Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Operating Performance of Firms Conducting Seasoned Equity Offerings in Bangladesh

This study attempts to examine the behavior and to identify the determinants of operating performance of SEOs in Bangladesh. It has been documented that firms making SEOs in Bangladesh tend to have improving operating performance prior to the equity offering and to have a declining operating performance after the equity offering. The decline in the operating performance of smaller firms during the post issue period is more severe than that of larger firms. Regression analysis indicates that the growth of assets faster than sales growth and the size of firm have significant influence on the operating performance of SEO firms. The major implications include the over-optimism of managers about the return on their investments and the existence of a possible earnings management by the SEO firms prior to equity offering.
Intrinsic Factors Associated With Exercise-Related Leg Pain in Collegiate Cross-Country Runners

Objectives:This study (1) examined the occurrence of exercise-related leg pain (ERLP) in collegiate cross-country athletes and (2) compared structural factors in runners with and without ERLP history. Study Design:Cross-sectional design comparing 2 groups of cross-country athletes (with and without ERLP history). Setting:Intercollegiate athletics. Participants:A total of 63 athletes (30 males, 33 females) representing 2 cross-country teams consented to participate. Measures:Athlete examination included self-report of ERLP history, active ankle dorsiflexion with knee extended and flexed, navicular drop (ND), and 1st ray length. ND index was calculated by dividing ND by 1st ray length. Athletes on 1 team (n = 32) were followed through 1 season to identify incidence of ERLP over the course of 1 season. Independent t tests were used to compare structural measures of those with and without ERLP history, and χ2 was used to examine frequencies. Results:Of the 63 athletes, 33 (52%) reported ERLP history; most reported medial leg pain and also bilateral symptoms. No differences in structural measures were found between those with and without ERLP history. Ten of 32 athletes (31%) reported the occurrence of ERLP during the fall season, 8 of whom had a history of ERLP. Conclusions:Exercise-related leg pain was a common complaint among these athletes, usually occurring bilaterally and located along the medial leg. Athletes with ERLP history did not have a greater foot pronation as measured by ND, nor was there limited ankle range of motion as compared with those without ERLP history. Further research is needed to identify factors associated with the development of ERLP.
Impact of electrode design on facial nerve stimulation in otosclerosis

pediatric cochlear implant users. Ear and Hearing 24(3): 236–247. Tong MC, van Hasselt CA (1997) Cochlear implant surgery in a modified radical mastoidectomy cavity reconstructed utilizing the Hong Kong vascularized temporalis fascia flap technique. Advances in Otorhinolaryngology 52: 151–154. Tono T, Ushisako Y, Morimitsu T (1996) Cochlear implantation in an intralabyrinthine acoustic neuroma patient after resection of an intracanalicular tumour. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 110(6): 570–573. Tucci DL, Telian SA, Zimmerman-Phillips S, Zwolan TA, Kileny PR (1995) Cochlear implantation in patients with cochlear malformations. Archives of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 121(8): 833–838. Waltzman SB, Cohen NL, Gomolin RH, Green JE, Shapiro WH, Hoffman RA, Roland JT Jr (1997) Open-set speech perception in congenitally deaf children using cochlear implants. American Journal of Otology 18: 342–349. Waltzman SB, Fisher SG, Niparko JK et al. (2000) Predictors of postoperative performance with cochlear implants. Annals of Otology Rhinology and Laryngology 185: 533–536.
Relative Study of Students Awareness & Usage of Green Computing with respect to Gender

Green Computing is the emerging computing technology. It is mainly used to save and protect environment as well as optimize energy consumption and try to keep green environment. It also refers to environmentally sustainable computing. Saving energy or reduction of carbon footprints is main aspects of Green Computing. This research is mainly focusing on to check awareness and usage of green computing with respect to gender. A questionnaire was prepared to check the level of awareness and usage of green computing. The questionnaires were given to 105 students. Now a days all students use computer for their study/work. Less than 50% of all the students are aware about green computing it means most of the students are not aware about green computing. The research finding established that more awareness is required in order to make IT users to take greener approaches of using technology its peripherals devices.
The Price of Risk in Sovereign Latin-American Debt: A Term-Structure Perspective

