Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designing an Intelligent Mobile Learning Tool for Grammar Learning (i-MoL)

English is the most important second language in most non-English speaking countries, including Malaysia. A good English proficiency comes from good grasp of grammar. To conquer the problems of low English proficiency among Malaysians, it is important to identify the key motivators that could facilitate the process of grammar learning. In this digital age, technology can play a very important role and mobile technology could be one of it. Thus, this study aims at designing a mobile learning tool, namely the Intelligent Mobile Learning Tool for Grammar Learning (i-MoL) to act as the “on-the-go” grammar learning support via mobile phones. i-MoL helps reinforce grammar learning through mobile phone with game-like applications, inquiry-based activities and flashcard-like information. The intelligent part of i-MoL lies in its ability to map the mobile-based grammar learning content to individual’s preferred learning styles based on Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model (FSLSM). The instructional system design through the ADDIE model was used in this study as a systematic approach in designing a novel and comprehensive mobile learning tool for grammar learning. In terms of implications, this study provides insights on how mobile technologies can be utilized to meet the mobility demand among language learners today.
METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE AND GREEN TEA EXTRACT REDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION IN AN ULCERATIVE COLITIS.

Ulcerative colitis is characterized by oxidative stress, leukocyte infiltration and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. The purpose of the study was to examine the protective effects of methylsulfonylmethane and green tea extract on acetic acid induced colitis in rats, a model for inflammatory bowel disease. Methylsulfonylmethane is an organosulfur compound, naturally occurring in green plants and it has antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects. Green tea extract contains polyphenolic compounds especially catechins which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by removing free radicals and increasing intracellular antioxidant defense. Colitis was induced by intracolonic instillation of 1 ml of 5% of acetic acid. On the fourth day after the induction of colitis, the distal colon was resected for macroscopic score, histopathological and biochemical such as myeloperoxidase and glutathione levels. Our results showed that methylsulfonylmethane, green tea extract and their combination decreased macroscopic and microscopic colonic damage scores caused by administration of acetic acid, also significantly reduced colonic levels of myeloperoxidase while increased the levels of glutathione compared to acetic acid-induced colitis group. Conclusion -It seems that methylsulfonylmethane as a natural product has a better protective effect on experimental ulcerative colitis compared with green tea extract, or the combination between them.
COLLECTION AND CONNECTION: THE ANATOMY OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS.

Strategists have argued that knowledge and how it is managed is a key source of competitive advantage. No where is this more important than in knowledge-intensive professional service firms, where resources are almost exclusively knowledge-based. Learning from past experiences and applying knowledge in new situations are essential for improving future value creation for clients. The paper introduces a framework for understanding how these firms can leverage knowledge more effectively. The framework explains the core social processes of knowledge collection and connection. These processes are essential for making knowledge productive, using it to innovate, delivering better services, and preventing "reinventing of the wheel. " Yet few professional service firms focus on how these processes actually work. To understand these processes, professional service firms must recognize the difference between rationalized and embedded knowledge. The paper describes these concepts and shows how this typology sheds ligh.
Launch timing and launch activities proficiency as antecedents to new product performance

Accelerating time to market is widely viewed as a contributor to increased new product sales and profit performance. The new product literature also agrees that better performance of the activities related to product launch should result in improved product performance. Relatively less understood, however, is the important role played by launch timing. That is, the firm must choose the correct moment to launch the product with respect to the objectives of top management, distributors, and customers. The emerging literature on this topic suggests a complex relationship between launch timing, launch activities, and new product performance. Based on the literature on market orientation, time-to-market acceleration, launch timing, project management leadership, and cross-functional integration, we develop a conceptual model of new product performance. We empirically test the model using data from US-based product managers. We find that market orientation, cross-functional integration, and leadership style are significant antecedents to timing and speed to market as well as to launching activities proficiency, both of which lead to improved new product performance. We conclude with managerial recommendations and implications.
Move to the beat—Rhythms of change and firm performance.

