Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutional Entrepreneurship in Mature Fields: The Big Five Accounting Firms

This study examines change initiated from the center of mature organizational fields. As such, it addresses the paradox of embedded agency — that is, the paradox of how actors enact changes to the context by which they, as actors, are shaped. The change examined is the introduction of a new organizational form. Combining network location theory and dialectical theory, we identify four dynamics that form a process model of elite institutional entrepreneurship.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy – outcomes from an Australian institution

Background: Operative morbidity and mortality rates have improved markedly since the first single‐stage pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) was performed by A. O. Whipple in 1940. There is a lack of published data regarding outcomes of PD from Australian centres. The aim of this study was primarily to establish post‐operative morbidity and mortality rates of an Australian unit, and secondly, to investigate the value of preoperative investigation with endoscopic ultrasound and laparoscopy upon tumour stage and survival following PD.
Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the methanol root extracts of some selected Nigerian medicinal plants

Abstract Context: The roots of Alafia barteri Oliver (Apocynaceae), Combretum mucronatum Schumach (Combretaceae) and Capparis thonningii Schum (Capparaceae) are used in Traditional African Medicine to alleviate painful and inflammatory conditions. Objective: This study investigated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the methanol root extracts of Alafia barteri (MeAB), C. mucronatum (MeCM), and Capparis thonningii (MeCT). Materials and methods: Analgesic activity of the extracts (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, p.o. 1 h) was evaluated using acetic acid-, formalin- and hot plate-induced pain while anti-inflammatory actions (100 or 200 mg/kg) were investigated using the carrageenan- and xylene-induced edema tests. Results: MeAB, MeCM, and MeCT (200 mg/kg) inhibited acetic acid-induced abdominal constriction by 55.07, 46.67, and 47.25%, respectively. In the formalin test, the index of pain inhibition of early and late phases was, respectively, 47.83 and 81.98% for MeAB, 56.10 and 63.81% for MeCM, and 42.84 and 63.29% for MeCT (200 mg/kg). MeAB and MeCT pretreatments significantly increased the reaction time by 46.67 and 25.53%, respectively, 120 min post-treatment in the hot-plate test. Naloxone (5 mg/kg, s.c.) pretreatment 15 min before extract administration, significantly (p < 0.05) reversed the analgesic effect of MeAB and MeCT in the formalin test. MeAB, MeCM, and MeCT showed significant anti-inflammatory activity with 60.44 and 30.39%, 63.74 and 58.08%, and 50.55 and 77.84% (200 mg/kg, 4 h), respectively, inhibition of paw and ear edema. Discussion and conclusion: The analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of MeAB and MeCT involve an interaction with opioid pathway and/or inhibition of chemical mediators of pain and inflammation.
Regularity Revisited: Evidence from Lexical Access of Verbs and Nouns in Greek

The present study investigates the relationship between morphological regularity and form during lexical processing using a visual priming paradigm varying the prime duration. We addressed the effect of regularity on morphological facilitation in nouns and verbs by exploiting particular characteristics of a highly inflected language, Greek, in which it is possible to manipulate morphological regularity while controlling the degree of orthographic overlap between morphological relatives. The effects of morphological regularity were found to crucially depend on the time course of lexical access. Moreover, morphological regularity was found to affect nouns and verbs differentially. We interpret these findings with respect to the distinction between affix processing and allomorph retrieval and discuss the issues of form overlap and orthographic boundaries in morphological processing.
Small and lightweight tactile display(SaLT) and its application

This paper presents a small and lightweight tactile display system and describes its capabilities with respect to spatial and temporal tactile feedback. Each tactile display module is comprised of a 4×4 piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator array with a spatial resolution of 1.5mm and a temporal resolution of 20Hz. The objective of this research is to build a small and lightweight tactile display system such that the system, including the display modules and complete controller parts, will be wearable by a user. It was found that the developed tactile display module can display both spatial and temporal information with less power consumption.
The Trade-off Between Static and Dynamic Efficiency inElectricity Markets - A Cross Country Study

This paper is the first to explicitly test for the presence of a trade-off between static and dynamic efficiency in a regulated industry, the electricity industry. We show for 16 European countries over the period 1998-2007 that higher electricity end-user prices in a country subsequently lead to higher investments in the capital stock, i.e. in generation, distribution and transmission assets. Moreover, there is a trade-off between vertical economies and competition. Ownership unbundling and forced access to the incumbent transmission grid increase competition but come at the cost of lost vertical economies. Generally, we find that regulation that affect only the market like the establishment of a wholesale market or free choice of suppliers increase investment activity via spurring competition. Regulation, however, that adversely affects the incumbent directly, like ownership unbundling, decreases aggregate investment spending. (author's abstract)
Apical recycling systems regulate directional budding of respiratory syncytial virus from polarized epithelial cells

