Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Managerial Competencies Of Owners / Managers Of Emerging Technology Firms And Business Performance: A Conceptual Framework Of Internet Caf Performance In South Africa

Despite the growing literature on the impact of entrepreneurial traits of managers/owners on the performance of small firms in developed economies, little is known about the contribution of managerial competencies (MC) of these managers/owners to the success of their firms. Since entrepreneurial literature attributes the failure of most emerging businesses (i.e. in their first three years of existence) to the paucity of MC among managers/owners of emerging businesses, an investigation into the effects of these competencies on the performance of small emerging internet businesses is critical to locating the strategic levers that potentially optimise the growth and sustainability of these businesses in emerging economies. This theoretical study, therefore, examines the relationship between managerial competencies of owners/ managers and the performance of emerging internet firms in South Africa. Extant literature and researchers reflective experiences were used to develop a conceptual model on the relationship between managerial competencies of managers/owners of small internet caf and the performance of their firms. The model suggests that an assortment of managerial competencies (human capital requirements, resources and individual capabilities) is critical to the improved performance of small internet businesses. The thesis of this paper is that understanding the appropriate constitution of managerial competencies ideal for emerging technology firms, organisational context of emerging technology firms including the broader business environment would positively impact small internet business performance.
It Takes Two to Tango: International Transfer of Pricing Information between Cross-Listed Securities

In this paper we study the dynamics of the pricing information transfer between American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) of Japanese firms listed on the US markets and their underlying shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). We estimate a bivariate VEC-GARCH model with skewed-t innovations (Hansen, (1994)). Our main findings are as follows. First, and consistent with other related studies, we find that at the return level the TSE emerges as the dominant market, while the US markets behave as the satellite ones. Interestingly, an error correction mechanism exhibits non-linear dynamics consistent with cross-border trading of the investors facing different (implicit) transaction costs. Secondly, we find significant volatility spill-overs between the two markets. However, in contrast to the return dynamics, we find no evidence of asymmetry in the volatility spill-overs. Thirdly, we find some preliminary evidence of cross-market skewness dynamics. Finally, we study the role of trading volume in the cross-market transmission of pricing information by the means of parametric and nonparametric tests. For both the US and Tokyo stock markets we find strong empirical evidence of the trading volume affecting the error-correction dynamics. Curiously, the impact of the TSE trading volume is transmitted to the subsequent trading day on the US stock markets, while the impact of the US trading volume appears to have have no impact anymore at the opening of Tokyo stock exchange, an asymmetry which supports the idea of trading volume providing additional information to the investors.
Axonal Degeneration of Nigra-striatum Dopaminergic Neurons Induced by 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine in Mice

As one of the main pathological changes of Parkinson's disease (PD), axonal degeneration was thought to be a passive process that is secondary to the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons and, therefore, it has been overlooked for some time. Recent research, however, has indicated that axonal injury is the first location of damage in dopaminergic neurons in PD, and that the degree of injury in axonal degeneration is higher than in neural death. This study explored the relationship between apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons and their axonal degeneration by observing dopaminergic neuronal injury and axonal degeneration in the substantia nigra-striatum in different animal PD model and control groups. The results show that axonal degeneration plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PD and suggest that the process of axonal degeneration occurs independently of apoptosis and may even induce neuronal apoptosis. Thus, preventing axonal degeneration may be a potential new therapeutic strategy for PD.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

Close view looking up; The building has integrated basement parking and 7 storeys. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, whose task is to promote the movement and flow of capital in the Republic of Slovenia, is conceived as a "megastore" and incorporated enhanced public access and amenities to underscore this. Source: Sadar + Vuga Arhitekti [firm website]; http://www.sadarvuga. com (accessed 7/18/2010)
Novel Role for Mitochondria: Protein Kinase Cθ-Dependent Oxidative Signaling Organelles in Activation-Induced T-Cell Death