This study examines how different rhythms of change relate to firm performance. An explorative analysis of 67 European insurance companies between 1995 and 2004 reveals that corporate strategic changes occur in four distinct rhythms, which are classified as either regular or irregular (focused, punctuated, and temporarily switching). Subsequent quantitative analysis shows that companies that change regularly outperform those that change irregularly. This finding prevails under different internal and external contingencies, under different change characteristics, and over time periods. We also find that the rhythm and frequency of change have distinct performance effects. Our findings contribute to research on the change-stability paradox by showing that a regular and sequential balance between change and stability is associated with long-term success.
The State of e-Banking Implementation in Nigeria : A Post-Consolidation Review

The most widely used e-Banking instrument in igeria is e-Payment, particularly the automatic teller machine (ATM) card. However, with the adoption of e-Banking by all the banks in igeria, the volume of cash in circulation has continued to increase pre-and-post bank recapitalization/consolidation exercise. Furthermore, some of the 25 banks that survived the exercise were found lately to have depleted their capital base and have lost credibility before the consumers, e-Banking implementation notwithstanding. Therefore, in this paper, we review the state of e-Banking implementation in igeria and evaluate the influence of trust on the adoption of e-Payment using an extended technology acceptance model (TAM). Similarly, we investigate organizational reputation, perceived risk and perceived trust in the management of banks as a factor for enhancing customer loyalty. The findings in this work reveal that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are not only antecedent to ebanking acceptance, they are also factors to retain customers to the use of e-banking system such as organizational reputation, perceived risk and trust. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
An update on the management of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Despite the lack of long-term survival data, the impressive results obtained with fludarabine- and rituximab-based therapies have altered the philosophy of the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Therapy with chemoimmunotherapy appears to give higher responses with more patients achieving complete remission and some molecular remission. This may potentially translate into improved disease-free survival, and potentially a ‘cure’. Treatment options for patients who develop resistance to fludarabine continue to be limited. This review summarises current chemo-, immuno-, and chemoimmunotherapeutic regimens that are being currently evaluated in patients with CLL.
A 10‐year study of snowboard injuries in Lapland Sweden

Snowboard injuries in a Swedish ski area were evaluated from 1989 to 1999. All injured skiers (alpine, telemark, snowboarders) who sought medical attention at the local Medical Center within 48 h of the accident, were asked to answer an injury form. Physicians assessed and treated the injured skiers. There were a total of 1775 injured skiers; 568 injured snowboarders mean age 19 years. The female/male ratio was 34/66%, the injury rate 3/1000 skier days, three times higher than that of alpine skiers. The skill level of the injured snowboard riders improved during the period. The fall/run ratio of the beginners was higher (1.0) and their risk behavior lower (3.9 on visual analogue scale 1–10) in comparison to the advanced riders (0.4 and 6.6, respectively).
The Bank Lending Channel: Lessons from the Crisis

The 2007-2010 financial crisis highlighted the central role of financial intermediaries' stability in buttressing a smooth transmission of credit to borrowers. While results from the years prior to the crisis often cast doubts on the strength of the bank lending channel, recent evidence shows that bank-specific characteristics can have a large impact on the provision of credit. We show that new factors, such as changes in banks' business models and market funding patterns, had modified the monetary transmission mechanism in Europe and in the US prior to the crisis, and demonstrate the existence of structural changes during the period of financial crisis. Banks with weaker core capital positions, greater dependence on market funding and on non-interest sources of income restricted the loan supply more strongly during the crisis period. These findings support the Basel III focus on banks' core capital and on funding liquidity risks. They also call for a more forward-looking approach to the statistical data coverage of the banking sector by central banks. In particular, there should be a stronger focus on monitoring those financial factors that are likely to influence the functioning of the monetary transmission mechanism particularly in a period of crisis.
Pediatric endoscopic ear surgery in clinical practice: Lessons learned and early outcomes

Only a few reports describe the outcomes following endoscopic ear surgery (EES) in children for chronic ear disease. We differentiate between transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES), where the case is performed with only endoscopic visualization, from non‐TEES, where the endoscope is not used at all or used as an adjunct to the microscope. We hypothesize that EES is an effective approach to manage middle ear pathology using a transcanal approach in most cases, and can be incorporated into a pediatric otology practice with a neutral or positive effect on outcomes. Lessons learned during this process are analyzed and discussed.
Crashes and Bank Opaqueness

We investigate bank opaqueness by looking at the frequency of large, negative, market-adjusted returns (crashes). We analyze crashes on a sample of US stocks traded in the 1990-2007 period. Jin and Myers (2006) predict that opaqueness coupled with weak investors’ protection generate more frequent crashes. After controlling for size and leverage, banks (and insurance firms) generate more frequent crashes relative to other firms. We also find that weak investors’ protection, as measured by the Governance Index from Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick (2003) is associated with higher crash frequency. After controlling for investors’ protection, banks still exhibit more frequent crashes. We therefore conclude that banks are more opaque than non-banks.
Behçet's syndrome with arthritis.

