Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Market orientation adoption strategies for small restaurants: a study in the Eastern Sri Lanka

The main aim of the study is to investigate the adoption and application of market orientation by small restaurants in the Eastern Sri Lanka. In order to achieve this aim, 21 small restaurants were drawn from the Eastern part of Sri Lanka. Findings suggest that small restaurants are unable to adopt market orientation strategies. Components of market orientation such as customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter functional coordination are with insignificant correlation and hence, the components of market orientation are not adopted by small restaurants. Monitoring the changes in the customer needs is essential for the success of these firms in the industry. Though these firms are small, competitors’ analysis has to be done and the results should be used as input for the development of competitive strategy. Inter functional coordination is also playing major role in this business to become market oriented. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/jm.v8i1. 7550 Journal of Management 2013 8(1): 14-26
Genetic variability in cysteine protease genes of Haemonchus contortus

To increase the existent genetic variability in cysteine proteases, a polymorphism study was performed in Haemonchus contortus by comparing 2 different strains of the parasite: North American (NA) and Spanish (SP) strains. For this purpose, the polymorphism of 5 previously reported genes (AC-1, AC-3, AC-4, AC-5 and GCP-7) were analysed by PCR–SSCP and sequencing procedures. Based on the SSCP results, a total of 20 different alleles were identified for the 5 loci assessed. Except locus AC-5, all the loci were polymorphic. Loci AC-1, AC-3, AC-4 and GCP-7 showed 5, 8, 2 and 4 alleles, respectively. The allelic frequencies ranged from 0·0070 to 0·8560 and were significantly different between strains. In addition, nucleotide diversity analyses showed a significant variation within and between strains. The variations in the nucleotide sequence of the different alleles were translated in some cases into changes in the amino acid sequence. Evidence of genetic variability in cysteine proteases from two different strains of H. contortus for the same set of genes had not been previously reported.
An investigation of learning grammatical gender in French at the beginner stages: does the L1 make a difference?

ABSTRACT An Investigation of Learning Grammatical Gender in French at the Beginner Stages: Does the L1 Make a Difference? Darius Karka Research has demonstrated that learning grammatical gender in French for English speakers is difficult (Lyster, 2004; Lyster & Izqueirdo, 2009), and does not easily progress from item learning to system learning (Bell & Collins, 2009; Harley, 1998). This is usually explained by the absence of grammatical gender in English, but research on the facilitative effects of L1 for gender are contradictory (Sabourin, Stowe, & Haan, 2006; White, Valenzuela, Kozlowska-MacGregor, & Leung, 2004) and have not examined the actual learning process in the initial stages. These issues are addressed by comparing the learning of two reliable noun ending cues for gender (-eau for masculine and –tion for feminine) in French by speakers whose L1 marks grammatical gender (Spanish) with those whose L1 does not (English). Beginner-level English (n=12) and Spanish (n=16) speakers were exposed to the noun endings via crossword puzzle and picture-matching activities. A pre-post-test design examined their ability to assign gender to both familiar and novel nouns, measured via a 3-choice preference task and a picture identification task. Post-task interviews probed learners’ awareness of the noun-ending cues for gender. Analyses of variance with Time and Performance on novel and familiar items as an indication of item vs. system learning revealed significant gains by both groups, particularly on the familiar items, but no differences between groups, nor did the groups differ in their awareness of noun-ending gender cues.
Meaningful use of electronic health record systems and process quality of care: evidence from a panel data analysis of U.S. acute-care hospitals.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the incremental effects of transitions in electronic health record (EHR) system capabilities on hospital process quality. DATA SOURCE Hospital Compare (process quality), Health Information and Management Systems Society Analytics (EHR use), and Inpatient Prospective Payment System (hospital characteristics) for 2006-2010. STUDY SETTING Hospital EHR systems were categorized into five levels (Level_0 to Level_4) based on use of eight clinical applications. Level_3 systems can meet 2011 EHR "meaningful use" objectives. Process quality was measured as composite scores on a 100-point scale for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care infection prevention. Statistical analyses were conducted using fixed effects linear panel regression model for all hospitals, hospitals stratified on condition-specific baseline quality, and for large hospitals. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Among all hospitals, implementing Level_3 systems yielded an incremental 0.35-0.49 percentage point increase in quality (over Level_2) across three conditions. Hospitals in bottom quartile of baseline quality increased 1.16-1.61 percentage points across three conditions for reaching Level_3. However, transitioning to Level_4 yielded an incremental decrease of 0.90-1.0 points for three conditions among all hospitals and 0.65-1.78 for bottom quartile hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Hospitals transitioning to EHR systems capable of meeting 2011 meaningful use objectives improved process quality, and lower quality hospitals experienced even higher gains. However, hospitals that transitioned to more advanced systems saw quality declines.
Simulating Application Workflows and Services Deployed on the European Grid Infrastructure