This study investigates the term-structure of sovereign emerging market yield spreads by decomposing it into the default risk component and the residual risk premium for Eurobonds of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. We find that the risk premium tends to increase with maturity and account for the majority of the yield spread at all maturities for all three countries. The predominantly large, non-flat risk premium curve considerably modifies the yield spread term-structure which is implied by expected default losses. The risk premium and also its share within the yield spread both however vary considerably over time. The variation in risk premium changes is driven by common global and regional market risks. The relative impact of common market factors differs at short, medium and long maturities which is important in explaining risk premium dynamics that varies with bond maturity.
Comprehension of relationship quality in the retail environment

Purpose – After almost a decade of relationship quality studies in the retail industry, high consensus exists regarding the dimensions that define the construct. Disregarding epistemological depth of the concept of commitment, however, has led only to its unidimensional operationalization. To improve the retail relationship quality operationalization, this paper seeks to provide theoretical and empirical support that calculative and emotional commitment should be included as dimensions of relationship quality in addition to trust and satisfaction in the retail environment.Design/methodology/approach – Cross‐sectional telephone interviews with members of a retail loyalty club were conducted in two waves. The first wave included 116 respondents to purify the measurement instrument. The second wave included 416 respondents to estimate the parameters in SEM.Findings – Empirical findings suggest that in the retail environment, relationship quality as a second‐order factor influences emotional commitment, calcu.
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Receptor Superfamily Member TACI Is a High Affinity Receptor for TNF Family Members APRIL and BLyS*

An expression cloning approach was employed to identify the receptor for B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and identified the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member TACI as a BLyS-binding protein. Expression of TACI in HEK293T cells confers on the cells the ability to bind BLyS with subnanomolar affinity. Furthermore, a TACI-Fc fusion protein recognizes both the cleaved, soluble form of BLyS as well as the membrane BLyS present on the cell surface of a recombinant cell line. TACI mRNA is found predominantly in B-cells and correlates with BLyS binding in a panel of B-cell lines. We also demonstrate that TACI interacts with nanomolar affinity with the BLyS-related tumor necrosis factor homologue APRIL for which no clear in vivo role has been described. BLyS and APRIL are capable of signaling through TACI to mediate NF-κB responses in HEK293 cells. We conclude that TACI is a receptor for BLyS and APRIL and discuss the implications for B-cell biology.
Modeling customer satisfaction and loyalty: survey data versus data mining

Purpose – The loyalty literature has investigated the association between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and revealed mixed results. Some studies have indicated that the relationship is linear, whereas others have found it to be non‐linear. This study examines the nature of this association in retail banking, an issue that has not been tested empirically.Design/methodology/approach – A survey study examined bank customers' attitudes, perceptions, and behavior. Bivariate and multivariate testing was applied to develop two loyalty models: one based only on variables typically known to a bank, such as demographics and recent consumer behavior, and the other based on additional survey data.Findings – A non‐linear relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty was found, and a model explaining 56.9 percent of the variation in customer loyalty was developed. Predictors of loyalty beyond the attitudinal dimensions traditionally tested for their association with loyalty were found to .
The Influence of Service Recovery and Loyalty on Perceived Service Quality: A Study of Hotel Customers in Spain

