Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Integrated Networks Model: Explaining Resource Allocations in Network Markets

The last decade has witnessed a shift from a focus on the value created by a single firm and product to an examination of the value created by networks of firms (or product ecosystems) in which assets are comingled with external entities. The authors examine these market-based assets in the context of network markets and propose an Integrated Networks model in which three types of networks—user, complements, and producer—add value or enhance the attractiveness of the associated focal product. The authors empirically test the proposed model by surveying information technology professionals on their resource allocation decisions regarding the Unix and Windows NT operating systems. The findings suggest that the value added by these three networks is significantly and positively associated with resources allocated by business customers to competing products. The results also show that the three networks mediate the relationship between stand-alone product performance and resource allocation.
Perceived Service Quality and Customer Trust

The authors show that investments in enhancing customers' service knowledge strengthen customer trust in an organization and thus can act as an important service differentiator. Customer education initiatives, however, also affect the impact of perceived service quality on customer trust. Successful marketers should be aware of the dynamic relationships between customer education, expertise, and service quality in managing customers' attitudes toward firms. Using data collected from customers of a global financial services firm, this study modeled the multifaceted impact of customer education initiatives on the relationship between service quality and trust. The findings suggest that customer education affects the relative importance of technical and functional service quality for building customer trust in a firm. Research implications point to new business opportunities for service differentiation and relationship marketing.
Enriching hematopoietic, endothelial and mesenchymal functional progenitors by short-term culture of steady-state peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from healthy donors and ischemic patients.

BACKGROUND Non-mobilized peripheral blood contains mostly committed cells with limited numbers of early progenitors. OBJECTIVES To enrich functional progenitor cells from healthy donors and ischemic heart disease patients by short-term culture of mononuclear cells with defined culture conditions. METHODS Mononuclear cells obtained from healthy donors and ischemic heart disease patients were cultured for7 days in a cytokine cocktail. We tested the multilineage differentiation capacities and phenotype of cultured cells. RESULTS The short-term culture (7 days) of all study groups with a defined cytokine cocktail resulted in two distinct cell populations (adherent and non-adherent) that differed in their differentiation capacities as well as their cell surface markers. Cultured adherent cells showed higher differentiation potential and expressed endothelial and mesenchymal fibroblast-like surface markers as compared to fresh non-cultured mononuclear cells. The non-adherent cell fraction demonstrated high numbers of colony-forming units, indicating a higher differentiation potential of hematopoietic lineage. CONCLUSIONS This study proved the feasibility of increasing limited numbers of multipotent progenitor cells obtained from the non-mobilized peripheral blood of healthy donors and ischemic patients. Moreover, we found that each of the two enriched subpopulations (adherent and non-adherent) has a different differentiation potential (mesenchymal, endothelial and hematopoietic).
Epidemiology of hydatid disease in Sardinia: a study of fertility of cysts in sheep

ABSTRACT Hydatidosis, caused by Echinococcus granulosus, is a cyclozoonotic disease of economic significance in Sardinia. The life-cycle involves stray and sheep dogs as definitive hosts and sheep, pigs, goats and cattle as intermediate hosts. The most important intermediate host is sheep, due to home slaughtering with ready access of the viscera to dogs. This survey was undertaken in 1987 to ascertain the epidemiological significance of sheep in maintaining the life-cycle. A total of 700 (91·3%) of 767 sheep harboured hydatid cysts. The frequency distribution of the number of hydatid cysts was over-dispersed. Of 497 infected sheep, 7·6% had fertile cysts, 75·7% sterile cysts and 16·7% fertile + sterile cysts.
Event Risks, Illiquidity, and Portfolio Selection

