Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crooked nose: outcome evaluations in rhinoplasty

Abstract A crooked nose is the result of deformities that might involve the bony nasal pyramid, the upper and lower lateral cartilages, and nasal septum, causing complaints of aesthetic and/or functional nature. Purpose To evaluate how satisfied are those patients who underwent rhinoplasty to correct crooked nose, through the questionnaire Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE). Material and method A longitudinal study with retrospective analysis of preoperative satisfaction and prospective analysis of postoperative satisfaction of patients who underwent rhinoplasty. ROE questionnaire was applied twice in the same visit aiming at measuring patient satisfaction in both pre and postoperative periods. Nineteen patients who underwent rhinoplasty answered the ROE. Results For all patients who underwent rhinoplasty, the average preoperative satisfaction score was of 24.6±11.3, while the average postoperative score was of 76.1±19.5 (p<0.0001). Average differences between pre and postoperative satisfaction scores in patients younger than 30 years of age were lower than those reported by ≥30-year-old patients (p=0.05). Conclusion From the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation questionnaire, it is possible to demonstrate the impact that rhinoplasty to correct a crooked nose determines the quality of life of patients. Approximately 90% of patients undergoing rhinoplasty believed they achieved a good or excellent postoperative result.
Exploring the Quality of Public Space and Life in Streets of Urban Village: Evidence from the Case of Shenzhen Baishizhou

The rapid economic development in China has resulted in the huge migration of people into city and the continuous expansion of urban areas, in which a new kind of urban landscape, named urban village has formed. Due to the high density of buildings and the status of disordered land utilization in urban village, many special and typical street and lane spaces are formed, which are usually neglected or simply managed. However, the crowds of people need a proper public space and public life for adjustment of all kinds of social and mental problems aroused from long-term staying in a narrow indoor and outdoor space in urban village. This research uses counting method, observations, interviews and space syntax to investigate the status quo of public space and public life in streets of Baishizhou Urban Village. Results show that the space accessibility of street is weak and the space comprehensive quality is low. The majority of public activities are necessary activities. People tend to expect different types of activities and functional facilities, as well as a confortable, safe and green environment. We suggest establishing a slow traffic; providing rest and landscape facilities; enhancing safety, and increasing the use of boundary space, which can solve most of the problems considering economic and practical aspects. The approach to investigate the public space and life in this study can be applied to other urban villages, and even different types of public space. The results and improvement suggestions are suitable for other research for the quality of public space and life in streets of urban village.
The Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in Online Environment

Many researches have already discussed about the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, there is only few discussing about the relationship in online environment. Thus, this research is conducted to see whether there is significant relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in online environment as well as to know which best viewpoint that may describe the relationship. This research focuses on people who have done online transactions. The sampling method is simple random sampling and finally got 97 valid and reliable responses. Next, the valid data will be processed through several methods comprising Simple Linear Regression, Multiple Linear Regression, and Regression with Mediating Variable using SPSS Program. After going through several tests, the results of this research show that customer satisfaction has positive significance relationship to customer loyalty in online environment. Also, it is proven that the model with mediating variable, trust, may best define the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in online environment. Keywords: Satisfaction, Loyalty, E-Commerce, Online Environment
Expression of recombinant exoenzyme S of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The structural gene for the 49-kDa form of exoenzyme S (exoS) isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa 388 was expressed in both Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa PA103. Expression of exoS in E. coli under the transcriptional regulation of the T7 promoter yielded a soluble cytosolic protein with an apparent molecular mass of 49 kDa, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Expression of exoS in P. aeruginosa PA103 under the transcriptional regulation of the 0.9 kbp of Pseudomonas chromosomal DNA flanking the 5' end of exoS yielded a nitrilotriacetic acid-inducible extracellular protein with an apparent molecular mass of 49 kDa. Recombinant ExoS (rExoS) reacted with the anti-49-kDa form of exoenzyme S immunoglobulin G, existed as an aggregate as determined by gel filtration chromatography, and ADP-ribosylated soybean trypsin inhibitor at a specific activity that was similar (within twofold) to that of native exoenzyme S. Allelic exchange of exoS with a tetracycline gene cartridge yielded a strain of P. aeruginosa 388 that did not express detectable amounts of either ExoS in an immunoblot analysis using the anti-49-kDa form of exoenzyme S immunoglobulin G or ADP-ribosyltransferase activity under standard enzyme assay conditions. Expression of catalytically active rExoS in E. coli demonstrated that exoS was necessary and sufficient for the factor-activating exoenzyme S-dependent ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of exoenzyme S. Expression of nitrilotriacetic acid-inducible rExoS in P. aeruginosa PA103 demonstrated that the 0.9 kbp of Pseudomonas chromosomal DNA flanking the 5' end of exoS encoded a functional exoenzyme S promoter. Expression analysis and allelic exchange experiments suggest that the 49- and 53-kDa forms of exoenzyme S are encoded by separate genes.
Examining the Effect of Market Orientation On Innovativeness

