Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Market Orientation,Firm Innovativeness and Innovative Performance

The paper examines the issue of interrelationships between market orientation, firm innovativeness and innovative performance. Three dimensions of market orientation, namely collection and use of market information, development of market oriented strategy and implementation of market oriented strategy are measured. Factor analysis used to validate the measures of market orientation, firm innovativeness and innovative performance . A correlational analysis is performed to determined whether market orientation is associated with firm innovativeness and innovative performance
WHY SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT WORKS? A KNOWLEDGE-MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

OF DISSERTATION WHY SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT WORKS? A KNOWLEDGE-MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE Supplier development (SD) has been intensively and increasingly used in practice and studied in academia. Many studies find that SD can generate operational, capabilitybased, attitudinal, and financial performance measures for both the supplying firm (supplier) and the buying firm (buyer), but very few studies systematically explain why SD yields supplier’s performance improvements and, in turn, buyer’s performance improvements. Using a meta-analysis approach, this dissertation finds that SD does lead to positive outcomes, but SD is found to have very weak or even negative relationship with performance improvements in some cases. Such findings further support the importance of examining the main research question: why SD works. In order to answer the main research question, this dissertation adopts a multiphase triangulation approach: theoretical construction, conceptual examination, and empirical examination. Doing so, this dissertation constructs and validates a knowledge management (KM) view of SD. The purpose of theoretical construction (Chapter 3) is to develop a KM view of supplier development via a systematic view of previous studies. Presented in Chapter 4, conceptual examination reveals that all SD activities can be subsumed into KM activities, and further conceptually supports the feasibility of the KM view in SD. Empirical examination, including a survey of 39 SD scholars and a survey of 295 SD practitioners (156 complete responses), is presented in Chapters 5 and 6. Most hypotheses are strongly supported, demonstrating the importance of the knowledge-management view of SD. Overall, this dissertation has both theoretical contributions for KM and SD sides, and practical contributions for researchers, practitioners, and educators/students. First, it contributes by supporting the addition of KM variables to other theories when explaining why SD works, confirming the role of KM in SD, providing a complete KM view of SD, and revealing why SD works. Second, it contributes by implementing mixed research methods, integrating multiple disciplines, and exemplifying collecting data on LinkedIn. Third, it contributes by offering a catalog of SD activities and guidance for designing, implementation, and evaluation of SD initiatives. Fourth, it contributes by advancing a mental model to understand SD literature. Conclusions, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.
An Effective Omentoplasty Technique in Laparoscopic Surgery for Hydatid Disease of the Liver

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate the characteristics and outcome of patients with hydatid disease of the liver who were laparoscopically managed at our clinic and to define technical details including an effective method of omentoplasty with helical fasteners. Methods: Between January 1998 and November 2000, 13 patients, mean age 36 years (range 23 to 63 years), with hydatid disease of the liver were considered for laparoscopic surgery in our department. All the patients underwent laparoscopic surgical interventions. Results: In all patients, laparoscopic cystotomy, unroofing, and omentoplasty with helical fasteners, which were originally designed for endoscopic hernia repair procedures, were performed. No conversion to laparotomy was necessary. In 1 case, with a single cyst in the right lobe, bile leakage was observed. No radiological recurrence was observed in an average follow-up of 17 months (range 4 to 36 months). Conclusions: Obliteration of the residual cystic cavity decreases postoperative complication rates, so an effective omentoplasty is essential especially for laparoscopic procedures. Laparoscopy is quite feasible to perform in hydatid disease of the liver, and the use of helical fasteners allows effective omental flap fixation.
Differential Use of Signal Peptides and Membrane Domains Is a Common Occurrence in the Protein Output of Transcriptional Units