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major viral cause of serious lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children worldwide. RSV infection is limited to the superficial layers of the respiratory epithelium in immunocompetent individuals. Consistent with this in vivo observation, we and others have found that RSV buds preferentially from the apical surface of infected polarized epithelial cells. In contrast, directional budding is not observed in nonpolarized human epithelial cells. These findings suggest that RSV uses specific cellular trafficking pathways to accomplish viral replication. The host cell proteins that regulate directional budding of RSV are undefined. Apical sorting of cellular proteins in polarized epithelial cells involves the apical recycling endosome (ARE). To investigate whether ARE-mediated protein sorting plays a role during RSV replication, we expressed a fragment of the myosin Vb tail that functions as a dominant negative inhibitor of ARE-mediated protein sorting in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. When these cells were infected with RSV, a >9,000-fold reduction in viral yield was observed. A similar effect on virus replication was observed when a carboxyl-terminal fragment of another ARE-associated protein, the Rab11 family interacting protein 1, was expressed in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. These data suggest that RSV requires proper ARE-mediated protein sorting for efficient egress from the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells.
Evaluation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Compliance by Small Farmers in Kentucky: Assessing Microbial Quality of Produce

In recent years the number of bacterial food-borne outbreaks associated with contaminated produce has increased substantially. Escherichia coli(E.coli) continues to contribute to the majority of foodborne illnesses. With more small farmers starting organic production and given a wide range of organic production practices, there is a vulnerable segment which demands continuous microbial safety assessments. In the current study, twenty small produce farms from fourteen counties in Kentucky participated in a survey outlining farmers’ procedures during their routine operations. These farms were visited three times, during the pre-growing, harvest, and post-harvesting seasons. A total of 59 produce samples were collected from 16 organic and 4 conventional farms, respectively. No differences were observed in the percentage of produce contaminated with E. coli between the organic (25%) and conventional (26.3%) practices. However, 45.5% of produce grown at and below the surface was contaminated with E.coli while 13.5% of the produce that grows above the surface was found to be contaminated. Most of the contamination was correlated with fields that were fertilized with manure in the past 90 days or less. Findings of the study were shared with participating farmers and they were counseled on Good Agricultural Practices.
Using Disaggregated Return on Assets to Conduct a Financial Analysis of a Commercial Bank Using an Extension of the DuPont System of Financial Analysis

In this paper, we use an expanded version of the DuPont system of financial analysis to perform a financial analysis of a bank using disaggregated data to computer return on assets. The DuPont system of financial analysis is based on return on equity which is based on net profit margin, total asset turnover, and the equity multiplier. We further disaggregate net profit margin into three components: return on loans, return on securities, and return on other assets using supplementary data provided in the SEC filings of Monarch Bank. The analysis covers the period from 2003 to 2010. Our analysis demonstrates that return on assets for Monarch Bank derives primarily from return on loans. That is, 86% of the investment weighted return on assets for Monarch Bank derives from return on loans.
Building An Entrepreneurial Economy: Evidence From Developing Countries

Entrepreneurship contributes to economic development in all countries all over the world and has always been a powerful driving force of innovation, productivity, job creation and economic growth. In recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched a broad range of intensive and creative initiatives to kick-start entrepreneurship, to further promote a business climate that supports innovation and competitiveness, and to inspire the next generation of company builders. Prior studies have not given much attention to the entrepreneurial role that universities play in building entrepreneurial economies, especially in the Arab World. This paper attempts to address the research gap relating to the process by which universities can foster a culture of entrepreneurship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One major challenge is to develop contents and methods that encourage entrepreneurial learning. The paper confirms that entrepreneurship education can help promote an entrepreneurial and innovate culture by changing mindsets and providing the necessary skills. In this way, universities have become increasingly important for national and global economic development.
Similar development of cued and learned home bases in control and hippocampal‐damaged rats in an open field exploratory task

Spatial behavior was examined in control rats and rats with neurotoxic‐induced damage of the hippocampus in an open field “exploratory” task. In Experiment 1, rats were placed on a large circular table for 30 min for four consecutive days with a short wall adjacent to the table and a large black box near the edge of the table diametrically opposite to the wall. On the fifth day, rats were given a probe test during which both cues were removed. Over the training exposures both control and hippocampal‐damaged rats formed “home bases,” operationally defined as places where the rats preferentially stopped and spent time, near the cues. When the cues were removed on the probe day, both groups visited, stopped near, and spent time at places adjacent to the cues' previous location. In Experiment 2, rats were given a similar training protocol, but only a single cue was used, which was a small box placed directly on the table that did not block visibility of the entire room. On the fifth day, the box was moved to the other end of the table. Despite the presence of a cued home base, control and hippocampal‐damaged rats remembered the original location of the home base. The results are discussed in relation to the comparative task demands of formal and informal test procedures and with respect to their relevance to understanding the neural basis of spatial behavior. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Meaning and use: a pragmatic and prosodic analysis of interjections in conversational speech