ABSTRACT Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in regulation of activation-induced T-cell death (AICD) by induction of CD95L expression. However, the molecular source and the signaling steps necessary for ROS production are largely unknown. Here, we show that the proximal T-cell receptor-signaling machinery, including ZAP70 (zeta chain-associated protein kinase 70), LAT (linker of activated T cells), SLP76 (SH2 domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76 kDa), PLCγ1 (phospholipase Cγ1), and PKCθ (protein kinase Cθ), are crucial for ROS production. PKCθ is translocated to the mitochondria. By using cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA, we identified the mitochondria as the source of activation-induced ROS. Inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport complex I assembly by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of the chaperone NDUFAF1 resulted in a block of ROS production. Complex I-derived ROS are converted into a hydrogen peroxide signal by the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase. This signal is essential for CD95L expression, as inhibition of complex I assembly by NDUFAF1-specific siRNA prevents AICD. Similar results were obtained when metformin, an antidiabetic drug and mild complex I inhibitor, was used. Thus, we demonstrate for the first time that PKCθ-dependent ROS generation by mitochondrial complex I is essential for AICD.
Measuring the Sectoral Distribution of Lending to Irish Non-Financial Corporates

There has been a rapid increase in lending to the Irish Non-Financial Corporate (NFC) sector in recent times accompanied by a significant shift in the sectoral distribution of lending. At first glance, the effect of this appears to have been to increase the concentration of the NFC loan portfolio. However, there are a number of measures of concentration and it is possible that different measures would yield different results. In the first part of this paper we use a number of measures of concentration to determine whether Irish banks’ loan portfolios have become more or less concentrated in recent times. Two distinct groups of concentration measures are used: traditional measures, such as the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index and the Gini coefficient, and distance measures, which benchmark individual banks’ loan portfolios against proxies of the structure of the economy. Our findings reveal that, for the most part, both the traditional and distance measures give the same results in the Irish context. Most banks in our sample showed an increase in concentration in the NFC loan portfolio. In the second part of this paper, we take a closer look at sectoral concentration. First, we review the literature in this area. We find that the literature is divided on whether concentration or diversification is the best strategy for banks. Historical experience shows that concentration of credit risk in asset portfolios has been one of the major causes of bank distress. However, the monitoring costs involved in operating in distinct areas and the sectoral expertise gained by concentrating may make it preferable for a bank to concentrate their lending to a small number of sectors. Secondly, we present a European comparison of the sectoral distribution of the NFC loan book which shows that the distribution of the Irish NFC loan book is not dissimilar to the European position. Finally, we list some possible mitigating factors that may apply specifically to the Irish NFC loan book.
Gene polymorphisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin II Type 1 receptor among chronic kidney disease patients in a Chinese population

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent in Taiwan and an increasing number of patients are affected, with a high risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and huge medical expenses. It has been predicted that the presence of hypertension increases with decreasing renal function due to a decrease in sodium excretion and activation of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of genetic variants of the RAS gene on CKD. We performed a case control association study and genotyped 135 CKD patients and 270 healthy controls among Han Chinese in Taiwan. All subjects were genotyped for angiotensinogen (AGT-M235T, T174M, A-20C), angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE-A2350G) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1-A1166C, C573T, C-521T) polymorphisms of RAS genes by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Significant associations were observed in ACE-A2350G and AGTR1-C573T polymorphism between CKD patients and controls. In regard to ACE-A2350G, compared with the AA genotype the GG genotype protected against CKD (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.34; p = 0.01). In regard to AGTR1-C573T, the CT genotype was a risk for CKD compared with the CC genotype (adjusted OR = 1.82; p = 0.03). We conclude that ACE-A2350G and AGTR1-C573T polymorphisms are likely candidate determinants of CKD.
A Readability Analysis of Campaign Speeches from the 2016 US Presidential Campaign

Readability is defined as the reading level of the speech from grade 1 to grade 12. It results from the use of the REAP readability analysis (vocabulary - Collins-Thompson and Callan, 2004; syntax - Heilman et al ,2006, 2007), which use the lexical contents and grammatical structure of the sentences in a document to predict the reading level. After analysis, results were grouped into the average readability of each candidate, the evolution of the candidate's speeches' readability over time and the standard deviation, or how much each candidate varied their speech from one venue to another. For comparison, one speech from four past presidents and the Gettysburg Address were also analyzed.
To do or not to do: the dilemma of technology‐based service improvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual framework to examine customer satisfaction with a technology‐based service improvement. Three factors are suggested that influence customers' acceptance of the improved service: internal, consistency and external (ICE). Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are constructed by reviewing literature in the areas of customer satisfaction, marketing services and diffusion of innovation. An exploratory study was conducted in an academic setting, to examine changes in learning formats, and the resulting reactions. The empirical research involves three major procedures: personal interviews, focus groups and surveys.Findings – The findings, based on both qualitative and quantitative research, support the proposed conceptual framework. It was found that students' behavioral intentions regarding a new, technology‐based learning format, can be explained by the following factors: perceived outcome and ease of use (internal factor), technology orientation.
An Analysis on the Consistency between Manufacturing Structure and Quality Structure of Labor Force in China:And the Discussion of Shortage of Migrant Workers,Skilled Personnel,and Difficulty of Graduates Employment

