Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate CAPEX and market capitalization of firms on Malawi stock exchange: an empirical study

Purpose Market capitalization of firms reflects the current value of a firm and provides a reasonable basis on mergers and acquisition bargains. Determinants of a firm’s increasing or decreasing market capitalization are multi-faceted, hence the study. The paper is about a historical study of the responsiveness of common share prices of some listed industrial companies to the firms’ investments in capital expenditure. This study aims to discuss the impact of capital expenditure on a firm’s market capitalization, with a focus on companies listed on the Malawi stock exchange (MSE). Design/methodology/approach The study reviews data collected from published annual reports for the years from 2007 to 2015. The variations in capital expenditure (CAPEX) which are termed “increase” or “decrease” were studied to establish their association with variations in stock prices before the increase or decrease, and after the increase or decrease. As stock price changes are caused by other determinants, the variables of return on capital employed (ROCE), net profit margin (NPM), asset turnover (ATO) and earnings retention ratio (ERT) were analyzed, and a respective correlation test was done against CAPEX movement over the years through panel data analysis and regression analysis to establish the correlation between the variables using XLSTAT. Findings At 95 per cent confidence level, CAPEX correlates with ROCE and NPM at 0.373 and 0.249 coefficients, respectively, and negatively with ERT at 6.45e-2. With tests favoring a positive relationship between elements of profitability and stock price, the study finds that there is a positive relationship between a firm’s CAPEXs and its future stock prices. Research limitations/implications The firm’s commitment to CAPEX has a positive impact on its stock price on the stock exchange. These findings, however, need to be interpreted with caution as the data reviewed excluded that from financial institutions, the inclusion of which may affect the outcome, and that the data are derived from a small and young stock market which may be lacking in its efficiency compared to the old and big ones the world over. Originality/value The study was undertaken based on the study of listed companies on the Malawi Stock Exchange, and the results may or may not reflect the reality on the ground in other stock exchanges.
Initial anatomic investigations of the I‐gel airway: a novel supraglottic airway without inflatable cuff *

The I‐gel airway is a novel supraglottic airway that uses an anatomically designed mask made of a gel‐like thermoplastic elastomer. We studied the positioning and mechanics of this new device in 65 non‐embalmed cadavers with 73 endoscopies (eight had repeat insertion), 16 neck dissections, and six neck radiographs. A full view of the glottis (percentage of glottic opening score 100%) occurred in 44/73 insertions, whereas only 3/73 insertions had epiglottis‐only views. Including the eight repeat insertions with a different size, a glottic opening score of > 50% was obtained in all 65 cadavers. The mean percentage of glottic opening score for the 73 insertions was 82% (95% confidence interval 75–89%). In each of the neck dissections and radiographs the bowl of the device covered the laryngeal inlet. We found that the I‐gel effectively conformed to the perilaryngeal anatomy despite the lack of an inflatable cuff and it consistently achieved proper positioning for supraglottic ventilation.
Development and characterization of EST-SSR markers in the invasive weed Mikania micrantha (Asteraceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite markers were developed for the invasive species Mikania micrantha to investigate its invasion history. Transcriptome sequencing projects offer a potential source for the development of new markers. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers derived from ESTs were identified and screened in 36 samples of M. micrantha. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four, with an average of 2.7 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.7754 and 0 to 0.8333, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These EST-SSR markers may be useful for further investigation of the population genetics of M. micrantha as additional tools to trace its invasion history.
Networking for resources: how regulators use networks to compensate for lower staff levels

ABSTRACT The literature has found that regulatory networks foster exchange of information between regulators, but failed to specify the mechanism whereby regulators network for expertise. This paper posits that informal networks constitute a compensatory mechanism for lacking resources. The hypothesis guiding analysis is that lower resources (operationalised as staff resources) are associated with higher network activism (operationalised as a higher proportion of outgoing ties), particularly for regulators with intermediate levels of resources, for whom the benefits of networking are most likely to outweigh the costs. I test this hypothesis in the empirical case of European national energy regulators, using recent and original data on their bilateral collaboration ties. The results of the statistical analysis lend support to the hypothesis. The results suggest that the interdependence engendered by the European Union improves European regulatory governance by improving national regulatory practice, more than would be possible on the basis of national resources alone.
Customer Satisfaction in Portuguese Hotels: evidence for Different Regions and Hotel Segments

