Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Joint Ventures and Involvement of Parent Firms: The Case of Japan

This paper focuses on the investment methods parent companies use to form joint ventures (JVs) and investigates the relationship between those investment methods and JV stability. This study finds that factors such as parents' percentage ownership of JVs and their duration of ownership in JVs vary with investment method. This study also finds that JV terminations differ with investment methods. This suggests that investment methods affect JV stability. Third, the study finds that when one parent contributes financial capital and another parent contributes assets to a JV in the same industry, the parent that contributes the financial capital is more likely to acquire the JV later. In addition, parent companies owning more than 50% of their JVs tend to acquire 100% of those JVs regardless of investment method.
The use of volunteers to help older medical patients mobilise in hospital: a systematic review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To review current evidence for the use of volunteers to mobilise older acute medical in-patients. BACKGROUND Immobility in hospital is associated with poor healthcare outcomes in older people, but maintaining mobility is frequently compromised due to time pressures experienced by clinical staff. Volunteers are established in many hospitals, usually involved in indirect patient care. Recent evidence suggests that trained mealtime volunteers had a positive impact on patients and hospital staff. It is unclear whether volunteers can help older inpatients to mobilise. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS We searched Cochrane, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, AMED and Google databases using MeSH headings and keywords within six key themes: inpatients, older, mobility/exercise, delirium, falls and volunteers. Full texts of relevant articles were retrieved and reference lists reviewed. RESULTS Of the 2428 articles that were identified, two scientific studies and three reports on quality improvement initiatives were included in the final review. One study included volunteer assisted mobilisation as part of a delirium prevention intervention (HELP). The second study has not reported yet (MOVE ON). The contribution of volunteers in both is unclear. Three quality improvement initiatives trained volunteers to help mobilise patients. They were not formally evaluated but report positive effects of the volunteers on patient and staff satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS This review has identified a lack of scientific evidence for the use of volunteers in mobilising older medical inpatients, but quality improvement initiatives suggest that volunteers can be employed in this role with reports of staff and patient satisfaction: this is an area for further development and evaluation. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE This review outlines the evidence for the involvement of volunteers in maintaining patients' mobility, identifies mobilisation protocols that have been used, the need to train volunteers and for formal evaluation of volunteers in this role. Prospero registration number: CRD42014010388.
The role of channel orientation in B2B technology adoption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an in‐depth understanding of the issues that organizations consider and experience when making the decision to adopt B2B technologies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a qualitative approach to collect and analyze data. In‐depth interviews were conducted to help generate new themes, and ideas about B2B technology adoption. After the data were collected, the authors used an elaborate multi‐stage process to code, analyze, and interpret the data generated from the interviews.Findings – The main theme that emerged out of this study is that an organization's response to requests from its trading partner to adopt B2B technologies is highly influenced by its marketing channel orientation. The study identifies three types of marketing channel orientations that can influence a firm's technology adoption decision and demonstrates how each of these orientations influence a firm's responses and attitudes towards B2B technology adoption.Originality/value – T.
Evaluating stemmers for the Portuguese Language

Stemming is used to reduce variant word forms to a form known as stem. The assumption is that if words have the same stem, then they represent the same concept. This paper investigates the use of two rule based stemming algorithms for the Portuguese Language. The perfomance was investigated using a sample of words obtained from a corpus that represents the most frequently used words from Brazilian web pages. The stemmers are analysed with three standard evaluations measures, and the results are discussed.
COMPETITIVE REACTION, IMITATION AND BUNCHING IN FOREIGN ENTRY DECISIONS.

The study describes how competitive and institutional influences interact to influence the timing of establishment of foreign subsidiaries. In doing so, it examines how a firm's decision about the timing of its FDI, relative to its rivals' entry decisions, is influenced by competitors' market entry behavior, its organizational resources, and host country conditions. Our focal construct for this research is bunching behavior, which we define as a market entry that occurs immediately after a rival has entered a host country. Our analysis of the timing of 590 foreign direct investment decisions of the five major Japanese automotive assemblers and the five major Japanese electronics manufacturers shows that bunching behavior in FDI is most prevalent when a large number of competitors has entered a host country in a short time period. The number of competitive entrants leads at first to an increase in the likelihood of bunching behavior, but then to a decrease. Meanwhile, the time from the initial foreign entr.
A 480 MHz RISC microprocessor in a 0.12 /spl mu/m L/sub eff/ CMOS technology with copper interconnects

