Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic Change: The Influence of Managerial Characteristics and Organizational Growth

Strategic change in the organization is best seen as a Multidimensional observable fact comprises of environmental configuration and internal knowledge. After matching this conceptualization of change with a model of organizational knowledge, we achieve a better perceptive about the types of change strategies that firms will pursue, the processes they should use to execute strategies and the expected performance outcomes from these strategies. This study examined how top management and chief executive team characteristics cooperate with firm performance to influence strategic change. Results indicate that poor performance, long chief executive and top management team tenures, and high diversity in top management team tenure are associated with greater levels of strategic change. In addition, poor performance moderated the relationship between managerial characteristics and strategic change, increasing the likelihood of the latter.
Cyclin-dependent Kinase 5 Phosphorylates Serine 31 of Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Regulates Its Stability*

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis, and its activity is regulated by phosphorylation in the N-terminal regulatory domain. The proline-directed serine/threonine kinase cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) plays an important role in diverse neuronal processes. In the present study, we identify TH as a novel substrate of cdk5. We show that cdk5 phosphorylates TH at serine 31 and that this phosphorylation is associated with an increase in total TH activity. In transgenic mice with increased cdk5 activity, the immunoreactivity for phosphorylated TH at Ser-31 is enhanced in neurons of the substantia nigra, a brain region enriched with TH-positive neurons. In addition, we demonstrate that co-expression of cdk5 and its regulatory activator p35 with TH increases the stability of TH. Consistent with these findings, TH protein levels are reduced in cdk5 knock-out mice. Importantly, the TH activity and protein turnover of the phosphorylation-defective mutant TH S31A was not altered by cdk5 activity. Taken together, these data suggest that cdk5 phosphorylation of TH is an important regulator of TH activity through stabilization of TH protein levels.
Axial symptoms and cervical alignments after cervical anterior spinal fusion for patients with cervical myelopathy.

This retrospective clinical study was designed to examine the relation between cervical alignment and axial symptoms developing after cervical anterior spinal fusion. Sixty patients with myelopathy treated with cervical anterior spinal fusion were reviewed. For radiographic evaluation, lordosis, enlargement of the fused segments and neural foramen, radiographic union, and degeneration of adjacent segment were reviewed before or after surgery or both. Twenty-three patients had axial symptoms. Only local kyphosis and narrowing of the neural foramen at the fused segment were recognized more often in patients with axial symptoms than in those without such symptoms. No less than 2 mm and < or = 5 mm in enlargement of the anterior disc space immediately after surgery resulted in maintenance of cervical lordosis. These findings suggest that > or = 2 mm and < or = 5 mm in enlargement of anterior vertebral body height during operation results in prevention of axial symptoms.
Brand Loyalty - A Study with Special Reference to Coca Cola in Rural Areas

Objectives: Brand loyalty is essential to every organization to make the customers/consumers stick to the products. It helps the organization to improve the productivity and also to retain the customers. Retaining the customers with them is more important than finding the new customers. The researchers have made an attempt to study the factors influencing brand loyalty. Method/Analysis: By applying structured questionnaire, primary data were collected from 114 respondents. The statistical tools such as Chi square test, one-way ANOVA and regression analysis were administered for analysis. The study factors such as Demographic variables, Brand Awareness, Brand Image, and Perceived Quality that influences Brand loyalty. Findings: There is an association between the demographic factors viz., age, gender, marital status, family type, educational qualification. There is no association between the occupation of the respondents, since the null hypothesis is gross annual income of the respondents and preferences were accepted. The researcher found that the brand loyalty do not vary with the demographic factors namely gender, family type, gross annual income brand preferences. The brand loyalty varies with the age, marital status, educational qualification and occupation of the respondents. The results show that there is a high degree of correlation between the study variables and the brand loyalty. It is found that the predictor variables viz., Brand awareness, Brand image and perceived quality are statistically significant determinants towards Brand loyalty. Applications/Improvements: The present study focuses those important factors which are influencing brand loyalty. Based on the significance, the organization has to give much priority to retain and improve their brand loyalty.
Corporate Social Responsibility and CEO Risk-Taking Incentives