This paper presents an end-to-end SimGrid-based simulation of a Monte-Carlo computation deployed on the European Grid Infrastructure. We describe a simulation framework allowing to replay executions from real traces. Middleware services, namely the file catalog, storage elements, the DIRAC pilot-job system, and the MOTEUR workflow engine are simulated by SimGrid processes. The deployment of pilot jobs, performed on EGI by the gLite WMS and batch queues, is simulated by a random selection of platform hosts, and a matching of their latencies and failure times with real traces. The Monte-Carlo application workflow is calibrated to address performance discrepancies between the real and simulated network and CPUs. The simulation is evaluated against real executions of the GATE Monte-Carlo application. Results show that SimGrid can be used to study the performance of applications running on EGI. Simulated and real make spans are consistent, and conclusions drawn in production about the influence of application parameters such as the check pointing frequency and the number of mergers are also made in simulation. This opens the door to better and faster experimentation on production grids.
Group Decision-Making Performance as Influenced By Group Tradition

AUTHORS’ NOTE: A version of this article was presented at the Midwest Meeting of the American Institute for Decision Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 1975. Requests for reprints should be sent to David L. Ford, Jr., School of Management and Administration, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080. The existing literature is replete with studies which discuss conditions under which groups operate most efficiently (Collins and Guetzkow, 1964; David, 1969; Maier, 1970; Bouchard, 1972; Cumings, Huber, and Arendt, 1974). How-
Retrieving electronic documents with real-world objects on InteractiveDESK

We are developing a computerized desk which we have named InteractiveDESK [1]. One of the major features of the InteractiveDESK is reality awareness; that is, the ability to respond to situational changes in the real world in order to reduce users’ workloads. In this paper, we present a new method, as an example of the reality awareness, to retrieve electronic documents with real objects such as paper documents or folders. Users of the InteractiveDESK can retrieve electronic documents by just showing real objects which have links to the electronic documents. The links are made by the users through interactions with the InteractiveDESK. The advantage of this method is that the user can unify the arrangement of electronic documents into the arrangement of real objects.
Camouflaging Motion Blur: Art or Science?

Camouflaging an object in a photograph is normally performed with the intent of unnoticeably hiding it within a given image. In this work, we give a different dimension to this problem and raise the interesting issue of camouaging motion blur with special relevance to non-uniformly blurred images. Given a blurred photograph, we apply a suitably derived blurring model to smear a target object and naturally blend it into the motion blurred background by using alpha matting. We validate our photo-realistic compositing approach on several synthetic and real examples.
Supporting Integrative Negotiation via Computer Mediated Communication Technologies

Abstract This paper presents an empirical study of dyadic negotiation supported by computer-mediated communication media. Dyads of MBA students from mainland China and the United States negotiated in a distributed, semisynchronous environment. The task was based on a scenario developed and used extensively by Lituchy (1992) involving distribution of real estate. The technologies were electronic mail and Internet/World Wide Web-based threaded discussion, configured to appear and function very similarly to electronic mail. Outcome measures included joint profitability of the negotiation (reflecting its integrativeness) and perceptions of suitability of the technologies for the task (task-technology fit). Hypotheses drew from literatures on integrative negotiation, negotiation and group support systems, technology adoption, and cross-cultural psychology. As predicted by previous research, Chinese dyads (from a collectivist culture) reached higher average joint profitability (more integrative solutions) than did American dyads (from an individualist culture). These results concur with those obtained with similar cultural groups in previous studies. Both groups of dyads here achieved somewhat lower joint profitability than similar groups who negotiated face-to-face without computer support in previous studies. Neither amount of information technology experience nor assigned technology had any effect on profitability or on any perceptions of task-technology fit. Subjects from both cultures reported that the technologies were acceptable for the task. Chinese subjects preferred the computer-based technologies to face-to-face negotiation, preferred the computer-based technologies to the telephone for dispersed negotiation, and felt that these media were more secure and private than telephony. Americans showed reversed preferences. The authors stated that the technologies used are already being adopted in mainland China in their primary roles as communication support media. Results are consonant with the technologies' expected adaptation as negotiation support tools, appropriate for both cultural groups.
HLFSIM: Objective image quality metric based on ROI analysis

The image/video quality is a key issue in security video systems. Therefore the objective image/video quality criteria are extensively studied. In this paper, the novel full reference objective metric for image quality assessment is proposed. This metric is based on FSIM. The ROI detection is embedded in order to improve the performance. For ROI estimation, the ground truth data together with two different algorithms were used and compared - The security and multimedia images from LIVE database were used for performance evaluation. The correlation between the objective and subjective tests of multimedia images was calculated using Pearson's and Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient. For performance comparison the state-of-the-art full reference objective image quality metrics were used; PSNR, SSIM, MS-SSIM, VIF and FSIM. In our previous paper, the importance of demosaicing technique and ROI has been shown. This paper continues in this topic and implements new full reference objective metrics for the reconstructed image quality evaluation. The results reveal that the ROI controlled by bottom-up mechanism can be used for performance improvement.
How the resettlement of prisoners promotes desistance from crime