ABSTRACT This article analyzes two crucial aspects of services marketing, service recovery and customer loyalty, and their influence on perceived service quality. SERVQUAL was used as the instrument for measuring service quality, and hotel customers in Spain made up the sample. The application of factor analysis highlights a clear distinction between tangible and non-tangible dimensions of service quality for both hotel receptions and hotel restaurants. The results indicate that for non-tangible dimensions of service quality, the quality of service perceived by customers will increase if the customer is loyal, and/or if the customer experiences a service recovery during the visit. However, for tangible dimensions, these two factors have no influence on perceived service quality. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
LOOP ELECTROSURGICAL EXCISION FOR HIGH GRADE SQUAMOUS INTRAEPITHELIAL LESION ON CERVICAL CYTOLOGY AT NAKORNPING HOSPITAL

Objective To examine the correlation between colposcopic impression and histologic findings in patients who underwent loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear without an intervening colposcopically directed biopsy. Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients with HSIL in cervical cytology, who underwent LEEP without a prior cervical biopsy at Nakornping Hospital from January 2003 to April 2004. The final histologic results of the LEEP summarized the correlation between colposcopic impression and histologic findings. Results Of 178 patients, who had HSIL in cytology and underwent colposcopy and LEEP without prior cervical biopsy, 136 (76%) had high-grade intraepithelial lesion. Twenty patients (11%) had invasive squamous cell carcinoma, and 17 (63%) of 27 patients, with low-grade lesions in the colposcopic impression, had high-grade lesions in the final histology. One-hundred and four patients (80%) of 130 with high-grade impression in the colposcopy had high-grade lesions in the final histologic diagnosis. Conclusion The correlation between colposcopic impression and LEEP histologic diagnosis was strong (80%) for HSIL in the cytology, when the colposcopic impression showed high-grade lesions. HSIL in the cytology and high-grade impression in satisfactory colposcopy is an appropriate indication for immediate LEEP. Chiang Mai Med Bull 2004;43(4):143-150.
Environment-Strategy Co-Evolution and Co-Alignment: A Staged Model of Chinese Soes Under Transition

Economic reform in China has attracted growing attention from around the world owing to its significance for theory and practice. What has been largely missing in the literature is the temporal dimension, i.e., the changes over time in key variables such as organizational environment, firm strategic adaptations, and the performance implications. In this study, we investigate environment and strategic adaptations 12 years after Tan and Litschert examined these issues in 1990. Following a staged model, the study found that (1) organizational environment and firm strategic adaptations have co-evolved over time, (2) a new configuration has emerged and is related to improved performance, and (3) such a relationship is moderated by the stage during transition in which firms were founded. Specifically, firms founded since 1990 are more proactive and innovative than firms that had existed in the previous stage.
Do Mutual Fund Managers Go With The Flow? An Examination Of Fund Manager’S Response To Capital Control Policies

This paper builds on earlier reputation models and investigates fund manager’s response when given an exogenous signal capital control signal by the Bank of Thailand (BOT). In so doing, this paper seeks to test out three hypotheses 1) the Waitand-see hypothesis 2) the Signaling Hypothesis, and 3) Separating Equilibrium. Using a novel fund-level dataset by the Emerging Portfolio Fund Research (EPFR) 1 dating from 2003-2013 in six Emerging Asia countries; Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Thailand and a higher frequency Capital Control Index (CCI), we find that a separating equilibrium outcome in portfolio investment patterns of mutual fund managers can result; skilled fund managers try to separate themselves from the pool by taking excessive risk through their portfolio choices. The finding shed lights on how macroeconomics policy results in idiosyncratic response of individual agents that can be used to assess potentially distortion to the overall welfare. 1 This dataset is by far the most comprehensive resource for portfolio investment data, used in several research works by the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and academic institutions.
Mouse polymorphonuclear granulocyte binding to extracellular matrix molecules involves β1 integrins

