Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining and Exploring Indonesia Small and Medium Enterprise Performance: An Empirical Study

This study attempts to explore and examining about Indonesia Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) performance through relationship with strategic management theory. We apply strategic management model into our research to explain the relationship of firm performance with firm determinants. Firm strategy, external environment factors and internal resource factors of firm will be used as determinant of firm performance. Samples from Indonesia SME are collected and statistical analysis is applied to produce valid results. Result shows direct positive relationship of firm strategy and internal factors of firm with firm performance. Direct positive relationship of external and internal factors of firm with firm strategy also recorded. Our finding shows that high perform firms of Indonesia SME tend to use differentiation strategy, emphasize on organization assets and human resource capabilities, and focus more on customer needs.
Extending controlled tabular adjustment for non-additive tabular data with negative protection levels

Minimum distance controlled tabular adjustment (CTA) is a recent perturbative methodology for the protection of tabular data. An implementation of CTA was recently used by Eurostat for the protection of European Union level structural business and animal production statistics. The realworld instances to be solved forced the classical CTA model to be extended with two features: first, to deal with non-additive tables; second, and most important, to consider negative protection levels. The latter extension means a significant modification of the classical CTA mixed integer linear model. We present and compare new models for these extensions. Computational results are reported using a set of real-world instances, and two state-of-the-art commercial solvers (CPLEX and Xpress).
Nutrition and Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries and Problems of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Infectious diseases are the major causes of death and morbidity in underdeveloped countries, particularly in children. Increasing evidence suggests that malnutrition—both Protein-Energy type Malnutrition (PEM) and essential micronutrient (vitamins, trace minerals, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids) type—is the underlying reason for increased susceptibility to infections. On the other hand, certain infectious diseases also cause malnutrition, which results in a vicious cycle. Before its viral origin was known, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) had been termed the thin disease because cachexia was AIDS' main clinical manifestation. The relationship between infection and malnutrition is well documented in the literature. Our experience supports this. Preventive and therapeutic measures are suggested.
An Empirical Analysis of Umbrella Branding

In this article, the author studies the processes by which consumers’ quality perceptions of a brand in a product category are affected by their experience with the same brand in a different category. The model proposed and estimated explicitly incorporates some of the basic consumer behavior premises of signaling theory of umbrella branding (Montgomery and Wernerfelt 1992; Wernerfelt 1988). The author provides a framework to analyze the impact of marketing mix strategies in one product category on quality perceptions, consumer perceived risk, and consumer choice behavior in a different category. The model is estimated on panel data for two oral hygiene products, toothpaste and toothbrushes, in which a subset of brands share the same brand name across the two product categories. The results show strong support for the consumer premises of the signaling theory of umbrella branding.
The Wealth Effects Of Managerial Turnover: Implications For The Spanish Corporate Governance System

Managerial succession decisions constitute crucial events for the company, as they can generate important organizational changes that affect the shareholders wealth, and at the same time, entail important conflicts of interests between the managers and the shareholders. Our study of the market reactions to managerial turnover announcements in the Spanish market, reveal that these decisions have a positive effect on the shareholders wealth. These wealth effects are especially intense in the case of outsider successions and when the company preturnover performance has been poor. These findings suggest that managerial turnover is a restructuring decision that is most welcome under conditions of low performance. These results are reinforced by the existence of a negative relationship between the turnover wealth effects and the firm's preturnover performance. Our results also have implications regarding the effectiveness of the Spanish corporate governance system, suggesting that the Board's outsiders and the institutional shareholders play a major monitoring role in the managerial succession processes. The Board outsiders and the institutional shareholders influence the succession process protecting the shareholders interests against particular professional interests of the managers. We have also found evidences of the existence of entrenchment effects linked to managerial stock ownership. Finally, consistently with our event study results, we have found evidences of a positive effect of outside succession on the market's reaction to managerial turnover, in the case of a poor presuccession performance context. We have obtained no evidence about any effect from outside succession in good performing companies or inside succession in any company independently of its previous performance.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibodies for the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Treatment of metastatic colorectal disease has evolved over the last decade. Two epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies—cetuximab and panitumumab—have been developed in an effort to provide yet another therapeutic option. The EGFR is a transmembrane glycoprotein, expressed constitutively throughout the body and found on many epithelial tissues. The monoclonal antibodies bind to and inhibit the activation of the receptor in the body. This inhibition prevents tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis, and induces apoptosis. Cetuximab and panitumumab exhibit nonlinear pharmacokinetics. Both monoclonal antibodies are approved for the treatment of refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Cetuximab in combination with irinotecan has significantly better response rates and progression‐free survival compared with those of cetuximab or irinotecan alone. Cetuximab and panitumumab as monotherapy have shown significantly better response rates and progression‐free survival compared with best supportive care in patients refractory to irinotecan and oxaliplatin. In the Cetuximab Combined with Irinotecan in First Line Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (CRYSTAL) trial, treatment‐naïve patients received cetuximab in combination with the chemotherapy regimen infusional leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) or FOLFIRI alone; the difference in progression‐free survival was statistically significant but suggested only a modest benefit over FOLFIRI alone (8.9 vs 8 mo, p=0.036). Results of a preplanned analysis of the first 231 events in the Panitumumab Advanced Colorectal Cancer Evaluation (PACCE) trial favored the control group (chemotherapy regimen with folinic acid [leucovorin], fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin [FOLFOX] plus bevacizumab) instead of the control group plus panitumumab. For clinical consideration, many trials have shown that the intensity or absence of EGFR expression is not a clinically significant predictor of outcomes. Development and intensity of a rash are suggested to be a positive predictor of outcomes in patients. The most common adverse events of EGFR monoclonal antibody therapy are rash, diarrhea, and hypomagnesemia. Other serious but not common adverse events include hypersensitivity reactions and pulmonary toxicity. The availability of EGFR monoclonal antibodies has provided another weapon in the arsenal to treat refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. They have shown safety and efficacy in combination with other chemotherapy regimens and as monotherapy; however, their use as metastatic colorectal cancer therapy needs to be further explored.
When avoidance leads to approach: How ear preference interacts with neuroticism to predict disinhibited approach