In this paper, we explore how firms incentivize their CEOs subsequent to undertaking risk-reducing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Specifically, we focus on the effect of CSR standing on CEO’s future risk-taking financial incentives. We hypothesize that because firms possessing better social performance generate insurance-like moral capital that reduces firm risk, they will have more risk-taking capacity and should respond, therefore, by offering greater risk-motivating incentives to managers. Employing a large sample of US firms from 1992 to 2010, we find strong empirical evidence to support our hypothesis. Indeed, CSR standing is positively related to CEO pay-risk sensitivity, demonstrating that firms whose sustainable initiatives are viewed to be successful are more likely to offer their CEOs greater risk-motivating financial incentives. Further, this association is driven by CSR strengths rather than CSR concerns. Finally, we provide evidence that firm overall risk and idiosyncratic risk negatively moderate the association between CSR and CEO future risk-taking financial incentives.
Textual Analysis of Intangible Information

markdownabstractTraditionally, equity investors have relied upon the information reported in firms’ financial accounts to make their investment decisions. Due to the conservative nature of accounting standards, firms cannot value their intangible assets such as corporate culture, brand value and reputation. Investors’ efforts to collect such information have been hampered by the voluntary nature of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting standards, which have resulted in the publication of inconsistent, stale and incomplete information across firms. In short, information on intangible assets is less salient to investors compared to accounting information because it is more costly to collect, process and analyse. In this thesis we design an automated approach to collect and quantify information on firms’ intangible assets by drawing upon techniques commonly adopted in the fields of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Information Retrieval. The exploitation of unstructured data available on the Web holds promise for investors seeking to integrate a wider variety of information into their investment processes. The objectives of this research are: 1) to draw upon textual analysis methodologies to measure intangible information from a range of unstructured data sources, 2) to integrate intangible information and accounting information into an investment analysis framework, 3) evaluate the merits of unstructured data for the prediction of firms’ future earnings.
Sabotage in Capital Budgeting: The Effects of Control and Honesty on Investment Decisions

Abstract This study investigates the sabotage of investments in response to hurdle contracts as a means of formal control in capital budgeting. We conduct a laboratory experiment to examine factors that drive or inhibit sabotage. Sabotage occurs when the manager provides false information to prevent the firm from realizing a profitable investment, which is costly both for the manager and the firm. Our results show that managers sabotage investments to reciprocate for distrustful formal control. Conversely, budget communication that requires factual assertions and thus activates managers' preference for honesty inhibits sabotage. Moreover, honesty suppresses negative reciprocity and thus reduces sabotage not only directly but also indirectly. Our findings warn firms to consider the sabotage of investments as a hidden cost of control in budgeting. They show that honesty has a spill-over effect, as it absorbs negative reciprocity.
[Interaction of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok., Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. and the parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with larvae of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)].

Chemical insecticides are broadly applied to control diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). Diamondback moth is a major pest of cruciferous worldwide, and resistance of this pest to insecticide has been often reported. Thus, this research investigated the interactions among the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. , Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. , and the larval-pupal parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov) before and after application of the fungi on DBM larvae offered to the parasitoid. The experiment was carried out at 26+/-l degreeC, 75+/- 5% RH and 12h photophase using a completely randomized design, with eight treatments with six replications each. The isolates E9 of M. anisopliae and ESALQ 447 of B. bassiana, were used at the concentration of 10(7) conidia ml(-1). The results showed that M. anisopliae and B. bassiana reduced the parasitism of P. xylostella by O. sokolowskii. Additive effects were found on the mortality of P. xylostella with the different combinations among the fungi and parasitoid, except for the treatment B. bassiana inoculated 24h before exposition of the larvae to O. sokolowskii. The isolates were more efficacious when applied after exposition of the larvae to the parasitoid. The efficiency of O. sokolowskii was negatively influenced by the presence of the fungi, mainly when the fungi were applied 24h before diamondback's larvae were exposed to the parasitoid. The association of the fungi with the parasitoid presents potential to be tested in field. The use of these natural enemies in the integrated management of P. xylostella may economically improve the cabbage productive system, especially for organic farming.
Influence of sotalol on the time constant of isovolumic left ventricular relaxation in anesthetized dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of various doses of sotalol on myocardial relaxation in healthy dogs. ANIMALS 12 healthy adult mixed-breed dogs anesthetized with thiopental and alpha-chloralose. PROCEDURES Left ventricular pressure (LVP), aortic pressure, and aortic flow velocity were measured. The time constant of isovolumic relaxation (tau) was determined by means of linear regression of the natural logarithm of LVP and by means of direct measurement from the LVP-versus-time curve. Sotalol was administered IV at cumulative doses of 1, 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg to 6 dogs; the other 6 were used as controls. Mean systolic aortic pressure was used to assess afterload, and maximal rate of increase in LVP versus time (dP/dt) was used as an index of contractility. RESULTS After administration of the first dose of sotalol, tau was increased significantly, and maximum dP/dt was decreased significantly, compared with baseline values. Administration of additional doses of sotalol did not result in any additional change in tau, but maximum dP/dt increased, and maximum dP/dt after administration of the final dose of sotalol was significantly higher than maximum dP/dt after administration of the first dose. There were no significant changes in mean systolic aortic pressure. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In healthy dogs, sotalol did not have any negative effect on myocardial relaxation beyond those attributable to its beta-blocking properties, despite an increase in intracellular ionized calcium concentration, as suggested by an increase in maximum dP/dt after an initial decrease.
Structural Identifiability Analysis of a Cardiovascular System Model