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has gained importance with the emergence of new online tools, and the hospitality sector is at the core of this trend. We employ a secondary data set of hotel guest reviews from a popular online travel platform, with reviews for hotels located in the four main Portuguese tourism regions. We analyze the reviews in terms of overall satisfaction and for six specific attributes. Employing statistical tests and regression analysis we find that the "rooms," "service," and "cost–benefit" attributes show a greater correlation with overall satisfaction than other criteria, and those attributes are common across hotel segments and regions. The "location" and "cleanliness" attributes only appear as significant for some regions and hotel segments. For instance, the significance of "cleanliness" in lower segment hotels should merit the attention of hotel managers to allocate more resources to this. In relation to "rooms," personal preferences and expectations may make it difficult to optimally upgrade rooms in order to satisfy a diverse clientele, whereas in regard to "service," hotel managers across all hotel segments should prioritize staff training and service quality assessment tools in order to guarantee consistent levels of service
An organizational change framework for digital servitization: Evidence from the Veneto region

Product firms implementing integrated product/service solutions through in‐house develop‐ ment must have a long‐term commitment to the project and focus on enhancing their resource base and strategic agility. Our results confirm the importance of organizational capabilities and strong firm commitment to the development of integrated solutions. While previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the service business unit’s configuration, this article identifies critical variables (the firm’s strategic agility and capability) that influence make‐or‐buy decisions. Agility is a prerequisite for digital organizational transformation, and our results corroborate that weak firm agility is closely linked to the need for external development of integrated solutions.
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Curative Treatment of Adrenal Metastases

The detection of oligometastatic adrenal metastases is increasing and there are limited data supporting the use of curative intent stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat patients with limited metastatic disease with adrenal involvement. Therefore, we utilized a prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients treated with SBRT for limited metastatic disease (<5 sites) to identify patients with adrenal metastases. Patients were either treated on a three-fraction dose escalation protocol or a ten fraction off-protocol regimen. Outcomes including treated-metastasis control (TMC), distant control (DC), and overall survival (OS) were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Ten patients with 13 adrenal metastases were identified for this case series. The median follow-up was 14.9 months. No patient experienced grade 3 toxicity. The most common grade 1–2 acute toxicities were fatigue (80%) and GI toxicity (40%). One patient experienced late grade 2 adrenal insufficiency. Overall, the 1-year TMC rate was 73%, DC was 30%, and OS was 90%. Three treated adrenal metastases progressed, all receiving the lowest BED10 (43.2 Gy), corresponding to 24 Gy in 3 fractions. After treatment of adrenal metastases with SBRT, the median time to salvage chemotherapy was 5.3 months (range 1.0–38.8 months) and 1-year freedom from salvage chemotherapy was 44%. These results suggest that SBRT to adrenal metastases was tolerated with low toxicity in limited metastatic patients and control rates are promising. This study supports the growing body of literature treating patients with adrenal metastases with SBRT.
Drug repurposing: An approach to tackle drug resistance in S. typhimurium

Drug resistant S. typhimurium pose important public health problem. The development of effective drugs with novel mechanism(s) of action is needed to overcome issues pertaining to drug resistance. Drug repurposing based on computational analyses is considered a viable alternative strategy to circumvent this issue. In this context, 1309 FDA‐approved drugs molecules from Mantra 2.0 database were analyzed for this study, against S. typhimurium. Sixteen compounds having similar profiles of gene expression as quinolones were identified from the database, Mantra 2.0. Further, the pharmacophore characteristics of each resultant molecule were identified and compared with the features of nalidixic acid, using the PharamGist program. Subsequently, the activities of these compounds against S. typhimurium DNA gyrase were identified, using molecular docking study. Side effects analysis was also performed for the identified compounds. Molecular dynamics simulation was carried out for the compound to validate its binding efficiency. Further, characterization of screened compound revealed IC50 values in micromolar concentration range, of which flufenamic acid showed comparable in vitro activity alongside ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid. Thus represent interesting starting points for further optimization against S. typhimurium infections. It may be noted that the results we have obtained are the first experimental evidence of flufenamic acid activity against S. typhimurium.
Splice variants of the P2X7 receptor reveal differential agonist dependence and functional coupling with pannexin-1