The mechanism of adhesion of purified mouse polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN) to extracellular matrix proteins characteristic of basement membranes and the interstitium has been investigated and compared with the adhesion of a mouse progranulocytic cell line, 32DC13, and a mouse monocytic cell line, WEHI 78/24. All three cell types bound specifically to fibronectin and vitronectin to different degrees under different cellular activation states. 32DC13 bound to fibronectin and vitronectin strongly, and this binding increased upon cellular activation with phorbol 12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (PMA) but not with formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe. Only 32DC13 showed significant binding to laminin‐1. By contrast, WEHI 78/24 and PMN bound only fibronectin and vitronectin; this binding was weak and was altered only marginally upon activation with PMA. In the case of WEHI 78/24, a slight increase in adhesion both to fibronectin and to vitronectin was observed after cellular activation with PMA, while PMN adhesion to both substrates was slightly reduced. The mechanism of binding to fibronectin and vitronectin was similar in the three cell types. The integrin α5β1 mediated fibronectin adhesion, demonstrating for the first time the existence of a functionally active β1 integrin on mouse PMN. Vitronectin binding was mediated by αvβ3, as demonstrated by the ability of αv‐specific cyclic L‐Arg‐L‐Gly‐L‐Asp‐D‐Phe‐L‐Val (RGDfV) peptide (EMD66203), and anti‐β3 antibody to inhibit cell adhesion. 32DC13 adhesion to laminin‐1 was via the α6β1 integrin. None of the three cell types tested bound to the basement membrane proteins collagen type IV and perlecan, or to the interstitial stromal constituents tenascin, collagen types I, V and VI. Interestingly, perlecan and collagen type IV were found to repel all three cell types. The relative inability of PMN, WEHI 78/24, and 32DC13 to bind to extracellular matrix proteins characteristic of basement membranes and their ability to bind inflammatory markers of the interstitium is discussed with respect to leukocyte extravasation processes.
Stochastic Polynomial Decomposition-Based Energy-Efficient Hybrid DLT Codes

Forward error correction codes are commonly adopted in dual-hop relay communications, among which Luby transform (LT) codes are favorable because of their low-complexity decoder and rate adaptability to erasure channels. To alleviate the high computational cost in the primitive LT-based cooperative communications, hybrid decomposed LT (h-DLT) codes are proposed recently. By dispersing the computational cost of LT codes into the source and the relay, the computational cost of both nodes can be reduced considerably. However, there are some practical limitations. First, the nonnegative decomposition algorithm developed for h-DLT codes construction has no control of decomposition accuracy. Second, the cooperative relay communication protocol based on the original h-DLT codes can induce high communication cost. In this paper, we propose a stochastic nonnegative polynomial decomposition algorithm, which achieves robust decomposition and higher decomposition accuracy for h-DLT codes construction. Based on the new algorithm, a new type of h-DLT codes is proposed for cooperative relay communications with higher energy efficiency. Simulations are conducted to manifest the performance of the new h-DLT codes and benefits of the corresponding cooperative relay communication system. In addition, multiple design factors are investigated.
Enumeration of Oral Streptococci on Media Containing Different Concentrations of Sodium and Potassium Ions

Laboratory "type" strains of oral streptococci were screened for their ability to grow on mitis-salivarius agar (MSA) in the presence of increasing concentrations of either Na + or K+ up to 500 mmol/L. Strains were generally better able to withstand increasing concentrations of Na+ than K +, although low numbers of colony-forming units (cfus) were seen with the highest concentration of either cation. Two strains of Streptococcus mutans, Ingbritt 162 and Ingbritt 175, behaved differently when the concentration of cation was increased from 50 to 200 mmol/L; the latter showed a marked increase in the number of cfus when the Na* concentration was increased from 50 to 200 mmol/L, whereas there was a decrease with strain Ingbritt 162. Strains of oral streptococci from the saliva of adults and children were isolated on modified MSA containing known concentrations of Na + and K+ and further examined if they showed "mutans-like" colony morphology. The number of cfus generally dropped as the concentration of Na+ or K+ was increased from 200 to 350 or 500 mmol/L. Greater numbers of streptococci were tolerant to Na+ than to K +. Half of the isolates were members of the Streptococcus sanguis group (SSG), either Streptococcus mitis or S. sanguis II, and these were more tolerant to high concentrations of Na+ or K+ than other isolates that were identified as Streptococcus morbillorum, Streptococcus acidominimus, and Streptococcus milleri.
International Market Segmentation Based on Consumer–Product Relations