A series of eight studies focuses on how the avoidance system represented by neuroticism can lead to disinhibited approach tendencies. Based on research which argues that hemispheric preferences predispose the left hemisphere to fast action goal formation, and contralateral pathways between ear and brain, it is proposed that (a) people with a right ear preference will engage in fast action goal formation and (b) disinhibited approach results from neurotic people who reduce anxiety by means of fast action goal formation. Study 1 provides evidence from telesales operators of a link between self-rated ear preference and objective ear preference and provides evidence that disinhibited approach is predicted by a neuroticism×ear preference interaction. Studies 2, 3, and 4 provide evidence that ear preference is related to other measures of objective aural preference and action goal formation. Studies 5, 6, 7, and 8 provide evidence that the neuroticism×ear preference interaction predicts a variety of different disinhibited approach tendencies.
Hedging cotton price risk in Francophone African countries

Cotton exports account for a significant share of total commodity exports in francophone African countries, suggesting that these countries have a large exposure to volatility in cotton prices. An analysis of the cotton marketing systems in these countries revealed that most of the price risk is borne by the parastatals and ultimately by the government. This has led to problems in years of low cotton prices when the government maintained high producer prices. In recent years, these countries introduced some flexibility in their pricing policies to deal with that problem. As a means of managing their cotton price risk, francophone African countries have been using forward sales. Between a quarter and a third of exported cotton has been sold forward before harvesting. Forward sales have provided only limited coverage against price risks. The use of cotton futures and options could increase this risk coverage. Futures and options contracts can also give these countries flexibility in their sales strategies. Countries planning to privatize their cotton marketing sectors should consider the use of futures and options because forward sales are likely to decline significantly in a privatized system. The authors examined the feasibility of using New York cotton futures and options contracts as hedging instruments and found that there were benefits of reduced price volatility. Simulations for 1989, 1990, and 1991 show in every case that hedging was effective in reducing price risk from 30 percent to 60 percent. For every 1 percent reduction in risk, the reduction in income ranged from 0.66 percent to 1.12 percent.
Customer Uncertainty Dimensions and Online Information Search in the Context of Hotel Booking Channel

This research examines two types of consumer prepurchase uncertainty: knowledge and choice uncertainty, and identifies the relationship between uncertainty dimensions and the degree of consumer external information search in online hotel booking environment. The study employs a 2 (high/low knowledge uncertainty) × 2 (high/low choice uncertainty) between-subjects factorial experiment (N = 107), and the MANCOVA results partially support hypotheses that the participants with high knowledge uncertainty undertake less extensive information search online, whereas those with high choice uncertainty more commit to online information search. The study discusses the findings in light of economics of information theory and psychological aspects of information search. Managerial implications are also discussed.
Pendimethalin Exposure and Cancer Incidence Among Pesticide Applicators

