Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geoelectrical Characterization of Sulphate Rocks Ander Guinea Maysounave

Gypsum rocks are widely exploited in the world as industrial minerals. The purity of the gypsum rocks (percentage in gypsum mineral in the whole rock) is a critical factor to evaluate the potential exploitability of a gypsum deposit. It is considered than purities higher than 80% in gypsum are required to be economically profitable. Gypsum deposits have been studied with geoelectrical methods; a direct relationship between the electrical resistivity values of the gypsum rocks and its lithological composition has been established, with the presence of lutites being the main controlling factor in the geoelectrical response of the deposit. This phenomenon has been quantified in the present study, by means of a combination of theoretical calculations, laboratory measurements and field data acquisition. Direct modelling has been performed; the data have been inverted to obtain the mean electrical resistivity of the models. The laboratory measurements have been obtained from artificial gypsum-clay mixture pills, and the electrical resistivity has been measured using a simple electrical circuit with direct current power supply. Finally, electrical resistivity tomography data have been acquired in different evaporite Tertiary basins located in North East Spain; the selected gypsum deposits have different gypsum compositions. The geoelectrical response of gypsum rocks has been determined by comparing the resistivity values obtained from theoretical models, laboratory tests and field A. Guinea (&) E. Playà L. Rivero M. Himi Departament de Geoquı́mica, Petrologia i Prospecció Geològica, Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martı́ i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain e-mail: anderguinea@ub.edu E. Playà e-mail: eplaya@ub.edu L. Rivero e-mail: lrivero@ub.edu M. Himi e-mail: himi@ub.edu R. Bosch Departament d’Enginyeria Elèctrica. ETSEIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain e-mail: bosch@ee.upc. edu 123 Surv Geophys (2010) 31:557–580 DOI 10.1007/s10712-010-9107-x
Business Venture of the Poor: Performance and Problems

This paper elaborates the condition of the business ventures of the poor and identifies the problems hindering or enhancing their progress. This study used structured interview to obtain insights from the four subjects.The subjects are selected from a special entrepreneurial program designed for the poorest Muslim group in Malaysia. Grenier 5 Phases Growth Model serves as the framework for explaining the growth phenomenon of the business ventures. The study concludes that businesses of the poor are currently at the creativity growth phase. From the analysis, the problems faced by the entrepreneurs are divided into three themes namely insufficient capital, lack of systematic managerial practices and basic day-to-day operational problems.
TAIWANESE DEPARTMENT STORE INDUSTRY: AN OVERVIEW

Traces history of Taiwan′s department store industry back to 1958 when Da‐Hsin, Taiwan′s first contemporary department store, was established in Kao‐Hsiung. Most of Taiwan′s department stores were small with limited cash flow and have, therefore, widely adopted consignment sales. Illustrates how lack of merchandise differentation, stemming from consignment, resulted in a serious problem with vicious price competition. As a result, the Taipei Co‐ordinated Department Store Association (TCDSA) was formed in 1980 by volunteer department stores as a way to alleviate devastating price competition between them. Details how, recently, collaborative agreements have attracted the attention of Taiwan′s department stores; and how these strategic alliances have advanced Taiwan′s department store industry and have offered foreign retailers entry into the Taiwanese market.
Outsourcing: An IT-Capable Firm's Perspective

Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between the outsourcing and the IT capability literature, this study provides a framework for approaching outsourcing decisions from an IT-capable firm's perspective. The paper lays the foundation for a micro-economic framework for contrasting the value-adding proposition of three sourcing options: insourcing (hierarchy), outsourcing (market), and IT outsourcing alliances (hybrid). We use this framework to identify a small and suggestive set of necessary and sufficient conditions under which an IT-capable firm may be able to extract incremental value from an IT outsourcing alliance.
Altered growth hormone, cortisol, and leptin secretion in healthy elderly persons with sarcopenia and mixed body composition phenotypes.