With increasing competition in the global marketplace, international segmentation has become an ever more important issue in developing, positioning, and selling products across national borders. The authors propose a methodology to identify cross-national market segments, based on means–end chain theory. The methodology offers the potential for integrating product development and communication strategies by linking product characteristics to consumer benefits and values. For that purpose, a model is developed that identifies relations between the consumer and the product at the segment level, which increases the actionability and responsiveness of the segments. The model accounts for different response tendencies, across and within countries, that commonly hamper identification of cross-national segments. A Monte Carlo study shows that the model performs well in recovering the parameters across a wide range of conditions. The segmentation model is applied to consumer data on yogurt collected in 11 countries of the European Union. Four international segments are identified and found to be related to consumer sociodemographics, consumption patterns, media consumption, and personality. The authors show that the model has high predictive validity and outperforms the standard clustering approaches traditionally employed in international segmentation.
Combining Global and Local Measures for Structure-Based Druggability Predictions

Predicting druggability and prioritizing certain disease modifying targets for the drug development process is of high practical relevance in pharmaceutical research. DoGSiteScorer is a fully automatic algorithm for pocket and druggability prediction. Besides consideration of global properties of the pocket, also local similarities shared between pockets are reflected. Druggability scores are predicted by means of a support vector machine (SVM), trained, and tested on the druggability data set (DD) and its nonredundant version (NRDD). The DD consists of 1069 targets with assigned druggable, difficult, and undruggable classes. In 90% of the NRDD, the SVM model based on global descriptors correctly classifies a target as either druggable or undruggable. Nevertheless, global properties suffer from binding site changes due to ligand binding and from the pocket boundary definition. Therefore, local pocket properties are additionally investigated in terms of a nearest neighbor search. Local similarities are described by distance dependent histograms between atom pairs. In 88% of the DD pocket set, the nearest neighbor and the structure itself conform with their druggability type. A discriminant feature between druggable and undruggable pockets is having less short-range hydrophilic-hydrophilic pairs and more short-range lipophilic-lipophilic pairs. Our findings for global pocket descriptors coincide with previously published methods affirming that size, shape, and hydrophobicity are important global pocket descriptors for automatic druggability prediction. Nevertheless, the variety of pocket shapes and their flexibility upon ligand binding limit the automatic projection of druggable features onto descriptors. Incorporating local pocket properties is another step toward a reliable descriptor-based druggability prediction.
Relational Contracts with On-the-Job Search

This paper characterises the optimal self{enforcing contracts in a large anonymous labour market. We show that the introduction of on{the{job search leads otherwise identical flrms to ofier difierent contracts. High{wage flrms rarely lose workers and demand a high level of efiort. Low{wage flrms frequently lose workers and demand little efiort. We also endogenise the number of flrms, showing that free{entry leads to full employment. In equilibrium, incentives are provided through underemployment rather than through unemployment.
Exploring the determinants of voluntary adoption of IFRS by unlisted firms: A comparative study between the UK and Germany

This study provides direct evidence on unlisted firms’ adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), differing from previous studies that focused on listed firms. The current literature documents little evidence regarding the determinants of voluntary adoption of IFRS by unlisted firms. This study aims to fill in this gap with respect to both firm attributes and country attributes. From examining a sample of unlisted firms in the UK and Germany, I find that firm size, leverage, legal form, profitability and country-level institutional environment contribute to IFRS choices by unlisted firms. I further find that the country-level institutional environment fails to strengthen or weaken the role of firm-level factors affecting IFRS adoption. The evidence in this study offers insights regarding the determinants of unlisted firms’ preferences for adoption of accounting standards, and suggests which types of unlisted firms prefer to use and benefit from IFRS.