Background: Pendimethalin, a widely used herbicide, has been classified as a group C possible human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We evaluated the incidence of cancer in relation to reported pendimethelin use among pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study, a prospective cohort of licensed pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina. Methods: Information on pesticide use came from two questionnaires (enrollment and take-home). The present analysis includes 9089 pendimethalin-exposed and 15,285 nonpendimethalin-exposed pesticide applicators with complete information on pendimethalin use and covariates from a take-home questionnaire. We conducted Poisson regression analyses to evaluate the association of pendimethalin exposure with cancer incidence (mean follow-up = 7.5 years) using two exposure metrics: tertiles of lifetime days of exposure and tertiles of intensity-weighted lifetime days of exposure. Results: Overall cancer incidence did not increase with increasing lifetime pendimethalin use, and there was no clear evidence of an association between pendimethalin use and risks for specific cancers. The risk for rectal cancer rose with increasing lifetime pendimethalin exposure when using nonexposed as the reference (rate ratio = 4.3; 95% confidence interval = 1.5–12.7 for the highest exposed subjects; P for trend = 0.007), but the association was attenuated when using the low exposed as the referent group (P for trend = 0.08). Similar patterns for rectal cancer were observed when using intensity-weighted exposure-days. The number of rectal cancer cases among the pendimethalin-exposed was small (n = 19). There was some evidence for an elevated risk for lung cancer, but the excess occurred only in the highest exposure category for lifetime pendimethalin exposure. The trends for lung cancer risk were inconsistent for different exposure metrics. Conclusions: We did not find a clear association of lifetime pendimethalin exposure either with overall cancer incidence or with specific cancer sites.
Visualization of the Dynamics of Gene Expression in the Living Mouse

Reporter genes can monitor the status and activity of recombinant genomes in a diverse array of organisms, from bacteria and yeast to plants and animals. We have combined luciferase reporter genes with a conditional gene expression system based on regulatory elements from the lac Operon of Escherichia coli to visualize the dynamics of gene expression in realtime in the living mouse. Using this technology, we have determined the rate of gene induction and repression, the level of target gene activity in response to different doses of inducer, and the schedule of induction during early embryogenesis of both the endogenous and the experimentally manipulated programs of mammalian gene expression associated with the HD/Hdh locus. The combination of in vivo imaging and lac regulation is a powerful tool for generating conditional transgenic mice that can be screened rapidly for optimal regulation and expression patterns, and for monitoring the induction and repression of regulated genes noninvasively in the living animal.
SN 2008S: An electron-capture SN from a super-AGB progenitor?

We present comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of the faint transient SN 2008S discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC 6946. SN 2008S exhibited slow photometric evolution and almost no spectral variability during the first nine months, implying a long photon diffusion time and a high-density circumstellar medium. Its bolometric luminosity (≃10^(41) erg s^(−)1 at peak) is low with respect to most core-collapse supernovae but is comparable to the faintest Type II-P events. Our quasi-bolometric light curve extends to 300 d and shows a tail phase decay rate consistent with that of ^(56)Co. We propose that this is evidence for an explosion and formation of ^(56)Ni (0.0014 ± 0.0003 M_⊙). Spectra of SN 2008S show intense emission lines of Hα, [Ca ii] doublet and Ca ii near-infrared (NIR) triplet, all without obvious P-Cygni absorption troughs. The large mid-infrared (MIR) flux detected shortly after explosion can be explained by a light echo from pre-existing dust. The late NIR flux excess is plausibly due to a combination of warm newly formed ejecta dust together with shock-heated dust in the circumstellar environment. We reassess the progenitor object detected previously in Spitzer archive images, supplementing this discussion with a model of the MIR spectral energy distribution. This supports the idea of a dusty, optically thick shell around SN 2008S with an inner radius of nearly 90 au and outer radius of 450 au, and an inferred heating source of 3000 K. The luminosity of the central star is L ≃ 10^(4.6) L_⊙ . All the nearby progenitor dust was likely evaporated in the explosion leaving only the much older dust lying further out in the circumstellar environment. The combination of our long-term multiwavelength monitoring data and the evidence from the progenitor analysis leads us to support the scenario of a weak electron-capture supernova explosion in a super-asymptotic giant branch progenitor star (of initial mass 6–8 M_⊙ ) embedded within a thick circumstellar gaseous envelope. We suggest that all of main properties of the electron-capture SN phenomenon are observed in SN 2008S and future observations may allow a definitive answer.
Longitudinal Study of Digital Marketing Strategies Targeting Millennials

