Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The economic worth of cloud computing adoption: A financial analysis

vi Chapter 1: Introduction.1 1.1: Problem Statement.2 1.2: Cloud Computing.3 1.2.1 Private Cloud Computing.4 1.2.2 Public Cloud Computing.5 1.2.3 Community Cloud Computing.5 1.2.4 Hybrid Cloud Computing.6 1.3: Purpose of the Study.6 1.4: Contribution.7 1.5: Dissertation Organization.8 Chapter 2: Literature Review.9 2.1: Cloud Computing Definition.9 2.2: Key Features Of Cloud Computing.11 2.3: Cloud Computing Research.12 2.4: Event Studies Research In Information Systems.19 2.5: Event Studies and Cloud Computing.22 2.6: Firm Performance.24 2.7: Firm Performance in Information Systems.25 Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis Development.30 3.1: Resource Based View.30
An Unsuccessful Partnership: Behavioral Compliance and Strengths-Based Child Welfare Practice

A strengths-based, family-centered perspective is considered a best practice in child welfare. However, many frontline workers still do not use this perspective to guide their work, or they apply it either inconsistently or incorrectly. This article discusses the emphasis on compliance in child welfare practice, including the common use of compliance as an indicator of engagement and the negative consequences of noncompliance. This focus on compliance impacts workers' ability to use strengths-based approaches in child welfare work, specifically around issues of use of power, resistance, and responsibility for engagement. The implications of this are explored and recommendations for ways to increase collaborative work are also discussed, using a case study to illustrate the points. Recommendations for future research are included.
Reciprocal changes in myosin isoform mRNAs of rabit skeletal muscle in response to the initiation and cessation of chronic electrical stimulation

Changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNAs were studied in rabbit fasttwitch muscles during continuous electrical stimulation at 10 Hz for periods up to 3 weeks, and during the first 12 days of the recovery process that followed cessation of 6 weeks' stimulation. Two cDNA probes were used to detect MHC mRNAs specific to fast‐ and slow‐twitch skeletal muscle in RNase protection assays and Northern‐ and slot‐blot analyses. The isolation and base sequence of one of these probes, corresponding to the MHC gene expressed in soleus (slow‐twitch), is described. At an early stage of the response to stimulation, fast MHC mRNA was replaced by slow MHC mRNA. During recovery, this process occurred in reverse but took longer. The time course of recovery was slightly faster in tibialis anterior than in extensor digitorum longus. The changes in mRNAs during both stimulation and recovery reflected changes in the corresponding muscle proteins.
Liquidity Management and Industry Interactions: Evidence from Debt Maturity Choices

This paper studies the debt maturity decisions of firms and provides evidence suggesting that firms in an industry manage their liquidity in an interdependent way. We find that higher industry cash flow volatility is associated with a smaller likelihood that firms have their long-term debt largely maturing at the same time as their industry peers. We provide evidence that this captures how firms time their debt maturity, as opposed to systematic differences in debt maturity structure. This effect is only important when peers’ debt level is significant, in industries with both specialized assets and greater competition, and is robust to identification based on cash flow correlations within an industry. Overall, our analysis suggests that, while choosing financial policies in an important set of industries, firms attempt to have greater liquidity in states of the world where industry peers are financially weaker. We would like to thank Murillo Campello, Harry DeAngelo, Arthur Korteweg, John Matsusaka, Kevin J. Murphy, Oguzhan Ozbas, and Gordon Phillips for helpful comments.
THE EFFECTS OF STRATEGIC SUCCESSION PLANNING ON FAMILY OWNED BUSINESSES IN KENYA

v LIST OF TABLES.ix LIST OF FIGURES.x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS . xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.1 1.1 Background to the study . 1 1.1.1 Strategic Succession Planning.2 1.1.2 Family Owned Businesses in Kenya.4 1.2 Research Problem . 5 1.3 Research Objectives . 7 1.4 Value of the Study . 8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW.9 2.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Growth and Innovation in Kenya: A Case of the Women Enterprise Fund