The methods that can measure the structures of manufacturing and quality of labor force are put forward based on the degree of factor intensity and the level of education.The status of the structures of manufacturing and quality of labor force from 2006 to 2010 in national,eastern,central and western areas are calculated and analyzed.On the basis of reasonable selection of measurement method,the degrees of consistency between manufacturing structure and quality structure of labor force are calculated.The results showed that the degrees of consistency between manufacturing structure and quality structure of labor force in national,east and west areas are gradually increasing.From the in-deep background of the degrees change of consistency between manufacturing structure and quality structure of labor force,we discussed the reasons of the shortage of migrant workers and skilled personnel and the difficulty of graduates employment.The countermeasures are promoting the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing and reform and development of occupation education and higher education are advanced.
Rural Brand Preference Determinants in India

Introduction In the last few years, spending patterns have been changing in both rural and urban India. Discretionary incomes have started going into mobile phones, televisions, white goods and motorcycles. However, FMCG brands penetration in India, particularly in rural India, is so low that the potential for growth remains huge. The Rural market has been growing steadily since the 1980s. Rural markets are vital for the growth of most companies. For instance, more than half of HLL’s annual turnover of Rs.9,954 crore comes from rural markets. But despite the high rural share, the rural penetration rates are low, thus offering tremendous potential for growth. The proposed agricultural reforms in the Tenth Plan, easy availability of agriculture credit, the Rs. 60,000 crore village road programs, introduced recently to connect 1.9 lakh villages, and improved communication network is likely to give a huge fillip to the rural economy and incomes, resulting in higher penetration as also increased consumption rates in the coming years. “These villages and small towns, which were once inconsequential dots on maps, are now getting the attention of global marketing giants and media planners. Thanks to globalization, economic liberalization, IT revolution, Indian diasporas, female power, and improving infrastructure, middle class rural India today has more disposable income than urban India. Rural marketing is gaining new heights in addition to rural advertising. ” (Bhatia, T.K; 2000) There are many challenges that companies face in tackling rural markets, some of the more critical being: understanding rural consumers, reaching products and services to remote rural locations and communicating with vastly heterogeneous rural audiences. Rural customers are fundamentally different from their urban counterparts, and different rural geographies display considerable heterogeneity, calling for ruralspecific and region specific strategies. In an urban family, the entire family is involved in making a purchase, however in the village community women have very little contact with the market, the male makes the purchase decision, and community decision-making is quite common in a village, because of strong caste and social structures and low literacy levels. The demand for rural credit is estimated at Rs. 143,000 crore. For banks, the challenge is not in disbursement but in loan recoveries because of uncertainties in Agri Sector. Therefore, it seems that gap between demand of credit and supply may be a challenge from Rural Marketing point of view.
Stroke thrombolysis in England: an age stratified analysis of practice and outcome.

INTRODUCTION until very recently, only small numbers of older patients with stroke had been recruited into randomised controlled trials of thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and patients aged >80 are excluded in the European licence for this therapy. We aimed to estimate the use and outcome of stroke thrombolysis in England across age groups, including the oldest-old. METHODS data were collected as part of the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme. All adults receiving thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke as part of routine care between April 2010 and November 2011 were included. Multilevel multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between age, process of care and 30-day mortality. RESULTS of 37,151 adults admitted with acute ischaemic stroke, 3,374 (9.1%) received rt-PA. Patients aged >80 accounted for 21% of the thrombolysis recipients and 4.8% of patients in this age group received rt-PA. Treatment times were similar across all age groups, but older thrombolysis recipients were more likely to have Total anterior circulation infarct strokes and less likely to be functionally independent prior to stroke. Similar rates of post-thrombolysis complications were observed between patients aged >80 and younger patients. Mortality was high among older patients whether they were treated with rt-PA or not. Among patients treated with rt-PA, those aged 81-90 and >90 had, respectively, 34 and 270% higher odds of 30-day mortality than patients aged 70-80. CONCLUSION treatment with rt-PA is now carried out frequently for older stroke patients in England. Their care is as timely as younger patients with no higher risk of major complication but mortality rates in older patients with stroke remain high.
Machine learning assistive rapid, label-free molecular phenotyping of blood with two-dimensional NMR correlational spectroscopy