For the past decade innovativeness, as opposed to innovation, has received considerable attention in the academic literature as well as the corporate arena because it is considered to promote a competitive advantage. This study examines the link between innovativeness and performance of SMEs in the Swiss watch industry, in terms of customer orientation, competition orientation and inter-functional coordination. It uses performance measures such as market share, percentage of new product sales to total sales and return on investment (ROI), and has developed a new research scale of innovativeness. The results show that customer orientation has a positive effect on performance as well as the level of innovativeness in each company. There are also strategic implications for CEOs and managers as far as the methodological limitations and future research directions are concerned.
Knowledge Intensive Business Services

This book focuses on the development of Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) and the associated market characteristics and organisational forms. It brings together reputed scholars from a mix of disciplines to explore the nature and evolution of a range of Knowledge Intensive Business Services. Through an examination of KIBS sectors such as computer services, management consultancy and R&D services, the contributions in this book argue that the evolution of KIBS is strongly associated with new inter-organizational forms and that different country institutions shape the characteristics of these organisational forms.
Properties of Malolactic Activity Purified from Leuconostoc oenos ML34 by Affinity Chromatography

Malolactic activity from Leuconostoc oenos ML34 is tightly associated with lactic dehydrogenase. A simple and fast procedure, involving affinity chromatography on agarose-hexane-NAD (Agnad), was used to separate malolactic activity from lactic dehydrogenase and other proteins. The yield was ca. 86%, the purification was 5.2-fold, and the Km values for l-malate, NAD+ and Mn2+ were 2.8, 0.13, and 0.028 mM, respectively, at a pH optimum of 5.8.
What matters to consumers of organic wine

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the importance of the “organic” attribute for wine in relation to other attributes and to identify the most important determinants as far as the consumption of organic wine is concerned.Design/methodology/approach – A survey based on interviews with 404 Swiss wine drinkers was conducted. The data were evaluated by means of conjoint and regression analyses.Findings – The “organic” attribute was more important than the colour of the wine but less important than the price and the country of origin, foreign French wine being preferred to local Swiss wine. Urban and female consumers were relatively likely to consume organic wine, as were consumers who perceive organic wine as being healthy.Practical implications – Marketing for organic wine in well‐developed markets should focus on the argument of image and health. Urban female consumers are the most important target group.Originality/value – The paper presents the first results on the important attributes fo.
Intelligent Gaming for Mobile Crowd-Sensing Participants to Acquire Trustworthy Big Data in the Internet of Things

In mobile crowd-sensing systems, the value of crowd-sensed big data can be increased by incentivizing the users appropriately. Since data acquisition is participatory, crowd-sensing systems face the challenge of data trustworthiness and truthfulness assurance in the presence of adversaries whose motivation can be either manipulating sensed data or collaborating unfaithfully with the motivation of maximizing their income. This paper proposes a game theoretic methodology to ensure trustworthiness in user recruitment in mobile crowd-sensing systems. The proposed methodology is a platform-centric framework that consists of three phases: user recruitment, collaborative decision making on trust scores, and badge rewarding. In the proposed framework, users are incentivized by running sub-game perfect equilibrium and gamification techniques. Through simulations, we show that approximately 50% and a minimum of 15% improvement can be achieved by the proposed methodology in terms of platform and user utility, respectively, when compared with fully distributed and user-centric trustworthy crowd-sensing.
Perception of local community and the willingness to pay to restore church forests: the case of Dera district, northwestern Ethiopia

Abstract In the Ethiopian highlands, church forests have a substantial contribution to landscape restoration, and conservation of endangered indigenous tree species and biodiversity. However, the environmental and economic benefits of church forests are declining due to a combination of economic, environmental, and cultural factors. This study was conducted in Dera district, Ethiopia, to assess the perception of local communities on church forests and investigate the willingness of local communities to pay to manage and protect church forests. We used household survey and focus group discussion to gather data. Contingent valuation method and the Heckman two-step economic model were used to analyze data. Considerable proportion of the respondents (35%) mentioned several types of benefits that can be derived from church forests including fodder, fuelwood, tree seeds and seedlings, conservation of biodiversity, and improvement of the amount and distribution of rainfall. Respondents are also aware that sustainable management of church forests is essential to maintain or enhance the ecosystem services that can be obtained from existing church forests. Protection, fencing, plantation, and expansion of church forests were among the different management options suggested by the respondents. The majority (70%) of the communities are willing to contribute cash. On average, the farmers are willing to contribute ETB 32 (i.e., US$ 1.66 [Based on the exchange rate on 12 February 2014.]). Age, education, access to extension services, and amount of benefits derived from church forests were positively and significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the willingness to pay. Providing training on forest management, putting a strong informal institution such as bylaws, and designing ways of moving from conservation to economic benefit are essential to restore and sustain church forests.
Does Service-Dominant Design Result in a Better Service System?