Summary P2X7 receptors function as ATP-gated cation channels but also interact with other proteins as part of a larger signalling complex to mediate a variety of downstream responses that are dependent upon the cell type in which they are expressed. Receptor-mediated membrane permeabilization to large molecules precedes the induction of cell death, but remains poorly understood. The mechanisms that underlie differential sensitivity to NAD are also unknown. By studying alternative variants of the mouse P2X7 receptor we show that sensitivity to NAD is mediated through the P2X7k variant, which has a much more restricted distribution than the P2X7a receptor, but is expressed in T lymphocytes. The altered N-terminus and TM1 of the P2X7k receptor enhances the stability of the active state of this variant compared with P2X7a, thereby increasing the efficacy of NAD-dependent ADP ribosylation as measured by ethidium uptake, a rise in intracellular Ca2+ and the activation of inward currents. Co-expression of P2X7k and P2X7a receptors reduced NAD sensitivity. P2X7k-receptor-mediated ethidium uptake was also triggered by much lower BzATP concentrations and was insensitive to the P451L single nucleotide polymorphism. P2X7k-receptor-mediated ethidium uptake occurred independently of pannexin-1 suggesting a pathway intrinsic to the receptor. Only for the P2X7aL451 receptor could we resolve a component of dye uptake dependent upon pannexin-1. Signalling occurred downstream of the activation of caspases rather than involving direct cross talk between the channels. However, an in situ proximity assay showed close association between P2X7 receptors and pannexin-1, which would facilitate ATP efflux through pannexin-1 acting in an autocrine manner.
Factors Shaping Physicians’ Willingness to Accommodate Medication Requests

Medical decisions, including physicians’ prescribing behaviors, are shaped by a complex interplay of clinical and nonclinical factors. We aim to determine how physician, patient, and relationship characteristics influence physicians’ decisions to accommodate brand-name prescription drug requests. We applied multivariate logistic regression to data from the Attitudinal and Behavioral Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Promotion of Prescription Drugs physician survey. We used a national probability sample of 500 primary care and specialty physicians reporting on a clinical encounter that involved a prescription drug request. Independent variables include physician’s assessment of the patient’s understanding of risks and benefits of a requested medication, whether the patient had the condition the drug treats, duration of the clinical relationship, and physician’s age, area of practice, years of experience, and gender. These variables were used to predict whether the physician prescribed the requested drug. Physicians were more willing to accommodate requests when they believed that patients had a clear understanding of the drug’s risks and when patients had the condition the drug treats. Primary care practitioners, compared to specialists, had higher odds of prescribing a requested drug. We conclude that clinical and communicative factors shape physicians’ decisions to prescribe requested brand-name drugs. Findings offer insight into the influence that direct-to-consumer advertising can have in medical encounters, and may guide efforts to enhance physician–patient communication and shared decision making.
Clickable Substrate Mimics Enable Imaging of Phospholipase D Activity

Chemical imaging techniques have played instrumental roles in dissecting the spatiotemporal regulation of signal transduction pathways. Phospholipase D (PLD) enzymes affect cell signaling by producing the pleiotropic lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid via hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine. It remains a mystery how this one lipid signal can cause such diverse physiological and pathological signaling outcomes, due in large part to a lack of suitable tools for visualizing the spatial and temporal dynamics of its production within cells. Here, we report a chemical method for imaging phosphatidic acid synthesis by PLD enzymes in live cells. Our approach capitalizes upon the enzymatic promiscuity of PLDs, which we show can accept azidoalcohols as reporters in a transphosphatidylation reaction. The resultant azidolipids are then fluorescently tagged using the strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition, enabling visualization of cellular membranes bearing active PLD enzymes. Our method, termed IMPACT (Imaging Phospholipase D Activity with Clickable Alcohols via Transphosphatidylation), reveals pools of basal and stimulated PLD activities in expected and unexpected locations. As well, we reveal a striking heterogeneity in PLD activities at both the cellular and subcellular levels. Collectively, our studies highlight the importance of using chemical tools to directly visualize, with high spatial and temporal resolution, the subset of signaling enzymes that are active.
Easterlin or Cantril: Does a Country’s Income Determine its People’s Happiness?

Is high-income one way to achieve happiness? The first two researchers to investigate the question empirically looked at individual countries over time. One researcher found a positive relationship between income and happiness; the other did not. Subsequent researchers have found support for both views. This paper summarizes and critiques the arguments, finding that the answer may lie in genetics and spending habits. Although some people may be genetically predisposed to happiness, ignoring social comparisons and hedonic adaption may help one lead a happier life. “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. ” —John Milton, Paradise Lost, book 1, lines 254-255
Tension-Free Vaginal Tape Failure After Robotic Sacrocolpopexy and Tension-Free Vaginal Tape for Concomitant Prolapse and Stress Incontinence