BACKGROUND Obese phenotypes and aging are independently associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and leptin secretion alterations. However, leptin secretion and HPA axis function in elderly persons with other body composition phenotypes is largely unknown. METHODS Forty-five healthy elderly participants were classified normal lean (NL), sarcopenic (SS), sarcopenic-obese (SO), or obese (OO) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Growth hormone (GH), cortisol, and leptin secretion were evaluated during a free-running night, and oral glucocorticoid suppression test (dexamethasone DEX). Diurnal cortisol secretion was assessed by hourly salivary samples with timed meals. Data were analyzed using cluster, deconvolution, and approximate entropy (ApEn) analyses. RESULTS GH area, total secretion, and mean concentration during the free-running night was lower in the SO and OO groups verses the SS and NL groups (p <.02, Wilcoxon test). GH mean concentration and total secretion significantly increased in all groups during DEX (overall p <.05) except the SO group, in which ApEn increased (p =.03). Pre- and postbreakfast peak salivary cortisol (p =.004) and area under the curve (p =.03) was greatest in the SS group. Baseline leptin (11:00 pm) was significantly higher in the SO, OO, and SS groups verses the NL group (p =.01). Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was independently and negatively correlated with leptin in all groups, even after adjusting for percentage body fat (p =.001). CONCLUSIONS In the presence of obesity, GH secretion was depressed with a blunted and disorderly response to oral glucocorticoid suppression in SO participants. Sarcopenic participants had concomitantly elevated leptin and cortisol relative to their low body fat mass. Complex or dysregulated neuroendocrine feedback systems appear to be operating in elderly persons with specific body composition phenotypes.
Twin study of digital dermatoglyphic traits: Investigation of heritability

Digital patterns of a sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins were analyzed to obtain heritability values for the four basic types of patterns: arch, tented arch, loops, and whorls. Loops have been separated according to their orientation radial or ulnar. To carry out this study, we used the Holzinger and Clark indices. The results show highest concordances for monozygotic twins except for ulnar loops of the left hand and radial ones of the right hand. Different values of heritability were found for the right and left hands, with finger I having the highest values.
Changing Pattern of Cerebral Palsy in the Southwest Region of Finland

ABSTRACT. The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) increased significantly from 1968–72 to 1978–82 in the region of the University Central Hospital of Turku, Finland, from 1.6/1000 live births during the first five‐year period to 2.5/1000 live births during the second. The increase was due to an increase of CP in low birthweight children (p= 0.0002). The distribution of CP patterns did not change significantly. During the second period the diagnosis was made earlier in all groups (except that of spastic tetraplegia), though it reached statistical significance only in the hemi‐ and diplegic groups. While the perinatal mortality rate declined greatly during this period (especially in low birthweight groups), the increase in CP prevalence was due to increased survival rather than to a real change in prevalence. As a net gain, the decline resulted in an increased absolute figure in non‐CP children, in spite of the rising prevalence of the disease.
Three essays on ownership structure, firm performance and ability to invest

The aim of this study has been to provide more insights into our understanding of a number of issues pertaining to the evolution of ownership characteristics in the UK market, the impact of agency costs on firm performance and the links between the financial and investment decisions of firms. Our work contains a number of important and original aspects that potentially contribute to the literature on several grounds. First, we provide a detailed and systematic evidence on corporate ownership and governance structure characteristics for a unique database which we hand-collected of a large sample of UK non-financial listed firms between 1991 and 2001. This work significantly contributes to the existing body of knowledge, by extending and complementing existing US evidence (Denis & Sarin, 1999) on the evolution of ownership systems showing a large variability over time both in the managerial and non-managerial ownership and in the board composition of UK companies. Second, we directly analyse whether non-executive directors act independently from executives in determining firm performance. We exploit the documented evolution in ownership characteristics to investigate this link, using the GMM methodology (Arellano and Bond, 1991) which enables us to produce a set of systematic results which are robust both to the endogeneity of all the explanatory variables and to the presence of unobservable heterogeneity. Our analysis reveals a cubic relationship between managerial ownership and financial value. When we split the board between executives and non-executives we document that this non linear association is only linked to executives, while ownership by non-executives does not seem to have a significant impact. Nonetheless, a positive and significant effect of the number of non-executives in the board is reported. Furthermore, no evidence is consistent with the efficient monitoring hypothesis for institutional investors. Third, we analyze the potential links between financing policy and investment ability. More in detail we investigate whether, by employing a policy of low leverage for a certain number of years, firms may accumulate financial flexibility that enables them to have access to the external market in the future, and to be able to raise funds to invest more than their internal resources alone would allow. We document that a low-leverage policy is
Modelling the future opportunities for deep discount food retailing in the UK

In the last few years, the discount retail food market in the UK has grown to record levels. This followed a period of gradual increase in store numbers and also more favourable trading characteristics for discounters given the recession and global financial problems of the late 2000s. Although market share dipped a little in 2010, the deep discounters still have impressive growth plans for their UK store networks. Given this context, the aim of this paper is twofold. First, we wish to explore the recent growth of the discounters in the UK and analyse the dynamics of customer patronage based on geodemographics in the late 2000s using data from Acxiom's Research Opinion Poll survey. We believe that this fills a major gap in the literature as there has been little reported on the spatial expansion of discounters since work in the 1990s (especially in the UK). Second, we wish to use this geodemographic analysis to look for potential new sites for discount retailers in two selected areas of the UK. The geodemographic analysis will be supplemented by more detailed revenue forecasting obtained from a retail location model. Again, there is little in the literature using spatial analysis to look for market opportunities in this way. We also introduce a novel method for validating retail models using the Acxiom data. The study areas are Yorkshire and Humber, and London, two very different regions in terms of current discount retail market share. The research shows that there are still opportunities for growth in so-called saturated markets especially if the retailers concerned consider a potential expansion into ‘middle’ Britain, moving the focus from deep discounting to serving more middle markets (a potential change in the value-platform growth strategies through which companies such as Aldi now seem to be championing).
Evaluation of new therapy for eradication of H. pylori infection in nude mouse model.

