Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental infection of possums with macropodid herpesvirus 1

Abstract AIM: To determine whethermacropodidherpesvirus 1 (MaHV-1) could infect brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and whether such infection would lead to latency in possums. METHODS: Possums (n=9) were instilled with 1.9 x 108 TCID50 of MaHV-1 into the conjunctivae and nostrils, while controls (n=3) were administrated with sterile saline. For virus isolation, all possums were swabbed from the conjunctivae and nasal cavities prior to inoculation, and on Days 1, 3, 7, 10 and 14 post-inoculation (p.i.), and then at weekly intervals for up to a further 6 weeks. Sera were collected on Day 0 immediately prior to inoculation and fortnightly thereafter, for the measurement of antibody. Corticosteroids were administrated to 4/9 virus-inoculated possums on Days 36 and 41 p.i. to determine whether latent MaHV-1 infection could be reactivated. Trigemi-nal ganglia and other tissues were collected at necropsy for viral detection. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (DNA pol) gene of the herpesviruses using degenerate primers was conducted on DNA samples isolated from the ganglia and livers from the possums, and blind-passaged cell cultures, for viral detection. RESULTS: A mild conjunctivitis was observed in the majority of the virus-inoculated possums between Days 3 and 21 p.i. Virus was recovered from the conjunctiva and/or nasal swabs from 8/9 virus-inoculated possums on Days 1 and 3 p.i. and from 3/9 on Day 7 p.i. , but not following administration of corticosteroids. No virus was recovered from the trigeminal ganglia of the virus-inoculated possums and possum DNA samples were negative for viral DNA following nested PCR. All of the virus-inoculated possums produced a virus neutralisation antibody response by Day 28 p.i. , and five had a titre ? 1:512. The sequence of a 133 base pair (bp) segment of the MaHV-1 DNA pol gene was considerably different from that of other published data. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that MaHV-1 might have established a transient infection at the inoculation sites, and the inoculation of MaHV-1 via intranasal and conjuncti-val routes could elicit MaHV-1-specific antibody responses in possums. However, systemic and latent infection of MaHV-1 in possums was not demonstrated.
Relational exchange in US‐Japanese marketing strategic alliances

Purpose – To develop and test a new model of relational exchange in marketing‐oriented non‐equity international strategic alliances.Design/methodology/approach – The model is tested using a sample of 97 matched dyads of US and Japanese firms in the electronics industry. The model was tested using three stage least squares.Findings – The data generally support the proposed model for both nations/cultures. The results suggest that the benevolence dimension of trust is a more important determinant of managerially assessed alliance marketing performance for the Japanese firms relative to their US partners.Research limitations/implications – While strong inferences are inhibited by the nature of our data set, our research implies that cultural sensitivity is an important determinant of the credibility and benevolence dimensions of trust and quality information exchange. Also, exchanging quality information is a strong mediator of the trust‐performance relationship.Practical implications – International marketi.
Keep Your Bias to Yourself: How Deliberating With Differently Biased Others Affects Mock-Jurors’ Guilt Decisions, Perceptions of the Defendant, Memories, and Evidence Interpretation