This policy brief outlines growth and innovation options available to the Government of Kenya with regard to womenowned enterprises. More specifically, it presents options on the efficiency and sustainability of the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), a government initiative aimed at promoting enterprise development among women. This policy brief also accompanies a report analysing expert interviews, surveys with the managers and beneficiaries of WEF, and secondary evidence. The report argues that to support women-owned enterprises, there must be a better-integrated intervention by various stakeholders.
Lymphocyte Subpopulations and Interleukin Levels in High-Risk Melanoma Patients Treated With High-Dose Interferon A-2B

Immunologic effects of high-dose interferon are still unclear. We have evaluated changes in blood lymphocyte subpopulations, immunoglobulins, and multiple interleukin in patients with high-risk cutaneous melanoma on adjuvant treatment with high-dose interferon and compared pretreatment values with normal controls. Samples were obtained before treatment, 1 month after induction treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months of maintenance treatment from 24 patients with high-risk melanoma. Lymphocyte subpopulations were measured by flow cytometry and interleukin and immunoglobulin levels by radioimmunoassay. A statistically significant reduction in B-lymphocytes (p < 0.001), natural killer (NK) cells (p = 0.0004), and monocytes (p = 0.04), and an elevation in CD4/CD8 ratio (p < 0.0001) was observed after 1 month of intravenous interferon. No changes were seen in CD3, CD4, and CD8 lymphocytes. No changes in interleukin (IL)-2, -4, or -5 were observed during 1 year of treatment. IL-2 pretreatment levels were significantly lower than healthy blood donors (p = 0.001), and IL-5 pretreatment levels were significantly higher (p = 0.0056). IL-10 levels significantly dropped after 6 months of treatment (p = 0.01). Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) remained within normal ranges. Three patients had elevated pretreatment levels of IgE. There is a time- and dose-dependent impact of interferon on numbers of circulating B lymphocytes, NK cells, monocytes, and CD4/CD8 ratio. Defects in cellular and humoral immunity are suggested by the low IL-2 and high IL-5 levels, measured in patients with melanoma as compared with healthy controls.
Expression of Dominant Negative Mutant SHPTP2 Attenuates Phosphatidylinositol 3′-Kinase Activity via Modulation of Phosphorylation of Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (*)

To clarify the role of protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) containing Src homology 2 regions (SHPTP2) in insulin signaling, either wild-type or mutant SHPTP2 (ΔPTP; lacking full PTPase domain) was expressed in Rat 1 fibroblasts overexpressing human insulin receptors. In response to insulin, phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), IRS-1-associated PTPase activities and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3′-kinase activities were slightly enhanced in wild-type cells when compared with those in the parent cells transfected with hygromycin-resistant gene alone. In contrast, introduction of ΔPTP inhibited insulin-induced association of IRS-1 with endogenous SHPTP2 and impaired both insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of IRS-1 and activation of PI 3′-kinase. Furthermore, decreased content of p85 subunit of PI 3′-kinase was also found in mutant cells. Consistently, the insulin-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activities and DNA synthesis were also enhanced in wild-type cells, but impaired in mutant cells. Thus, the interaction of SHPTP2 with IRS-1 may be associated with modulation of phosphorylation levels of IRS-1, resulting in the changes of PI 3′-kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. Furthermore, an impaired insulin signaling in mutant cells may be partly reflected in a decreased content of p85 protein of PI 3′-kinase.
Effects of Chloramphenicol on the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain in the Wild Strain and in a Cytoplasmic Chloramphenicol-Resistant Mutant of Tetrahymena pyriformis

The effects of chloramphenicol (CAP) on mitochondrial respiratory activity in the wild strain (ST) and in a cytoplasmic CAP-resistant mutant (STR1) of Tetrahymena pyriformis were studied by determining oxygen consumption, by spectrophotometry, and by cytochemistry. In the absence of CAP both strains had the same respiration capacity, and the low-temperature spectra of their isolated mitochondria were similar. Furthermore, the mitochondria of both strains showed a positive reaction with diaminobenzidine, denoting a similar cytochrome oxidase activity. However, when cells were grown in CAP for 24 or 48 h, the peaks of cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome b were almost absent in the wild type. In this type the oxygen consumption was greatly decreased, and the mitochondria were no longer stained by diaminobenzidine. In the mutant, the peaks of cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome b were decreased only; respiration was less affected than in the wild type, and cytochrome oxidase activity was still disclosed by the diaminobenzidine reaction. These results show that CAP inhibits the synthesis of two cytochromes (b and oxidase) which are partially translated into the mitochrondria of T. pyriformis. In the mutant, CAP reduces only the mitochondrial translation, resulting in reduced mitochondrial activity and reduced growth rate of the cell. These results are compared with the nucleo-mitochondrial regulation mechanisms discussed in our previous works.
Predicting small‐mammal responses to climatic warming: autecology, geographic range, and the Holocene fossil record