The most recent financial crisis highlights the importance of event risks and the ensuing market illiquidity and worsening investment opportunity set for optimal portfolio selection. However, the existing portfolio selection literature does not consider the joint impact of these risks. In this paper, we develop a tractable and flexible workhorse model where market crashes can trigger switching into an illiquid regime with a possibly different investment opportunity set. We explicitly characterize the optimal trading strategy as the solution to coupled differential-integral equations with free boundaries and propose an iterative numerical solution procedure that can be applied to a more general class of problems. We conduct an extensive analysis of the optimal trading strategy before and after a market crash. In particular, our analysis quantifies when "flight-to-quality'' after a crash is optimal even if the market becomes illiquid. Interestingly, while large price movements may trigger large transactions and high transaction costs in a given regime, they might help reduce rebalancing costs across regimes.
On the mutual information and constellation design criterion of spatial modulation MIMO systems

The mutual information of spatial modulation (SM) based multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) systems with arbitrary number of transceiver antennas is investigated. An expression of the system mutual information is derived. The expression is not in a closed form and may lead to difficulties when trying to optimize the mutual information. To solve this, based on Jensen Inequality we propose an approximation for mutual information, which is in a closed form. We show that the approximation is accurate in both low and high SNR regimes. In addition, based on the approximated version of the system mutual information, two constellation design critera are proposed to maximize the system mutual information with finite alphabet. Numerical results show that both of the two criteria perform well.
Implementing “Marketing Me”

The use of student self-branding exercises in introductory marketing courses for undergraduate business programs has been growing in popularity due to a number of advantages for students. This article introduces implementation of the “Marketing Me” variant developed and used since 2013 by the authors, wherein alumni are brought in to engage with students in a simulated networking event context. This article shows results from postexercise surveys of both student and alumni participants indicating that this variant is strongly perceived to achieve two major goals: (a) enhance student understanding of segmentation, targeting, positioning strategies and (b) aid the students’ preparation for the job and career search processes.
Influence of ovariectomy and ovarian steroids on hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the rat.

Ovariectomy in the rat increases brain norepinephrine synthesis and turnover. The present study investigated the effect of ovariectomy and subsequent replacement of ovarian steroids on tyrosine hydroxylase activity (TH), which is purported to be the rate—limiting step in catecholamine (CA) synthesis. Animals were ovariectomized and tyrosine and tyrosine hydroxylase activity assayed 2, 4, 26 and 60 days postoperatively. Estrogen (1.5 μg/rat) or vehicle was injected for one week beginning on day 21. Progesterone (0.5 mg or 2 mg) or vehicle was administered at 1000 hours on day 26 and the animals sacrificed 3 or 6 hours later. Ovariectomy caused a 2–3 fold increase in TH having an onset of 4 days and a duration of at least 60 days. Daily injection of estrogen for 1 week caused a 30% increase in TH. TH was significantly reduced 6 hours after injection of 0.5 mg progesterone in estrogen—treated ovariectomized controls. After injection of 2 mg progesterone, TH of ovariectomized and ovariectomized estrogen—treat.
Reviewing Relationship between Capital Structure and Firm's Performance in

Capital structure decisions is a decisions to select sources of finance to raise their capital by various means including internally generated fund, new equity issue or various types of debt. Eventually, it’s a vital decision with great implication for the firm's sustainability. Therefore, this paper tries to explore the impact of debt and equity financing on the performance of the firms in five selected sectors in Bursa Malaysia Main Board. The firm’s performance and financial structure was analyzed by using secondary data gathered from the firms’ annual report and Bloomberg software from year 2001 until 2010. Multiple Regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesized relationship and the result revealed that there is a significant relationship between sources of finance and firms' performance.
Damodaran on Valuation: Security Analysis for Investment and Corporate Finance

Approaches to Valuation. Estimation of Discount Rates. Estimation of Cash Flows. Estimation of Growth Rates. Dividend--Discount Models. Free--Cash--Flow--to--Equity Discount Models. Valuing a Firm--The Free--Cash--Flow--to--Firm Approach. Special Cases in Valuation. Price/Earnings Ratios. Price/Book Value Ratios. Price/Sales Ratio. Management Decisions, Corporate Strategy, and Firm Value. Valuation for Acquisitions and Takeovers. Option--Pricing Theory. Applications of Option--Pricing Theory to Valuation. Overview and Conclusion. Appendices. References. Disk Documentation. Index.
Tissue Specific Esterase Isozyme Banding Pattern in Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus )

The electrophoretic banding pattern of esterase isozymes were examined in eighteen different tissues of Nile tilapia after staining with I± and I² naphthyl acetate as substrate. The tissues were anterior-, mid-, tailmuscle (ventral and tip region), buccal muscle, stomach, fore-, mid-, hind-gut, liver, gill, heart, kidney, eye (lens), eye (iris), fore-, mid- and hind- brain. Altogether five bands named as Est-11.4, Est-21.1, Est-31, Est-40.62 and Est-50.25 were observed different relative mobility. Est-1 and Est-5 denote the fastest and slowest band. Est-3 was present in all the tissues. All five bands were expressed in liver and stomach. Some of the esterase bands showed tissue and substrate specificity, where Est-1 was in fore-, mid- and hind- brain, Est-2 in hind gut, Est-5 in stomach, gill and heart was stained only with I± naphthyl acetate. None of the band was expressed with I² naphthyl acetate only. Key words: esterase, isozyme, Oreochromis, tissue Â Doi:10.3329/ujzru.v27i0. 1942 Univ. j. zool. Rajshahi Univ. Vol. 27, 2008 pp. 01-05
Bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors: quinolone and pyridone antibacterial agents.

3.1. Chelation 564 3.2. Acid−Base Character 564 3.3. Photochemistry 565 4. In Vitro Antimicrobial Spectra 566 5. Structure−Activity Relationships 568 5.1. N-1 Ethyl Family 568 5.2. N-1 Cyclopropyl Family 568 5.3. N-1 to C-8 Bridged (Tricyclic) Family 568 5.4. N-1 Aryl Family 569 5.5. Positions C-2, C-3, and C-4 570 5.6. C-4a Substituted Analogues 571 5.7. C-5 Substituents 571 5.8. C-6 Substituents 571 5.9. C-7 Substituents 571 5.9. 1. Piperazinyl and Related Moieties 572 5.9. 2. Pyrrolidinyl and Related Moieties 572 5.9. 3. Cyclobutylaminyl and Related Moieties 572 5.9. 4. Bicycloaminyl Moieties 572 5.9. 5. Carbon-Linked Substituents 572 5.10. Substituents at C-8 573 5.11. Resume of Structure−Activity Relationships of Quinolones 573
Memorial Consequences of Automatized Encoding.

The first experiment tracked the acquisition of skilled reading as college students read as many as 160 pages of geometrically inverted text. The logarithm of reading time decreased linearly as a function of the logarithm of amount of practice, and performance on inverted text approached performance on normal text remarkably rapidly. The second experiment assessed the consequence for memory of skill at reading. Students unpracticed at reading inverted text remembered for lengthy intervals the inverted sentences they read; when students acquired skill with the typography, their memory for inverted sentences was poorer. The results are interpreted in terms that emphasize an operational basis to memory—pattern-analyzing procedures rather than conscious contents. This view is contrasted with three other accounts of recognition.
Corporate Banking Behaviour: A Survey in Hong Kong

This article contains findings of a survey in Hong Kong amongst a representative sample of companies directed to understanding their buying behaviour and attitude to banking services. The areas explored include split‐banking behaviour, bank usage, bank switching, perceived importance of attributes of a bank in a banking relationship, and usage of other financial services. As Hong Kong may be the third financial centre in the world, after New York and London, and there is a general lack of literature on corporate banking behaviour of Hong Kong companies, this research aims to contribute a pioneering study, which is expected to provide invaluable insights to banks operating in Hong Kong both locally and foreign‐based so as to formulate their bank marketing strategies.
Behavioral Finance: Biases, Mean–Variance Returns, and Risk Premiums

