Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adoption of Internet Services in Liner Shipping: An Empirical Study of Shippers in Taiwan

Abstract The Internet service attributes desired by shippers were examined as well as a model that seeks to explain the intention of shippers to use Internet services in liner shipping. Using data collected from a survey of a group of shippers in Taiwan, the relationships among the constructs in the model were tested, namely: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security and use intention. The results suggest that shippers perceive tracing to be the most important service attribute of Internet services, followed by checking for customs clearance, vessel schedules and electronic document services. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use is the major factor affecting the intention of shippers to use Internet services, and that perceived ease of use has a strong positive effect on perceived usefulness. The results also indicate that security has a positive effect on a shipper’s perception of ease of use. However, the influence of security on use intention and perceived usefulness was not supported in this study. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings on the intention of shippers to use Internet services in liner shipping are discussed.
Monitoring, accounting and enforcement in emissions trading regimes

In the past few years permit trading has become a popular policy instrument to achieve emissions reductions or other environmental goals at minimal cost. There are already a number of existing regimes on firm as well as on national level in which permits for SO2, NOX and CO2 emissions but also fishing quotas or water rights are traded. In addition European CO2 emissions trading is expected to start in 2005 and international emissions trading is also planned for the Annex B countries of the Kyoto Protocol. Experience has shown though that permit trading can only be an efficient instrument if emissions and permit trades are monitored and accounted appropriately and if compliance is enforced by those running the programs. Or, as Tietenberg (2001) puts it: ? regardless of how well any tradable permit system is designed, non-compliance can prevent attainment of its economic, social and environmental objectives?
Assessment of Mitral Inflow During Standardized Valsalva Maneuver in Stratification of Diastolic Function

Background: We assessed the changes of mitral inflow during Valsalva maneuver (VM) in patients with different stages of left ventricular dysfunction and evaluated their value for the differentiation between normal and pseudonormal filling pattern. Methods: A total of 190 patients (120 with coronary artery disease, and 70 healthy subjects) were examined by transthoracic echocardiography. Mitral E/A ratio, early wave deceleration time (Edt), and pulmonary vein flow (especially atrial reversal parameters (Ar)), were used for the initial stratification to normal, delayed relaxation, pseudonormal, and restrictive profiles. Changes of mitral inflow during VM were compared between 54 normal (N) and 15 pseudonormal (PN). Results: During VM, a similar decrease in early wave peak velocity (–30 ± 18 vs –35 ± 17 cm/sec), peak velocity of atrial wave (–6 ± 16 vs –8 ± 17 cm/sec), and E/A ratio (–0.4 ± 0.4 vs –0.4 ± 0.4) was observed in both groups. Only two filling variables, related to atrial phase of inflow, changed in the opposite direction. In normal pattern, the duration and velocity‐time integral of atrial wave diminished during VM as opposed to pseudonormal subjects (ΔAt –7 ± 39 vs 20 ± 44 msec; P < 0.05 and ΔA vti –0.7±1.8 vs 0.4±2 cm; P < 0.05). Increase in peak atrial velocity and marked decrease in E/A ratio during VM were specific for the restrictive group. Conclusions: Changes of mitral inflow during VM have a moderate diagnostic value for the differentiation of normal and pseudonormal pattern. Increased duration of atrial phase but not increase in atrial velocity allowed the diagnosis of pseudonormalization.
Molecular Cloning, Expression, Purification and Immunological Characterization of Three Low‐Molecular Weight Proteins Encoded by Genes in Genomic Regions of Difference of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