Forecasting how species will respond to climatic change requires knowledge of past community dynamics. Here we use time‐series data from the small‐mammal fossil records of two caves in the Great Basin of the American West to evaluate how contrasting and variable local paleoclimates have shaped small‐mammal abundance dynamics over the last ∼7500 years of climatic change. We then predict how species and communities will respond to future scenarios of increased warming and aridity coupled with continued spread of an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum). We find that most community‐level responses to climatic change occur in the mammalian abundance structure at both sites; the dominance of the community by individuals from species with a southern geographic affinity increases with climatic warming. This suggests that responses occurred in situ rather than by the immigration of new taxa over this time interval. Despite predictability at the community‐scale, species‐level relationships between abundance and climate are variable and are not necessarily explained by a species' geographic affinity. Species present at both sites, however, exhibit remarkably similar responses to climate at each site, indicating that species autecology (specifically dietary functional group) is important in determining response to climatic warming. Regression‐tree analyses show remarkable concordance between the two cave faunas and highlight the importance of a granivorous dietary strategy in this desert ecosystem. Under projections of increased temperature and decreased precipitation over the next 50 years, our results indicate that granivores should thrive as communities become more dominated by individuals with a southern geographic affinity. Granivores, however, are negatively impacted by the invasion of cheatgrass. The last century of anthropogenic impacts has thus placed granivores at a greater risk of extinction than predicted under climate‐only scenarios.
The Role of Dependence Balancing in Safeguarding Transaction-Specific Assets in Conventional Channels

The authors develop a theoretical extension to the basic transaction cost model by combining insights from dependence theory with the TCA approach. They introduce offsetting investments as a means of safeguarding the specific assets of small firms in conventional channels. The traditional TCA safeguards are insufficient here, because vertical integration is not feasible for the small firm at risk and long-term contractual protection is not present in conventional channels. Data from 199 manufacturers' agencies support the theoretical predictions. Agencies with more specific assets invested in their relationship with a principal attempted to bond themselves more closely to their accounts to safeguard those assets. Such bonding efforts resulted in a lower level of dependence on the principal because the agencies were better able to replace the principal if necessary. Also, their financial performance was improved when dependence was reduced, provided levels of specific investments were relatively high.
Hypoxia stimulates lactate disposal in rainbow trout

SUMMARY Current understanding of lactate metabolism in fish is based almost entirely on the interpretation of concentration measurements that cannot be used to infer changes in flux. The goals of this investigation were: (1) to quantify baseline lactate fluxes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) under normoxic conditions; (2) to establish how changes in rates of lactate appearance (Ra) and disposal (Rd) account for the increase in blood lactate elicited by hypoxia; and (3) to identify the tissues responsible for lactate production. Ra and Rd lactate of rainbow trout were measured in vivo by continuous infusion of [U-14C]lactate in trout exposed to 25% O2 saturation or maintained in normoxia for 90 min. In normoxic fish, Ra lactate decreased from 18.2 to 13.1 μmol kg–1 min–1 and Rd lactate from 19.0 to 12.8. Ra and Rd were always matched, thereby maintaining a steady baseline blood lactate concentration of ∼0.8 mmol l–1. By contrast, the hypoxic fish increased blood lactate to 8.9 mmol l–1 and Ra lactate from 18.4 to 36.5 μmol kg–1 min–1. This stimulation of anaerobic glycolysis was unexpectedly accompanied by a 52% increase in Rd lactate from 19.9 to 30.3 μmol kg–1 min–1. White muscle was the main producer of lactate, which accumulated to 19.2 μmol g–1 in this tissue. This first study of non-steady-state lactate kinetics in fish shows that the increase in lactate disposal elicited by hypoxia plays a strategic role in reducing the lactate load on the circulation. Without this crucial response, blood lactate accumulation would double.
Neutrophils contribute to intracerebral haemorrhages after treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator following cerebral ischaemia