Purpose- The purpose of this study is to determine which digital marketing strategies are preferred by Millennials and are effective in influencing their behavior. There is potential growth and value in using digital marketing aimed at Millennials, but the marketing strategies must be perceived positively by this online generation. Design/methodology/approach- Data were collected over a three-year period (2009 to 2011) by surveying Millennials at a prominent southwest US university. Findings- Results indicate that Millennials have a definite preference for certain forms of online advertising. There are digital marketing strategies that are considerably more effective in grabbing the attention of Millennials, motivating repeat visits to a web site, and encouraging Millennials to write online reviews. Practical implications- By taking into consideration the preferences of Millennials, the effectiveness of online communications and digital marketing aimed at this market segment can be increased. Recommendations are made regarding types of online advertising to use, how companies should design their web sites, how to motivate repeat visits to web sites, and how to encourage Millennials to write online reviews. Millennials are reading and being influenced by online reviews. Originality/value- Even though online advertising is the fastest growing advertising medium, only a small percentage of total advertising expenditures are currently being devoted to the internet. There is potential growth and value in using digital marketing aimed at Millennials, but the marketing strategies must be perceived positively by this generation.
Firm Characteristics and Dynamic Capital Structure Adjustment

We use a dynamic framework and panel methodology to investigate the determinants of a time-varying corporate capital structure. Our sample comprises 706 European firms from France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. over the period from 1983 to 2002. If capital structure adjustment is costly, firms may deviate temporarily from their target debt ratios. Therefore, we investigate the adjustment process and analyze the impact of well-known firm characteristic variables on the speed of adjustment towards a endogenously specified target debt ratio. We find that larger and faster growing firms adjust their capital structure more readily. Furthermore, large deviations from target debt ratios lead to faster readjustment. Additionally, we shed new light on capital structure rebalancing arguments. We document that large swings in market values of leverage lead to readjustment in the corresponding book values of leverage in the following periods. Finally, we find that capital structure adjustments are largely determined by financial constraints, i.e. firms in unfavourable financial conditions show only little or no adjustment behavior at all.
An Empirical Study on Application of Altman Original Bankruptcy Forecasting Model in Sri Lankan Companies

Altman original bankruptcy forecasting model is the first developed model to identify the financial sound or bankruptcy of an organization. Following this model several models are developed for the same purpose. But this model is still accepted to test the financial sound and at the same time, we are aware of no research in the same discipline in Sri Lankan contex. Hence this model is selected to examine the bankruptcy of the companies. The financial institutions and commercial banks are interested to know whether a particular company will be in a position to repay its debts. Here the firm’s ability to repay its debts should be predicted. In this paper, financially sound or bankruptcy of the companies is examined by using Altman’s original bankruptcy forecasting model with the samples of 25 quoted companies in Sri Lanka. Five years data during the periods of 1999/2000-2003/2004 are taken for the study. Major finding of the study is that only four companies, out of 25 Companies, are in the position of financially sound.
KPMG International Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting 2002

Forty-five percent of the Fortune global top 250 companies (GFT250) are now issuing environmental, social or sustainability reports in addition to their financial reports. Globally, more companies than ever are publishing reports on their environmental, social and sustainability performance and an increasing number are having these reports independently verified. These are some of the findings of a comprehensive survey of corporate sustainability reports by KPMG's Global Sustainability Services, in collaboration with the Graduate Business School of the University of Amsterdam. Similar surveys were held in 1993, 1996 and 1999. The 2002 survey also reveals that: Of the GFT250 companies surveyed, 45 percent published a separate corporate report on their performance, compared to 35 percent in 1999. Of the top 100 companies in each of the 19 countries surveyed, Japan has the highest percentage (72 percent) of companies producing corporate reports, followed by the UK (49 percent), USA (36 percent), Netherlands (35 percent), Finland (32 percent) and Germany (32 percent). Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) are still the most common types of report, but others are emerging including sustainability and social reports.
The Changing Market for Investment Research: The Impact of Innovations in the Payment Mechanism on Market Structure and Information Flows

Since the collapse of the dot.com bubble in 2000 the market for investment research has undergone substantive change in institutional and legal arrangement on both sides of the Atlantic. The changes in the UK have been driven by the unbundling of brokerage commissions for executing trades from research payments. This has had, and is continuing to have, a significant impact on the market for investment research. Our study examines the impact of this apparently subtle, but controversial and far-reaching, change to the market for information. Based on interviews with practitioners, surveys, examination of policy documents and engagement with professional bodies in specialist conferences we chart the rapid and significant change in the market for information. The change in the pricing mechanism in the UK, US and other markets has resulted in greater choice for the consumers of investment research (largely fund managers) who value diversity of research providers, independence from conflicts of interest and value for money. However, practitioners are concerned that these changes will lead to lower levels of generally available investment research.