Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of operational quality: a supply chain view

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine the impact of operational quality management practices within the supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis is used to identify relationships between a firm's internal and external (customer and supplier focused) operational quality practices and measures of product quality and customer service.Findings – Not only do both internally and externally focused quality management practices impact performance, but externally focused efforts have a greater impact on performance and are perceived by managers to be of greater importance.Research limitations/implications – The study does not suggest how specifically quality management practices impact performance, how the efforts of individual supply chain members contribute to overall success, or how performance gains should be shared by the various chain members.Practical implications – The study provides managers with guidance on how to leverage relationships with suppliers and customers to improve product.
Improved method of phosphopeptides enrichment using biphasic phosphate‐binding tag/C18 tip for versatile analysis of phosphorylation dynamics

A number of factors including low stoichiometry of phosphorylation, ion suppression, and reduced peptide backbone fragmentation interfere with precise identification of proteins in phosphoproteomic analysis by MS. Therefore, enrichment of phosphopeptides is an important process for subsequent mass spectrometric analysis. Here, we have developed a simple and efficient method for phosphopeptides enrichment, which employs a biphasic phosphate‐binding tag (Phos‐tag)/C18 tip consisting of overlaid Phos‐tag on the C18 resin in a pipet tip. The improvement in selectivity for phosphopeptides was achieved by using a 40% ACN solution under the phosphopeptides binding conditions. We also assessed the adequacy of Phos‐tag/C18 tip for quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis using the iTRAQ technology. After protein digestion and subsequent iTRAQ labeling, interfering substances including excess iTRAQ reagent were directly removed by Phos‐tag/C18 tip in a single step. Applying this method, phosphoproteomic analysis of HeLa cells stimulated with tumor necrosis factor ‐α was rapidly and successfully achieved.
Domestic country bias, country-of-origin effects, and consumer ethnocentrism: A multidimensional unfolding approach

This study uses a multidimensional unfolding approach to examine the preference patterns of U.K. consumers for domestic products and those originating from specific foreign countries for eight product categories. Results indicate that the observed variability in preferences is linked to consumer ethnocentrism. However, the latter's capability in explaining consumer bias in favor of domestic products is dependent both on the specific country of origin and the particular product category. Implications of the findings are considered and future research directions identified.
Lamina-specific Suppression of Dorsal-horn Unit Activity by Ketamine Hydrochloride

The effects of ketamine hydrochloride on single-unit activities of various dorsal-horn Rexed laminae were studied with an extracellular microelectrode recording technique in decerebrate spinal cats. Ketamine hydrochloride, 2.5 mg/kg, iv, suppressed spontaneous single-unit activities of laminae 1 and 5 by 23 and by 43 per cent, respectively, while spontaneous activity of lamina 4 and that of lamina 6 were not significantly affected. This dose suppressed evoked unit activities of laminae 1 and 5 by 44 and by 64 per cent, respectively. As laminae 1 and 5 are known to respond principally to noxious stimali, a partial explanation for the analgesic effect of ketamine may be lamina-specific suppression of neuronal activity.
In vivo morphology of the limbal palisades of vogt correlates with progressive stem cell deficiency in aniridia-related keratopathy.

PURPOSE To investigate morphologic alterations in the limbal palisades of Vogt in a progressive form of limbal stem cell deficiency. METHODS Twenty Norwegian subjects (40 eyes) with congenital aniridia and 9 healthy family members (18 eyes) without aniridia were examined. Clinical grade of aniridia-related keratopathy (ARK) was assessed by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and tear production and quality, corneal thickness, and sensitivity were additionally measured. The superior and inferior limbal palisades of Vogt and central cornea were examined by laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). RESULTS In an aniridia patient with grade 0 ARK, a transparent cornea and normal limbal palisade morphology were found. In grade 1 ARK, 5 of 12 eyes had degraded palisade structures. In the remaining grade 1 eyes and in all 20 eyes with stage 2, 3, and 4 ARK, palisade structures were absent by IVCM. Increasing ARK grade significantly correlated with reduced visual acuity and corneal sensitivity, increased corneal thickness, degree of degradation of superior and inferior palisade structures, reduced peripheral nerves, increased inflammatory cell invasion, and reduced density of basal epithelial cells and central subbasal nerves. Moreover, limbal basal epithelial cell density and central corneal subbasal nerve density were both significantly reduced in aniridia compared to healthy corneas (P = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Progression of limbal stem cell deficiency in aniridia correlates with degradation of palisade structures, gradual transformation of epithelial phenotype, onset of inflammation, and a corneal nerve deficit. IVCM can be useful in monitoring early- to late-stage degenerative changes in stem cell-deficient patients.
Determinants of Social Contagion during New Product Adoption

