Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hotel Complaint Behavior and Resolution: A Content Analysis

This article represents a case study of a luxury hotel located in New York City. A content analysis of 220 complaints recorded in a logbook used by front desk agents during 1994 was conducted. The data were classified by guests' gender and place of residence, time of complaint, the type of complaint, the solutions to the complaints, and guests' responses to the solutions. This method provided insights into the hotel's operation and customer base, and suggested areas for future attention.
Discovery of cases for case-based reasoning in engineering

At present, an important assumption about case-based reasoning (CBR) is that cases should be readily available. While it is true in areas such as Law and Medicine where past cases are usually well documented, it does not hold for some engineering applications in which previous cases have not been established properly. We propose to tackle this "case acquisition" problem by using data mining and knowledge discovery techniques to discover cases from historical engineering information stored in data files or databases. The task of mining cases is clearly defined, and an algorithm is proposed to discover cases from raw data. Also the Dempster-Shafer rule for combining evidence from independent sources is introduced to fuse compatible cases and manage uncertainties. The work reported in this paper is part of an ongoing project to build a case-based system to identify transmission faults in power distribution networks.
Ecology-based tourism potential with regard to alternative tourism activities in Altındere Valley (Trabzon – Maçka)

The present study was conducted in areas covering the Yazlık Village settlement of Maçka District, parts of Altındere and Coşandere Villages, and surrounding fields and plateau settlements, which are all located within Altındere Valley, Trabzon province. The purpose of this study is to determine the use potential of priority area for tourism with a consideration of sustainable use principles, which will serve to protect the ecological structure of the area and its surroundings. With this purpose in mind, a methodological design has been established in order to detect the most suitable regions for tourism activities which can be carried out in the rural areas with protected natural resources. In the research study, ‘V-Wert’ method was developed and used in order to identify the utilization of the research area and its surroundings with respect to ecology-based tourism and alternative tourism activities. In the study that was carried out, an activity value was calculated for the activities that will emerge as a result of ecology-based tourism planning and the determination of tourism potential, in the scope of the methodology, and then was added to the formula as a multiplier. A specific tourism potential map was created through V-Wert method. When tourism potential evaluation was carried out for plan- squares in regard to climate, transportation, relief, forest and waterside, and activity values, the ratios obtained were, respectively, 9.7% for ‘very good’; 9.11% for ‘good’; 21.176% for ‘average’; 40.3% for ‘weak’; and 19.7% for ‘very weak’ areas.
Technology frontier, labor productivity and economic growth: Evidence from OECD countries

We use 29 OECD countries data spanning over 1960-2000 to study the growth strategy when countries are close to the technology frontier. Relying on a semi-parametric generalized additive model, we estimate labor productivity equations. We find that the number of agents enrolled in higher education is a determinant of growth. Moreover, when a country is sufficiently near the technology frontier thanks to an increasing R&D expenditure, it becomes optimal to invest in fundamental research, since after a short period of efficiency, business R&D can no longer ensure the transition toward the technology frontier, while higher education presents the opposite shape. These findings support the main assertion of Aghion and Cohen (2004) that countries which are near the technology frontier have to invest in higher education while those far away from the frontier make their technology level growing up by investing in primary and secondary schooling.
Effect of cross culture on ethical behaviour of Y generation - Is it changing?

This paper explores the impact of individualism and collectivism on ethical decision-making process among generation-Y people. It also tries to explore the change in their decision-making process due to globalisation and recession. The study was conducted among MBA students in three universities. Large and small cities were covered for this study to elucidate any change in behaviour. Two types of behaviours, individualistic and collectivistic, were observed among generation Y. Individualist behaviour predominates the US future managers compared to collectivistic behaviour among the future manager of Asia. However, there is a shift of 18–24% in their thinking process, which could be due to globalisation, economic recession, etc. This is an interesting observation of the study. Understanding the recent change will enable the management to manage people of different countries working in the organisation. This is important when decision has to look into ethics too.
A clinical procedures curriculum for undergraduate medical students: the eight-year history of a third-year immersive experience