This experiment explored how mock-jurors’ (N = 648) guilt decisions, perceptions of the defendant, memories, and evidence interpretation varied as a function of jury type and pretrial publicity (PTP); utilizing a 2 (jury type: pure-PTP vs. mixed-PTP) × 3 (PTP: defendant, victim, and irrelevant) factorial design. Mock-juries (N = 126) were composed of jurors exposed to the same type of PTP (pure-PTP; e.g., defendant-PTP) or different types of PTP (mixed-PTP; e.g., half exposed to defendant-PTP and half to irrelevant-PTP). Before deliberations jurors exposed to defendant-PTP were most likely to vote guilty; while those exposed to victim-PTP were least likely. After deliberations, jury type and PTP affected jurors’ guilt decisions. Specifically, jurors deliberating on pure-PTP juries had verdict distributions that closely resembled the predeliberation distributions. The verdict distributions of jurors on mixed-PTP juries suggested that jurors were influenced by those they deliberated with. Jurors not exposed to PTP appeared to incorporate bias from PTP-exposed jurors. Only PTP had significant effects on postdeliberation measures of memory and evidence interpretation. Mediation analyses revealed that evidence interpretation and defendant credibility assessments mediated the effect of PTP on guilt ratings. Taken together these findings suggest that during deliberations PTP bias can spread to jurors not previously exposed to PTP. In addition, juries composed of jurors exposed to different PTP slants, as opposed to a single PTP slant, can result in less biased decisions. Finally, deliberating with others who do not share similar biases may have little, if any, impact on biased evidence interpretation or memory errors.
A combined interval and floating-point comparator/selector

Interval arithmetic provides a robust method for automatically monitoring numerical errors and can be used to solve problems that cannot be efficiently solved with floating-point arithmetic. This paper presents the design and implementation of a combined interval and floating-point comparator/selector, which performs interval intersection, hull, mignitude, magnitude, minimum, maximum, and comparisons, as well as floating-point minimum, maximum and comparisons. Area and delay estimates indicate that the combined interval and floating-point comparator/selector has 98% more area and a worst case delay that is 42% greater than a conventional floating point comparator/selector. The combined interval and floating-point comparator/selector greatly improves the performance of interval selection operations.
Folate deficiency in depressive illness.

Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels have been measured in 101 patients with depressive illness. Subnormal folate levels (2.5 ng./ml. or less) were found in 24 per cent and subnormal vitamin B12 levels (150 pg./ml. or less) in 2.2 per cent of patients. Thirteen patients(14.4 per cent) had low vitamin B12 levels (200 pg./ml. or less). Patients with subnormal folate levels were found to have significantly higher depressive scores, and significantly lower validity scores on the Marke-Nyman Temperament Scale, both on admission and on discharge. Subnormal folate levels could be a consequence of dietary deficiency or could possibly be causal of depression through interference with tyrosine or tryptophan hydroxylation.
The effect of demand visibility in product introductions

Purpose – Aims to examine the value of manufacturer access to downstream demand information in managing product introductions and to Identify factors affecting this value.Design/methodology/approach – Simulation based on actual data on 19 product introductions is used for comparing different types of demand information and their usefulness to a manufacturer. Two metrics are introduced. Bias indicates if there is a consistent difference between demand information from two sources. Delay in demand synchronization measures how long it takes for demand information from two sources to start conveying demand similarly in a transient situation.Findings – Finds that, in the supply chain examined, demand variability is mainly induced by distributors, whereas bias and delay in demand synchronization are mainly induced by retail outlets, especially for products with large wholesale packages compared with their sales.Research limitations/implications – The simulation model is simple and does not enable realistic exam.
Plasma biochemistry reference values of wild bonnethead sharks, Sphyrna tiburo.

