Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress in Dental Specialists: A Comparison of Six Clinical Dental Specialties

Objective To describe and compare the levels of stress reported by dental practitioners working within clinical dental specialties. Method Questionnaire survey of 220 dental practitioners identified from the General Dental Council lists of specialist practitioners in the following clinical specialties: orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, restorative dentistry, endo-dontics, periodontology, prosthetic dentistry. Findings The clinical specialties did not differ in their reported levels of stress. Practitioners working in the field of paediatric dentistry reported the highest median levels of reported stress for three of the four scales, though this trend was not significant. Conclusions The practitioners surveyed from six clinical specialties did not experience significantly different sources of stress.
Business Cycles, Product Differentiation, and the Postponement / Speculation Distinction

This article investigates how cyclical changes in demand influence the relationship between product differentiation and profitability in producer goods industries. It distinguishes between ＂postponement＂ industries where goods are made to order and ＂speculation＂ industries where goods are made for stock, and examines differences in the product differentiation-profitability relationship for different types of industries over the business cycle. The findings suggest that sellers resort to price shading during a business slump in postponement industries but not in speculation industries. In postponement industries, the positive relationship between product differentiation expenditures and profitability in peak years disappears in trough years. In speculation industries that sell through merchant wholesalers, manufacturers appear to provide additional services to wholesalers in trough years.
The Ethical Beliefs and Attitudes of Registered Valuers in New Zealand

Abstract This study examines the ethical and moral beliefs held by registered valuers in New Zealand. A self-administered survey questionnaire was utilised to measure the five constructs concerned with Deceit, Fraud, Coercion, Self-interest and Influence Dealing. Significant differences between respondent’s beliefs and attitudes were measured based upon variances in age, valuation experience, education and type of employment. Respondents who indicated they held Public Liability Insurance were more tolerant of unethical behaviour than those without such insurance. Additionally, respondents who had taken a professional ethics course were more tolerant of fraudulent behaviour, suggesting that professional ethics courses are not achieving their desired result.
Autologous dendritic cell vaccines for non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE Therapeutic outcomes of definitively treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are unacceptably poor. A wealth of preclinical information, and a modest amount of clinical information indicate that dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have therapeutic potential. Only a handful of NSCLC patients have been included in DC clinical trials. We delivered autologous DC vaccines to 16 individuals with stage IA to IIIB NSCLC treated with surgery, chemoradiation, or multimodality therapy. The objectives of the study were to evaluate tolerability and measure immunologic responses to DC vaccines in a heterogeneous group of NSCLC patients. METHODS DC vaccines were generated from CD14+ precursors, pulsed with apoptotic bodies of an allogeneic NSCLC cell line that overexpressed Her2/neu, CEA, WT1, Mage2, and survivin. DCs were partially matured with a factor that induced surface molecule expression but minimal cytokine production. Individuals were immunized intradermally two times, 1 month apart. Peripheral blood was drawn serially over 16 weeks, and immune responses were measured by interferon-gamma ELISPOT. RESULTS There were no unanticipated or serious adverse events. Immunologic responses followed three distinct patterns of reactivity: (1) five of 16 patients showed no clear immunologic response, (2) five of 16 patients showed a tumor-antigen independent response, and (3) six of 16 show an antigen specific response. Immunologic responses were independent of stage and prior therapy. Favorable and unfavorable clinical outcomes were independent of measured immunologic responses. CONCLUSION Vaccines were well tolerated and had biologic activity in a variety of NSCLC patients. Establishing an optimal approach will require comparative studies in well-defined NSCLC patient groups.
Effects Of Candesartan Cilexetil Drug And Allium Sativum On Certain Enzymes And Biochemical Parameters In Hyperlipidemic Mice

The present study was performed to investigate the possible correlation between the effects of candesartan cilexetil (3 mg/kg b.w.) and garlic; allium sativum (100 mg/kg b.w.) alone and in combination on high cholesterol diet (HCD) male mice . Candesartan cilexetil alone and their combination with garlic were given orally to animals fed on hypercholesterolemic diet by gavage for 12 weeks . Results of this investigation showed that animals under high cholesterol diet exhibited some sort of changes in the blood, plasma and tissue levels of leukocytes,cholesterol, triglyceride and enzymes where they increased significantly while some decrease exhibited in heart weight, LDH-cholesterol and testosterone hormone compared with that of the normal diet animals. Candesartan cilexetil garlic or their combination significantly decreased the plasma and tissue levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) , while they increased significantly the levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C). On the contrary, candesartan and candesartan in combination with garlic decrease WBCs, neutrophils and platelets significantly in compared with that of the (HCD) animals. This study included the total body and heart weights. Heart weight increased significantly in candesartan, garlic and their combination treated group. On the other hand, there were significantly decreases in body weight in candesartan, garlic and their combination compared with that of the high cholesterol diet treated animals. The effect of candesartan, garlic and their combination upon serum and liver levels of ALP, AST, ALT and ChE enzymes were investigated. Serum and liver ALP, AST, ALT and ChE were increased significantly in candesartan treated group but they decreased markedly in garlic and its combination with candesartan in serum and liver respectively compared with that of the high cholesterol diet animals. Candesartan decreased plasma level of testosterone while garlic and its combination with candesartan increased the testosterone hormone significantly compared with that of the high cholesterol diet animals. In conclusion, animals given garlic have improved physiological functions and induced significant causes of antiatherosclerosis effect. Also, these observations show that garlic is efficacious in lowering blood lipid profils and thereby could maintain protection with hypertensive drugs.
The Dark Side of Alternative Asset Markets: Networks, Performance and Risk Taking