Membrane organization describes the orientation of a protein with respect to the membrane and can be determined by the presence, or absence, and organization within the protein sequence of two features: endoplasmic reticulum signal peptides and alpha-helical transmembrane domains. These features allow protein sequences to be classified into one of five membrane organization categories: soluble intracellular proteins, soluble secreted proteins, type I membrane proteins, type II membrane proteins, and multi-spanning membrane proteins. Generation of protein isoforms with variable membrane organizations can change a protein's subcellular localization or association with the membrane. Application of MemO, a membrane organization annotation pipeline, to the FANTOM3 Isoform Protein Sequence mouse protein set revealed that within the 8,032 transcriptional units (TUs) with multiple protein isoforms, 573 had variation in their use of signal peptides, 1,527 had variation in their use of transmembrane domains, and 615 generated protein isoforms from distinct membrane organization classes. The mechanisms underlying these transcript variations were analyzed. While TUs were identified encoding all pairwise combinations of membrane organization categories, the most common was conversion of membrane proteins to soluble proteins. Observed within our high-confidence set were 156 TUs predicted to generate both extracellular soluble and membrane proteins, and 217 TUs generating both intracellular soluble and membrane proteins. The differential use of endoplasmic reticulum signal peptides and transmembrane domains is a common occurrence within the variable protein output of TUs. The generation of protein isoforms that are targeted to multiple subcellular locations represents a major functional consequence of transcript variation within the mouse transcriptome.
Performance and Credit Rating in Banking: A Comparative Study for Egypt and Lebanon

We investigate the performance and risk in two prominent countries in the MENA region, Egypt and Lebanon, where banks operate under market-oriented economic regimes. The study covers the 1990? s, a period that witnessed banking sector reforms towards a more efficient financial system. Noting the differences in the structure of the banking system and the monetary changes in Egypt and Lebanon, we investigate the impact of liquidity, credit, and capital on bank profitability in each country? s banking sector. Based on our findings, we draw conclusions on the strength of risk management practices and enforcement of banking regulations.
Quality of Corporate Governance and Financial Performance: An Empirical Analysis

Corporate Governance refers to the mechanism which ensures that while a firm is achieving its goal of shareholder’s wealth maximization, this achievement should not be at the cost of other stakeholders. This study attempts to find an empirical evidence for impact of corporate governance on firm’s financial performance. A sample of 50 non financial firms (listed on any one of three stock exchanges) was randomly selected. The study period covers from 2003 to 2005, thus analyzing 150 firm years. To measure the quality of Corporate Governance practices in the sample firms, a Corporate Governance Index (CGI) consisted of 30 indicators/parameters was developed which measure the strength/quality of Corporate Governance practices. Then these CG index scores for each firm were compared with the financial performance indicators i.e. ROA, ROE, Price to Book ratio and P/E of the sample firms to find out any relationship between them. The results show that CGI scores are positively associate with ROA, ROE and Price to Book (P/B) ratio and statistically significant. P/E is also positively correlated with CGI scores but the impact is insignificant.
Offender diversion into substance use disorder treatment: the economic impact of California's proposition 36.

OBJECTIVES We determined the costs and savings attributable to the California Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA), which mandated probation or continued parole with substance abuse treatment in lieu of incarceration for adult offenders convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and probation and parole violators. METHODS We used individually linked, population-level administrative data to define intervention and control cohorts of offenders meeting SACPA eligibility criteria. Using multivariate difference-in-differences analysis, we estimated the effect of SACPA implementation on the total and domain-specific costs to state and county governments, controlling for fixed individual and county characteristics and changes in crime at the county level. RESULTS The additional costs of treatment were more than offset by savings in other domains, primarily in the costs of incarceration. We estimated the statewide policy effect as an adjusted savings of $2317 (95% confidence interval = $1905, $2730) per offender over a 30-month postconviction period. SACPA implementation resulted in greater incremental cost savings for Blacks and Hispanics, who had markedly higher rates of conviction and incarceration. CONCLUSIONS The monetary benefits to government exceeded the additional costs of SACPA implementation and provision of treatment.
The effect of networking on contractors' business competitiveness

ii Publications arising from the thesis iv Acknowledgements v Table of contents vii List of figures xi List of tables xii Chapter One – Introduction 1.1 Research background 1 1.1.1 The importance of competitiveness 1 1.1.2 Traditional approaches to competitiveness research 2 1.1.3 Networking as an alternative approach to competitiveness research 5 1.1.4 Applications of the network approach in construction 7 1.1.5 Research problem statement 9 1.2 Research objectives 10 1.3 Research scope 11 1.4 Research logic 13 1.5 Research significance 15 1.6 Thesis structure 15 1.7 Chapter One summary 17 Chapter Two – Literature review 2.
Suppression of Emergence of Resistance in Pathogenic Bacteria: Keeping Our Powder Dry, Part 2