OBJECTIVES developing a new therapy for eradication of H. pylori by using the nude mouse model. METHODS By quantifying the number of colonies of Helicobacter pylori and the score of H. pylori-associated gastritis from the gastric tissue following different drug regimens in inoculated nude mice, we evaluated the effectiveness of each regimen, including a new drug, plaunotol. Drugs were administered daily for a 1-wk period, beginning 4 wk after inoculation. RESULTS In the examination after therapy, the number of colonies of H. pylori and the score of gastritis in the triple-therapy group were significantly lower than in any of the singly- and dual-drug groups or control group from 5 wk to the end of the study after inoculation. Inflammation of the stomach was less apparent in the treatment groups than in the control group. CONCLUSION With the nude mouse model, we quantitatively demonstrated that the new triple therapy is the most effective therapy for eradication of H. pylori.
Single‐injection paravertebral block compared to general anaesthesia in breast surgery

Background: Breast surgery is frequently associated with postoperative nausea, vomiting, pain and painful restricted movement. Paravertebral block may be an alternative to general anaesthesia for this type of surgery. We studied the single‐injection paravertebral block at the level of T4 and report a comparison of single‐injection paravertebral block to general anaesthesia for breast surgery.
Ownership Structure and Executive Compensation in Germany

We analyze the relationship between the ownership structure and executive compensation in a sample of large listed German companies over the period from 1987 to 2003. Our findings suggest that executive compensation is a substantial fraction of corporate earnings and it reflects the existence of agency problems caused by the separation of ownership and control. Lack of control by ownership enables management to extract higher executive compensation. Identity of owners has a significant influence on the level of executive compensation. Whereas bank ownership substantially reduces the level of pay, family ownership has a significantly positive impact. The link between performance and compensation is dramatically weaker in firms where ultimate owners increase their voting rights in excess of their cash flow rights. The estimated pay-for-performance sensitivities are consistent with the view that concentrated owners have better opportunities for supervision.
Linking customer‐based brand equity with brand market performance: a managerial approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to attempt to bridge a gap in literature by defining and operationalizing specific brand equity constructs, and testing the relationships between customer‐based brand equity and brand market performance. Current literature has focused on building and conceptualizing brand equity, there is no consensus on how it should be measured and what constructs should be included in the measurement process.Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted in two phases: a consumer‐level analysis; and a brand‐level analysis. A total of 6,410 observations have been identified (sample size consists of 5,598 usable observations). The second phase involved analyzing the data at the aggregate brand level. Analysis included testing hypotheses on the correlations between customer‐based brand equity constructs and brand market performance. finally, detailed market and country‐of‐origin analyses are presented for managerial considerations.Findings – Results from the consumer dataset .
Major and Minor Receptor Group Human Rhinoviruses Penetrate from Endosomes by Different Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and the low-density lipoprotein receptor are used for cell entry by major and minor receptor group human rhinoviruses (HRVs), respectively. Whereas minor-group viruses, exemplified by HRV2, transfer their genomic RNA to the cytoplasm through a pore in the endosomal membrane (E. Prchla, C. Plank, E. Wagner, D. Blaas, and R. Fuchs, J. Cell Biol. 131:111–123, 1995), the mechanism of in vivo uncoating of major-group HRVs has not been elucidated so far. Using free-flow electrophoresis, we performed a comparative analysis of cell entry by HRV2 and the major group rhinovirus HRV14. Here we demonstrate that this technique allows the separation of free viral particles from those associated with early endosomes, late endosomes, and plasma membranes. Upon free-flow electrophoretic separation of microsomes, HRV14 was recovered from endosomes under conditions which prevent uncoating, whereas the proportion of free viral particles increased with time under conditions which promote uncoating. The remaining virus eluted within numerous fractions corresponding to membraneous material, with no clear endosomal peaks being discernible. This suggests that uncoating of HRV14 results in lysis of the endosomal membrane and release of subviral 135S and 80S particles into the cytoplasm.
Scratching the surface of allergic transfusion reactions

Allergic transfusion reactions (ATRs) are a spectrum of hypersensitivity reactions that are the most common adverse reaction to platelets and plasma, occurring in up to 2% of transfusions. Despite the ubiquity of these reactions, little is known about their mechanism. In a small subset of severe reactions, specific antibody has been implicated as causal, although this mechanism does not explain all ATRs. Evidence suggests that donor, product, and recipient factors are involved, and it is possible that many ATRs are multifactorial. Further understanding of the mechanisms of ATRs is necessary so that rationally designed and cost‐effective prevention measures can be developed.
Results of a smoking cessation clinic in community pharmacy practice.

