Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new approach for estimating entrainment rate in cumulus clouds

A new approach is presented to estimate entrainment rate in cumulus clouds. The new approach is directly derived from the definition of fractional entrainment rate and relates it to mixing fraction and the height above cloud base. The results derived from the new approach compare favorably with those obtained with a commonly used approach, and have smaller uncertainty. This new approach has several advantages: it eliminates the need for in‐cloud measurements of temperature and water vapor content, which are often problematic in current aircraft observations; it has the potential for straightforwardly connecting the estimation of entrainment rate and the microphysical effects of entrainment‐mixing processes; it also has the potential for developing a remote sensing technique to infer entrainment rate.
The outer membrane of haemophilus influenzae type b: cell envelope associations of major proteins.

Membrane proteins fom the cell envelope of Haemophilus influenzae type b ATCC 9795 were examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When envelopes were extracted with a phosphate-based buffer containing 2% Triton X-100, a major protein of molecular weight 43 000 was detected in fractions containing cytoplasmic membrane proteins. The cell wall material which was Triton X-100 insoluble contained six major proteins of molecular weights 46 000, 40 000, 36 000, 30 000, 27 000, and 16 000. One of these proteins showed a shift in molecular weight from 27 000 to 36 000 when it was heated over a temperature range from 50 °C to 100 °C in buffer containing 2% sodium dodecyl sulphate, 5% 2-mercaptoethanol. This alteration in mobility could be demonstrated either by the membrane-bound form of the protein or by a detergent-soluble form of the protein. Enriched preparations of the 36 000 molecular weight form were obtained by a series of purification steps. Extraction of the Triton X-100 in.
Self Efficacy, Organizational Commitment, Customer Orientation and Nursing Performance of Nurses in Local Public Hospitals

Purpose: The local public hospitals in Korea are regarded as institutions that must consider the provision of good quality public health services, as well as profitability. Therefore it is important to improve nursing services to produce positive change in local public hospitals. This study was done to examine the relationships between self efficacy, organizational commitment, customer orientation and nursing performance for nurses in local public hospitals. Methods: For this study, 5 of 34 institutions were selected through random sampling: and 134 nurses working in local public hospitals were selected. Data were collected from March 28 to April 8, 2016 using self-report questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: The major findings are summarized as follows: (1) There were significant positive correlations between self efficacy, organizational commitment, customer orientation, and nursing performance. (2) The factors affecting nursing performance were self efficacy, organizational commitment, and customer orientation, in that order, and these variables explained 57% of nursing performance. Conclusion: Administrators in local public hospitals should use the results of this study to develop a strategy for improving nursing performance.
The Role of Firm-Specific Variables in Explaining Heterogeneous Stock Market Reactions to Dividend Announcements

The finance literature reports mixed results about the stock market reaction to dividend announcements. We try to explore that the heterogeneous stock market reaction to dividend announcements might be attributed to a number of firm-specific financial and non-financial factors. In this vein, we investigate the role of family ownership, firm size, leverage, dividend yield, market-to-book ratio, and firm growth in explaining the stock market reaction to dividend announcements. We use a sample of 206 dividend announcements of 136 firms listed at the Karachi Stock Exchange over the period of 2008 to 2012. Results of both the univariate and multiple regression analysis show that family ownership, firm size, and leverage negatively influence the stock market reaction to dividend announcements while dividend yield positively influences the stock market reaction to dividend announcements.
The Challenges of Zakat Management: A Case of Kano State, Nigeria

Despite all the resources committed by the government in pursuit of achieving Zakat noble objective, its realization has remained a mirage in Kano state, Nigeria. The paper is to conceptually examine the challenges in the generation and effective utilization of Zakat in Kano state, Nigeria. From the literature reviewed the challenges of Zakat in Kano include the in ineffective government administrative machinery as well as the unilateral decisions being taken at individual level. It is therefore recommended that Kano state government should give more attention to the Zakat management through the established government organ to organize, coordinate create awareness among the Islamic scholars the traditional leaders, the wealthy individuals as well as the society in general. It is also suggested that researchers should further empirically investigate the phenomenon to discover more alternatives for better Zakat management.
The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance

Organizations are established with certain specific aims and goals which are directly reflected in the vision and mission of the organizations. Public organizations are also established with specified goals and objectives to be attained. This study investigates the effect of organizational leadership on the organizations level of performance. For the purpose of this study, a survey research was employed and data was generated primarily through the use of questionnaire, focus was given to academic staff of the Nigeria’s University and the leadership of the various faculties and departments. Data generated was tested using correlation and the result reveals that to a large extent the leadership style employed has affected timely achievement of stated goals by academic staff. Also it was revealed that the leadership of the organization does not promote academic staff exceeding their stated goals. It was recommended that; appropriate leadership style should be adopted by the leaders of the various faculties and departments so that the workers will be able to guarantee timely result delivery also the leadership styles by the faculty and departmental heads should be reviewed to enhance staff ability to exceed their set targets.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Region‐specific down‐regulation of Crhr1 gene expression in alcohol‐preferring msP rats following ad lib access to alcohol

Corticotropin‐releasing hormone 1 receptors (CRH‐R1) mediate increased behavioral sensitivity to stress and excessive alcohol self‐administration following a history of dependence. It was recently demonstrated that the genetically selected alcohol‐preferring msP rat line replicates many characteristics of the post‐dependent state, due to an innate up‐regulation of the Crhr1 transcript in several limbic areas related to alcohol drinking motivation. Here, we examined whether voluntary alcohol consumption might be able to down‐regulate Crhr1 transcript levels in msP rats in brain areas where elevated expression previously has been shown. Within central and medial amygdala (CeA, MeA), as well as the Nc. Accumbens, 2 weeks’ad lib access to alcohol led to a highly significant down‐regulation of the Crhr1 transcript. Alcohol‐induced Crhr1 down‐regulation was not seen in cingulate cortex. These data support that recruitment of CRH‐R1 signaling within components of the extended amygdala drives excessive alcohol intake, and that alcohol is voluntarily consumed in part for its ability to reduce CRH‐R1 activity in this region.
Analysis of the Relationship between Stress Intensity and Coping Strategy and the Quality of Life of Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia

Background: This study aimed to determine the relationship between stress intensity and coping strategies and the quality of life and health among nursing students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia. Methods: The study was performed on a group of 1002 nursing students from three European countries. A diagnostic survey was used as a research method and the data collection was based on the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10, Mini-COPE Coping Inventory-and the WHOQoL-Bref questionnaire. Results: The average age of all the respondents was 21.6 years (±3.4). Most of the surveyed students rated their stress intensity over the last month as moderate or high. Comparison of the results of the stress levels in relation to the country of residence did not reveal statistically significant differences. In the group of Polish students, the most positive relationship between active coping strategies and the quality of life in the psychological (r = 0.43; p < 0.001) and physical health domain (r = 0.42; p < 0.001) were most strongly marked. Among Slovak students, significant correlations of low intensity were found between active coping strategies and the quality of life in the physical health (r = 0.15; p < 0.01), psychological (r = 0.21; p < 0.001), social relationships (r = 0.12; p < 0.05) and environment (r = 0.19; p < 0.001) domain. In overcoming stressful situations, Spanish students used the Sense of Humour strategy, which is considered less effective, although very useful in some cases. In this group, the strongest positive correlation was found for the psychological domain (r = 0.40; p < 0.001). Conclusions: There is a need to implement prevention and stress coping programmes at every stage of studies to ensure effective protection against the negative effects of stress and to improve the quality of life of nursing students.
The impact of product complexity and variety on supply chain integration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of supply chain integration (SCI) at the product level. More specifically, it aims to show the relationship between product-level characteristics (i.e. product complexity and product variety) and different dimensions of SCI (i.e. internal, supplier and customer integration). Design/methodology/approach A survey-based research design is developed to measure different dimensions of SCI, product complexity and product variety. The authors use structural equation modelling to test the related hypotheses. Findings This research shows that internal integration is an enabler to supplier and customer integration. The results also show that under high product complexity, firms tend to implement internal and supplier integration, while product complexity does not have a direct impact on customer integration. Product variety is confirmed to be positively related to all dimensions of SCI. Originality/value This paper contributes to the SCI literature by first, providing empirical evidence which supports the study of the product design-supply chain interface; and second, exploring the relationships between product complexity, variety and internal, supplier and customer integration based on a governance view.
Intermittent arcing fault on underground low-voltage cables

Arcing faults on 600/347-V underground cables can cause considerable damage, even explosions, despite the installed protection system. In fact, the protection sometimes appears to be quite slow to operate considering the prospective short circuit. Laboratory tests provided an opportunity to better characterize these arcing faults and prove that they can be intermittent. They can be quite random in nature, usually comprising periods of conduction lasting one half-cycle separated by periods of nonconduction lasting from a few cycles to several minutes. This type of fault can easily make fuse-type protection ineffective, as other tests proved. The fuse operating time can become even longer, to the extent that explosive gases will form.
Effects of metoprolol on the counter-regulation and recognition of prolonged hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetics.