Background Procedural skills training is a critical component of medical education, but is often lacking in standard clinical curricula. We describe a unique immersive procedural skills curriculum for medical students, designed and taught primarily by emergency medicine faculty at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Objectives The primary educational objective of this program was to formally introduce medical students to clinical procedures thought to be important for success in residency. The immersion strategy (teaching numerous procedures over a 7-day period) was intended to complement the student's education on third-year core clinical clerkships. Program design The course introduced 27 skills over 7 days. Teaching and learning methods included lecture, prereading, videos, task trainers, peer teaching, and procedures practice on cadavers. In year 4 of the program, a peer-team teaching model was adopted. We analyzed program evaluation data over time. Impact Students valued the selection of procedures covered by the course and felt that it helped prepare them for residency (97%). The highest rated activities were the cadaver lab and the advanced cardiac life support (97 and 93% positive endorsement, respectively). Lectures were less well received (73% positive endorsement), but improved over time. The transition to peer-team teaching resulted in improved student ratings of course activities (p<0.001). Conclusion A dedicated procedural skills curriculum successfully supplemented the training medical students received in the clinical setting. Students appreciated hands-on activities and practice. The peer-teaching model improved course evaluations by students, which implies that this was an effective teaching method for adult learners. This course was recently expanded and restructured to place the learning closer to the clinical settings in which skills are applied.
An efficient FSS absorber for WLAN security

An efficient FSS absorber is presented for 5 GHz WLAN security. The proposed design consists of two layers of conductive and resistive FSSs, both etched on Rogers RO 3210 with a separation of 2.8 mm. It ensures better angular stability, reduced distance between the layers making it low profile and improved absorption in the desired band compared to the data presented in recent research. Simulation results are presented for both TE and TM polarizations at normal and oblique incidence.
Analysis of information security of distributed information systems

The paper presents technologies of analysis, synthesis and correction of information security architectures in distributed information systems. We consider different fragments of information security subsystems and models in the form of diagrams as identical. Then the basic construction elements of an information security subsystem in a distributed information system are diagrams of information security. Their advantages in comparison with traditional approaches are that these basic construction elements comprise an integrated approach to realization of security system. It allows to carry out hierarchical decomposition of a subsystem of information security. Then secure interactions between secure isolated domains are constructed.
Volatility dynamics in high frequency financial data: an empirical investigation of the Australian equity returns

The behaviour of volatility for intraday high frequency returns of the ASX equity index is examined. It is found that volatility of the Australian equities follows an L-shaped curve over the trading day that is distinct from the U-shaped pattern commonly documented by previous studies on other markets. While GARCH model remains useful in capturing volatility clustering for high frequency returns, the intraday deterministic volatility seasonals need to be carefully accounted for before carrying out an analysis of the volatility dynamics. Moreover, the frequently documented asymmetric effect of positive and negative shocks to volatility disappears for returns recorded at higher frequencies.
Effect of chemomechanical caries removal on bonding of self-etching adhesives to caries-affected dentin.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of enzyme-based (Papacárie) and sodium-hypochlorite-based (Carisolv) chemomechanical caries removal methods on bonding of self-etching adhesives to caries-affected dentin, in comparison to the standard rotary-instrument caries removal method. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-eight carious permanent molars exhibiting frank cavitation into dentin were used. Forty-eight teeth were randomly divided into three groups, according to the caries excavation methods: (i) Papacárie, (ii) Carisolv and (iii) a round steel bur. After caries removal, each group was subdivided into two groups for two-step (Clearfil SE Bond) or one-step (Clearfil S3 Bond) self-etching adhesive application and resin composite buildups. Bonded specimens were sectioned into beams for microtensile bond strength testing. Bond strength data were analyzed using three-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. For interfacial nanoleakage evaluation using a field-emission scanning electron microscope, caries was similarly removed from the remaining thirty carious molars, bonding was performed as for bond strength testing, and the teeth were sectioned. RESULTS RESULTS of three-way ANOVA revealed that bond strength was significantly affected by "adhesive" (p<0.001) and "dentin" (p<0.001), but not "caries excavation methods" (p>0.05). The bond strength of the two-step self-etching adhesive was significantly higher than that of the one-step self-etching adhesive (p<0.001). Conversely, the bond strength of self-etching adhesives to sound dentin was significantly higher than to residual caries-affected dentin (p<0.001). Greater silver penetration was observed in the bonded interfaces of residual caries-affected dentin and in interfaces bonded with the one-step self-etching adhesive vs those bonded with the two-step self-etching adhesive. CONCLUSION Chemomechanical caries removal did not affect the bonding of self-etching adhesives to caries-affected dentin as compared to caries excavation with rotary instruments.
Neurons Overexpressing Heme Oxygenase‐1 Resist Oxidative Stress‐Mediated Cell Death