The aim of this study was to clone, express and purify three major antigenic proteins, i.e. Rv3874, Rv3875 and Rv3619c, encoded by genes located in regions of difference of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and characterize them for immunogenicity in rabbits. The respective genes were amplified using gene‐specific primers and genomic DNA of M. tuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA were cloned into pGEM‐T Easy and subcloned into pGES‐TH‐1 vector for high‐level expression in Escherichia coli and efficient purification. The results showed that the three fusion proteins, i.e. glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST)‐Rv3874, GST‐Rv3875 and GST‐Rv3619c, were expressed at high levels and were purified (free of the GST fusion partner) to homogeneity using glutathione‐Sepharose and Ni‐NTA agarose affinity matrix after cleavage of the column‐bound fusion proteins by thrombin protease. The purified recombinant Rv3874, Rv3875 and Rv3619c proteins were immunogenic and induced antigen‐specific antibodies in rabbits. Testing of the rabbit sera with overlapping synthetic peptides showed that the antibodies were induced to several epitopes that were scattered throughout the sequence of each protein. These results show immunogenicity of all the proteins for inducing antigen‐specific antibodies in rabbits and demonstrate the usefulness of pGES‐TH‐1 vector for obtaining purified recombinant proteins of M. tuberculosis for immunological characterization.
[Clinical value of combined therapy with 188Re-HEDP and pamidronate in breast cancer with bone metastasis].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical therapeutic value of (188)Re-HEDP combined with pamidronate in breast cancer with bone metastasis. METHODS Forty-eight patients with breast cancer with multi-bone metastases were randomly divided into three groups:15 patients received (188)Re-HEDP (group A), 15 patients received pamidronate (group B) and 18 patients were treated by (188)Re-HEDP plus pamidronate (group C). RESULTS The overall pain relief rate was 73.3%, 80.0%, 100.0% in groups A, B and C. The response rate of bone metastasis was 40.0%, 33.3%, 66.7% in groups A, B and C respectively. The therapeutic effect of group C was better than those of groups A and B (P < 0.05), without any significance in the difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The therapeutic effect of (188)Re-HEDP combined with pamidronate for breast cancer with bone metastasis is remarkable in bone pain relief and bone metastasis control, which is better than either (188)Re-HEDP or pamidronate alone.
Skiing and snowboarding injuries in the children and adolescents of Southern Alberta.

OBJECTIVE To identify injuries and profile the characteristics of injured skiers and snowboarders younger than 18 years of age in Southern Alberta, Canada. DESIGN Case-series over one year. PARTICIPANTS Injured skiers and snowboarders younger than 18 years of age presenting to the ski patrol members at each of seven ski areas in Southern Alberta. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Information on injured individuals reporting to the ski patrol at the involved areas was documented on a standardized injury reporting form. Anonymous information was then copied and sent to the University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre, where the data were analyzed. Proportions of injured skiers and snowboarders with specific characteristics or participating in specific environmental conditions are presented. RESULTS There were a total of 832 (60.0%) injury reports filed for skiers and 557 (40.1%) for snowboarders, reflecting 1,635 separate injuries. Head injuries were the most frequently reported (19.1% of all regional injuries). The most commonly injured region was the knee among skiers (n = 213; 22.8%) and the wrist among snowboarders (n = 173; 27.8%). Lower extremity injuries in skiers and upper extremity injuries in snowboarders were most common. Younger male skiers and snowboarders reported high proportions of head, neck, and back injuries. CONCLUSION The lower extremity in skiers and the upper extremity in snowboarders were most susceptible to injury. A cause for concern is the high proportion of head injuries reported for both male skiers and snowboarders of younger age groups. Further study into protective equipment design and function is required.
Overview of the TREC-2002 Web Track

The TREC-2002 Web Track moved away from non-Web relevance ranking and towards Webspecific tasks on a 1.25 million page crawl “. GOV”. The topic distillation task involved finding pages which were relevant, but also had characteristics which would make them desirable inclusions in a distilled list of key pages. The named page task is a variant of last year’s homepage finding task. The task is to find a particular page, but in this year’s task the page need not be a home page.
HRM Strategies and MNCs from Emerging Economies in the UK

Purpose – HRM practices in foreign subsidiaries have been the subject of much attention in recent years. However, research on HRM practices by subsidiaries of multinationals (MNCs) has so far focused largely on subsidiaries of western multinationals in western and or emerging economies. The authors have little knowledge concerning HRM practices of subsidiaries of multinationals from emerging economies in developed western countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine HRM practices of MNCs from emerging economies operating in western developed countries.Design/methodology/approach – Survey.Findings – A blend of practices has been adopted by the subsidiaries, ranging from emulating home country practices, adapting host country practices, and a Melange of home and host country practices.Originality/value – First, HRM practices used by emerging economy MNCs in an advanced economy have been identified. Second, the results suggest that MNCs from emerging economies behave differently from MNCs from develope.
Determinants of farmers' satisfactions with farming and with life: a replication and extension

The purpose of this study is to broaden the understanding of the determinants of farmers' satisfactions with life as a whole and with farming per se by replicating and extending Molnar's 1985 study of the overall subjective well-being of Alabama farmers. Data from a 1982 study of Kentucky farmers are used to accomplish this objective. Molnar's conclusions regarding the individual and structural determinants of farmers' global well-being are generally confirmed. In addition, the farmer's global satisfaction with life is shown to be related to his satisfaction with farming but the structural determinants of global and farm satisfaction differ. Net farm income, but not total family income or off-farm work time, determine farm satisb faction while the converse is true for global satisfaction with life. Education is shown to I specify farmers who have relatively large farms but low net farm incomes and dissatisfaction with farming and with life. Perceived rewards of farming are important determinants of both satisfaction domains. It is argued that farmers' opportunities to construct their workplaces explains the irrelevance of farm size to subjective well-being. h
Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis for Survival after Enucleation of Uveal Melanoma in Chinese Patients: Long-term Follow-up

