the G2/M cell cycle block in FoxM1-deficient cells. Knockdown of either FoxM1 or JNK1 inhibits tumor cell migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth. However, expression of JNK1 in FoxM1-depleted cells does not rescue these defects, indicating that JNK1 is a necessary but insufficient downstream mediator of FoxM1 in these processes. Consistent with this interpretation, FoxM1 regulates the expression of the matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, which play a role in tumor cell invasion, through JNK1-independent and -dependent mechanisms in U2OS cells, respectively. Taken together, these findings identify JNK1 as a critical transcriptional target of FoxM1 that contributes to FoxM1-regulated cell cycle progression, tumor cell migration, invasiveness, and anchorage-independent growth.
Binge Watching and Advertising

How users consume media has shifted dramatically as viewers migrate from traditional broadcast channels toward online channels. Rather than following the schedule dictated by television networks and consuming one episode of a series each week, many viewers now engage in binge watching, which involves consuming several episodes of the same series in a condensed period of time. In this research, the authors decompose users’ viewing behavior into (1) whether the user continues the viewing session after each episode viewed, (2) whether the next episode viewed is from the same or a different series, and (3) the time elapsed between sessions. Applying this modeling framework to data provided by Hulu.com, a popular online provider of broadcast and cable television shows, the authors examine the drivers of binge watching behavior, distinguishing between user-level traits and states determined by previously viewed content. The authors simultaneously investigate users’ response to advertisements. Many online video providers support their services with advertising revenue; thus, understanding how users respond to advertisements and how advertising affects subsequent viewing is of paramount importance to both advertisers and online video providers. The results of the study reveal that advertising responsiveness differs between bingers and nonbingers and that it changes over the course of online viewing sessions. The authors discuss the implications of their results for advertisers and online video platforms.