Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bribery and Firm Performance in Different Institutional Environments

How does bribery affect firm performance? Is this effect uniform across different institutional set-ups? We utilize a firm-level dataset of 27 transition economies to examine the effect of bribery on firm performance. We find that although bribery helps firm performance by acting like grease in relatively underdeveloped institutional environments, this positive effect of bribery on firm performance decreases for firms operating within more advanced institutional contexts.
THE INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE ON MARKET-INTERRELATIONSHIP PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON HOSPITALS

AbstractThe fierceness of competition and the barriers to knowledge management has embraced the healthcare industry. In this study the benefits of knowledge management capability and infrastructure are examined to resolve these problems, based on the resource-based view. In addition, based on the process-oriented perspective, the innovation on business process will be used as a mediator to improve specific business value in the healthcare industry. From the empirical data, this study finds knowledge management capability and technical context of knowledge infrastructure benefit market-interrelationship performance through the innovation on business process. Especially, cultural knowledge infrastructure is beneficial to market-interrelationship performance directly and indirectly. Surprisingly, structural knowledge management infrastructure falls to affect innovation on business process. The reason might be the high degree in centralization within the hospital. However, this study also generally demonstrates the proposed model. The findings illustrate the significance of the perspective of practice and provide guidance for further research. Finally, the inherent limitations are also mentioned.
Asymmetric News and Asset Pricing

This paper shows that in asset pricing the information environment gives rise to a systematic risk factor when the informativeness of future news events varies with their content (i.e., bad news and good news are not equally informative). The paper further shows that in such cases (cross) serial correlation in stock returns arises. The results provide new insights on on the relation between disclosure and cost of capital and on empirically documented patterns in stock returns like momentum and post earnings announcement drift.
Is CCDC 26 a Novel Cancer-Associated Long-Chain Non-Coding RNA ?

Large-scale analysis of total genome transcripts (transcriptome) in organisms including human and mouse has revealed that many RNAs are transcribed from genomic regions that encode no proteins (referred to as ncRNA) (1-5). Among such ncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), small molecule RNAs 18-28 bases long, have been extensively studied over the past decade, and a gene regulatory system called “RNA silencing” has been revealed. In humans, more than 400 miRNAs are known to regulate at least one-third of proteinencoding genes (6-10). Most miRNAs are generated by processing of long miRNA precursors (pri-miRNAs) (6, 9). Pri-miRNAs are transcribed by RNA polymerase II and 5’ cap structures and poly A tails are added, similarly to protein-encoding mRNAs. PrimiRNAs are further processed in the nucleus into pre-miRNAs with an approximately 70 base hairpin structure and are then exported to the cytoplasm. pre-miRNAs are finally processed into mature miRNAs by the enzyme, Dicer. It is noteworthy that miRNAs are sometimes encoded in the introns of other genes. A mature miRNA is incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex to act on its target mRNA. Broadly speaking, miRNAs can act on mRNAs in two ways. If there is limited homology between an miRNA and a target mRNA, the miRNA suppresses translation of the mRNA. However, if the miRNA has complete or nearly complete homology with a target mRNA, the mRNA is rapidly degraded. In animal cells, the former scenario usually occurs (7, 10-12). Many miRNAs have been reported to be associated with tumors, including AML and glioma; however, it is still unclear how predominant miRNAs are in tumorigenesis.
Railway Safety's Safety Risk Model

Abstract Railway Safety is an organization that coordinates the activities of the fragmented railway industry in the United Kingdom with respect to safety. It was formed from the Safety and Standards Directorate (S & SD) of Railtrack plc, the owner and operator of the UK railway infrastructure, with the objective of giving it increased independence. When the author, who is currently CEO of Railway Safety, was appointed Director of S & SD in late 1997, one of the projects he launched was the Safety Risk Model. This paper describes that model, which is one of a suite of tools developed in recent years to improve the targeting of the industry's efforts in safety improvement in an impartial and scientifically supportable manner. The model uses fault tree analysis and cause/consequence techniques to predict residual levels of safety risk, after the industry's current safety control measures are applied, using observed safety performance data. The output of the model is used to produce a regularly updated ‘Risk Profile Bulletin’, which is used by Railtrack and UK train operators in the production of their statutory Safety Cases. The model can also be used to test the effect of proposed new controls on risk levels.
Navigation aiding using on-line mosaicking

This paper presents a procedure for improving the performance of an inertial navigation airborne system that uses the information obtained from an on-board camera and an algorithm for building on-line a mosaic of the scene observed by the camera. The system considered in the paper consists of a flying platform provided with a pan-tilt camera that scans the region over which the platform flies. The sequence of images obtained from the camera are "pasted" together using an image processing algorithm that results in a mosaic of the scanned terrain. Since the sequence of image is a result of the platform and camera motion, and the camera motion is assumed to be known, the calculations involved in computing the mosaic encode information on the motion of the platform. A measurement model is specified that uses the mosaic construction process to update the navigation algorithm and hence reduce navigation errors. Performance study is presented as a proof of concept for the procedure using a realistic model for the inertial measurement unit.
A fuzzy logic based reputation system for E-markets