Background and purpose: Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) contribute to the vascular damage caused by transient cerebral ischaemia. Here we have evaluated the role of PMNs in intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) induced in a model of thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) during the acute phase of cerebral ischaemia.
Shrimp allergy beyond Tropomyosin in Italy: clinical relevance of Arginine Kinase, Sarcoplasmic calcium binding protein and Hemocyanin.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the prevalence and clinical relevance of sensitization to shrimp allergens other than tropomyosin. OBJECTIVE We detected the prevalence of arginine kinase and sarcoplasmic calcium binding protein sensitization, and identified a high molecular weight allergen that is frequently recognized by Italian shrimp-allergic patients. METHODS Sera from 40 shrimp-allergic patients underwent the detection of IgE specific for arginine kinase (rPen m 2) and sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein (rPen m 4) by ISAC 112 Microarray platform and immunoblot analysis. A high molecular weight shrimp allergen was identified by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. RESULTS IgE to rPen m 2 and rPen m 4 were found in 4/40 (10%) and 6/40 (15%) sera, respectively; two sera reacted to both allergens. Clinically, 6/8 Pen m 2 and/or Pen m 4 reactors experienced severe allergies to shrimp. On immunoblot, 4/6 rPen m 4-positive sera showed IgE reactivity at about 20 kDa, whereas no rPen m 2-positive serum reacted at about 40 kDa. Nineteen (47%) sera showed IgE reactivity at molecular weights > 60 kDa. Such profile was not associated with IgE reactivity to rPen m 2 or rPen m 4. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the high molecular weight allergen led to the identification of hemocyanin. CONCLUSION Shrimp arginine kinase and sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein are minor allergens sensitizing only 10%-15% of Italian shrimp-allergic patients, but are clinically relevant. Hemocyanin is a clinically relevant high molecular weight shrimp allergen possibly cross-reacting to house dust mite.
Pro‐Inflammatory Cytokines TNF‐Related Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) and TNFα Induce the Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK)‐Dependent Expression of Sclerostin in Human Osteoblasts

We have recently shown that TNF‐related weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a mediator of inflammatory bone remodeling. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TWEAK in modulating human osteoblast activity, and how TWEAK and TNFα might interact in this context. Recombinant TWEAK and TNF were both mitogenic for human primary osteoblasts (NHBC). TWEAK dose‐ and time‐dependently regulated the expression of the osteoblast transcription factors RUNX2 and osterix. TWEAK inhibited in vitro mineralization and downregulated the expression of osteogenesis‐associated genes. Significantly, TWEAK and TWEAK/TNF induced the expression of the osteoblast differentiation inhibitor and SOST gene product, sclerostin. Sclerostin induction was mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) dependent. The SOST mRNA levels induced by TWEAK were equivalent to or exceeded those seen in steady‐state human bone, and the TWEAK/TNF induction of SOST mRNA was recapitulated in fresh cancellous bone explants. TWEAK‐induced sclerostin expression was observed in immature osteoblastic cells, both in cycling (Ki67+) primary NHBC and in the cell lines MC3T3‐E1 and MG‐63, as well as in human osteocyte‐like cells and in the osteocyte cell line, MLO‐Y4. Treatment of NHBC with recombinant human sclerostin mimicked the effects of TWEAK to suppress RUNX2 and osteocalcin (OCN). TWEAK, TNF, and sclerostin treatment of NHBC similarly altered levels of phosphorylated and total GSK3β and active and total levels of β‐catenin, implying that the Wnt signaling pathway was affected by all three stimuli. Sclerostin also rapidly activated ERK‐1/2 MAPK signaling, indicating the involvement of additional signaling pathways. Together, our findings suggest that TWEAK, alone and with TNF, can regulate osteoblast function, at least in part by inducing sclerostin expression. Our results also suggest new roles and modes of action for sclerostin.
Taxes and Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Is Paying Taxes Viewed as Socially Responsible?