Abstract : This is the first report on the protective effect of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) overexpression against oxidative stress‐mediated neuronal cell death and demonstration of a decreased production of oxygen free radicals when HO‐1 levels are increased. HO‐1 is the heat shock/stress cognate of the heat shock protein 32 family of proteins. A known function of these proteins is α‐meso bridge‐specific cleavage of the heme molecule. For the present study, we used cerebellar granular neurons (CGNs) isolated from homozygous transgenic (Tg) mice that overexpress HO‐1 under neuron‐specific enolase control and nontransgenic (Ntg) littermates. The Tg mouse CGNs were characterized by increased levels of HO‐1 mRNA and protein, a lower resting intracellular calcium concentration, and a reduced HO‐1 transcriptional response to glutamate‐mediated oxidative stress. Compared with the Ntg neurons, when exposed to glutamate (30 μM or 3 mM), the magnitude of cell viability was increased and the number of cells exhibiting membrane permeability and chromatin condensation were significantly decreased in the Tg CGN cultures. The population of neurons surviving glutamate toxicity decreased when HO‐1 activity was inhibited by a peptide inhibitor. The neuroprotective effect by HO‐1 was extended to H2O2‐induced cell death. The mechanism of protection may involve in part a reduced production of reactive oxygen species upon exposure to glutamate. We suggest that induction of HO‐1 by pharmacological means may be a novel approach to amelioration of oxidative insults to neurons.
Differences in Cardiovascular Responses to Alamandine in Two-Kidney, One Clip Hypertensive and Normotensive Rats.

BACKGROUND Alamandine is a newly discovered component of the renin-angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure. In this study, the effect of alamandine on cardiovascular parameters in two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats and normotensive rats, and the possible roles of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and the PD123319-sensitive receptors in mediating this effect was investigated.Methods and Results:The cardiovascular parameters were monitored for 10 min before the infusion of the drugs or saline, and for 30 min afterward. In the 2K1C hypertensive rats, alamandine caused brief increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP), left-ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and maximum rate of pressure change in the left ventricle (dP/dt(max)). This was followed by decreases in these parameters, which extended throughout the remainder of the infusion period. Losartan, an AT1R blocker, abolished alamandine's initial pressor effect and PD123319, which can block AT2R and Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (MrgD) receptors, partially decreased the late depressor effect. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) decreased during alamandine infusion; this effect was reduced by PD123319. In the normotensive rats, alamandine increased MAP, LVSP, dP/dt (max), and it decreased LVEDP during the infusion period. These effects of alamandine were reduced by losartan. CONCLUSIONS The results of this investigation suggest that, under normal conditions, alamandine acts via AT1R, but in pathological conditions such as hypertension, its effect on PD123319-sensitive receptors masks its effect on AT1R.
Explaining inertia in organizational change in Ukrainian agriculture

Abstract The paper presents a theoretical discussion of the organizational change occurring in Ukrainian agriculture since 1991. This organizational change is interesting because: (1) it has been characterized by significant inertia and (2), at the same time, the conscious resistance to the change has not been an empirically relevant factor in its implementation. The paper is aimed at the identification of inertial forces of this organizational change lying beyond the conscious resistance to it. These inertial forces have been shown to be represented by a number of path dependency effects and opportunistic behaviour by managers of agricultural enterprises. The inertia in this organizational change emerged therefore as an unintended outcome of the combination of rational individual behaviours, both of opportunistic and non-opportunistic types. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relationship between this view of inertia and the major existing theories of organizational change.
Some Applications of Lévy Processes to Stochastic Investment Models for Actuarial Use

Abstract This paper presents a continuous time version of a stochastic investment model originally due to Wilkie. The model is constructed via stochastic differential equations. Explicit distributions are obtained in the case where the SDEs are driven by Brownian motion, which is the continuous time analogue of the time series with white noise residuals considered by Wilkie. In addition, the cases where the driving “noise” are stable processes and Gamma processes are considered.
Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy for rectal cancer: results from NSABP protocol R-01.

Information is presented from 555 patients with Dukes B and C rectal cancers treated by curative resection who were entered into the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) protocol R-01 between November 1977 and October 1986. Their average time on study was 64.1 months. The patients were randomized to receive no further treatment (184 patients), postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, semustine, and vincristine (MOF) (187 patients), or postoperative radiation therapy (184 patients). The chemotherapy group, when compared with the group treated by surgery alone, demonstrated an overall improvement in disease-free survival (P = .006) and in survival (P = .05). Employing the proportional hazards model, a global test was used to determine the presence of treatment interactions. Investigation of stratification variables employed in this study indicated that sex, and to a lesser extent age and Dukes stage, made individual contributions to the disease-free survival and the survival benefit from chemotherapy. When evaluated according to sex, the benefit for chemotherapy at 5 years, both in disease-free survival (29% vs. 47%; P less than .001; relative odds, 2.00) and in survival (37% vs. 60%; P = .001; relative odds, 1.93), was restricted to males. When males were tested for age trend with the use of a logistic regression analysis, chemotherapy was found to be more advantageous in younger patients. When the group receiving post-operative radiation (4,600-4,700 rad in 26-27 fractions; 5,100-5,300 rad maximum at the perineum) was compared to the group treated only by surgery, there was an overall reduction in local-regional recurrence from 25% to 16% (P = .06). No significant benefit in overall disease-free survival (P = .4) or survival (P = .7) from the use of radiation has been demonstrated. The global test for interaction to identify heterogeneity of response to radiation within subsets of patients was not significant. In conclusion, this investigation has demonstrated a benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (MOF) for the management of rectal cancer. The observed advantage was restricted to males. Postoperative radiation therapy reduced the incidence of local-regional recurrence, but it failed to affect overall disease-free survival and survival.
Angular and Wavelength Simultaneous Selection in Transparent OPVs Based on Near-Infrared Bragg Reflector and Antireflection Coating