The article considers current developments in the ‘resettlement’ of prisoners in the light of recent theory and research on factors promoting desistance from crime. While recognizing improvements promised by the Reducing Re-offending National Action Plan and the concept of ‘end-to-end’ offender management, it is argued that these are unlikely to reduce re-offending significantly without greater attention to individual offenders' mental processes and levels of selfmotivation, which are identified by the desistance literature (as well as much of the ‘what works’ literature) as critical factors in personal change. An account is given of a promising approach adopted in the ‘Resettlement Pathfinders’, where a cognitive-motivational programme was combined with practical services, with encouraging early results. However, concerns are expressed that even the most innovative approaches may be undermined by features of the broader context within which correctional services are delivered, including an excessive emphasis on enforcement (which makes no allowance for the ‘zigzag’ nature of desistance) and the potentially negative impact of ‘contestability’ on relational continuity.
What are the Drivers of Rural Land Rental Markets in sub-Saharan Africa, and how do they Impact Household Welfare? Evidence from Malawi and Zambia

This article uses nationally representative panel survey data from Malawi and Zambia to estimate the factors affecting a smallholder farm household’s decision to participate in land rental markets as either a tenant or a landlord. We also estimate how land rental market participation influences various measures of household income and welfare. We find that land rental markets in both Malawi and Zambia promote efficiency by transferring land from less able to more able farmers. Land rental markets in Malawi promote equity by transferring land relatively labor-poor to labor-rich households, and in both countries we find evidence that land markets transfer land from land-rich to land-poor households. In both countries, we find evidence that renting in land has a positive effect on household income and reduces the probability of the household being in poverty. However, when we consider the full cost of renting in land, the positive impacts are much lower.
La atención psicológica a pacientes con cáncer: de la evaluación al tratamiento

Cancer creates an important psychological suffering that reaches clinical levels of distress in half of those who suffer from it. Cancer is accompanied by psychopathological disorders in more than 30 % of the cases, a prevalence higher than in the general population which requires specialised psychological attention. The emotional distress is high from the beginning to the end of the medical treatment and it is a risk factor for psychopathological disorders. These problems require adequate screening and assessment, often hampered by various reasons. Simple tools are needed, easy to use in medical consultations and appropriate to detect emotional distress and mental health problems that these people may suffer, thus facilitating the referral of these patients to the psycho-oncologist in order to provide the specific treatment to those who need it in the context of comprehensive care for cancer patients. This objective involves all health professionals.
Soft-Computing Model-Based Controllers for Increased Photovoltaic Plant Efficiencies

Improved solar cell models and control methods using synergies of soft-computing techniques are used to demonstrate increased energy efficiencies of photovoltaic (PV) power plants connected to the electricity grid via space-vector-modulated three-phase inverters. The models and control strategies are combined to form two new model-based controllers that are more accurate and resilient than existing solutions resulting in increased power production. A radial-basis-function-network (RBFN) model with a neuro-fuzzy regulator applied to a plant well characterized by the conventional solar cell model provided an estimated 1.5% increase in power production over an existing conventional model proportional integral (PI)-regulator combination. A neuro-fuzzy model with a neuro-fuzzy controller applied to a plant poorly characterized by the conventional solar cell model gave an 8.6% increase in power. An analysis of the net contributions to the increased efficiencies shows that the improved models had the most effect on power gains.
Hematopoiesis and Retinoids: Development and Disease

Retinoids function as activating ligands for a class of nuclear receptors that control gene expression programs for a wide range of tissues and organs during embryogenesis and throughout life. Over the years, three sets of observations have spurred interest in the function of retinoids with respect to development and disease of hematopoietic cells. Since the 1920s, epidemiological studies indicated altered hematopoiesis in vitamin A-deficient (VAD) human populations. More recently, the ability of retinoids to affect various aspects of hematopoietic development has been demonstrated in vitro. Finally, it was discovered that the gene encoding a retinoid receptor is a key target for chromosomal translocations that cause acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). More recent investigations using targeted gene disruptions, VAD animal models, and mouse models of leukemia have continued to shed light on the function of the retinoid pathway in blood cells. It is now clear that retinoids are required for normal hematopoiesis during both yolk sac and fetal liver stages of hematopoiesis, while the pathway has at least modulatory functions for bone marrow derived progenitors. Studies of normal development and APL have provided complementary insight into the molecular control of blood cell differentiation. Here we review the evidence for retinoid requirements in hematopoiesis and also summarize current ideas regarding how this pathway is subverted in leukemia.
Sex differences in the reactions to sleeping in pairs versus sleeping alone in humans