BACKGROUND Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are of commercial, sport, research, and exhibit importance, however, blood chemistry reference values have been determined for few of these species. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to establish plasma biochemistry and PCV reference values for wild bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo). METHODS Heparinized blood samples were collected from 24 bonnethead sharks at the time of capture in trawl nets off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Weight, length, PCV, total solids (TS, by refractometry), and plasma biochemical analyses were done using standard techniques. Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kendall tau b tests were used to compare values by animal size, boat and sex; 1-way ANOVA was used to compare TS and total protein (TP) concentrations. RESULTS Median (quartile; minimum-maximum) values were as follows: PCV 22% (22%, 26%; 17-28%), TS 6.3 (6.0, 6.8; 5.8-7.5) g/dL, total protein 2.9 (2.7, 3.4; 2.2-4.3) g/dL, albumin 0.4 (0.4, 0.4; 0.3-0.5) g/dL, globulins 2.6 (2.3, 3.0;1.9-3.8) g/dL, sodium 282 (279, 285;273-292) mmol/L, potassium 7.3 (6.4, 7.9; 5.7-9.2) mmol/L, chloride 290 (285, 296; 277-304) mmol/L, total CO2 3 (2, 4; 0-5) mmol/L, calcium 16.8 (16.2, 17.4;15.8-18.2) mg/dL, phosphorus 8.8 (7.5, 10.0; 5.9-12.7) mg/dL, urea nitrogen 1004 (986, 1028; 944-1068) mg/dL, creatinine <0.1 mg/dL, glucose 184 (165, 191; 155-218) mg/dL, aspartate aminotransferase 42 (33, 66; 15-132) U/L, lactate dehydrogenase <5 U/L, creatine kinase 82 (47, 233; 18-725) U/L, and osmolality 1094 (1078, 1111; 1056-1139) mOsm/kg. No differences based on sex were detected. TS and TP values were related by the fitted line TS = (1.006 X TP) + 3.318. CONCLUSION Values reported here will be useful for evaluating the health status of bonnetheads in wild and captive research conditions and in exhibits.
The Disciplinary Role of Financial Reporting Quality in Timing Merger Bids with Overvalued Equity

How accounting information affects corporate investments is an important question, and prior studies suggest that managers tend to overinvest when their interests do not align with those of shareholders in order to reap perks, build large empires, and entrench their corporate positions. We explore whether high-quality financial reporting helps mitigate the agency conflicts created by overvalued equity in the context of M&A. To address the endogenous nature of the relation between accounting quality and overvalued equity, we identify overvalued equity based on the price pressure caused by relatively exogenous capital flows of mutual funds. We predict and find that high-quality financial reporting attenuates the tendency of managers to bid for acquisitions while the stock of an acquiring firm is overpriced in the equity market. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating a specific mechanism through which high-quality financial reporting moderates value destruction by self-interested managers.
The Separation of Ownership from Control and Firm Performance Evidence from UAE

The paper examines the effect of separation between ownership and control on firm performance through testing whether there is a significant difference between the performances of 24 owner‐controlled (OC) firms versus 25 manager‐controlled (MC) firms in UAE using the averages of the accounting data over the five years 2002‐1998.The empirical results reveal that the OC firms outperformed the MC ones and hence support the expectations of the managerial theory of the firm and the agency theory. The results may be explained by the passive behavior of the owners of the MC firms and/or the moral hazard and adverse selection behavior of their managers.
A shift of visual spatial attention is selectively associated with human EEG alpha activity

Event‐related potentials and ongoing oscillatory electroencephalogram (EEG) activity were measured while subjects performed a cued visual spatial attention task. They were instructed to shift their attention to either the left or right visual hemifield according to a cue, which could be valid or invalid. Thereafter, a peripheral target had to be evaluated. At posterior parietal brain areas early components of the event‐related potential (P1 and N1) were higher when the cue had been valid compared with invalid. An anticipatory attention effect was found in EEG alpha magnitude at parieto‐occipital electrode sites. Starting 200 ms before target onset alpha amplitudes were significantly stronger suppressed at sites contralateral to the attended visual hemifield than ipsilateral to it. In addition, phase coupling between prefrontal and posterior parietal electrode sites was calculated. It was found that prefrontal cortex shows stronger phase coupling with posterior sites that are contralateral to the attended hemifield than ipsilateral sites. The results suggest that a shift of attention selectively modulates excitability of the contralateral posterior parietal cortex and that this posterior modulation of alpha activity is controlled by prefrontal regions.
Detection and characterization of the fibroblast growth factor-related oncoprotein INT-2