Objective Evidence of surgical cure with tension free vaginal tape (TVT) is robust for isolated stress urinary incontinence, but rigorous studies investigating combined prolapse and incontinence are lacking. Our study measured cure of stress incontinence in concomitant robotic sacrocolpopexy and retropubic sling (TVT). We hypothesized a higher rate of objective failure as measured by the cough stress test (CST) compared to failures reported in recent randomized trials of TVT in patients without prolapse (aggregate 8% failure). Methods Prospective cohort of patients with stress incontinence and prolapse, scheduled for robotic sacrocolpopexy and TVT. Outcomes assessed at 12 months: CST (primary aim), Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I), Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, and the Sandvik questionnaire. Results Sixty-six of 77 subjects (86%) completed follow-up. Average age was 65 years, 96% were white, with mean body mass index of 28.1 kg/m2. Mean parity was 2.7, 50% had a previous hysterectomy. Mean leading edge of prolapse was +2.3 cm. All patients underwent the planned surgery; additionally, 50% underwent hysterectomy and 38% posterior colporrhaphy. The TVT failure (+CST) was 19.7% (95% confidence interval, 11.3%–31.7%; P < 0.001 compared to 8%). Neither preoperative disease severity, nor preoperative prolapse stage affected risk of failure of TVT. Eighty-three percent of the subjects were happy or very happy (PGI-I). However, those with a positive CST (failure) had significantly less satisfaction on PGI-I, UDI-6, and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20. Conclusions In this population with advanced prolapse, cure of stress urinary incontinence by TVT in setting of robotic sacrocolpopexy is lower compared to published trials where prolapse is absent. Women are less satisfied when the postoperative CST is positive.
Drug resistance among pathogenic bacteria from animals in Ontario.

Prevalence of antimicrobial drug resistance among over 3000 clinical isolates of animal pathogens in Ontario during 1971-72 has been studied. A high number of multiple resistance patterns is prevalent among members of Enterobacteriaceae, especially Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. The most common resistance pattern among bovine strains was against not less than six drugs in common use. Among different animal species the bovine population was found to be the source of a high percentage of chloramphenicol resistant E. coli and S. typhimurium organisms. All the isolates resistant to this drug were in addition resistant to three or more other antibiotics of established therapeutic value. All the multiple resistant isolates of S. typhimurium tested had R factors and they transferred most of the resistance determinants including that for chloramphenicol to a recipient E. coli in vitro.Penicillin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus of bovine mammary origin did not appear to be high. Antimicrobial drug susceptibility patterns of staphylococci, streptococci and Corynebacterium sp indicate effective in vitro activity with many antimicrobial agents.
Growth of public consumption in Austria: Testing Wagner's law and Baumol's cost disease

In this paper, we analyze the development of public consumption expenditure in Austria starting in the 1940s. We focus our attention on two hypotheses as to why public consumption expenditure has been constantly increasing: Wagner's law and Baumol's cost disease. The estimated income elasticity of demand for public consumption expenditure of 0.85 suggests that Wagner's law is not confirmed. In contrast, price-inelastic demand combined with a strong increase in the prices of public services relative to private goods suggest that Baumol's cost disease is at work. A counterfactual exercise shows that in the absence of the rise in the relative price of publicly provided goods, current public consumption would equal 15.98% of GDP instead of the actually observed 19.92%. We further confirm the main observations using a cointegration model.
Bayesian approaches for the analysis of population genetic structure: an example from Platanthera leucophaea (Orchidaceae)

We describe four extensions to existing Bayesian methods for the analysis of genetic structure in populations: (i) use of beta distributions to approximate the posterior distribution of f and θB; (ii) use of an entropy statistic to describe the amount of information about a parameter derived from the data; (iii) use of the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) as a model choice criterion for determining whether there is evidence for inbreeding within populations or genetic differentiation among populations; and (iv) use of samples from the posterior distributions for f and θB derived from different data sets to determine whether the estimates are consistent with one another. We illustrate each of these extensions by applying them to data derived from previous alloyzme and random amplified polymorphic DNA surveys of an endangered orchid, Platanthera leucophaea, and we conclude that differences in θB from the two data sets may represent differences in the underlying mutational processes.
Strategies for Independent Deployment and Autonomous Control of PV and Battery Units in Islanded Microgrids

In this paper, autonomous control strategies are proposed for Photovoltaic (PV) and battery units operating in a droop-controlled islanded microgrid. Based on the proposed strategies, the PV and battery units can be deployed independently in any droop-controlled microgrid. Both the PV unit and the battery unit are controlled as voltage sources that follow multisegment adaptive power/frequency (P/f) characteristic curves. These P/f characteristic curves are adjusted locally in real time based on the available PV power, load demand, and the state of charge of the battery to autonomously coordinate the operation of these units and maintain the power balance in the microgrid. The strategy proposed for the battery unit enables it to autonomously supply power only during peak load periods, to support the droop-controlled units and maintain the power balance in the islanded microgrid. The control strategies are implemented in each unit using multi-loop controllers, without relying on communication, a central management algorithm, or switching logic. Small signal models of the proposed control loops are presented, and the performance of the proposed strategy is validated using simulation and also through experiments on a 3-kVA prototype microgrid.