Abstract A simple experimentally validated cardiovascular system model has been shown to be able to track the evolution of various diseases. The model has previously been made patient-specific by adjustment of its parameters on the basis of a minimal set of hemodynamic measurements. However, this model has not yet been shown to be structurally identifiable, which means that the adjusted model parameters may not be unique. The model equations were manipulated to show that, from a theoretical point of view, all of their parameters can be exactly retrieved from a restricted set of model outputs. However, this set of model outputs is still too large for a clinical application, because it includes left and right ventricular pressures. Consequently, further hypotheses that determine some model parameter values have to be made for the model to be clinically applicable.
CT of the brachial plexus in patients with cancer

To assess the usefulness of CT, we reviewed 51 patients with clinically diagnosed brachial plexopathy who were seen between 1977 and 1981. The established etiology was metastatic tumor in 46 and radiation fibrosis in 5. CT was abnormal in 89% of tumor patients. Myelography, bone scan, and plain cervical spine radiographs were less useful. In four of five patients with radiation fibrosis, CT showed distortion of normal tissue planes without a discrete mass, but was not always distinguishable from tumor infiltration. CT of the brachial plexus provides the best two-dimensional view of tumor infiltration and detects bony changes earlier than standard radiographs. CT is a useful guide for surgical exploration of the brachial plexus, but does not differentiate tumor infiltration from radiation fibrosis.
Concurrent Engineering and Design Oscillations in Complex Engineering Projects

Coordination among many interdependent actors is key activity in complex product development projects. The challenge is made more difficult in concurrent engineering processes, as more activities happen in parallel and interact. This coordination becomes progressively more difficult with project size. We do not yet sufficiently understand whether this effect can be controlled with frequent and rich communication among project members, or whether it is inevitable. Recent work in complexity theory suggests that a project might form a “rugged landscape”, for which performance deterioration with system size is inevitable. This article builds a mathematical model of a complex concurrent design project. The model explicitly represents local component decisions, as well as component interactions in determining system performance. The model shows, first, how a rugged performance landscape arises from simple components with single-peaked performance functions, if the components are interdependent. Second, we characterize the dynamic behavior of the system analytically and with simulations. We show under which circumstances it exhibits performance oscillations or divergence to design solutions with low performance. Third, we derive classes of managerial actions available to improve performance dynamics, such as limiting the “effective” system size of fully interdependent components, modularity, and cooperation among designers. We also show how “satisficing”, or a willingness to forego the last few percent of optimization at the component level, may yield a disproportionally large improvement in the design completion time.
Clinical Significance of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes

INTRODUCTION . 223 GENOMIC ORGANIZATION OF HCV.223 GENOMIC HETEROGENEITY AND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS . 224 ROLE OF GENOMIC HETEROGENEITY IN HCV PERSISTENCE AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT.225 METHODS FOR HCV GENOTYPING.226 Molecular Genotyping . 226 Serologic Genotyping.226 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF HCV GENOTYPES.227 CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF HCV GENOTYPES.228 Genotypes and HCV Genetic Heterogeneity as Epidemiologic Markers . 228 HCV Diagnostic Assays.229 Outcome of Acute HCV Infection . 229 Progression of Liver Disease.230 Response to Interferon Therapy . 231 CONCLUSIONS . 231 REFERENCES . 231
Phylogenetic inferences in Prunus (Rosaceae) using chloroplast ndhF and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences

Sequences of the chloroplast ndhF gene and the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions are employed to reconstruct the phylogeny of Prunus (Rosaceae), and evaluate the classification schemes of this genus. The two data sets are congruent in that the genera Prunus s.l. and Maddenia form a monophyletic group, with Maddenia nested within Prunus. However, the ndhF data set is incongruent with the ITS data supporting two major groups within Prunus: one consisting of subgenera Laurocerasus (including Pygeum) and Padus as well as the genus Maddenia and another of subgenera Amygdalus, Cerasus, and Prunus. The ITS data, on the other hand, support a clade composed of subgenera Amygdalus and Prunus and Prunus sect. Microcerasus in addition to a paraphyletic grade of subgenera Laurocerasus and Padus (and the genus Maddenia) taxa. In general, the subgeneric classifications of Prunus s.l. are not supported. The ITS and ndhF phylogenies differ mainly in interspecific relationships and the relative position of the Padus/Laurocerasus group. Both ITS and ndhF data sets suggest that the formerly recognized genus Pygeum is polyphyletic and that the distinction of the subgenera Padus and Laurocerasus is not supported. The biogeographic interactions of the temperate and tropical members in the Padus/Laurocerasus/Maddenia alliance including Pygeum are shown to be highly dynamic and complex.
Weight changes during inpatient refeeding of underweight eating disorder patients.