The effect of metoprolol on the counter-regulation of prolonged hypoglycemia was studied in eight insulin-dependent diabetics. Insulin was given as an i.v. infusion of 2.4 U/h over 180 min alone, or together with metoprolol (3.0 mg i.v. bolus followed by an i.v. infusion of 4.8 mg/h) in random order. Blood glucose, counter-regulatory hormones, hypoglycemic symptoms and the cardiovascular responses were assayed over 240 min. Metoprolol did not significantly modify the blood glucose levels. The plasma levels of free insulin, however, were elevated by approximately 20% (p less than 0.01) by metoprolol during hypoglycemia and the plasma concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, growth hormone and cortisol were enhanced by the drug. Sweating was increased by metoprolol, while other symptoms were unaltered. We conclude that metoprolol administered acutely does not aggravate prolonged hypoglycemia in diabetics with blunted response of glucagon. Moreover, exaggerated responses of counter-regulatory hormones, provoked by metoprolol, may compensate for the inhibitory effect of this drug on insulin clearance.
Avoidance of Information Technology Threats: A Theoretical Perspective

This paper describes the development of the technology threat avoidance theory (TTAT), which explains individual IT users' behavior of avoiding the threat of malicious information technologies. We articulate that avoidance and adoption are two qualitatively different phenomena and contend that technology acceptance theories provide a valuable, but incomplete, understanding of users' IT threat avoidance behavior. Drawing from cybernetic theory and coping theory, TTAT delineates the avoidance behavior as a dynamic positive feedback loop in which users go through two cognitive processes, threat appraisal and coping appraisal, to decide how to cope with IT threats. In the threat appraisal, users will perceive an IT threat if they believe that they are susceptible to malicious IT and that the negative consequences are severe. The threat perception leads to coping appraisal, in which users assess the degree to which the IT threat can be avoided by taking safeguarding measures based on perceived effectiveness and costs of the safeguarding measure and self-efficacy of taking the safeguarding measure. TTAT posits that users are motivated to avoid malicious IT when they perceive a threat and believe that the threat is avoidable by taking safeguarding measures; if users believe that the threat cannot be fully avoided by taking safeguarding measures, they would engage in emotion-focused coping. Integrating process theory and variance theory, TTAT enhances our understanding of human behavior under IT threats and makes an important contribution to IT security research and practice.
Word of Mouth (WOM) of Purchase Decision

WOM has been acknowledged as the ultimate driver for a success of restaurant business and these studies focus attributes of WOM toward purchase decision. This study focuses on the relationship between attributes of WOM towards purchase decision in Malay Upscale Restaurant. The study analyses service quality, food quality, physical environment quality and price as the focus attributes towards decision making of the Malay upscale post purchase. 300 respondents were used for this studies. A multiple regression analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. The results has shown that physical environment quality bring the most impact on the (WOM). 2398-4279 © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Malay Upscale, Word of Mouth, Fine dining, purchase decision
Association between RASSF1A Ala133Ser polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis involving 8,892 subjects.