Social contagion has been shown to play an important role during new product adoption by consumers. Social contagion is the process by which consumers influence each other to adopt and use a product in a specific way. Current literature makes a basic assumption that social contagion is caused by the characteristics of consumers, who they interact with or who they live near to, and thus are most likely to come into contact with. However, the role that the product has in stimulating social contagion is conspicuously absent in this research. The current study focuses on identifying determinants of social contagion and investigates their indirect effect on the market demand for a new product. Determinants are drawn from both product attributes and consumer characteristics. Based on a three-part theory of social contagion, the authors propose variables that influence the fecundity, fidelity, and longevity of a product. Fecundity is the extent to which many consumers make copies of the behavior related to the adoption or use of that product. Sometimes, they will have to buy the product beforehand (like mobile telephony), and sometimes they will not (like Internet banking, assuming they already have a bank account and an Internet connection). The fidelity of a product is the extent to which consumers make accurate copies of the product-related behavior, in other words how the product supports the users in easily carrying out the behavior. The longevity of the product is the extent to which consumers keep on expressing the behavior over a long period of time. The main contributions of this study are that the relative importance of these determinants of social contagion are investigated empirically, and that the predictive power of this approach for estimating market demand is examined. Data are analyzed from 124 product-segment combinations of information and communication technology products from the telecom and financial sectors. These are mass-market products that have passed their initial growth phase. Using partial least squares path modeling, the main determinants of social contagion are identified, and the positive, significant relationship between social contagion and market demand is confirmed. Specifically, a main finding is that consumer characteristics have only a weak effect on the probability that social contagion occurs, while the main success factors are those product attributes that stimulate the creation of new copies of the product-related behavior; that is, product fecundity. This study offers product developers a new approach to assess the market potential for innovations, and the results provide recommendations for improving their products to increase the market potential. The authors note with respect to the practical applicability of their method that it does not require a working prototype, a market pilot, or other costly steps. It can be carried out with simply a description of the product, which means that it can be applied very early in the product development process.
Subversion of Host Recognition and Defense Systems by Francisella spp

SUMMARY Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of the disease tularemia. Inhalation of as few as 10 bacteria is sufficient to cause severe disease, making F. tularensis one of the most highly virulent bacterial pathogens. The initial stage of infection is characterized by the “silent” replication of bacteria in the absence of a significant inflammatory response. Francisella achieves this difficult task using several strategies: (i) strong integrity of the bacterial surface to resist host killing mechanisms and the release of inflammatory bacterial components (pathogen-associated molecular patterns [PAMPs]), (ii) modification of PAMPs to prevent activation of inflammatory pathways, and (iii) active modulation of the host response by escaping the phagosome and directly suppressing inflammatory pathways. We review the specific mechanisms by which Francisella achieves these goals to subvert host defenses and promote pathogenesis, highlighting as-yet-unanswered questions and important areas for future study.
The psychometric properties of a talent mindset index

The so called „war for talent‟ has caught the attention of many organisations as they attempt to gain and maintain a competitive advantage in the new landscape where the „rules of the game‟ seem to constantly be changing. Many organisations acknowledge the fact that talent is their most important asset but questionably in some cases, there is no real drive for talent and this brings to fore the question of why? It has been argued that in order to truly enable the management of talent to drive the success of an organisation, it will need to embody a talent mindset. This study investigates the psychometric properties of a talent mindset index within a South African aviation organisation. If talent mindset is truly a key determinant of an organisation‟s capability to optimise talent for business performance, a valid and reliable instrument will be required to establish the degree that an organisation‟s mindset is in favour of talent, if to any. The index was administered to 150 employees and an exploratory factor analysis as well as an analysis of the reliability of the instrument was conducted. The findings indicated that only one factor exists, namely the construct of talent mindset itself. The extracted items for this construct are reliable. It is recommended that either more items are developed to identify constructs or alternatively that the theory of mental models and mindsets are revisited to identify a better measure of a talent mindset, which originates from mental models and naturally evolve into attitudes. The implication for managers is that talent mindset is an essential element to drive business success as depicted through literature review but that the different elements (if any) of this mindset have not been identified in order to define intervention areas.
Unpacking client capture: evidence from corporate law firms