In this paper we report on our research on the pragmaticcontextual meaning and prosody of three interjections ey, wa, and oh. A detailed qualitative-contextual analysis of our corpus shows that these interjections share important contextual and prosodic characteristics due to their similar functional status with respect to new or unexpected information. We show that there are also significant differences in contextual meaning arising from specific emotional or cognitive states, and that these differences are expressively communicated in the varied prosody of each interjection
Did SFAS 166/167 Decrease Information Asymmetry of Securitizing Banks?

This study provides evidence on the effects of Financial Accounting Standards No. 166 and 167 (SFAS 166/167) on information asymmetry of securitizing banks. I find that (1) securitizing banks experience a decrease in information asymmetry from the pre- to the post-SFAS 166/167 periods, (2) securitizing banks experience a larger decrease in information asymmetry from the pre- to the post-SFAS 166/167 periods than non-securitizing banks, and (3) US securitizing banks experience a larger decrease in information asymmetry from the pre- to the post-SFAS 166/167 periods than European securitizing banks. Further, I show that (4) following SFAS 166/167 the decrease in information asymmetry is largest for commercial loans and smallest for mortgages, and (5) more visible securitizing banks are less sensitive to SFAS 166/167. These inferences are robust to a number of alternative specifications. This study is the first to provide evidence for the disclosure and accounting implications of SFAS 166/167 for securitizing banks.
Developmental changes in myoendothelial gap junction mediated vasodilator activity in the rat saphenous artery

A role for myoendothelial gap junctions (MEGJs) has been proposed in the action of the vasodilator endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). EDHF activity varies in disease and during ageing, but little is known of the role of EDHF during development when, in many organ systems, gap junctions are up‐regulated. The aims of the present study were therefore to determine whether an up‐regulation of heterocellular gap junctional coupling occurs during arterial development and whether this change is reflected functionally through an increased action of EDHF. Results demonstrated that in the saphenous artery of juvenile WKY rats, MEGJs were abundant and application of acetylcholine (ACh) evoked EDHF‐mediated hyperpolarization and relaxation in the presence of Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) and indomethacin to inhibit nitric oxide and prostaglandins, respectively. Responses were blocked by a combination of charybdotoxin plus apamin, or 1‐[(2‐chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]‐1H‐pyrazole (TRAM‐34) plus apamin, or by blockade of gap junctions with the connexin (Cx)‐mimetic peptides, 43Gap26, 40Gap27 and 37,43Gap27. On the other hand, we found no evidence for the involvement of the putative chemical mediators of EDHF, eicosanoids, L‐NAME‐insensitive nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide or potassium ions, since 14,15‐epoxyeicosa‐5(Z)‐enoic acid (14,15‐EEZE), hydroxocobalamin, catalase or barium and ouabain were without effect. In contrast, in the adult saphenous artery, MEGJs were rare, EDHF‐mediated relaxation was absent and hyperpolarizations were small and unstable. The present study demonstrates that MEGJs and EDHF are up‐regulated during arterial development. Furthermore, the data show for the first time that this developmentally regulated EDHF is dependent on direct electrotonic coupling via MEGJs.
Delisting Brazilian Public Companies: Empirical Evidence about Corporate Governance Issues

This paper proposes to analyse the relationship between corporate governance and delisting process of public companies listed on the Brazilian Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros de SA£o Paulo â€“ BM & FBovespa). The sample comprises 86 voluntary delisting operations in 2008-2012 period and a matching sample with companies that remained public, identified here as â€œcomparableâ€ . A corporate governance index comprising four dimensions (ownership structure, ethics and conflicts of interest, disclosure and board of directors) and a set of 16 questions was used to analyse the two groups. As expected, delisted companies score lower than their comparable ones is the broad index. However, board of directors, disclosure and ethics and conflicts of interest dimensions didnâ€™t show statistical significant differences between the two groups. In the ownership structure dimension the issues related to concentration of control differentiate the groups. Despite the mean differences, corporate governance doesnâ€™t seem to impact significantly the chances to delist in a model with ownership structure and financial variables.
Bancroftian filariasis in Kwale district, Kenya.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti infection in an area designated for filariasis control trial. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey. SETTING Three villages in Kinango location, Kwale district, Coast Province, Kenya. SUBJECTS/PARTICIPANTS Oral informed consent to participate was obtained from adults and parents or guardians of children below fifteen years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Microfilaraemia prevalences, microfilarial densities and clinical manifestations. RESULTS The overall prevalence of microfilaraemia in the population was 16.4%. The prevalence of microfilaraemia was age-dependent and the overall microfilarial density (MFD) was 69.4 mf/ml (geometric mean) and significantly higher in males (95.8 mf/ml) than in females (48.6 mf/ml) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of clinical signs of infection was also age-dependent with elephantiasis being significantly higher in females (2.3%) than in males (0.9%) (p < 0.05). Among the males, the major clinical manifestation was hydrocele (10.4%). CONCLUSION These findings show high prevalence of bancroftian filariasis in Kwale district and warrant similar studies followed by implementation of intervention measures to reduce transmission in all areas of endemicity in the Coast Province.
Alliance Portfolios and Firm Performance: A Study of Value Creation and Appropriation in the U.S. Software Industry