Behavioral finance examines the biases that investors (individual and professional) incorporate in their investment decision-making process. These biases lead to inefficiencies in market pricing that are reflected in behavioral mean–variance portfolios. For an individual security, its risk premium reflects the extent to which its return co-varies with the return of a risky behavioral mean–variance portfolio.
Knockout of the Prostaglandin E2 Receptor Subtype 3 Promotes Eccentric Cardiac Hypertrophy and Fibrosis in Mice

Background: Prostaglandin E2 receptor subtype 3 (EP3), a Gi protein-coupled receptor activated by prostaglandin E2, plays a particular role in cardioprotection. This study aimed to investigate the impact of EP3 deletion on cardiac remodeling and further elucidate the related involvement of possible signaling pathways. Methods and Results: The animals used were EP3 receptor knockout (EP3KO) mice and wild-type (WT) litter mate controls at 16-18 weeks old. The high-resolution echocardiography and weight index indicated that eccentric cardiac hypertrophy might occur in EP3KO mice, which were having worse cardiac function than WT litter mates. Isolated adult myocytes from EP3KO hearts showed spontaneous lengthening. Cardiac fibrosis was observed in EP3KO mice through Masson trichrome staining. The elevated messenger RNA (mRNA) level in matrix genes and the reduced mRNA, protein, and activity levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) indicated an increased synthesis and suppressed degradation of matrix collagen in EP3KO mice. The phosphorylation level of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 protein was reduced in the cardiac tissue of EP3KO mice, accompanied by no significant change in the protein level of total ERK1/2, total p38, phospho-p38, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), phospho-GSK3β, and calcineurin (CaN) as well as CaN activity. Conclusion: EP3 knockout in cardiac tissues could induce eccentric cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis at 16-18 weeks old. These effects of EP3 knockout might be regulated through inactivating MAPK/ERK pathway and affecting the MMP-2 expression. Overall, PGE2-EP3 is necessary to maintain the normal growth and development of the heart.
Audit Committee and Earnings Management: Pre and Post MCCG

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of audit committee in constraining earnings management after the revised MCCG among listed firms on Bursa Malaysia. Specifically, the study explores how audit committee impacted earnings management before and after the revision of MCCG in 2007. This study is important because it is among the pioneer empirical evidences to compare the effectiveness of audit committee characteristics in mitigating earnings management between the pre and post revised MCCG periods. The sample for this study was drawn from 280 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. The audit committee characteristics include size, independence, expertise, frequency of meetings and activity disclosure. The discretionary accrual was estimated using the Modified Jones Model (1995) which was used to proxy for earnings management. The empirical results on audit committees play an important and effective role in reducing earnings management after the revision of MCCG. After controlling for firm size, board size and leverage, the study found that audit committee size and audit committee that had meetings with external auditor without the presence of executive directors at least twice a year showed a significant association with earnings management. Overall, these findings called for further examination into the roles of audit committee in mitigating earnings management.
Cause, effect and benefits of a standardised corporate visual identity system of UK companies operating in Malaysia

Investigates the degree of global standardisation of a corporate visual identity system (CVIS) in multinational operations. A special emphasis of this research is accorded to UK companies operating in Malaysia. In particular, the study seeks to reveal the reasons for developing a standardised CVIS; the behavioural issues associated with CVIS; and the determination in selecting a graphic design agency. The findings of the research revealed that multinational corporations in an increasingly corporate environment adopted a standardised CVIS for several reasons, including, aiding the sale of products and services, creating an attractive environment for hiring employees, and increasing the company’s stature and presence. Further findings show that the interest in global identity was stimulated by global restructuring, merger or acquisition. The above trends help explain why increased focus has been accorded to CVIS over the past five years by many UK companies operating in Malaysia. Additional findings reveal that both the UK design agencies and in-house design department are used in the development of the firms’ CVIS.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay spot detection of interferon-gamma and interleukin 5-producing cells as a predictive marker for renal allograft failure.