Products of the fibroblast growth factor-related proto-oncogene int-2 have been detected by using a monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antisera raised against synthetic peptides predicted from the DNA sequence. COS-1 monkey cells transfected with int-2 DNA linked to the simian virus 40 early promoter contained at least four int-2-specific proteins, presumably representing modified forms of the expected 27-kilodalton primary translation product. The level of expression was increased approximately six- to eightfold by mutation of sequences around the presumed initiation codon, negating their capacity to encode a short oligopeptide in the +1 reading frame. Both tunicamycin inhibition and in vitro translation experiments indicated that some of the modifications correspond to asparagine-linked glycosylation, for which the sequence predicts a single site. In line with the similarities between INT-2 and other fibroblast growth factors, the in vitro translation products functioned as weak mitogens for mammary epithelial cells.
Word of Mouth on the Web: The Impact of Web 2.0 on Consumer Purchase Decisions

ABSTRACT The internet stands apart from other media in enabling its “users” to interact. From this perspective, the internet will always be, at its core, a tool for interpersonal communication. While consumers find emotional and practical benefits in participating in online discussions, these conversations have profound commercial implications as well. Everyday consumers are wielding greater control over their media habits and their role in the commercial marketplace. Moreover, with the growth of online participation, consumers exert greater influence over the products and brands considered for purchase. Based on a study of over 4,000 broadband users in the United States, this article examines consumer adoption of Web 2.0 and the impact those rants, raves, comments, and reviews are having on purchase decisions today.
Telecom Use on a Shoestring: Strategic Use of Telecom Services by the Financially Constrained in South Asia

When one talks of a ‘shoestring’ budget, it is understood that reference is being made to constrained finances, where individuals make attempts to cut costs through various methods without harming utility. This paper looks at the use of ‘strategies’ by such ‘shoestring’ users to reduce their communication costs. While the use of ‘long-term’ strategies, relating to the investment in a phone, is evident, that of ‘short-term’ strategies, relating to everyday use are looked at is found to be low. It is concluded that this is a result of a series of constraints on users, rather than a lack of a concern for controlling spending on telecoms.
Social Class, Employment Contracts and Economic Security in the Russian Labour Market

In this paper I explore occupational class differences in employment contracts, fringe benefits and unemployment risks in Russia. Using panel data, I provide both a descriptive account of class differentials in these labour market outcomes and fixed-effects estimates of the effects of occupational class. I also discuss the dynamics of the class structure in post-Soviet Russia.
Clustering web pages about persons and organizations

One of the most frequent Web surfing tasks is to search for persons and organizations by their names. Such names are often not distinctive, commonly occurring, and non-unique. Thus, a single name may be mapped to several named target entities. This paper describes a new methodology to cluster web pages returned by a search engine so that pages belonging to different entities are clustered into different groups. The algorithm uses a combination of named entities, and link-based and structure-based information as features to partition the document set into direct and indirect pages by means of a decision-tree model. It then chooses the appropriate distinctive direct pages as seeds to cluster the document set into different clusters. The algorithm has been found to be effective for web-based information retrieval applications.
How consumer characteristics moderate time effects on online purchase preference

In this paper, we posit that time-related effects (i.e., the importance of saving time) on patronage preference for shopping online will be moderated by consumer characteristics. To explore these moderating effects, we empirically examine the moderating roles of consumer characteristics on the respective effects of shopping-time-saved and delivery on online purchase preference. On the basis of analyses performed on data gleaned from an Internet-based survey, this study demonstrate that time effects related to both shopping-time-saved and delivery on online purchase preference are more pronounced for consumers who are male, young, and more starved for time. In addition, the effect of delivery time on online patronage preference is amplified by disposable income, but attenuated by online shopping experience. Through our analyses, we also find that Japanese consumers value delivery time to a greater degree than Chinese and American consumers do.
Detection of weak random signals in IID non-Gaussian noise