During the last years, electronic markets (e-markets) are emerging as a new idea of economy, where trade transactions can be performed by buyers and sellers even if they are separated by geographic boundaries, time differences or distance barriers. Unfortunately, in this on-line trade environment, the probability of large-scale fraud and deceit is higher than traditional commerce because of the lack of face-to-face communications. For this reason, reputation systems, which enable to assess the trustiness level of transacting parties, are becoming a fundamental component of any current e-market portal. In this paper, we propose a new fuzzy logic based reputation system capable of efficiently assessing transacting parties through the exploitation of 1) a fuzzy trust model which takes into account a set of metrics reflecting the trust human perception both on seller and buyer side and, furthermore, it does not miss to consider past transactions; 2) a fuzzy based reputation aggregation taking into account credibility concept to discriminate false trust values. As shown by performed experiments, the proposed reputation system yields better performance than that used by one of the most known e-markets, eBay®.
Trypanocidal Activity of Flavokawin B, a Component of Polygonum ferrugineum Wedd

Abstract The trypanocidal potential of the natural chalcone flavokawin B, which was isolated from the hexanic extract of Polygonum ferrugineum Wedd. , is reported here. Although flavokawin B is widespread, this is the first report about its trypanocidal properties on both Trypanosoma cruzi (IC50 = 9.5 µM, IC50 = 34.7 µM benznidazol, Y strain) epimastigotes and Trypanosoma brucei (IC50 = 4.8 µM, IC50 = 6.4 µM pentamidine, 29–13 strain) procyclic forms, which was also corroborated on T. brucei strain 427 (IC50 = 6.2 µM). In order to learn more about its properties, unspecific cytotoxicity on Hep G2 cells was investigated as well as the trans-splicing inhibitory potential on T. brucei cells. The results shown here point to flavokawin B as a candidate in the search for new agents. It is also cheaper and less toxic than the available drugs to treat trypanosomiasis with a special focus on sleeping sickness disease.
The effect of interactive marketing on commercial customer satisfaction in international financial markets

Service providers worldwide are seeking competitive advantage through the creation of long‐standing customer relationships. Current theory holds that interactive marketing contributes most to customer satisfaction which, in turn, provides customer motivation for long‐term relationships. However, relatively little attention has been devoted to the specific provider and customer behaviors that constitute interactive marketing. Explores the frequency and significance of 15 specific interactive marketing behaviors among 396 chief executive officer (CEO) clients of commercial loan services in five countries. Results demonstrate that higher levels of interaction are associated with higher levels of satisfaction and that there are between‐country variations in the types of interactive behaviors most associated with satisfaction.
Enumeration of antigen‐specific CD8+ T lymphocytes by single‐platform, HLA tetramer‐based flow cytometry: A European multicenter evaluation

HLA class I peptide tetramers represent powerful diagnostic tools for detection and monitoring of antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells. The impetus for the current multicenter study is the critical need to standardize tetramer flow cytometry if it is to be implemented as a routine diagnostic assay. Hence, the European Working Group on Clinical Cell Analysis set out to develop and evaluate a single‐platform tetramer‐based method that used cytomegalovirus (CMV) as the antigenic model.
Atherosclerotic Effects of Long-Term Old and New Antiepileptic Drugs Monotherapy

This work aimed to evaluate the metabolic and atherogenic effects of long-term antiepileptic drugs in a group of Egyptian epileptic patients. Sixty-nine epileptic patients on antiepileptic drug monotherapy for at least 2 years and 34 control subjects were recruited in this study. Patients were divided into 5 subgroups according to antiepileptic drugs used (valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, topiramate, and levetiracetam). Fasting lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and common carotid artery intima-media thickness were measured for all subjects. Significant higher mean values of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein / high-density lipoprotein ratio, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, significantly lower mean value of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and significantly larger diameter of common carotid artery intima-media thickness were observed in each drug-treated group versus control group. Our study supports that long-term monotherapy treatment with valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and topiramate had altered markers of vascular risk that might enhance atherosclerosis, whereas levetiracetam exerted minimal effect.
Ergodicity test of the eddy-covariance technique