We investigate whether corporate tax payments by U.S. public companies are viewed as socially responsible. We provide theoretical arguments both for and against the view that corporate taxes enhance social welfare. We estimate the relation be tween measures of corporate social responsibility and (1) the amount of corporate taxe s paid, and (2) the amount invested in tax lobbying activities. We find that corporate social responsibility is negatively related to five-year cash effective tax rates and positively related to tax lobbying expenditures. Our evidence suggests that, on average, socially responsible fir ms do not act as if the payment of corporate taxes is a socially responsible activity.
A NEW HYBRID EVOLUTIONARY OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM FOR DISTRIBUTION FEEDER RECONFIGURATION

This article extends a hybrid evolutionary algorithm to cope with the feeder reconfiguration problem in distribution networks. The proposed method combines the Self-Adaptive Modified Particle Swarm Optimization (SAMPSO) with Modified Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (MSFLA) to proceed toward the global solution. As with other population-based algorithms, PSO has parameters which should be tuned to have a suitable performance. Thus, a self-adaptive framework is proposed to adjust the parameters dynamically. In SAMPSO, the PSO learning factors are considered to be the new control variables and are changed in the evolutionary process. To enhance the quality of the solutions, the SAMPSO is combined with MSFLA and a new hybrid algorithm is proposed to minimize the electrical energy losses of the distribution system by feeder reconfiguration. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through two test systems.
Unique leptin trafficking by a tailless receptor

Impairment in blood‐to‐brain transport of leptin is a major cause as well as consequence of obesity. Leptin crosses the blood‐brain barrier by transcytosis rather than undergoing intracellular degradation. Results from previous studies have indicated that the membrane juxtapositional cytoplasmic sequence of the leptin receptor ObR is responsible for leptin transport. To identify the specific structural domains, we generated a series of ObR truncates with different lengths of the intracellular sequence, overexpressed them in 3 types of mammalian cells including cerebral endothelia, and quantified leptin binding and endocytosis. All mutant ObRs were able to bind and mediate the internalization of leptin. Surprisingly, ObR860, a construct with no cytoplasmic sequence, could act like the classical ObRa transporter in internalizing leptin. There were some cell type‐dependent variations in the intracellular trafficking of Alexa‐labeled leptin when mediated by ObR860 or ObRa because of differential involvement of membrane microdomains, as shown by use of the clathrin inhibitor chlorpromazine and the dynamin inhibitor Dynasore. The clathrin‐ and dynamin‐mediated endocytosis of leptin contrasts with the lack of effect of the caveolae inhibitors nystatin and filipin. Thus, leptin‐induced internalization of the ligand‐receptor complex can occur without specific sorting signals in the cytoplasmic region of ObR This novel finding may have significant implications for leptin transport. —Tu, H. , Hsuchou, H. , Kastin, A. J., Wu, X. , Pan, W. Unique leptin trafficking by a tailless receptor. FASEBJ. 24, 2281–2291 (2010). www.fasebj. org
Advertising for New and Existing Brands: The Impact of Media Context and Type of Advertisement

The effects of advertisement and context type on the responses to advertisements for different brands of new and existing products were tested. In the first experiment (243 graduate students) a positive emotional advertisement and a non‐emotional advertisement for a well‐known and a new brand of printer were tested in a positive emotional context and a non‐emotional media context. In the second experiment (206 graduate students) positive emotional and non‐emotional advertisements for new brands of watches and healthy drinks were tested in an emotional and a non‐emotional context. The type of context moderated the responses to advertisements for the well‐known and new products: a positive emotional context led to a more positive attitude towards the advertisement and the brand and purchase intention for the well‐known brand than for the new brand. A non‐emotional context led to more positive responses for the new brand than for the well‐known brand. In general, emotional advertisements led to more positive affective reactions and non‐emotional advertisements led to more positive cognitive reactions. However, the type of advertisement did not have a moderating effect on the responses to advertising for the new or well‐known brands or different product types. The studies illustrated the relevance of media context for advertising new versus existing products.