Hulusi Beh9et, formerly Professor of Dermatology "First transient aphthous changes in the mouth, at the University of Istanbul (Fig. 1), reported three secondly ulcerations on the genitalia, and thirdly attacks cases of the syndrome which now bears his name, in of iritis, although the latter symptom is not always present. 1937. He described a triple symptom complex Each of these three symptoms tends, according to its 1B9h3 t1940H degree of severity at any one time, to simulate a number (Behcet, 1940): of better known diseases and this makes differential
Risco no Modelo de Internacionalização de Uppsala

This paper revisits the evolution of the Uppsala behavioral model of internationalization since the 1970s and inserts Lemos, Johanson and Vahlne’s graphic proposal in this context, where it plays a central role. The lack of knowledge about the market is the most critical restriction to the difficulties involved in the internationalization process (LEMOS; JOHANSON; VAHLNE, 2010) and is in the origin of the behavioral model that explains internationalization in sequential stages of knowledge acquisition. Liability of foreignness is relevant in the original version. There is a review of the Uppsala model, in which this perspective of the internationalization process was revisited, especially for the market complexity, suggesting that such movement is not a sequence of steps and stages planned and deliberated by a rational analysis. In the new version, the idea of liability of outsidership, referring to the existing networks, is relevant. The Uppsala school’s new proposal considers relationship networks as a central element to enter foreign markets.
Impact of Alendronate on Quality of Life in Children With Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a debilitating clinical condition characterized by fragile bone and skeletal deformity. Over the past decade frequent reports have suggested that the cyclical administration of intravenous pamidronate has a positive impact on bone density and skeletal fractures; however, the impact of such therapy on the quality of life (QOL) has rarely been reported. Alendronate, an oral bisphosphonate, is widely used to treat osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of daily alendronate on QOL and bone parameters in children with OI. A prospective double-blind crossover study was designed in which placebo was alternated with daily alendronate. Twenty children with types I, III, and IV OI were recruited. Seventeen patients completed the study. Markers of QOL were measured in children with type III and IV OI (n = 15) using total mobility (PEDI), self-care (WeeFIM), well-being, pain, and use of analgesic scores. After 1 year of alendronate therapy, vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) improved from a change in standard deviation score (z-score) of 0.89 ± 0.19 to −0.12 ± 0.14 after 1 year of placebo (P < 0.001). All QOL markers, except for mobility score, improved in response to alendronate therapy. Change in height z-score also improved in response to 1 year of alendronate therapy (0.41 ± 0.21 vs. −0.09 ± 0.11, P < 0.05). Alendronate therapy did not alter serum levels of calcium, osteocalcin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), 1, 5 (OH)2 vitamin D, cholesterol, or urinary hydroxyproline or any other biochemical marker evaluated. Alendronate decreased by 56% urinary cross-linked N-telopeptide of type 1 collagen divided by urinary creatinine (uNTX/uCr). Daily alendronate therapy was well tolerated. Only two patients had mild gastrointestinal discomfort, responding to minor adjustments in alendronate intake. Daily alendronate therapy is safe and effective in improving QOL in children with OI.
Trends in influenza vaccination in Canada, 1996/1997 to 2005.

OBJECTIVES This article reports recent trends in influenza vaccination rates in Canada, provides data on predictors of vaccination in Canada for 2005, and examines longer-term effects of Ontario's universal influenza immunization program on vaccine uptake. DATA SOURCES Data are from the 1996/1997 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and the 2000/2001, 2003, and 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES NPHS and CCHS data were used to estimate influenza vaccination rates of the population aged 12 or older. The Z test was used to assess differences between surveys, and the chi-squared test for trend was used to examine trends over time. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of vaccination and to compare the odds of being vaccinated in Ontario versus other provinces. MAIN RESULTS Nationally, influenza vaccination rates rose from 15% in 1996/1997 to 27% in 2000/2001, stabilized between 2000/2001 and 2003, and increased further to 34% by 2005. Vaccination rates for most high-risk groups still fall short of national targets. Ontarians continue to be more likely to be vaccinated than are residents of any other province, while residents of two of the territories--Nunavut and the Northwest Territories--are even more likely to be vaccinated than are Ontarians.
Multivariate copulas in financial market risk with particular focus on trading strategies and asset allocation