Purpose – Few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the mechanisms and drivers of service exchange and value co‐creation. In particular, no study has compared a service system design informed by service‐dominant logic (SDL) with a service system design informed by goods‐dominant logic (GDL). The purpose of this paper is to address this knowledge gap. The research question is: does a service‐dominant system design result in a more favourable customer experience than a goods‐dominant service system? Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was carried out on a group of habitual bus travellers. The subjects were asked to plan a specific journey using two online journey planning systems. Two hypotheses were tested: first, an SDL informed service system will evoke a better overall customer experience than a GDL informed service system. Second, this better customer experience arises out of seven service system design characteristics. Both objective and subjective data were gathered to compare the c.
Clinical Utility of the Stanford Brief Activity Survey in Men and Women With Early-Onset Coronary Artery Disease

PURPOSE: To determine the utility of the Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS) as a quick screening tool in a clinical population, where no other measure of physical activity was available. METHODS: The SBAS was administered to 500 younger cases in the Atherosclerotic Disease Vascular Function and Genetic Epidemiology (ADVANCE) study, a case-control genetic association study, between December 2001 and January 2004. Younger cases in the ADVANCE study included men (<46 years old) and women (<56 years old) diagnosed with early-onset coronary artery disease. Frequency distributions of the SBAS and associations between SBAS activity categories and selected cardiovascular disease risk factors by sex were calculated. RESULTS: Subjects were 45.9 ± 6.4 years old, 68% married, 61% women, 51% white, and 21% college graduates. Clinical diagnoses for early-onset coronary artery disease included 61% myocardial infarction, 23% coronary revascularization procedure, and 16% angina pectoris. In women, associations between all cardiovascular disease risk factors examined across SBAS categories were statistically significant (P trend < .01). In men, the associations across SBAS categories were statistically significant (P trend < .01), except for body mass index (P trend = .065). Adjustment for body mass index, age, ethnicity, and education with interactions by sex did not change the results. CONCLUSION: Subjects in the higher SBAS activity categories had more favorable cardiovascular disease risk profiles than did their less active counterparts, regardless of sex. The SBAS can be recommended for use in clinical populations providing immediate feedback on current physical activity level.
Preference for fractures and other glucocorticoid-associated adverse effects among rheumatoid arthritis patients.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' preferences for validated health state scenarios depicting glucocorticoid adverse events, predictors of these preferences, and psychometric properties of different preference techniques in this population. METHODS Preferences were elicited by rating scale and time trade-off methods. Time trade-offs included trading current health for either time spent alive in an adverse health state for chronic conditions (time trade-off) or time spent in a sleeplike state for acute conditions (sleep trade-off). RESULTS A total of 107 subjects with long-standing RA participated in the preference interviews. Mean preference values (rating scale/trade-off) were lowest for serious fracture adverse events, including hip fracture requiring a nursing home stay (0.55+/-0.22/0.76+/-0.36) and vertebral fracture with chronic pain (0.59+/-0.23/0.67+/-0.35), and highest for cataracts (0.84 + 0.17/0.96 0.09) and wrist fracture (0.82+/-0.18/0.81+/-0.29). Rating scales had a stronger correlation (r= 0.88) with physician ranking of scenarios than trade-off methods (r = 0.31). All methods were feasible and demonstrated good reliability, while rating scale method showed better construct validity than trade-off techniques. CONCLUSION Relative to their current health, RA patients assigned low preference values to many glucocorticoid adverse events, particularly those associated with chronic fracture outcomes. Results varied with the preference measure used, indicating that methodological attributes of preference determinations must be considered in clinical decision making.
Common and distinct features of mammary tumors driven by Pten-deletion or activating Pik3ca mutation