BACKGROUND Published studies on the association between the Ras Association Domain Family 1 isoform A (RASSF1A) Ala133Ser polymorphism and cancer susceptibility have yielded conflicting results. Thus, a meta- analysis was here performed to assess the possible association. MATERIALS AND METHODS All eligible case-control studies published up to November 2013 on the association between RASSF1A Ala133Ser polymorphism and cancer susceptibility were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct and hand search. Bothfixed- effect and random-effect models were used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software version 2.2. RESULTS A total of 10 studies including 4,572 cancer cases and 4,320 controls were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, significantly increased cancer risk was associated with the variant Ser133 when all studies were pooled (Ser vs Ala: OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.08- 2.12, Pheterogeneity≤0.001; Ser/Ser+Ala/Ser vs Ala/Ala: OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.08-2.22, Pheterogeneity ≤ 0.001). Moreover, in subgroup analyses by cancer types, a significant association between RASSF1A Ala133Ser polymorphism and lung cancer risk was found (Ser vs Ala: OR=2.27, 95% CI=1.29-4.02, Pheterogeneity=0.61; Ser/Ser+Ala/ Ser vs Ala/Ala: OR=2.42, 95% CI=1.33-4.42, Pheterogeneity=0.75). In addition, in subgroup analyses by ethnicity, it was found that the RASSF1A Ala133Ser polymorphism was associated with overall cancer risk in Asians (Ser vs Ala: OR=1.37, 95% CI=1.06-1.77, Pheterogeneity=0.06) and Caucasians (Ser/Ser+Ala/Ser vs Ala/Ala: OR=2.21, 95% CI=1.01-4.82, Pheterogeneity≤0.001). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis suggests, for the first time, that RASSF1A Ala133Ser polymorphism may contribute to cancer susceptibility, especially for lung cancer. Besides, additional well-designed studies with larger sample size focusing on different ethnicities and cancer types are needed to confirm these findings.
Clinical evaluation of (18)F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT using point spread function reconstruction for nodal staging of colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE For patients with colorectal cancer, lymph node metastasis is a very important factor for prognostic and treatment determinations. Fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) is among the useful tools for detecting lymph node metastasis. Recently, a new (18)F-FDG-PET/CT reconstruction technique for improving spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratios, point spread function (PSF), has become available. We assessed the effect of PSF reconstruction on standardized uptake values and its diagnostic accuracy for lymph node staging in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS We retrospectively analysed records from patients with colorectal cancer who underwent (18)F-FDG-PET/CT for pre-operative staging. All positron emission tomography CT (PET/CT) examinations were reconstructed using ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) and OSEM + PSF. We compared sensitivities, specificities, positive-predictive values (PPVs), negative-predictive values (NPVs) and accuracies of conventional PET/CT (reconstructed with OSEM) and PSF-PET/CT (reconstructed with OSEM + PSF) for identifying lymph node metastases. We also analysed the diagnostic confidence level on a 5-point scale. RESULTS With conventional PET/CT, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 53.1%, 99.1%, 94.4%, 88.3% and 89.1%, respectively. With PSF PET/CT, the corresponding values were 65.6%, 99.1%, 95.4%, 91.2% and 91.8%, respectively. Conventional PET/CT and PSF PET/CT did not differ significantly in terms of N-stage definition (p = 0.125). However, the diagnostic confidence level of PSF PET/CT was significantly higher than that of conventional PET/CT (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION PSF reconstruction might slightly increase sensitivity without impairing specificity. Moreover, this technique is expected to facilitate more confident radiological decisions when compared with conventional PET/CT. Advance in knowledge: This study demonstrates the clinical effectiveness of PSF PET/CT for lymph node staging in colorectal cancer.
The Effect of Online Supporter`s Review Directions on Consumers` Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention: The Role of Brand Awareness

Online supporters are the group of people selected by companies for the online promotion of their products or services and focus on generating messages that are conducive to stimulating hands-on experiences with companies` products and services to create advertising effects. This study examined how reviews offered by blogs operated by fashion brands` online supporters influence consumer`s brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Specifically, this study examined how brand awareness and directions of review messages influences consumers` brand attitudes and purchase intentions. This study employed a 2 (brand awareness: high awareness vs. low awareness) X 3 (review direction: one-sided positive, two-sided positive & negative, one-sided negative) between-subject factorial design. In total, 180 respondents participated, thus garnering 30 responses for each of the six conditions. The results of two-way ANOVA revealed the significant main effect supporters` review message direction on consumers` brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Two-sided messages were rated high for brand attitude and purchase intention compared to one-sided positive or negative or positive directions. The interactions between brand reputation and message direction were significant for brand attitude, but not for purchase intention.
Intra-organizational knowledge networks in a multinational company

This study focuses on a challenge faced by multinational companies: how to enhance knowledge sharing across national and divisional boundaries. Through an in-depth qualitative analysis, this article illustrates how cross-functional and -cultural virtual teams based on identified internal network structures assist in integrating the knowledge of sales, marketing, and R&D people. Moreover, the present paper demonstrates how the multinational company can create effective spaces and processes for knowledge sharing networks where their employees can both access knowledge and provide it to others, thus mitigating the negative effect of physical and cultural distance on the availability of support and information.