Copulas provide a useful way to model different types of dependence structures explicitly. Instead of having one correlation number that encapsulates everything known about the dependence between two variables, copulas capture information on the level of dependence as well as whether the two variables exhibit other types of dependence, for example tail dependence. Tail dependence refers to the instance where the variables show higher dependence between their extreme values. A copula is defined as a multivariate distribution function with uniform marginals. A useful class of copulas is known as Archimedean copulas that are constructed from generator functions with very specific properties. The main aim of this thesis is to construct multivariate Archimedean copulas by nesting different bivariate Archimedean copulas using the vine construction approach. A characteristic of the vine construction is that not all combinations of generator functions lead to valid multivariate copulas. Established research is limited in that it presents constraints that lead to valid multivariate copulas that can be used to model positive dependence only. The research in this thesis extends the theory by deriving the necessary constraints to model negative dependence as well. Specifically, it ensures that the multivariate copulas that are constructed from bivariate copulas that capture negative dependence, will be able to capture negative dependence as well. Constraints are successfully derived for
Investigation into barriers to adoption of e-procurement and measures of performance

Electronic procurement (e-procurement) is the purchase of goods and services through internet or any other electronic medium. This paper reports the findings of a survey carried out in 36 Indian organisations to investigate the barriers related to the adoption of e-procurement and the effect of e-procurement on performance measures in Indian scenario. The findings of this paper suggest that the main barriers to the adoption of e-procurement are: 1economic and cultural barriers 2socio-political barriers 3cognitive barriers. There are many challenges in performance measurement of e-procurement systems like: lack of understanding of benefits of performance measurement, indicators not linked with the organisational objectives, and difficulty in information collection for performance measurement. There exist many factors that affect the performance by the implementation of e-procurement, and can be grouped into three categories: 1reduced costs 2increased performance 3reduced number of suppliers.
Effect Of Macroeconomic Variables On Stock Market Returns For Four Emerging Economies: Brazil, Russia, India, And China

The relationship between share prices and macroeconomic variables is well documented for the United States and other major economies. However, what is the relationship between share prices and economic activity in emerging economies? The goal of this study is to investigate the time-series relationship between stock market index prices and the macroeconomic variables of exchange rate and oil price for Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) using the Box-Jenkins ARIMA model. Although no significant relationship was found between respective exchange rate and oil price on the stock market index prices of either BRIC country, this may be due to the influence other domestic and international macroeconomic factors on stock market returns, warranting further research. Also, there was no significant relationship found between present and past stock market returns, suggesting the markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China exhibit the weak-form of market efficiency.
Measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the key convenience dimensions of online shopping, as convenience has been one of the principal motivations underlying customer inclinations to adopt online shopping.Design/methodology/approach – The authors first employ in‐depth focus group interviews with online consumers to identify the attributes of online shopping convenience and then develop and validate an instrument of five key dimensions to measure online shopping convenience by analyzing data collected via a Web‐based questionnaire survey.Findings – The five dimensions of online shopping convenience are: access, search, evaluation, transaction, and possession/post‐purchase convenience.Practical implications – Online retailers can employ the five‐factor measurement instrument to assess the degree of customer perceived online shopping convenience. This instrument can assist managers in identifying and overcoming key obstacles to the delivery of a highly convenient online shopping service to custom.
Capital Structure Decisions, Agency Conflicts and Corporate Performance: Evidence from Sri Lankan Listed Manufacturing Firms

Corporate capital structure decisions are key determinants of firm performance. The agency theory suggests that debt financing is one of the mechanisms to mitigate agency problems and thus to improve firm performance. This paper provides important evidence on the performance effects of capital structure decisions using a panel of listed manufacturing firms in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) over the period 2008-2013. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) methodology is used to control for unobserved heterogeneity, endogeneity of capital structure decisions, and their dynamics. The study finds that leverage is non-linearly (U-shaped) related to firm performance.
Symptoms and problems in a nationally representative sample of advanced cancer patients

Little is known about the need for palliative care among advanced cancer patients who are not in specialist palliative care. The purpose was to identify prevalence and predictors of symptoms and problems in a nationally representative sample of Danish advanced cancer patients. Patients with cancer stage 3 or 4 from 54 hospital departments (n = 1630) received the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Mean scores were calculated according to the scoring manual and in addition a ‘symptom/problem’ and a ‘severe symptom/problem’ was defined and calculated. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictors. In total, 977 (60%) patients participated. The most frequent symptoms/problems were fatigue (57%; severe 22%) followed by reduced role function, insomnia and pain. Age, cancer stage, primary tumour, type of department, marital status and whether the patient had recently been hospitalized or not were associated with several symptoms and problems. This is probably the first nationally representative study of its kind. It shows that advanced cancer patients in Denmark have symptoms and problems that deserve attention and that some patient groups are especially at risk.