When actors invest in making strong network ties (relationships) with other actors, such ties can potentially influence behavior and subsequent financial performance, but the strength and direction of these effects is debated. Using original fine-grained data that documents the nature and extent of the relationships between Hedge Funds through their Prime Brokers (banks that provide leverage, issue credit lines and serve as bridges between Hedge Funds) we probe the social topology of Hedge Fund to Hedge Fund relationships that shapes this global alternative asset market. Contrasting much recent research that tends to stress the positive effects of network relationships, we find that investing in network relationships in this industry appears to have a "dark side" in terms of both performance and risk taking; where we probe various measures of both performance and risk in line with recent finance literature. We explore the reasons for these effects, and conclude that investing in Hedge Fund to Hedge Fund network ties can lead to inferior performance and increased risks that may not benefit the investor.
UPGRADING IN LOCAL LINKAGES: EXAMINING FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES VALUE CHAIN FROM SMALLHOLDERS TO TOURIST HOTELS IN ZANZIBAR

This study aimed at examining smallholders upgrading in local linkages using evidence from fresh fruits and vegetables value chain from small farmers to tourist hotels in Zanzibar. The study employed a case study strategy of inquiry where, in-depth interviews with the hotel managers, intermediaries and small farmers were engaged in data collection which was later subjected to qualitative analysis and interpretation. The findings show that formal contracts coupled with captive linkages between tourist hotels and small farmers provide greater upgrading opportunities for smallholders. Market and other linkages characterised by informal contracts do not offer any potential for smallholders upgrading as they tend to reduce rewards and increase risks for small farmers with negative ramifications. The strategies and recommendations to strengthen the capabilities of local farmers to access this value chain and link-up with tourist hotels have been provided for further action.
Factors influencing external audit fees in Malta

The main objective of this study is to investigate factors influencing the external audit fees in Malta. This includes assessing whether client size, complexity and risk, also known as the ―traditional‖ determinants, are applicable in the case of Malta, as well as testing the issue of premium pricing amongst the Big 4 audit firms. Of particular interest is the determination of specific factors relevant to such a market. A GLM regression model is used to examine the effect of the independent factors on the amount of audit fees for a sample of audit engagements performed in the Maltese audit market. The model is further complemented by a series of semi-structured interviews with audit partners from various audit firms of different sizes. Results indicate that the amount of external fees is significantly influenced by audit client size, complexity, risk, ownership control and corporate status. Additionally a fee premium has been found to accrue to the Big 4 audit firms.  This paper is an updated version of an earlier paper by the three authors, presented by Peter J. Baldacchino at the 36th Annual Congress of the European Accounting Association held at Dauphine University, Paris, between 6th and 8th May, 2013.  Peter J Baldacchino is Head of the Department of Accountancy at the University of Malta and a member of the Maltese Accountancy Board.  Miriam Attard is Assistant Manager at KPMG Malta and Visiting Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Reporting, Department of Accountancy at the University of Malta  Frank Cassar is Assurance Manager at EY Malta and a Visiting Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Reporting, Department of Accountancy at the University of Malta.
Estimation of Willingness to Pay for Improvements in Drinking Water Quality in Lahore: A Case Study of WASA, Lahore

This study examines the existing water quality of Lahore and measures domestic household’s willingness to pay for improvement in water quality services. To this end, a Tobit model is estimated by conducting a contingent valuation survey about household perceptions in six towns of Lahore.The results show that the factors affecting household’s willingness to pay are coping costs that a household pay for ensuring quality of water also the education level of head of family is an important factor in determining the willingness to pay for improved water services. It is recommended that by ensuring the supply and quality to the household additional revenue of 4.22 million rupees could be earned by the authority.
Coach Autonomy Support, Basic Need Satisfaction, and Intrinsic Motivation of Paralympic Athletes