The literature on the professions long recognized that clients can exert considerable influence over their advising professionals, with the risk that the advice they are given may not be in their best interests. In a qualitative study of 106 Canadian corporate lawyers working in large law practices we find that the traditional formulation of this problem, in terms of a client ‘capturing’ a professional, fails to address the complexities of situations in which the client is a corporation and the professional is a partner within a large professional service firm. We induce a model of client capture from our data that unpacks the concept and shows that the professional may fall under a range of influences, not all of which come from the client directly; and distinguishes between four distinct forms of capture which, in effect, trace the pathways through which the power of the client is exercised. We illustrate the nature of the resulting influences on professionals using material from the interviews, and consider the implications of our findings.
Salesperson Influence on Product Development: Insights from a Study of Small Manufacturing Organizations

This research addresses three questions: (1) How do salespeople get their desired product modifications implemented within organizations? (2) What effect does salesperson trustworthiness have on the means they adopt to get product modifications implemented? and (3) What are the performance outcomes of the modified products? The results from a survey of 149 product managers in small manufacturing organizations suggest that two influence strategies—rationality and exchange—have a positive impact and that two influence strategies—coalition building and upward appeal—have an inverse impact on product modification implementation. The results also show that salesperson trustworthiness enhances the positive effects of rationality and exchange while mitigating the inverse effects of coalition building and upward appeal. Finally, the results show that product modification implementation has a positive effect on the product's performance in the marketplace. Collectively, the results suggest that salespeople should adopt the rationality and exchange strategies to get their desired product modifications implemented while also developing a reputation for trustworthiness and that it pays for organizations to listen to their salespeople.
When the mirror gets misted up: Modularity and technological change

This study investigates how component technological change affects the relationship between product modularity and organizational modularity (the across-firm mirroring hypothesis). Studying the air conditioning industry, we show that the across-firm mirroring hypothesis does not hold for technologically dynamic components and the associated supply relationships. In this case, the mirror gets �misted up� with buyers and suppliers having recourse to information sharing even in the presence of highly modular components. Our study contributes to the debate on the organizational implications of modularity and its ramifications for the theory of the firm.
Human Cystic Echinococcosis in Different Geographical Zones of Iran: An Observational Study during 1995–2014

Background: Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease in Iran. This study aimed to show the trend of the confirmed disease from 1995 to 2014 and to describe some of epidemiological aspects of the disease in Iran. Methods: This retrospective study has been designed based on data collected from 8518 cases of CE among various geographical locations of Iran. Results: The average annual number of human cases of CE was 274.8. Among 31 provinces of Iran, Razavi Khorasan from northeast part of Iran was the highest human CE infected province with the 1801 cases and Hormozgan Province in south part of the country showed the lowest the disease with the only one case of CE in 2009. Liver and lungs with the infection rate of 61% and 20%, respectively are the most infected organs, 53% of patients had one cyst in the bodies and the number of cysts in 8% of cases was more than 3 cysts. Altogether, 41% of CE cases were treated by surgery, 11% with chemotherapy and 48 % with mixed surgery and chemotherapy. Conclusion: Human CE is a major health problem in Iran and it is necessary to establish basic control programs. It is crucial to setting up standard diagnostic methods for early diagnosis, effective treatment, plan educational schedule for different social levels and control the disease in both definitive and intermediate hosts.
Indexing product quality: Issues, theory, and results.