ABSTRACT Purpose: To summarize the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of uveal melanoma (UM) after enucleation in Chinese patients. Methods: Between 2003 and 2012, a series of 171 patients with UM received enucleation at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai. Patient clinical information was collected. Pathological examination and BAP1 staining of the enucleated eyes were conducted. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regressions were conducted to determine the risk factors, and the survival rates were calculated and compared. Results: The study included 83 (49%) men and 88 (51%) women, with a mean age of 48.6 years. The mean largest basal tumor diameter and mean largest tumor thickness were 11.8 and 8.6 mm, respectively. Ciliary body involvement was observed in 19 tumors (11%). Spindle and nonspindle patterns were observed in 100 (58%) and 71 eyes (42%), respectively. Extrascleral extension was observed in three eyes (2%). BAP1 staining was negative in 34% (53/156) of all tumors and 53% (19/36) of the cases with melanoma-related metastasis. The mean follow-up period was 63.4 months for all patients with the exception of 11 patients, who were excluded because they were lost during follow-up. A large basal tumor diameter, ciliary body involvement, nonspindle cell type, extrascleral extension, and negative BAP1 staining were associated with a worse prognosis. The survival curves significantly differed between the BAP1-negative and BAP1-positive groups (P = 0.004). According to Kaplan–Meier analysis, the 5- and 10-year metastasis-free survival rates were 80% and 70%, respectively. Conclusions: A large basal tumor diameter, ciliary body involvement, nonspindle cell type, extrascleral extension, and negative BAP1 staining may be risk factors for the prediction of the UM prognosis. A younger age at diagnosis and a similar prognosis between genders may be unique features in Asian patients compared to the Caucasian population.
Pharmacological treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome: focusing on the role of antidepressants

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by chronic, medically unexplained fatigue associated with effort- and stress-intolerance, widespread pain, and impairment in sleep and concentration. Although this constellation of symptoms is highly prevalent in clinical practice, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CFS are poorly understood. Current evidence indicates similarities in symptomatology, and possibly etiology and pathogenesis, between CFS and depression. Additionally, there is significant overlap between CFS and the syndrome of fibromyalgia for which antidepressants have shown consistent efficacy. Data regarding antidepressant treatment of CFS is less copious and less uniformly positive, such that antidepressant use in CFS remains controversial. The current review aims to summarize available data related to antidepressants and other psychotropic agents in CFS to provide a platform for clinicians to make decisions in their treatment of this challenging syndrome. We identified relevant studies through a PubMed literature search with a combination of the following search terms: ‘fatigue,’ ‘depression,’ ‘antidepressant,’ ‘etiology’ (e.g., ‘neurobiology,’ ‘neurotransmitter,’ ‘genetic’), ‘diagnosis,’ and ‘treatment’ (e.g., ‘antidepressant’ plus the specific name). In addition, studies were also identified via the reference sections of retrieved articles. The authors thoroughly reviewed major findings from the scanned literatures and eventually synthesized them, providing summary, interpretation, and future directions.
The Determinants of Extreme Commodity Prices

Fat-tailed commodity price innovations are well-documented in the literature and long recognized as disruptive for consumers and producers, yet little is known about what factors drive such extreme events. Utilizing a wide range of factors from the economiccs and finance literature and quantile regression techniques, we shed light on this issue. Our models explain more variation in extreme than in median price innovations. Common global financial and demand factors account for a greater proportion of extreme aily spot price variations than do commodity-specific factors such as basis and open interest. Financialization of commodity markets, via significant and increasing co-variation of extreme spot price innovations with US equity market and trade-weighted US dollar returns, appears to be a major driver of extreme events in the 2000-09 period.
Strategic flexibility as a moderator of the relationship between commitment to employees and performance in service firms

This paper examines the fit between organizational commitment to employees (OCE) and strategic flexibility. The complementariness between these two factors originates from the fact that the effect of OCE on a firm's performance depends on the type of strategic flexibility. We argue that the greater the degree of strategic flexibility, the greater the positive effect of OCE on organizational performance. Using data from a random sample of 230 service firms, the empirical results partially support this hypothesis.
Earnings Management in English NHS Hospital Trusts