The purpose of the present study, grounded in self-determination theory, was to explore the relationship between Paralympic athletes' perceptions of autonomy-supportive coach behavior, basic psychological needs, and intrinsic motivation to know, accomplish, and experience stimulation. One hundred thirteen Canadian Paralympic athletes completed an online survey, consisting of measures of coach autonomy support; of perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness; and of intrinsic motivation. Perceived coach autonomy support was a predictor of athletes' perceptions of autonomy and relatedness. Perceived competence was a significant predictor of all three forms of intrinsic motivation, while perceived autonomy was a significant predictor of intrinsic motivation to accomplish and experience stimulation. The results highlight the important relationship between coach behavior and athlete motivation in disability sport.
How does visual impairment affect performance on tasks of everyday life? The SEE Project

Objective To determine the association between performance on selected tasks of everyday life and impairment in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Methods Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were obtained on a population-based sample of 2520 older African American and white subjects. Performance was assessed on mobility, daily activities with a strong visual component, and visually intensive tasks. Disability was defined as performance less than 1 SD below the mean. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of thresholds in acuity and contrast loss for determining disability. Results Both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity loss were associated with decrements in function. The relationship of function to the vision measures was mostly linear, therefore, receiver operating characteristic curves were not helpful in identifying cutoff points for predicting disabilities. For mobility tasks, most persons were not disabled until they had significant acuity loss (logMAR visual acuity >1.0 or Conclusions Both contrast sensitivity and visual acuity loss contribute independently to deficits in performance on everyday tasks. Defining disability as deficits in performance relative to a population, it is possible to identify visual acuity and contrast loss where most are disabled. However, the cutoff points depend on the task, suggesting that defining disability using a single threshold for visual acuity or contrast sensitivity loss is arbitrary.
Using MOEA with Redistribution and Consensus Branches to Infer Phylogenies

In recent years, to infer phylogenies, which are NP-hard problems, more and more research has focused on using metaheuristics. Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood are two effective ways to conduct inference. Based on these methods, which can also be considered as the optimal criteria for phylogenies, various kinds of multi-objective metaheuristics have been used to reconstruct phylogenies. However, combining these two time-consuming methods results in those multi-objective metaheuristics being slower than a single objective. Therefore, we propose a novel, multi-objective optimization algorithm, MOEA-RC, to accelerate the processes of rebuilding phylogenies using structural information of elites in current populations. We compare MOEA-RC with two representative multi-objective algorithms, MOEA/D and NAGA-II, and a non-consensus version of MOEA-RC on three real-world datasets. The result is, within a given number of iterations, MOEA-RC achieves better solutions than the other algorithms.
The effect of amrinone on recovery from severe bupivacaine intoxication in pigs.

Cardiovascular collapse following intravascular bupivacaine may be resistant to treatment. The effect of amrinone on recovery from bupivacaine-induced severe cardiovascular depression was evaluated in 20 pigs (13-26 kg) in a placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study. Under 0.7% isoflurane anesthesia at FIO2 0.21, 0.5% bupivacaine 2 mg.kg-1.min-1 was infused until mean arterial pressure was 40% of the baseline. Cardiac output and heart rate decreased 75% and 50% from the baseline, respectively. The total dose of bupivacaine was 17 +/- 6 (SD) mg.kg-1 in the control and 19 +/- 5 mg.kg-1 in the amrinone group, resulting in mean plasma concentrations of 42 +/- 6 and 53 +/- 19 micrograms.ml-1, respectively. A bolus of amrinone 4 mg.kg-1 (n = 10) was given immediately after cardiovascular depression, followed by an infusion of 0.6 mg.kg-1.min-1. The control animals received corresponding volumes of physiologic saline (n = 10). After cardiovascular depression, the lungs were ventilated with FIO2 1.0 without anaesthetics or sympathomimetic support. Electric activity of the heart ceased in all control animals in 3.9 +/- 2 min after cardiovascular depression despite atropine and external cardiac compression. All animals in the control group and 5 of 10 animals in the amrinone group were given atropine (P less than 0.01). The animals receiving amrinone survived without cardiac compression (P less than 0.0001). During bupivacaine infusion, all animals developed burst suppression in the electroencephalogram. At the time of cardiovascular depression, in 8 of 10 control and in 6 of 10 amrinone animals, the electroencephalogram was isoelectric. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An empirical examination of the determinants of audit report delay in Libya

Financial statements communicate crucial information about the financial health of a company. Financial statements must be made available to stakeholders in time so that they can use the information to make important decisions. However, the timely release of a financial report can be impeded by a range of factors. This study is concerned with audit delay or the delay caused in financial reporting due to the time taken by auditors to review and approve financial statements submitted by companies in Libya.
Stakeholders, Reciprocity, and Firm Performance