Translation of the findings in basic science and clinical research into routine practice is hampered by large variations in human phenotype. Developments in genotyping and phenotyping, such as proteomics and lipidomics, are beginning to address these limitations. In this work, we developed a new methodology for rapid, label-free molecular phenotyping of biological fluids (e.g., blood) by exploiting the recent advances in fast and highly efficient multidimensional inverse Laplace decomposition technique. We demonstrated that using two-dimensional T 1 -T 2 correlational spectroscopy on a single drop of blood (<5 μL), a highly time- and patient-specific ‘molecular fingerprint’ can be obtained in minutes. Machine learning techniques were introduced to transform the NMR correlational map into user-friendly information for point-of-care disease diagnostic and monitoring. The clinical utilities of this technique were demonstrated through the direct analysis of human whole blood in various physiological (e.g., oxygenated/deoxygenated states) and pathological (e.g., blood oxidation, hemoglobinopathies) conditions. Weng Kung Peng et al. present a novel scheme using two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy for rapid and label-free testing of biological fluids (e.g., red blood cells) at point-of-care. They demonstrate its clinical utility (e.g., with haemoglobin disorders) and report a unique and specific ‘molecular fingerprint’ through direct analysis of a single drop of blood (<5 µl). Machine learning is used to facilitate simpler decision making.
Multiagent RoboNBA Simulation: From Local Behaviors to Global Characteristics

In this article, the authors show their current work on the relationship between local behaviors of agents and global characteristics in a multiagent NBA simulation, which is called RoboNBA. Two sources of different local behaviors are introduced: decision-making mechanisms and agent strategies. The global characteristics consist of global performance and global patterns. The authors address the problem of how to quantitatively measure the global performance and global patterns in RoboNBA. For global patterns, they focus on the diversity of attack patterns of a team. Through experiments and analysis, they try to examine how agent local behaviors can lead to different global performance and interesting global patterns in RoboNBA.
A physical map of the Thinopyrum-derived Lr19 translocation.

Twenty-nine lines with deletions in the Lr19 ('Indis') translocated chromosome segment were used to physically map three Thinopyrum RFLP loci as well as the Sr25 and Sd1 loci. From the data, the relative locations of marker loci on the translocation were determined as: Sd1, Xpsr165, Xpsr105, Xps129, Lr19, Wsp-D1, Sr25/Y. The data confirmed the reported homoeology between the Lr19 segment and chromosome arm 7DL of wheat. Also, it seems that the Lr19 translocation in 'Indis' is very similar to the Lr19 segment in the T4 source and that the former may not derive from Thinopyrum distichum. Key words : deletion mapping, leaf rust resistance.
PROVIDE IMPORTANT POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIPE

According to important role of governments in the development of the local economy, providing policy recommendations to support of entrepreneurs is one of the most important tools to facilitate local economic and employment development. In this paper, first the policy recommendations organized in three categories (strategy, finance and planning) and are raised at the national, local and national, and local levels, and then will be discussed using the recommendations of the study; the challenges of entrepreneurship maximize the benefits and minimize the problems that entrepreneurs, such as investment risk and displacement effects. Evidence shows that the creation of new businesses and the local economy is negatively correlated with growth. New businesses that appear in the industry is particularly associated with regional growth. Never the less, the creation of businesses affected by the outcome of the other causes of growth. Therefore, the business is necessary if not sufficient condition for regional.
Targeting direct marketing campaigns by neural networks

Abstract Market-oriented companies increasingly aim at maximising the return of targeted direct marketing campaigns, rather than trying to reach customers and prospects indistinctly, according to a mass marketing approach. The profitability of direct marketing campaigns depends on a detailed definition of prospects and an accurate prediction of the response rate. This study shows how the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) can improve the effectiveness of direct mail marketing campaigns thanks to a better prediction of the response rate for subjects included in the target population according to factors that are believed to have an impact on their purchase intention. Results show the effectiveness of ANNs – in comparison with multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis – in identifying complex relationships among the data, and particularly in profiling customers and prospects and anticipating their behaviour.