ABSTRACT We are in a crisis of bacterial resistance. For economic reasons, most pharmaceutical companies are abandoning antimicrobial discovery efforts, while, in health care itself, infection control and antibiotic stewardship programs have generally failed to prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. At this point, what can be done? The first step has been taken. Governments and international bodies have declared there is a worldwide crisis in antibiotic drug resistance. As discovery efforts begin anew, what more can be done to protect newly developing agents and improve the use of new drugs to suppress resistance emergence? A neglected path has been the use of recent knowledge regarding antibiotic dosing as single agents and in combination to minimize resistance emergence, while also providing sufficient early bacterial kill. In this review, we look at the data for resistance suppression. Approaches include increasing the intensity of therapy to suppress resistant subpopulations; developing concepts of clinical breakpoints to include issues surrounding suppression of resistance; and paying attention to the duration of therapy, which is another important issue for resistance suppression. New understanding of optimizing combination therapy is of interest for difficult-to-treat pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp. , and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae. These lessons need to be applied to our old drugs as well to preserve them and to be put into national and international antibiotic resistance strategies. As importantly, from a regulatory perspective, new chemical entities should have a resistance suppression plan at the time of regulatory review. In this way, we can make the best of our current situation and improve future prospects.
Radar studies of mid-latitude ionospheric plasma drifts

We use incoherent scatter radar measurements from Millstone Hill and Saint Santin to study the midlatitude F region electrodynamic plasma drifts during geomagnetically quiet and active periods. We present initially a local time, season, and solar flux dependent analytical model of the quiet time zonal and meridional ExB drifts over these stations. We discuss, for the first time, the Saint Santin drift patterns during solar maximum. We have used these quiet time models to extract the geomagnetic perturbation drifts which were modeledsfunction of the time history of the auroral electrojet indices. Our results illustrate the evolution of the disturbance drifts driven by the combined effects of prompt penetrationnd longer lasting perturbation electric fields. The meridionl electrodynamic disturbance drifts have largest amplitudes in the midnight-noon sector. The zonal driftsre predominantly westward, with largest amplitudes in the dusk-midnight sectornd, following a decrease in the high-latitude convection, they decy more slowly thn the meridional drifts. The prompt penetrationnd steady state zonal disturbance drifts derived from radar measurementsre in good agreement with results obtained from both the ion drift meter data on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite nd f? om the Rice Convection Model.
Pay enough, don’t pay too much or don’t pay at all? An empirical study of the non-monotonic impact of incentives on job satisfaction

This paper attempts to test the non-monotonic effect of monetary incentives on job satisfaction. Specifically, 8 waves (1998-2005) of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) are used to investigate the ceteris paribus association between the intensity of bonus/profit-sharing payments and the utility derived from work. After controlling for individual heterogeneity biases, it is shown that relatively ‘small’ bonuses exert a significant negative effect on worker satisfaction. In contrast, job utility is found to rise only in response to ‘large’ bonus payments, primarily in skilled, non-unionized private sector jobs. The empirical evidence of the paper is therefore consistent with a ‘V-effect’ of incentives, suggesting that employers wishing to motivate their staff should indeed “pay enough or don’t pay at all”.
Multimodal Plasticity in Dorsal Striatum While Learning a Lateralized Navigation Task

Growing evidence supports a critical role for the dorsal striatum in cognitive as well as motor control. Both lesions and in vivo recordings demonstrate a transition in the engaged dorsal striatal subregion, from dorsomedial to dorsolateral, as skill performance shifts from an attentive phase to a more automatic or habitual phase. What are the neural mechanisms supporting the cognitive and behavioral transitions in skill learning? To pursue this question, we used T-maze training during which rats transition from early, attentive (dorsomedial) to late habitual (dorsolateral) performance. Following early or late training, we performed the first direct comparison of bidirectional synaptic plasticity in striatal brain slices, and the first evaluation of striatal synaptic plasticity by hemisphere relative to a learned turn. Consequently, we find that long-term potentiation and long-term depression are independently modulated with learning rather than reciprocally linked as previously suggested. Our results establish that modulation of evoked synaptic plasticity with learning depends on striatal subregion, training stage, and hemisphere relative to the learned turn direction. Exclusive to the contralateral hemisphere, intrinsic excitability is enhanced in dorsomedial relative to dorsolateral medium spiny neurons early in training and population responses are dampened late in training. Neuronal reconstructions indicate dendritic remodeling after training, which may represent a novel form of pruning. In conclusion, we describe region- and hemisphere-specific changes in striatal synaptic, intrinsic, and morphological plasticity which correspond to T-maze learning stages, and which may play a role in the cognitive transition between attentive and habitual strategies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We investigated neural plasticity in dorsal striatum from rats that were briefly or extensively trained on a directional T-maze task. Our results demonstrate that both the extent of training and the direction a rat learns to turn control the location and type of change in synaptic plasticity. In addition, brief training produces changes in neuron excitability only within one striatal subregion, whereas all training produces widespread changes in dendritic morphology. Our results suggest that activity in dorsomedial striatum strengthens the rewarded turn after brief training, whereas activity in dorsolateral striatum suppresses unrewarded turns after extensive training. This study illuminates how plasticity mediates learning using a task recognized for transitioning subjects from attentive to automatic performance.
The Centrosomal, Putative Tumor Suppressor Protein TACC2 Is Dispensable for Normal Development, and Deficiency Does Not Lead to Cancer