The ergodic hypothesis is a basic hypothesis typically invoked in atmospheric surface layer (ASL) experiments. The ergodic theorem of stationary random processes is introduced to analyse and verify the ergodicity of atmospheric turbulence measured using the eddy-covariance technique with two sets of field observational data. The results show that the ergodicity of atmospheric turbulence in atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is relative not only to the atmospheric stratification but also to the eddy scale of atmospheric turbulence. The eddies of atmospheric turbulence, of which the scale is smaller than the scale of the ABL (i.e. the spatial scale is less than 1000 m and temporal scale is shorter than 10 min), effectively satisfy the ergodic theorems. Under these restrictions, a finite time average can be used as a substitute for the ensemble average of atmospheric turbulence, whereas eddies that are larger than ABL scale dissatisfy the mean ergodic theorem. Consequently, when a finite time average is used to substitute for the ensemble average, the eddy-covariance technique incurs large errors due to the loss of low-frequency information associated with larger eddies. A multi-station observation is compared with a single-station observation, and then the scope that satisfies the ergodic theorem is extended from scales smaller than the ABL, approximately 1000 m to scales greater than about 2000 m. Therefore, substituting the finite time average for the ensemble average of atmospheric turbulence is more faithfully approximate the actual values. Regardless of vertical velocity or temperature, the variance of eddies at different scales follows Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) better if the ergodic theorem can be satisfied; if not it deviates from MOST. The exploration of ergodicity in atmospheric turbulence is doubtlessly helpful in understanding the issues in atmospheric turbulent observations and provides a theoretical basis for overcoming related difficulties.
A state-space revisit to Redheffer's theorem

The celebrated Redheffer's theorem on linear fractional transformations is rederived in this paper using an algebraic state-space approach based on a generalization of the ARE bounded real lemma recently obtained. This state-space derivation is easier to check and more constructive than the original one and is able to reveal interesting connections between the theorem and some system theory concepts such as dissipativity and storage functions. Moreover a flaw in the original proof is discovered and is corrected here.
Downsizing in Privatized Firms in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus

Combinig an agency perspective and downsizing research, in this study we examined two influences on employment-downsizing strategies in privatized firms in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine: corporate governance and institutional change initiated by business crisis, in turn attributable to industry and country factors. In line with theoretical predictions, the study shows that downsizing is strongly influenced by industry-specific factors, and it is positively associated with outside, noninstitutional shareholding. However, a firm's ability to downsize is negatively associated with the extent of managerial shareholding, a finding consistent with managerial entrenchment.
Differences in the Comparative Stability of Ebola Virus Makona-C05 and Yambuku-Mayinga in Blood

In support of the response to the 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Western Africa, we investigated the persistence of Ebola virus/H.sapiens-tc/GIN/2014/Makona-C05 (EBOV/Mak-C05) on non-porous surfaces that are representative of hospitals, airplanes, and personal protective equipment. We performed persistence studies in three clinically-relevant human fluid matrices (blood, simulated vomit, and feces), and at environments representative of in-flight airline passenger cabins, environmentally-controlled hospital rooms, and open-air Ebola treatment centers in Western Africa. We also compared the surface stability of EBOV/Mak-C05 to that of the prototype Ebola virus/H.sapiens-tc/COD/1976/Yambuku-Mayinga (EBOV/Yam-May), in a subset of these conditions. We show that on inert, non-porous surfaces, EBOV decay rates are matrix- and environment-dependent. Among the clinically-relevant matrices tested, EBOV persisted longest in dried human blood, had limited viability in dried simulated vomit, and did not persist in feces. EBOV/Mak-C05 and EBOV/Yam-May decay rates in dried matrices were not significantly different. However, during the drying process in human blood, EBOV/Yam-May showed significantly greater loss in viability than EBOV/Mak-C05 under environmental conditions relevant to the outbreak region, and to a lesser extent in conditions relevant to an environmentally-controlled hospital room. This factor may contribute to increased communicability of EBOV/Mak-C05 when surfaces contaminated with dried human blood are the vector and may partially explain the magnitude of the most recent outbreak, compared to prior outbreaks. These EBOV persistence data will improve public health efforts by informing risk assessments, structure remediation decisions, and response procedures for future EVD outbreaks.
Organizational age and organizational change: Evidence from hedge fund product diversification

This study examines the relationship between organizational age and organizational change. Both internal and external factors constrain change as organizations age, but predictions about organizational performance in the periods preceding and following change differ by the locus of primary constraint. Specifically focusing on changes in organizational scope (i.e., product diversification), we consider accounts of structural inertia that privilege either internal or external constraints on change and then test their respective predictions using longitudinal data on 8,887 hedge funds raised by 2,781 firms between 1994 and 2005. Empirical analyses demonstrate that the rate of scope change decreases with age. The results are more consistent with the internal account than with the external account of structural inertia: younger organizations outperform older organizations prior to implementing change and, conditional on changing, after implementing change. We conclude that change is increasingly constrained by internal factors as organizations age.
Fluorescence-Free Biosensor Methods in Detection of Food Pathogens with a Special Focus on Listeria monocytogenes