In this paper we review the financial reporting incentives associated with the requirement to breakeven for English NHS Trusts. We also investigate the distribution of reported income and estimate discretionary accruals thereby contributing to the limited literature on earnings management in not-for-profit hospitals. We find that Trust managers use discretion over accruals to report income within the target range around zero. The results are robust to recent challenges to earnings management explanations arising from the use of distributional and aggregate accruals methodologies. Our findings indicate that a precise and challenging financial breakeven target based on current cost residual income is associated with wide-spread use of discretionary accruals to an extent that weakens the accountability of NHS Trusts.
Stakeholder‐Agency Theory

Taking agency theory and stakeholder theory as points of departure, this article proposes a paradigm that helps explain the following: (1) certain aspects of a firm's strategic behaviour; (2) the structure of management-stakeholder contracts; (3) the form taken by the institutional structures that monitor and enforce contracts between managers and other stakeholders; and (4) the evolutionary process that shapes both management-stakeholder contracts and the institutional structures that police those contracts.
The influence of emotions on customer's cognitive evaluations and satisfaction in a service failure and recovery context

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between customers' negative emotions after a failure, their cognitive evaluations of the recovery process, and the overall or cumulative satisfaction in a service context. Two different constructs measure a customer's cognitive evaluations of the recovery process: disconfirmation of expectations and perceived justice. The proposed model is tested on a sample of financial service customers who suffered some type of failure. The results indicate that emotions have an indirect effect on overall or cumulative satisfaction through cognitive evaluations.
Exploring the processes of firm growth: evidence from a vector auto-regression

This article offers many new insights into the processes of firm growth by applying a vector autoregression model to longitudinal panel data on French manufacturing firms. We observe the coevolution of key variables such as growth of employment, sales, gross operating surplus, and labor productivity growth. Preliminary results suggest that employment growth is succeeded by the growth of sales, which in turn is followed by growth of profits. Generally speaking, however, growth of profits is not followed by much employment growth or sales growth. Quantile regressions highlight some asymmetries between negative-growth and fast-growth firms.
Investigating Instructional Strategies for Using Social Media in Formal and Informal Learning.

Despite the high popularity of personal use of online social media, a low percentage of students and instructors use them for educational purposes. This qualitative study explores the use of social media among faculty in the discipline of public administration in the United States. Eight instructors participated in telephone interviews about their experiences and perceptions of using social media for teaching and learning. Instructors perceive that informal learning using social media could be facilitated by instructors and integrated into formal learning environments for enriched discussions, increased engagement, and broad connections. This study provides qualitative empirical support for social learning theories while offering strategies for and examples of how social media can be used to connect formal and informal learning.
Public Debt in Advanced Economies and its Spillover Effects on Long-Term Yields

Several models establish a positive association between public debt ratios and long-term real yields, but the empirical evidence is not always conclusive. We reconsider this issue, focusing in particular on possible spillover effects of large advanced economies’ debt levels to other economies’ borrowing yields, especially in emerging markets. We extend the existing literature by using real time expectations of fiscal and other macroeconomic variables for a large sample of advanced and emerging economies. We show that an increase in the public debt levels of large advanced economies - especially the United States - spills over to both emerging markets and other advanced economies’ long-term real yields and that this effect is significant at the current levels of advanced economies’ debt ratios.
Abnormal musculoaponeurotic tunnel in the arm:

Median nerve and brachial artery in the arm are not usually overlapped by any structure. Connective tissue bands and muscular slips draping or enclosing this neurovascular bundle have been reported, however, which may produce clinical symptoms of nerve compression and vascular changes. We report an unusual musculoaponeurotic band that originates as the ligament of Struthers but terminates as the brachiofascialis muscle of Wood and in the process may have entrapped both the median nerve and brachial artery. The nerve to pronator teres originates from the median nerve within this tunnel. On histological examination the nerve was flattened and showed some perineurial thickening. In view of the flexor function of brachialis muscle, this anomalous musculoaponeurotic band may be considered a clinically important entity in the causation of idiopathic neurovasculopathy in the hand. Clin. Anat. 17:360–363, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gentrification, Segregation, and Discrimination in the American Urban System

Recent discussions of the ‘geography of gentrification’ highlight the need for comparative analysis of the nature and consequences of inner-city transformation. In this paper, the authors map the effects of housing-market and policy changes in the 1990s, focusing on 23 large cities in the USA. Using evidence from field surveys and a mortgage-lending database, they measure the class selectivity of gentrification and its relation to processes of racial and ethnic discrimination. They find a strong resurgence of capital investment in the urban core, along with magnified class segregation. The boom of the 1990s and policies targeted towards ‘new markets' narrowed certain types of racial and ethnic disparities in urban credit markets, but there is evidence of intensified discrimination and exclusion in gentrified neighborhoods.