ABSTRACT TACC2 is a member of the transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein family and is associated with the centrosome-spindle apparatus during cell cycling. In vivo, the TACC2 gene is expressed in various splice forms predominantly in postmitotic tissues, including heart, muscle, kidney, and brain. Studies of human breast cancer samples and cell lines suggest a putative role of TACC2 as a tumor suppressor protein. To analyze the physiological role of TACC2, we generated mice lacking TACC2. TACC2-deficient mice are viable, develop normally, are fertile, and lack phenotypic changes compared to wild-type mice. Furthermore, TACC2 deficiency does not lead to an increased incidence of tumor development. Finally, in TACC2-deficient embryonic fibroblasts, proliferation and cell cycle progression as well as centrosome numbers are comparable to those in wild-type cells. Therefore, TACC2 is not required, nonredundantly, for mouse development and normal cell proliferation and is not a tumor suppressor protein.
Methylphenidate for Apathy in Community-Dwelling Older Veterans With Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE Apathy is a common behavioral problem in Alzheimer's disease. Apathy has profound consequences, such as functional impairment, higher service utilization, higher caregiver burden, and increased mortality. The authors' objective was to study the effects of methylphenidate on apathy in Alzheimer's disease. METHOD A 12-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (methylphenidate versus placebo) was conducted in community-dwelling veterans (N=60) with mild Alzheimer's disease. The primary outcome for apathy (Apathy Evaluation Scale-Clinician) and secondary outcomes for cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination), functional status (activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living), improvement and severity (Clinical Global Impressions Scale [CGI]), caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Scale), and depression (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia) were measured at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS Participants were all men (77 years old, SD=8). After adjusting for baseline, the methylphenidate group had significantly greater improvement in apathy than the placebo group at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, there was also greater improvement in cognition, functional status, caregiver burden, CGI scores, and depression in the methylphenidate group compared with the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Methylphenidate improved apathy in a group of community-dwelling veterans with mild Alzheimer's disease. Methylphenidate also improved cognition, functional status, caregiver burden, CGI scores, and depression.
Does doctor-patient communication affect patient satisfaction with hospital care? Results of an analysis with a novel instrumental variable.

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between physicians' communication behaviors and patients' overall satisfaction with hospital care using a novel instrumental variable to address possible confounding of this association by patient attributes. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Administrative records and postdischarge survey data were obtained from patients discharged from the General Medicine service at an urban tertiary-care academic hospital between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2000. Administrative data included comorbidities, demographic data, and payer status. In the discharge survey, patients rated their attending physician on four communication behaviors, other aspects of their hospital stay, and their overall hospital care. STUDY DESIGN The primary outcome was patients' ratings of their overall satisfaction with hospital care, and the primary independent variable was patients' ratings of their physicians' communication behaviors. To remove possible confounding of the association between patient ratings of physician communication and overall satisfaction by other patient-specific attributes, we created an instrumental variable (IV) in a two-stage linear regression. The IV was the mean of the communication ratings given to each physician by the other patients cared for by that physician. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS/CONCLUSIONS: Three thousand one hundred and twenty-three patients were included in the analysis. In the ordinary least squares regression, there was a significant positive relationship between overall satisfaction and overall ratings of attendings' communication behaviors, with an increase in overall satisfaction of 0.58 points on a 5-point scale for each 1-point increase in overall attendings' communication behaviors, p<. 001. This relationship was maintained but attenuated in the IV regression, with a coefficient of 0.40, p=. 046. Although we find that the relationship between patient communication ratings and overall patient satisfaction may be confounded by patient-level factors, we nevertheless continue to find evidence of a statistically significant and sizable relationship between physicians' communication behaviors and overall patient satisfaction after controlling for such factors.