PTEN loss and PIK3CA activation both promote the accumulation of phosphatidylinositol (3, 4, 5)-trisphosphate (PIP3). While these proteins also have distinct biochemical functions, beyond the regulation of PIP3, little is known about the consequences of these differences in vivo. Here, we directly compared cancer signalling in mammary tumors from MMTV-Cre:Ptenf/f and MMTV-Cre:Pik3caLSL-H1047R mice. Using unsupervised hierarchical clustering we found that whereas MMTV-Cre:Pik3caLSL-H1047R-derived tumors fall into two separate groups, designated squamous-likeEx and class14Ex, MMTV-Cre:Ptenf/f tumors cluster as one group together with PIK3CAH1047R class14Ex, exhibiting a ‘luminal’ expression profile. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of PtenΔ and PIK3CAH1047R class14Ex tumors revealed very similar profiles of signalling pathways as well as some interesting differences. Analysis of 18 signalling signatures revealed that PI3K signalling is significantly induced whereas EGFR signalling is significantly reduced in PtenΔ versus PIK3CAH1047R tumors. Thus, PtenΔ and PIK3CAH1047R tumors exhibit discernable differences that may impact tumorigenesis and response to therapy.
Financial Information Systems Audit Practice: Implications of International Auditing and Accounting Standards

Commentators frequently identify the harmonization of the financial reporting framework across international borders as essential to consistency and transparency in the financial reporting of global corporate entities (Roussey, 1992). Long considered desirable, the alignment of the major international financial reporting standards remained an unachievable dream in the eyes of many observers (Goeltz, 1991). The Mexican currency crisis of 1994 and then, particularly, the Asian crisis of 1997 (Humphrey et al., 2009) increased the prominence of the issue of the international harmonization of the financial reporting framework. In response, the international regulatory bodies set out International Standards on Auditing (ISA) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as template standards to encourage international convergence of the financial reporting framework (Smith et al., 2008). Major developed economies have progressively and increasingly adopted these template standards (IFRS Foundation, 2011; International Federation of Accountants, 2011).
Modeling Ethnic Conflict with Altruism

We present a game theoretic model for ethnic conflict that explicitly accounts for endogenous altruism and spite between ethnic groups. We treat ethnic groups as expected utility maximizers whose available actions are the amount of resources invested toward conflict with each of their opponents. We prove existence and uniqueness of pure Nash equilibria in the twoplayer case and demonstrate why, even though extensive simulations suggest that equilibria exist, traditional proof methods fail when considering more than two players.
Private Expenditure on Healthcare, Income Distribution, and Poverty in Israel

The study examines the impact of private expenditure on healthcare in Israel on income distribution, poverty, and catastrophic healthcare spending and discusses the functioning of the publicly supported system by studying private expenditure on entitled care. The study examines the trend in private spending during 2003–2009 for its implications on the various impact aspects. The context of the study is the high share of private funding of healthcare in Israel that reached about 40 percent of total healthcare expenditure in Israel in 2010, and is the highest among developed economies that provide universal healthcare coverage. The study is based mainly on the 2009 Household Expenditure Survey by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics which includes a sample of 6,270 households, representing 2.136 million Israeli households, a fifth of which are classified as poor. The study is innovative in that it classifies into categories by their nearness to satisfying a basic need, to be included in the measurement of the poverty line, or by their nearness to a tax, to be included in the analysis of income distribution. Special attention is given to households which, unlike in the tax situation, forgo expenditure. Nearly all Israeli households, 93 percent, report private expenditure on medical care at 5.1 percent of average spending on consumption. The expenditure as a whole and by components is positively related to the level of income, and not to other common correlates of poverty in Israel such as being religious or Arab. Co-payments (partially mitigated since the end of 2011), which are considered closest to basic need or tax-like, are reported by about a fifth of total households. About a tenth of households report spending out of pocket on care that parallels care included in entitlement. Four percent of households, 80,000, insure privately for such care. The share of expenditure for parallel care in total private expenditure has been increasing with time. The trend is led by high education and high income groups that increasingly forgo publicly supported care. The data suggest supplier-induced demand for parallel care. Spending on co-payments and supplementary care, which is regarded as a need or tax-like but not included in entitlement, is regressive in spite of the evidence that low income households forgo such spending because of its economic implications. A calculation that subtracts these expenditures from the income of households increases the number of poor households by about 6,000 of which 1,300 households join the ranks of the poor because of private expenditure on entitled care. About 68,000 households incur spending that threatens the household’s vitality, including its health.
Investment Opportunities and Corporate Debt Policy: New Economy Firms Versus Old Economy Firms

This paper examines the impact of the New Economy on the relationship between corporate debt policy and firm investment opportunities. One distinctive feature of new economy firms is their high level of investment opportunities. We study whether the impact of investment opportunities on corporate debt policy is different in new economy firms, compared to traditional ones. Our empirical analysis covers U.S. industrial companies listed on NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ in the period of 1950-2008. We find that firms with high investment opportunities have significantly less debt ratios than firms with low investment opportunities. Nevertheless, this link is weaker in new economy industry. The results complement other studies that have found significant relationship between investment opportunities and corporate debt policy by confirming the prominent role played by the New Economy in determining this association.