This paper considers the detection of weak random signals in circularly symmetric, independent, identically distributed noise. Locally optimum detectors and ad hoc nonlinearities are considered, with asymptotic expressions provided for evaluation of detection performance. The analytical expressions are used to evaluate the robustness of detectors to mismatch in the noise models. Finite-sample Monte Carlo simulation results indicate the reliability of these asymptotic measures in cases of practical interest. The results show that, as has been found for detection of weak known signals in non-Gaussian noise, reasonably configured ad hoc nonlinearities are nearly optimum and robust to modest errors in the noise statistics.
The Mediating Role of Appearance Comparisons in the Relationship Between Media Usage and Self-Objectification in Young Women

The media’s portrayal of women is often sexually objectifying, and greater exposure to objectifying media is associated with higher levels of self-objectification among young women. One reason why media usage may be associated with self-objectification is because women may be comparing their appearance to others in the media. The present study examined (a) the relationship between the usage of different media types (online social media [Facebook], Internet, television, music videos, and magazines) and self-objectification among young women, (b) whether appearance comparison tendencies in general mediated any observed relationships, and (c) whether appearance comparisons to specific types of women on Facebook (self, family, close friends, distant peers, and celebrities) mediated any relationship between Facebook usage and self-objectification. Female participants (N = 150) aged 17–25 years completed questionnaires about their media usage, appearance comparison tendency in general, appearance comparisons to specific target groups on Facebook, and self-objectification. Results showed that Facebook usage and magazine usage were positively correlated with self-objectification and that these relationships were mediated by appearance comparisons in general. In addition, the relationship between Facebook usage and self-objectification was mediated by comparisons to one’s peers on Facebook. These findings suggest that appearance comparisons can play an important role in self-objectification among young women.
A Study On The Effects Of Nepotism, Favoritism And Cronyism On Organizational Trust In The Auditing Process In Family Businesses In Turkey

Nepotism, favoritism and cronyism, which can be seen in all sectors of todays business world, have become quite common behavior. The granting of privileges to certain individuals is an extremely disturbing situation to the organizations employees and the lack of trust arising under such conditions negatively affects job satisfaction, organizational loyalty, and individual performance, and can hinder the internal control system in the auditing process. In this study, the effects of nepotism, favoritism and cronyism on organizational loyalty regarding the internal control system in the auditing process in the Turkish textiles sector are examined. In order to uncover the relationships in question, frequency breakdowns, Cronbachs Alpha reliability testing, and regression analysis are performed.
A SURVEY OF CUSTOMER RETENTION IN THE NEW ZEALAND BANKING INDUSTRY

Previous banking studies on customer retention focused narrowly on customer loyalty and customer satisfaction without attempting to link them in a model to further explore or explain customer retention. If retention criteria are not well managed, customers may still leave their banks, regardless of how hard bankers try to retain them. This study empirically examines the potential constructs in customer retention by investigating the chain of effects of retention from customer satisfaction, customer value, corporate image, switching barriers to competitive advantage. In general, all of the hypotheses tested were supported except for higher levels of customer satisfaction do not necessary lead to customer loyalty. Customers can be highly satisfied but still leave their current banks. It is assumed that when the customer is completely satisfied, then loyalty towards the bank is strengthened.
An Investigation into Consumer Search and Evaluation Behaviour: Effect of Brand Name and Price Perceptions

Past researchers extended the conceptualized model of perceived value to include the effects of multiple extrinsic cues used as indicators of quality. The need for replication as well as extending the research findings has, however, been expressed unequivocally by the researchers as it remains to be seen if the existing relationships would hold for consumers hailing from emerging nations. The present study extends the theoretical and empirical evidences regarding the structural relationships of consumers’ perceptions of marketing cues, namely, price and brand name, with the perceptions of quality, risk, sacrifice and value in the Indian context. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) based analysis of questionnaire-based responses of young Indian consumers, the study reports that high price is associated with the presence of better product features, assuming that a good quality product always comes with a high price attached and there is a possible shifting from looking to lower price-product options to alternatives which boast of a favourable brand name indicated by a higher price level. The study holds implications for marketers in regard to brand name positioning as well as planning communication and retail strategies.