BACKGROUND Despite improvements in the short-term survival of renal transplants, many allografts fail over the 5-10 years after transplantation. We sought to identify an immunologic assay that could identify those patients at high risk for future allograft failure. METHODS Blood samples were obtained from 23 renal allograft recipients with acute and/or chronic graft dysfunction and from 22 controls. Isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were tested for interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-5 production using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. IFN-gamma:IL-5 ratios were calculated and compared between groups. Among the 23 patients with graft dysfunction, the ratios were also compared with graft function at 6 months. RESULTS IFN-gamma:IL-5 ratios of > or = 15 were associated with allograft rejection episodes in 8 of 12 cases, whereas 10 of 11 episodes of graft dysfunction from other causes (infection, drug toxicity, obstruction) were associated with values <15. All normal controls had values <15 (22/22). Among the graft recipients with acute renal failure, all patients with IFN-gamma:IL-5 ratios <15 exhibited improved renal function at 6-month follow-up (14/14), whereas 8 of 9 patients with IFN-gamma:IL-5 ratios > or = 15 developed allograft failure at 6 months (sensitivity 100%, specificity 93.3%). CONCLUSION In renal transplant recipients with acute allograft dysfunction, mitogen-induced peripheral blood lymphocyte IFN-gamma:IL-5 ratios > or = 15 were highly predictive of allograft failure within 6 months of the assay. This test may be a useful prognostic marker for identification of transplant recipients with acute graft dysfunction who are at high risk for future graft loss and thus allow targeted therapeutic interventions to prolong graft survival.
Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)-in-SEM for Bio- and Organo-Mineral Interface Characterization in the Environment

Abstract Understanding biofilm interactions with surrounding substratum and pollutants/particles can benefit from the application of existing microscopy tools. Using the example of biofilm interactions with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), this study aims to apply various approaches in biofilm preparation and labeling for fluorescent or electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) microanalysis for accurate observations. According to the targeted microscopy method, biofilms were sampled as flocs or attached biofilm, submitted to labeling using 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindol, lectins PNA and ConA coupled to fluorescent dye or gold nanoparticles, and prepared for observation (fixation, cross-section, freezing, ultramicrotomy). Fluorescent microscopy revealed that nZVI were embedded in the biofilm structure as aggregates but the resolution was insufficient to observe individual nZVI. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed nZVI aggregates close to bacteria, but it was not possible to confirm direct interactions between nZVI and cell membranes. Scanning transmission electron microscopy in the SEM (STEM-in-SEM) showed that nZVI aggregates could enter the biofilm to a depth of 7–11 µm. Bacteria were surrounded by a ring of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) preventing direct nZVI/membrane interactions. STEM/EDS mapping revealed a co-localization of nZVI aggregates with lectins suggesting a potential role of EPS in nZVI embedding. Thus, the combination of divergent microscopy approaches is a good approach to better understand and characterize biofilm/metal interactions.
Optimized nanosecond pulsed electric field therapy can cause murine malignant melanomas to self‐destruct with a single treatment

We have identified a new, nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) therapy capable of eliminating murine melanomas located in the skin with a single treatment. When these optimized parameters are used, nsPEFs initiate apoptosis without hyperthermia. We have developed new suction electrodes that are compatible with human skin and have applied them to a xenograft nude mouse melanoma model system to identify the optimal field strength, pulse frequency and pulse number for the treatment of murine melanomas. A single treatment using the optimal pulse parameters (2,000 pulses, 100 ns in duration, 30 kV/cm in amplitude at a pulse frequency of 5–7 pulses/sec) eliminated all 17 melanomas treated with those parameters in 4 mice. This was the highest pulse frequency that we could use without raising the treated skin tumor temperature above 40°C. We also demonstrate that the effects of nsPEF therapy are highly localized to only cells located between electrodes and results in very little scarring of the nsPEF‐treated skin.