AIM To describe patterns of weight change in patients admitted to a specialised eating disorder program with established protocols for inpatient refeeding. METHODS Weight records between January 2000 and December 2006 were categorised using Body Mass Index (BMI) at first admission (BMI ranges < 14.0, 14.1-17.49, 17.5-18.9 kg/m(2)). Total weight gained, number of days of inpatient treatment and rate of weekly weight gain were examined. RESULTS In total there were 247 patients representing 414 admissions. The rate of weight gain was 0.77, 0.63 and 0.53 kg/week, respectively, for each BMI group. Twenty patients (8.1%) in the refeeding program did not gain weight. CONCLUSION Weight gain in underweight patients is highly variable. A greater understanding of the processes that contribute to weight gain, and establishment of best practice in achieving weight gain in patients needs to be determined. This data provide detailed information about expectations for refeeding without artificial feeding.
Positive trends in neurosurgery enrollment and attrition: analysis of the 2000-2009 female neurosurgery resident cohort.

OBJECTIVE Women compose a minority of neurosurgery residents, averaging just over 10% of matched applicants per year during this decade. A recent review by Lynch et al. raises the concern that women may be at a higher risk than men for attrition, based on analysis of a cohort matched between 1990 and 1999. This manuscript aims to characterize the trends in enrollment, attrition, and postattrition careers for women who matched in neurosurgery between 2000 and 2009. METHODS Databases from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) were analyzed for all residents who matched into neurosurgery during the years 2000-2009. Residents were sorted by female gender, matched against graduation records, and if graduation was not reported from neurosurgery residency programs, an Internet search was used to determine the residents' alternative path. The primary outcome was to determine the number of women residents who did not complete neurosurgery training programs during 2000-2009. Secondary outcomes included the total number of women who matched into neurosurgery per year, year in training in which attrition occurred, and alternative career paths that these women chose to pursue. RESULTS Women comprised 240 of 1992 (12%) matched neurosurgery residents during 2000-2009. Among female residents there was a 17% attrition rate, compared with a 5.3% male attrition rate, with an overall attrition rate of 6.7%. The majority who left the field did so within the first 3 years of neurosurgical training and stayed in medicine--pursuing anesthesia, neurology, and radiology. CONCLUSIONS Although the percentage of women entering neurosurgical residency has continued to increase, this number is still disproportionate to the overall number of women in medicine. The female attrition rate in neurosurgery in the 2000-2009 cohort is comparable to that of the other surgical specialties, but for neurosurgery, there is disparity between the male and female attrition rates. Women who left the field tended to stay within medicine and usually pursued a neuroscience-related career. Given the need for talented women to pursue neurosurgery and the increasing numbers of women matching annually, the recruitment and retention of women in neurosurgery should be benchmarked and assessed.
Comparison of a generic and a disease-specific measure of pain and physical function after knee replacement surgery.

Generic and disease-specific health status instruments are commonly used to assess patients' outcomes. The hypothesis that they measure distinct but complementary aspects of patients' quality of life was tested using a sample of patients aged 67 to 99 years who had undergone knee replacement surgery 2 to 7 years previously. Patients' scores on a generic health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) measure, the SF-36, were compared to those of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index; the WOMAC was developed specifically for patients with lower extremity arthritis, whereas the SF-36 is aimed at all conditions. A stratified sample of 1,750 Medicare beneficiaries was surveyed and an overall response rate of 80.3% achieved, resulting in 1,193 usable surveys (after adjustment for ineligible, incapacitated, and deceased individuals). The distribution of scores on the three dimensions common to both instruments (i.e., pain, physical function, and overall score) showed consistently higher scores on the WOMAC, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best), than on the SF-36, indicating less disability from arthritis than from other conditions after knee surgery in this elderly population. Statistically significant differences in the number of people with perfectly healthy scores were detected between the instruments; with regard to pain, 32.2% of the sample reported no pain due to arthritis on the WOMAC, compared with only 13.6% reporting no pain due to any conditions on the SF-36. The figures for physical function and overall score were 9.6% versus 1.4%, and 6.9% versus 0.2%, respectively. Examination for discriminant validity showed that the scores on the two scales followed hypothesized patterns: the WOMAC discriminated better among subjects with varying severity of knee problems, whereas the SF-36 discriminated better among subjects with varying levels of self-reported health status and comorbidity. The results of this study support the inclusion of both a generic and a disease-specific HRQOL measure to assess patient outcomes fully.