OBJECTIVES To describe and assess the effectiveness of a smoking cessation clinic. DESIGN Single group, unblinded study. SETTING Seven chain (mass-merchandise) community pharmacies in Virginia. PARTICIPANTS Forty-eight patients who were smokers when admitted to the study. INTERVENTIONS Fifteen community chain pharmacists were trained using a smoking cessation training manual developed at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. From April 1, 1997, through December 31, 1999, interested patients met individually with a study pharmacist during scheduled clinic times in semiprivate counseling areas. A patient chart was maintained at the site and updated after each visit. The first 30 patients completed a questionnaire after the third visit to the smoking cessation clinic to assess satisfaction with pharmacists and the overall program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Rate of long-term smoking cessation. RESULTS Of the 48 patients, 12 (25.0%) abstained from smoking cigarettes for 12 months or more beyond their predetermined quit dates. Abstinence rates for 1, 3, and 6 months were 43.8%, 31.3%, and 25.0%, respectively. Women were nearly five times more successful in attaining long-term abstinence than were men (33.3% versus 6.7%; P= .047). No significant differences were observed in cessation rates related to age, number of cigarettes smoked per day, level of nicotine dependence, number of previous quit attempts, or method of cessation. Increased appetite and weight gain were the most frequently reported withdrawal symptoms (16.7% of patients). Patients expressed satisfaction with the pharmacists and the smoking cessation program. CONCLUSION Compared with other types of previously reported interventions, a community pharmacist-managed smoking cessation clinic achieved greater long-term smoking cessation rates.
The impact of information diversity on information overload effects in unstructured managerial decision making

Psychologists have found that as the number of cues pro vided to a decision maker increases beyond approximately "10 items of information" [1] decision performance falls. This has become known as the information overload effect. Business researchers have generalized this effect to the business deci sion-making domain. Iselin [2] found in a highly structured decision-making task that the magnitude of the information overload effect varied with the diversity of the information. The information diversity in a set of cues was defined as the number of dimensions (unrelated vanables) in the set. It was found that the higher the information diversity, the larger was the information overload effect. The major objective of the research in this paper was to test if this information diversity effect generalized to unstructured decision-making tasks. Con sequently in an experiment, information diversity was manipu lated in an information overload situation in an unstructured managenal decision-making task. Two other independent vari ables studied were task learning and decision experience. The dependent vanable, decision performance, was operationalized to profit and decision time. The results from the experiment showed that increasing information diversity increased the information overload effect on decision time, i.e. decision time increased. This effect was hypothesized. However, information diversity did not affect profit. The hypothesized effects for learning and expenence were largely supported In general, high expenence and learning both resulted in higher decision performance. The experiment revealed a number of interac tions between the variables. The implications of these findings for practice and future research were considered.
Large Shareholder Turnover and CEO Compensation

The corporate governance literature generally assumes that shareholders' incentives to monitor management depend on how much of the firm the shareholders own. This dissertation proposes that another determinant of monitoring incentive is how long large shareholders intend to hold their shares, which can be measured by the turnover rate of their shares. To test this assertion, I explore two primary issues on large shareholders, defined as outside blockholders with at least 5% ownership stake in the firm. First, I examine whether outside blockholders' investment horizons vary across the firms in which they invest, and if so, what determine their investment horizons. The empirical results show that outside blockholders' horizons do vary with the investee firm characteristics. The systematic association suggests that outside blockholders' horizons vary in ways that reflect outside blockholders' rational responses to their monitoring cost-benefit trade-offs due to investee firm characteristics. Second, I examine how outside blockholders' horizons are related to the design of the investee firm's CEO compensation, an alternative to direct monitoring. I find that investee firms with greater outside blockholder turnover (i.e., shorter-horizon outside blockholders) are likely to design CEO compensation with greater pay-performance sensitivity and a higher level of CEO compensation. The greater pay-performance sensitivity is primarily due to option-based incentives but not due to cash-based incentives. These results indicate that firms with shorter-horizon outside blockholders use incentive contracting more extensively to counter the potentially weaker monitoring by their outside blockholders.