A novel design based on genetic algorithm is proposed to construct a near-infrared Bragg reflector and an antireflection coating, which are supposed to be applied in the transparent organic photovoltaics. By incorporating the absorbing layer which composed of ClAlPc/C60 with the structure designed, it leads to a significant near-infrared absorption increase from 16.6% to 36.3% within 650–850 nm and high average visible-transparency of 72% within 400–580 nm at normal incidence. Moreover, the near-infrared absorption increases with the enlargement of the incident angle from 0° to 30°, where the average transmittance remains above 60% simultaneously. This design can further improve the balance between transparency in the visible for scenic sight view and sunlight absorption in near-infrared for high-efficiency electricity generation. The potential of adopting this novel design on transparent building-integrated photovoltaic modules, which dominate the landscape of the major cities, is tremendous.
On natural resource abundance and underdevelopment

This paper looks at the relationship between natural resource endowment, particularly the type associated with minerals and plantations, and economic development. Certain types of natural resources such as oil and minerals have a tendency to lead to production and revenue patterns that are concentrated, while revenue flows from other types of resources such as agriculture are more diffused throughout the economy. The paper reviews two sets of models, the first group outlining the onset of improperly managed resources, and the second category sketching conditions where resource booms actually aid growth, or policies to avoid the possibility of resource failure. The vast majority of these models stress intersectoral linkages. An explicit model of growth collapse with micro-foundations in rent-seeking behavior and contests is also presented. Political economy considerations associated with resource rents are reviewed. The focus is on institutions that determine the policy superstructure and the importance of these institutions is highlighted, followed by a sketch of institutional malfunctioning and an overview of the empirical models of institutional determination. The paper concludes that a rich natural resource endowment only becomes a curse if inappropriate policies are pursued.
An Examination of Audit Report Lag for Banks: A Panel Data Approach

This study investigates the determinants of audit report lag (ARL) for a sample of banks. Researchers have been interested in the determinants of ARL, in part, because it impacts the timeliness of public disclosures. However, prior ARL research has relied exclusively on regression analysis of cross‐sectional samples of companies from many industries. In addition to focusing exclusively on banks, panel data analysis is introduced and compared with cross‐sectional analysis to demonstrate its power in dynamic settings and its potential to improve estimation. Results reveal important differences between cross‐sectional analysis and panel data analysis. First, bank size is negatively related to ARL in cross‐section but positively related to ARL using panel data analysis. The cross‐sectional size estimate is subject to omitted variables bias, and furthermore, cross‐sectional analysis fails to capture variation in size over time in relation to ARL. Panel data analysis both accounts for omitted variables and capt.
Interaction of a liver-specific factor with an enhancer 4.8 kilobases upstream of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene

We have previously identified a series of five DNase-I hypersensitive (HS) sites within and around the rat phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene. The far upstream region has now been sequenced, and the tissue-specific HS site has been mapped more precisely at 4,800 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site of the PEPCK gene. DNA fragments that include the HS site were cloned upstream of various promoters to test whether these regions modulate transcription of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity was enhanced when the DNA fragment encompassing the upstream HS site was linked to various lengths of the PEPCK promoter or to the heterologous simian virus 40 promoter. This upstream region in conjunction with the proximal promoter, which may contain a tissue-specific element, conferred maximum activation in H4IIE hepatoma cells, which express the endogenous PEPCK gene. When these experiments were performed in XC cells, in which the gene is not expressed, transcriptional activation by the upstream element was still significant. Evidence of a specific protein-DNA interaction, using DNA mobility shift and DNase I footprinting assays, was obtained only when using H4IIE cell nuclear extracts. Competition assay showed that the interacting factor may be similar or identical to the liver-specific factor HNF3. We suggest that this protein factor binds to DNA within the HS site and interacts with the proximal promoter region to control tissue-specific high-level expression of the PEPCK gene.