This study reveals the multifaceted contribution of alliance portfolios to firms' market performance. Extending prior research that has stressed the value-creation effect of network resources, it uncovers how prominent partners may undermine a firm's capacity to appropriate value from its alliance portfolio. Analysis of a comprehensive panel dataset of 367 software firms and their 20,779 alliances suggests that the contribution of network resources to value creation varies with the complementarity of those resources. Furthermore, the relative bargaining power of partners in the alliance portfolio constrains the firm's appropriation capacity, especially when many of these partners compete in the focal firm's industry. In turn, the firm's market performance improves with the intensity of competition among partners in its alliance portfolio. These findings advance network research by highlighting the tradeoffs that alliance portfolios impose on firms that seek to manage and leverage their alliances.
Financial Investments and Insurance – Global Trends and the Polish Market

Summary: The aim of this paper is to present the results of own empirical studies concern-ing the initiation of cash dividends paid by companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The purpose of this study was achieved by empirical verification of the main research hypothesis stipulating that the commencement of dividend payment should be treated as a signal of an improvement of subsequent earnings of the company. The empirical verification of research hypotheses was conducted on a group of 33 companies listed on the Warsaw trading floor. To be included into the research sample the company had to initiate dividend or start paying it again after at least five years of break. The author uses the methodology of market event analysis, profitability analysis and deviation analysis. Studies have shown that: a) the market reacts positively to the announcement of dividend initiations in the third and second day before the event, b) the companies are profitable for a few years before and after the first dividend payment, c) the average dividend level increases in the subsequent years in relation to event year.
Standardization versus Adaptation of International Marketing Strategy: An Empirical Investigation

An issue debated frequently in the international marketing literature centers on whether a business should pursue a strategy that is standardized across national markets or adapted to individual national markets. Of the two aspects relating to standardization of marketing strategy across national markets—(1) standardization of the pattern of resource allocation across marketing mix variables integral to a business's marketing strategy and (2) standardization of the strategy content with respect to individual marketing mix variables—the latter has been the subject of numerous conceptual articles. However, there is a relative dearth of empirical studies on both issues. To partially fill this void, this study addresses empirically the question of the standardization of the pattern of resource allocation among marketing mix variables across national markets. The question is addressed by examining whether competitive strategy and industry structure variables affect market share and business profits similarly or dissimilarly across Western markets, that is, the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Western Europe. The results reveal that with few exceptions, the effects of competitive strategy and market structure variables generalize across these markets. The study findings provide insights into both the merits of standardizing the strategic resource mix across Western markets and the competitive strategy and market structure variables that are major explanators of business performance across Western markets.
Validation of an accelerated high‐sensitivity troponin T assay protocol in an Australian cohort with chest pain

Objectives: To validate an accelerated biomarker strategy using a high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs‐cTnT) assay for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain; and to validate this strategy in combination with the National Heart Foundation of Australia/Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand risk stratification model.
Incentives and Outcomes: China's Environmental Policy

In generating fast economic growth, China is also generating growing concern about its environmental record. Using 2000-2009 data, we find that, while spending on environmental infrastructure has visible positive environmental impact, city spending is strongly tilted towards transportation infrastructure. Investment in transportation infrastructure correlates strongly with both real GDP growth, a measure of tangible economic growth relevant to city-level Party and government cadres' promotion odds, and with land prices, which affect city governments' revenues from land lease sales. In contrast, city governments' spending on environmental improvements is at best uncorrelated with cadres' promotion odds, and is uncorrelated with local GDP growth and land prices. These findings suggest that, were environmental quality explicitly linked to a cadre's chance of promotion, or were environmental quality to affect land prices substantially, city-level public investment in environmental improvement would rise.