The assumption that economic actors behave in a boundedly self-interested manner promises fruitful new insights for strategic management. A growing literature spanning multiple disciplines indicates most actors' selfish utility maximizing behaviors are bounded by norms of fairness. Rather than being purely self-interested, people behave reciprocally by rewarding others whose actions they deem fair and willingly incurring costs to punish those they deem unfair. Economists show that employers who are perceived as distributionally fair by their employees generate comparatively more value due to the positively reciprocal behavior of those employees. The organizational justice literature distinguishes two additional types of fairness assessed by employees. Drawing from both these bodies of work, we employ stakeholder theory to propose how perceptions of fairness result in reciprocity (1) extending to all stakeholders of the firm and (2) affecting firm performance.
Corporate culture and the employment of persons with disabilities.

This article addresses key questions arising from the economic and social disparities that individuals with disabilities experience in the United States. For instance, "What role does corporate culture play in the employment of people with disabilities? " "How does it facilitate or hinder their employment and promotional opportunities, and how can corporations develop supportive cultures that benefit people with disabilities, non-disabled employees, and the organization as a whole? " Corporate culture can create attitudinal, behavioral, and physical barriers for workers and job applicants with disabilities. This research concludes that if the employment prospects of people with disabilities are to be improved significantly, attention must be paid to the ways in which corporate culture creates or reinforces obstacles to employees with disabilities, and how these obstacles can be removed or overcome. Ultimately, we will make the case that corporate culture and societal attitudes must change if people with disabilities are to be accepted and incorporated fully into the workplace.
Hershey's Entry to the Australian Market with a New Brand: An Accounting and Marketing Perspective

This paper discusses the entry of Hershey’s Chocolates Company tothe Australian market with a new brand. For this purpose, background information and key performance indicators about the firm are presented. Also target customers and market summary, market demographics and target customer profile of the firm are mentioned in the context of situational analysis. Then,Hershey’s entry to the Australian market with a new product is proposed by providing and commenting on SWOT analysis, competition environment, accounting-finance indicators, marketing strategy and marketing mix (4P) factors. Thus, a deeper focus on the organization is realized and shared. As aresult, firm’s entry to the Australian market is discussed with a new product by suggesting recent and altered target customer base, customer profile,marketing strategy and marketing mix. Our study evaluates the potential disadvantages and advantages in detail and argues that there is a need for Hershey’s to enter the Australian market with a new product. In general, this article discusses and defends the entry of Hershey’s to Australian market witha new product by logical reasoning and draws a strategic roadmad to reach this goal.
Patient and Technique Survival for Blind and Sighted Diabetics on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis: A Ten-Year Analysis

A retrospective analysis of patient and technique survival over 10 years in a group of 66 diabetics (40 being blind) and 71 nondiabetics was undertaken. Patient survival profiles showed that the blind diabetics lived longer than the sighted, but for a shorter time than the nondiabetics. In technique success, the sighted diabetics outdid the blind and the nondiabetics, long term. Short term, the blind performed better than sighted diabetics. The key to success and longer survival on CAPD depended on motivation on the part of the patient, patient's acceptance of given disability, family (social) support, and willingness on the part of renal care personnel to train the disabled diabetic to perform CAPD. With adequate education and support, blind diabetics did CAPD as well as sighted patients. There was no increased frequency of peritonitis in blind diabetics compared to sighted diabetics. Both blind diabetics and nondiabetics had fewer episodes than sighted diabetics. Intraperitoneal route of insulin administration achieved good glycemic control in diabetic population. Refractory congestive cardiac failure and/or fatal arrhythmias was the most common cardiac cause of death in diabetics on CAPD.
EFL Learners' Beliefs about Speaking English and Being a Good Speaker: A Metaphor Analysis

This study aimed to investigate the beliefs of English as foreign language (EFL) learners about speaking in English and being a good speaker of English through metaphor analysis. A phenomenological approach was adopted and 60 EFL learners completed a questionnaire with demographic questions and two prompts focusing on the characteristics of a good English speaker (i.e., “Speaking English is like. because.” and “A good speaker of English is like. because.”). For the first prompt about speaking English, 46 valid metaphors were determined, which were categorized under five conceptual themes. For the second prompts about being a good speaker of English, 27 valid metaphors were given, with six conceptual categories identified. Findings showed that learners mostly perceived speaking as a skill requiring much effort and also giving pleasure. They described a good speaker of English as someone who is fluent at speaking, universal, disarming, wise, privileged and hardworking. The conceptual categories were also described with the speaking achievement and these categories were found to be connected to the degree of achievement. The findings gave insight into a better understanding of the speaking skill and what makes a good speaker of English for language educators.