A 32 b 480 MHz PowerPC reduced-instruction-set-computer (RISC) microprocessor is migrated into an advanced 0.2 /spl mu/m CMOS technology with copper interconnects and multi-threshold transistors. These technology features have helped to increase the microprocessor internal clock frequency to 480 MHz at 2.0 V and 85/spl deg/C, and at the fast end of the process distribution. When operating at room temperature, the clock frequency increases to over 500 MHz. The microprocessor architecture includes two 32 KB L1 caches, one for data and one for instructions, integrated L2 cache controller working with L2 caches of 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1MB, and I/Os interfacing with the external bus using industry-standard 3.3 V. The microprocessor is implemented in 2.5 V CMOS technology and has migrated to 1.8 V CMOS technology.
Kinetic behavior of the major multidrug efflux pump AcrB of Escherichia coli

Multidrug efflux transporters, especially those that belong to the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) family, often show very broad substrate specificity and play a major role both in the intrinsic antibiotic resistance and, with increased levels of expression, in the elevated resistance of Gram-negative bacteria. However, it has not been possible to determine the kinetic behavior of these important pumps so far. This is partly because these pumps form a tripartite complex traversing both the cytoplasmic and outer membranes, with an outer membrane channel and a periplasmic adaptor protein, and it is uncertain if the behavior of an isolated component protein reflects that of the protein in this multiprotein complex. Here we use intact cells of Escherichia coli containing the intact multiprotein complex AcrB-AcrA-TolC, and measure the kinetic constants for various cephalosporins, by assessing the periplasmic concentration of the drug from their rate of hydrolysis by periplasmic β-lactamase and the rate of efflux as the difference between the influx rate and the hydrolysis rate. Nitrocefin efflux showed a Km of about 5 μM with little sign of cooperativity. For other compounds (cephalothin, cefamandole, and cephaloridine) that showed lower affinity to the pump, however, kinetics showed strong positive cooperativity, which is consistent with the rotating catalysis model of this trimeric pump. For the very hydrophilic cefazolin there was little sign of efflux.
CONTINUOUSLY INFUSED GLIPIZIDE REVERSES THE HYPERDYNAMIC CIRCULATION IN OVINE ENDOTOXEMIA

In advanced sepsis, hemodynamic support is often complicated by a tachyphylaxis against exogenous catecholamines. Although activation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hyperdynamic vasodilatory shock, previous studies demonstrated only a transient increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) after bolus administration of KATP channel inhibitors. We hypothesized that a continuous infusion of the sulfonylurea glipizide, a KATP channel inhibitor, may reverse cardiovascular dysfunctions in sepsis permanently. Eighteen adult sheep were instrumented for chronic study. After a baseline measurement in healthy ewes, endotoxin (Salmonella typhosa, 10 ng kg−1 min−1) was continuously infused for 19 h. After 16 h of endotoxemia, the surviving sheep (n = 14) were randomly assigned to be treated with either glipizide (5 mg/kg, followed by a continuous infusion of 8 mg kg−1 h−1) or placebo (normal saline; each n = 7). Measurements of cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, global oxygen transport, acid-base status, and urine output were performed in the healthy state, after 16 h of endotoxemia, and during 3 h of glipizide infusion. Continuous infusion of glipizide reversed the endotoxin-induced hyperdynamic circulation, as indicated by significant increases in MAP and systemic vascular resistance index, as well as decreases in cardiac index and heart rate (P < 0.001 each). In addition, glipizide increased urine output as compared with untreated controls (P < 0.001). The anticipated decrease in glucose plasma levels was prevented by infusion of glucose 5%. From these results, we conclude that continuous glipizide infusion may represent a useful therapeutic option in the treatment of arterial hypotension related to sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
Long-term Compliance with Oral 5-aminosalicylic Acid Therapy and Risk of Disease Recurrence in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Population-based Cohort Study

Background:Noncompliance to long-term medical therapy is a well-known problem among patients treated for ulcerative colitis, but studies of long-term consequences in unselected patients are lacking. The authors aimed to determine the risk of recurrence according to long-term compliance with oral 5-aminosalicylic acid among unselected patients with ulcerative colitis. Methods:The authors conducted a 7-year follow-up study of a population-based inception cohort of 243 Danish patients with ulcerative colitis diagnosed from 2003 to 2004. Compliance was defined as consumption of ≥80% of prescribed oral 5-aminosalicylic acid. Data were collected from medical records and the Danish National Prescription Database. They performed Cox regression analysis with adjustments for demographic and clinical characteristics to examine risk of recurrence (defined by increased use of oral 5-Aminosalicylic Acid, other additional treatment, or colectomy) in compliant versus noncompliant patients. Results:In total, 182 patients (75%) experienced at least 1 recurrence during follow-up. For the first year after diagnosis, risk of recurrence did not differ significantly between compliant and noncompliant patients. For 1 to 3 years (hazard ratio: 0.46, 95% CI, 0.33–0.63) and 3 to 8 years (hazard ratio: 0.42, 95% CI, 0.32–0.55) after diagnosis, risk of recurrence was significantly decreased among noncompliant patients compared with that of compliant patients. Conclusions:This unselected cohort study revealed a reverse association between compliance and recurrence of ulcerative colitis. This is unlikely to be explained by severe confounding because the authors were able to adjust for several demographic and clinical factors. Results may instead reflect that patients during recurrence-free periods through self-management choose not to take their medication.
Transformation or change: some prescriptions for health care organizations