Food pathogens contaminate food products that allow their growth on the shelf and also under refrigerated conditions. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to lower the limit of detection (LOD) of the method used and to obtain the results within hours to few days. Biosensor methods exploit the available technologies to individuate and provide an approximate quantification of the bacteria present in a sample. The main bottleneck of these methods depends on the aspecific binding to the surfaces and on a change in sensitivity when bacteria are in a complex food matrix with respect to bacteria in a liquid food sample. In this review, we introduce surface plasmon resonance (SPR), new advancements in SPR techniques, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), as fluorescence-free biosensing technologies for detection of L. monocytogenes in foods. The application of the two methods has facilitated L. monocytogenes detection with LOD of 1 log CFU/mL. Further advancements are envisaged through the combination of biosensor methods with immunoseparation of bacteria from larger volumes, application of lab-on-chip technologies, and EIS sensing methods for multiplex pathogen detection. Validation efforts are being conducted to demonstrate the robustness of detection, reproducibility and variability in multi-site installations.
Radiobiolgoical and biochemical studies of thiophosphate radioprotective compounds related to cysteamine.

We have investigated the radioprotective efficacy and the cellular metabolism of several phosphorylated derivatives of cysteamine, with particular reference to comparison of normal and malignant cells. Two compounds have been studied in detail: S-2-(3-aminopropylamino) ethyl phosphorothioic acid (WR2721) and sodium hydrogen S-(2-aminoethyl) phosphorothioate (WR638). Both agents protect euoxic marrow-colony forming units (CFUs) in vivo better than cysteamine when the cells are treated with both drug and x-radiation prior to transplantation. Under these conditions, the DMF for WR2721 is 3.0 and for WR638, 2.3. Hypoxic CFUs are protected only slightly, the net result being to lower the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) to 1.1 with WR2721 and 1.3 with WR638. Both compounds also protect euoxic tumor cells (Ehrlich carcinoma and P388 leukemia growing as ascites tumors) with a DMF of approximately 2; anoxic tumors are not protected. Biochemical studies disclose that the thiophosphates enter cells by passive diffusi.
The role of enhanced information accessibility in realizing the benefits from data warehousing investments

Abstract Data warehouses are an important new technology that offers organizations the potential to leverage their information resources far more effectively, and in so doing, ensure their accessibility to organizational personnel, as and when they are required. Whilst previous research has highlighted the importance of information accessibility, there has been little focused empirical research to understand the nature of information accessibility, in general, nor its role in delivering strategic benefits from data warehousing investments, in particular. Consequently, the primary aim of this study was to explore how improvements to the accessibility of strategic information - realized as a result of the introduction of data warehousing technology - were perceived to facilitate the attainment of a range of downstream commercial benefits.
Thermotoga maritima maltosyltransferase, a novel type of maltodextrin glycosyltransferase acting on starch and malto-oligosaccharides.

A novel enzyme acting on starch and malto-oligosaccharides was identified and characterised. The non-hydrolytic enzyme, designated maltosyltransferase (MTase), of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima MSB8 disproportionates malto-oligosaccharides via glycosyl transfer reactions. The enzyme has a unique transfer specificity strictly confined to the transfer of maltosyl units. Incubation of MTase with starch or its constituents. i.e. amylose and amylopectin, led to the formation of a set of multiples of maltose (i.e. maltose, maltotetraose, maltohexaose etc.). Malto-oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) X were disproportionated to products with a DP of X +/- 2n (with X > or = 3 and n = 0,1,2,.). Maximum activity in a 10-min assay was recorded at pH 6.5 and 85-90 degrees C. The enzyme displayed extraordinary resistance to thermal inactivation. For example, at 90, 85, and 70 degrees C (pH 6.5, 0.34 mg ml-1 protein), MTase half-lives of about 2.5 h, 17 h, and 21 days, respectively, were recorded. The gene for MTase, designated mmtA, was isolated from a gene library of T. maritima strain MSB8. Analysis of the MTase primary structure as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of mmtA revealed that the enzyme is not closely related to known protein sequences. However, low-level local similarity between MTase and the alpha-amylase enzyme family (glycosyl hydrolase family 13) was detected, including conserved acidic residues essential for catalysis. Therefore, MTase should be assigned to this family. Based on detailed sequence analyses and comparison with amylolytic enzymes of known crystal structure we propose that MTase contains a (beta/alpha)8-fold as the core supersecondary structure which is typical for the alpha-amylase family. On the other hand, MTase is unique in that it lacks several residues highly conserved throughout this family. Also, MTase possesses an extraordinarily large domain B (a domain typical for the alpha-amylase family, inserted between beta-strand 3 and alpha-helix 3 of the (beta/alpha)8-barrel fold).