Couples sleeping in pairs is a modern phenomenon with potential side-effects on sleep structure and circadian rhythms. In order to examine its effects, 10 healthy heterosexual couples with stable relationships who regularly sleep apart or together in their home environments were recruited. The participants were asked to spend at least 10 nights alone and 10 nights together over the course of the study. Their sleep was monitored over 28 days in their homes with actigraphic techniques and sleep diaries. Group analyses were performed on their sleep efficiency and subjective sleep quality according to sleep condition. The daily variations in sleep fragmentation indices of the partners were used as a measure of their nocturnal activity synchronization. Sharing a sleeping space with a partner had negative effects on sleep in women, as documented in the actigraphic measurements of sleep efficiency and subjective assessments of sleep and awakening quality. Sexual contact mitigated the negative subjective report, without changing the objective results. Subjective assessments of sleep quality were lower in men than women when sleeping alone. They increased to the same level as women while sleeping in pairs with or without sexual contact. The sleep efficiency in men was not reduced by the presence of their partner unless sexual contact occurred. Analyses of sleep fragmentation showed that there was no synchronization of deviation from the norm levels between the partners on individual nights either when they slept alone or in couples. The sex differences in the nocturnal sleep reactions to partner presence may be attributed to sex-specific behavioral traits associated with cultural norms or parenting in women and the desire for group sleep in men.
The Cultural Roots of Professional Wisdom: Towards a broader view of teacher expertise

Perhaps the most pressing issue concerning teacher education and training since the end of the Second World War has been that of the role of theory—or principled reflection—in professional expertise. Here, although the main post‐war architects of a new educational professionalism clearly envisaged a key role for theory—considering such disciplines as psychology, sociology and philosophy as indispensable for reflective practice—there are nevertheless well‐rehearsed difficulties about crediting such disciplines with quite the (applied) role in educational practice of (say) physiology or anatomy in medical practice. This paper argues that while recent developments in professional teacher education and training may have moved on from erstwhile instrumentalist and/or applied science (competence and other) perspectives, there may yet be a case for further progress towards a rather more sophisticated philosophical psychology of teacher knowledge and expertise.
Effect of habitual running on human Achilles tendon load-deformation properties and cross-sectional area.

Whether the cross-sectional area (CSA) and mechanical properties of the human Achilles tendon change in response to habitual exercise remains largely unexplored. The present study evaluated the CSA and contraction-induced displacement of the aponeurosis-tendon complex of the triceps surae in 11 untrained subjects before (tests 1 and 2) and after (test 3) approximately 9 mo of regular running ( approximately 78 training sessions). Displacement of the tendon-aponeurosis complex obtained by ultrasonography; electromyography of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and dorsiflexor muscles; and joint angular rotation were recorded during graded isometric plantarflexion ramps. Tendon CSA and moment arm were measured by using MRI, and tendon force was calculated from joint moments and tendon moment arm. A treadmill test was used to determine submaximal oxygen consumption (Vo2) at a given speed and maximal Vo2. The total running duration was approximately 43 h, distributed over 34 wk. Maximal Vo2 increased 8.6% (P < 0.01), and submaximal Vo2 decreased 6.2% (P < 0.05). Tendon-aponeurosis displacement during maximal voluntary contraction was unchanged (tests 1-3, 5.2 +/- 0.6, 5.2 +/- 0.5, and 5.3 +/- 0.4 mm, respectively) and yielded a structural stiffness of 365 +/- 50, 358 +/- 40, and 384 +/- 52 N/mm for tests 1-3, respectively (P > 0.05). Tendon CSA also remained unchanged (tests 1-3, 34.2 +/- 2.2, 33.9 +/- 2.2, and 33.8 +/- 2.1 mm2, respectively). In conclusion, a total training stimulus of approximately 9 mo of running in previously untrained subjects was adequate to induce significant cardiovascular improvements, although it did not result in any changes in the mechanical properties of the triceps surea tendon-aponeurosis complex or in the dimensions of Achilles tendon.
A Sequential-Phase Feed Using a Circularly Polarized Shorted Loop Structure

This communication presents a new 4-port feeding structure with sequential phase (SP) of 0°, 90°, 180° and 270 using a circularly polarized (CP) shorted loop. A 2 × 2 single-fed circularly polarized cornertruncated patch array is connected to the loop's four shorting strips, which serve as 4 feeding ports with stable phase difference. By using the proposed SP feed, the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of the array is increased to more than 7%, wider than the previous design. A prototype of the proposed antenna is built to validate the design experimentally, and a global bandwidth of 4.86-5.12 GHz is achieved (S11 ≤ -10 dB, <;3 dB, and gain variation within 3 dB).