The powerful forces that are transforming healthcare can generate enormous economic potential for those who are able to employ effective survival techniques in the short term and at the same time plan for success in the long term. To accomplish this, an organization must harness the forces driving transformation and use them to its advantage. Despite the best efforts of senior healthcare executives, major change initiatives often fail. Change threatens the very stability and continuity that managers are attempting to control; therefore change and managers are not natural partners. Even managers aware of the need to change resist the parts that appear too major, too risky, or too “different”. This understanding of change, transformation and reinvention are crucial for all health‐care organizations moving forward at turbulent speeds. Change has its problems and successes are not abundant. This article will examine change strategies; their failures and successes; the role of the leader in this process; overc.
Robust distributed control of decomposable systems with switching network topology

In this paper, we consider the problem of designing distributed controller for networks of dynamic systems called decomposable systems with switching network topologies. Exploiting certain structural property associated with state space matrices of these systems, a modal decomposition approach is used to design a distributed controller that has the same interconnection structure as the networks in each instance; i.e. controller structure changes according to network topologies without any delay. An explicit expression for computing the controller parameters is derived using LMI approach under H2 or H∞ criteria with D-stability property. Moreover, a simple sufficient condition for the existence of such a controller is provided that ensures the stability of the network with any arbitrary switching provided that the networks switch among a finite set of admissible topologies. The simulations results are provided to support the theoretical development.
An essential guide to audience development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics and usefulness of opinion leaders and market mavens in relation to theatre guides as a way for theatres to develop new audiences.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys and a small number of in‐depth interviews are conducted within a sample of 1,200 theatre patrons. A univariate analysis of variance analysis determines degrees of correspondence between levels of opinion leadership or mavenism and reported influential behaviour.Findings – Opinion leaders are much more useful in the process of audience development than mavens given their propensity to engage in positive reinforcement behaviours particularly in their roles as theatre guides.Research limitations/implications – While the level of mavenism is related to provision of general market information, it is not related to diffusion of performance‐specific information. Also, the portrayal of opinion leaders as living in a “closed world” unlikely to be an effective cultural influence on .
Recent survey of various defense mechanisms against phishing attacks

ABSTRACT In the recent years, the phishing attack has become one of the most serious threats faced by Internet users, organizations, and service providers. In a phishing attack, the attacker tries to defraud Internet users and steal their personal information either by using spoofed emails or by using fake websites or both. Several approaches have been proposed in the literature for the detection and filtering of phishing attacks; however, the Internet community is still looking for a complete solution to secure the Internet from these attacks. This article discusses recent developments and protection mechanisms (i.e., detection and filtering) against a variety of phishing attacks (e.g., email phishing, website phishing, zero-day attacks). In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches is discussed. This article provides a better understanding of the phishing attack problem in the current solution space and also addresses the scope of future research to deal with such attacks efficiently.
Initial Analysis of Gene Expressions in Response to Dengue-2 Virus Infection in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract In order to understand host responses to viral infection at the transcriptional level, differential display reverse-transcription PCR (DDRT-PCR) was used to identify molecular genetic changes in virus-infected Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) following infection with dengue 2 virus (DENV-2). Seven differentially expressed cDNA fragments were identified. Five were up-regulated in virus-infected mosquitoes and two were up-regulated in refractory individuals. Sequence comparisons at the nucleotide level in GenBank showed that clone AS09A had 100% homology to Ae. albopictus ribosomal S5 protein mRNA, 98% homology to Ae. aegypti clone AE-198A ribosomal protein S5 mRNA and the 5-prime end of clone KWOAAA2YJ20AAMI from strain Liverpool of Ae. aegypti, and 91% homology to Drosophila melanogaster ribosomal protein S5a mRNA sequence. The deduced amino acidic sequence of clone AS09A showed 100% identity or conservation to the above sequence. AS12C clone showed significant homology (95%) to Ae. aegypti strain Liverpool. Other clones did not show homology with previously reported gene sequences. The fragment of AS09A may be the ribosomal protein S5 gene of Ae. albopictus that becomes differentially expressed as a result of infection. These results may be helpful in understanding the mechanism of differential susceptibility of Ae. albopictus following dengue virus infection.
Market orientation and internet-related cognitions: inside the minds of small business managers