Jn "The Concept of Quality and the Efficiency of Markets for Consumer Products," Hjorth-Andersen (1984) strongly condemns the use of overall productquality rankings, such as those published by Consumer Reports, as a basis for scientific research. His primary criticism is that creating an index of quality as a weighted average of subscores is usually misleading. He claims that this averaging process is unjustified except for brands that occupy approximately the same rank position on each attribute. This article reviews Hjorth-Andersen's arguments and identifies several important related questions on the use of published quality ratings in academic research. Statistical theory is developed to demonstrate that Hjorth-Andersen's conclusions are limited, and to examine the precise conditions under which his conclusions hold. Empirical evidence is presented that reveals the statistical frequency in real markets of the logical conditions deduced using our theory. Our conclusions differ significantly from those drawn by HjorthAndersen. A debate about the efficacy of quality indices is relevant not only to academic research but also to consumer welfare and strategic marketing planning. Consumer welfare and choice is affected by published quality ratings (Archibald, Haulman, and Moody 1983; Beales et al. 1981; Thorelli and Thorelli 1977). Commercial importance is evident from the widespread distribution of magazines like Consumer Reports. The consumer testing movement, started in 1927 by Chase and Schlink, has spread to agencies in more than 50 nations. These agencies are members of the International Organization of Consumers Unions (IOCU), and the combined circulation of their magazines is in the millions. Published quality ratings also influence academic research: our literature review' identified more than 30 studies that use objective quality ratings as data from which to draw inferences about price versus quality tradeoffs, advertising versus quality interactions, price versus quality changes over product life cycles, brand switching, market efficiency, and rational consumer judgments. Since this review concentrated on the marketing and economics literature, it is likely that the role of published quality ratings in academic research has been underestimated. In any case, academic researchers can and should assist product testing agencies in understanding sources of potential error in their quality scales. Strategic research, such as that conducted by the Strategic Planning Institute at Harvard University, has focused management attention on the influence of product quality on market performance measures like market share and rate-of-return on investment. For example, Phillips, Chang, and Buzzell (1983) indicate that product quality influences a firm's market share directly and its rate-of-return on investment indirectly through market share (see also Day 1986; Farris and Reibstein 1979; Urban et al. 1984). It is important that future research define coherently and measure accurately the construct of quality.
Lingual Foramina and Canals of the Mandible: Anatomic Variations in a Lebanese Population

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mandibular lingual foramina (LF) and canals and their anatomic variations using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology in a Lebanese population. Materials and Methods: In this study, we analyzed CBCT images of 90 adult Lebanese patients (41 males and 49 females). We assessed the number and location of the LF. In additional, we measured: (a) The distance from both the alveolar crest and the inferior border of the mandible to the LF and (b) the length of the lingual canals (LCs). The data obtained was analyzed statistically using Shapiro–Wilk normality test, t-test, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: In our sample, the LF and canals were present in 93.33% of the CBCT analyzed, and the majority (76.64%) was located above the genial tubercles. The distance from the foramen of the superior and the inferior LCs to the alveolar crest was 16.24 ± 2.82 mm and 25.49 ± 2.43 mm, respectively. The distance from the foramen of the superior canal to the inferior border of the mandible was 14 ± 2.32 mm. The mean length of the superior canal was 5.81 ± 1.6 mm and 4.25 ± 1.2 mm for the inferior one. There were no gender-related differences in the anatomic characteristics of the LF and canals except for the distance measured from the superior canal foramina to the alveolar crest where the measurement was significantly greater in males compared to females. Neither the number of canals nor the positions of the foramina were different between males and females. Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, we concluded that in our sample of Lebanese adults, there was substantial variability in the LF and canals anatomy and location.
The prevalence and age of onset of psychiatric disorders in Australian men

Objective: Given the burden of common psychiatric disorders and their consequent service and planning requirements, it is important to have a thorough knowledge of their distribution and characteristics in the population. Thus, we aimed to report the prevalence and age of onset of mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders in an age-stratified representative sample of Australian men. Method: Psychiatric disorders (mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders) were diagnosed utilising a structured clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition, Non-Patient Edition) for 961 men aged 24–98 years enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. The lifetime and current prevalence of these disorders was determined from the study population and standardised to 2006 census data for Australia. Results: Approximately one in three men (28.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [26.8%, 30.8%]) reported a lifetime history of any psychiatric disorder, with mood disorders (18.2%, 95% CI = [15.2%, 21.2%]) being more prevalent than anxiety (7.2%, 95% CI = [5.0%, 9.4%]) and substance-use disorders (12.9%, 95% CI = [9.7%, 16.0%]). Approximately 8.7% (95% CI = [7.5%, 10.0%]) were identified as having a current disorder, with 3.8% (95% interquartile range [IQR] = [2.2%, 5.4%]), 2.4% (95% CI = [1.1%, 3.8%]) and 3.4% (95% CI = [1.8%, 4.9%]) meeting criteria for current mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders, respectively. The median age of onset for mood disorders was 37.5 years (IQR = 27.0–48.0 years), 25.0 years (IQR = 20.0–40.3 years) for anxiety and 22.0 years (IQR = 18.0–34.3 years) for substance-use disorders. Conclusion: This study reports the lifetime and current prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the Australian male population. These findings emphasise the extent of the burden of these disorders in the community.