Although both market orientation and the Internet intersect at important strategy implementation areas, surprisingly, these two domains have not been well integrated. With market orientation's focus on the use of information associated with market stakeholders and the Internet's ability to facilitate communication and relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, it makes conceptual and pragmatic sense to explore these two areas in concert. The present research develops and tests a conceptual model explaining relationships among market orientation and Internet-related perceptions for managers in small to mid-sized firms. An examination of the market orientation-Internet usage relationship contributes to understanding the process of how an important strategic orientation – market orientation – translates into a key organisational capability: Internet usage.
INFECTION-INDUCED MODULATION OF M1 AND M2 PHENOTYPES IN CIRCULATING MONOCYTES: ROLE IN IMMUNE MONITORING AND EARLY PROGNOSIS OF SEPSIS

To monitor and better understand the immunoinflammatory sequelae in sepsis and septic shock, systemic and monocyte-related cytokine responses were evaluated in baboons with experimental peritonitis induced by an E. coli–laden fibrin clot. Despite similar bacterial inocula, considerable interindividual variability in clinical manifestation and outcome of infection was observed. Because monocytes and macrophages are a key component of innate immunity, we hypothesized that early polarization of distinct activation programs in circulating monocytes that culminates in the emergence of either classically (M1) or alternatively (M2) activated monocytes may underlie the observed susceptibility or resistance to infection. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed infection-induced expression of cytokine mRNAs in monocytes isolated from surviving and dead animals. Our data show that resistance to E. coli sepsis may well be associated with a mixed M1/M2 activation state of circulating monocytes, whereas M1 phenotype appeared to be prevailing in monocytes from animals that died. Together with data on systemic cytokine responses, the latter findings indicate that morbidity and mortality of animals with gram-negative sepsis may well result from an overwhelming proinflammatory response. Collectively, our data contribute to a better understanding of cytokine networking in the immunoinflammatory response to microbial infection and suggest M1/M2 immunophenotypic profiling of readily available circulatory monocytes for early prognosis of severe infections.
Strategies for regular segmented reductions on GPU

We present and evaluate an implementation technique for regular segmented reductions on GPUs. Existing techniques tend to be either consistent in performance but relatively inefficient in absolute terms, or optimised for specific workloads and thereby exhibiting bad performance for certain input. We propose three different strategies for segmented reduction of regular arrays, each optimised for a particular workload. We demonstrate an implementation in the Futhark compiler that is able to employ all three strategies and automatically select the appropriate one at runtime. While our evaluation is in the context of the Futhark compiler, the implementation technique is applicable to any library or language that has a need for segmented reductions. We evaluate the technique on four microbenchmarks, two of which we also compare to implementations in the CUB library for GPU programming, as well as on two application benchmarks from the Rodinia suite. On the latter, we obtain speedups ranging from 1.3× to 1.7× over a previous implementation based on scans.
Real-Time Upper-Ocean Temperature Observations from Aircraft during Operational Hurricane Reconnaissance Missions: AXBT Demonstration Project Year One Results

Thousands of aircraft observations of upper-ocean thermal structures have been obtained during hurricane and typhoon research field experiments in recent decades. The results from these experiments suggest a strong correlation between upper-ocean thermal variability and tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change. In response to these results, during the Office of the Federal Coordinator of Meteorology (OFCM) 2011 Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC), the Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research (WG/HWSOR) approved a 3-yr project to demonstrate the usefulness of airborne expendable bathythermographs (AXBTs) in an operational setting. The goal of this project was to initialize and validate coupled TC forecast models and was extended to improve input to statistical intensity forecast models. During the first season of the demonstration project, 109 AXBTs were deployed between 28 July and 28 August 2011. Successes included AXBT deployment from WC-130J aircraft during operational reconnaissance missions tasked by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), real-time onboard and postflight dataprocessing,real-timedatatransmissiontoU.S. NavyandNOAAhurricanenumericalpredictioncenters, and near-real-time assimilation of upper-ocean temperature observations into the Naval Research Laboratory Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System-Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC) forecast model. Initial results showed 1) increased model accuracy in upper-ocean temperatures, 2) minor improvements in TC track forecasts, and 3) minor improvements in TC intensity forecasts in both coupled dynamical and statistical models [COAMPS-TC and the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS), respectively].