Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring organizational learning. Model testing in two Romanian universities

The scientific literature associates organizational learning with superior organization performance. If we refer to the academic environment, we appreciate that it can develop and reach better levels of performance through changes driven from the inside. Thus, through this paper we elaborate on a conceptual model of organizational learning and we test the model on a sample of employees (university teachers and researchers) from two Romanian universities. The model comprises the process of organizational learning and organizational performance and some concepts that are connected to organizational learning and/or performance: practices/tools for facilitating organizational learning, the value of human capital. The paper is useful both for those who are interested in organizational learning, organizational performance and the relationships between these two notions and for those who hold management positions in universities. The purpose of the paper is to test the model, based on empirical data. We used factor analysis to determine the variables that form our constructs and we conducted correlation analysis to highlight the relationships between the variables in the study, based on the research hypotheses. There are positive relationships between the components of the organizational learning process and organizational performance. The practices/tools that we have considered are relevant for facilitating the organizational learning process. The value of human capital is correlated both with the components of the organizational learning process and with the organizational performance. The model adapted from the literature and the instrument developed based on the literature are useful for undertaking a diagnosis at the organizational level.
A Specific Polymorphism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv Causes Differential ESAT-6 Expression and Identifies WhiB6 as a Novel ESX-1 Component

ABSTRACT The ESX-1 secreted virulence factor ESAT-6 is one of the major and most well-studied virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, given that its inactivation severely attenuates virulent mycobacteria. In this work, we show that clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis produce and secrete larger amounts of ESAT-6 than the widely used M. tuberculosis H37Rv laboratory strain. A search for the genetic polymorphisms underlying this observation showed that whiB6 (rv3862c), a gene upstream of the ESX-1 genetic locus that has not previously been found to be implicated in the regulation of the ESX-1 secretory apparatus, presents a unique single nucleotide insertion in its promoter region in strains H37Rv and H37Ra. This polymorphism is not present in any of the other publicly available M. tuberculosis complex genomes or in any of the 76 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates analyzed in our laboratory. We demonstrate that in consequence, the virulence master regulator PhoP downregulates whiB6 expression in H37Rv, while it upregulates its expression in clinical strains. Importantly, reintroduction of the wild-type (WT) copy of whiB6 in H37Rv restored ESAT-6 production and secretion to the level of clinical strains. Hence, we provide clear evidence that in M. tuberculosis—with the exception of the H37Rv strain—ESX-1 expression is regulated by WhiB6 as part of the PhoP regulon, which adds another level of complexity to the regulation of ESAT-6 secretion with a potential role in virulence adaptation.
Consumer Uncertainty in Online Food Purchase Behavior: An Analysis of the Online Food Safety Problem

This study develop a theoretical framework describing the uncertainty-based decision making process when a consumer purchasing food online in China. Drawn on the information asymmetry theory and based on a survey of 710 randomly selected online food buyers in China, the results show that website seller uncertainty and food uncertainty are critical barriers in consumers' online food purchase decision making. Furthermore, the majority of the antecedents mitigate consumers' perceived uncertainty. These findings show that the food vendor and website managers can mitigate uncertainty by providing a secure and user-friendly food shopping environment in China.
Kenya - Leather industry : diagnosis, strategy, and action plan

In 2014, Kenya’s Ministry of Industrialization requested technical assistance from the World Bank to conduct competitiveness assessments and develop competitiveness strategies for four key industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, furniture, and leather and leather products. In the context of Kenya’s long-term vision to become an industrialized middle-income country by 2030, its leather and leather products sector offers an important opportunity for industrialization and diversification of exports. The development of the sector involves improving the raw material base (especially the quality of hides and skins), boosting the tanning subsector, producing leather goods, and marketing. Key strategic questions about the leather industry include: what is the status of development of the industry, what are the most critical competitiveness challenges and opportunities, what are the most are promising leather products that Kenya should focus on moving forward, and how can support be increased to value addition and exports by upgrading production processes, technology, marketing, and branding of leather products. The basic research methodology followed a standard approach of gathering existing reports and data, and interviewing a wide range of local and international experts. To increase the competitiveness of the leather industry and accomplish the product market objectives, strategies, and actions are recommended in this report and grouped according to a framework, which consists of three key strategies: promote the dynamic restructuring of the leather industry; increase access to markets and induce greater demand for Kenyan leather and leather products; and build quality and standards.
Provenance of SET-Domain Histone Methyltransferases Through Duplication of a Simple Structural Unit

SET domains are protein lysine methyltransferases that methylate diverse proteins, such as, histones, Rubisco and cytochrome C. In particular, they play an important role in the dynamics of the eukaryotic chromatin and are present in several chromatin-associated proteins. Recently, structures of several SET domains have been solved, and they contain a conserved fold that is unrelated to previously characterized methyltransferases, which possess either Rossmann fold or SPOUT domains. Phylogenetic and phyletic-profile analysis of the SET domain suggests that it was an evolutionary “invention” of the eukaryotic lineage, with secondary lateral transfers to bacteria. We show that the conserved N- and C- terminal regions, which comprise the core barrel-like module of the SET domain, are symmetric repeats of a simple 3-stranded unit. Furthermore, the two symmetrically arranged repeats contribute to the binding sites for the two substrates of the SET domain. This suggests the SET domain arose from an ancestral dimer of this 3-stranded unit, with each unit probably functioning as generic-ligand binding structure. The divergence between the two repeat units appears to have arisen as a result of their interactions with the central module of the SET domain, which was inserted between the two repeats. One of the repeats appears to have acquired adaptations, which helped it to specialize in AdoMet binding, whereas the second repeat contributed to histone-interaction, and in orienting a crucial active site residue. The central module of the SET domain supplies a critical asparagine to the active site, and its structural features suggest that it may have also arisen from a further duplication of one of the repeats comprising the core barrel. However, it appears to have structurally diverged from the two canonical repeats due to the lack of an obligate dimerization partner. The spatial position of the two repeats in the ancestral dimer appears to have favored the formation of the structural knot typical of the SET domain. A comparable knot is seen in the SPOUT-domain methyltransferases, and this represents a case of convergent evolution of an active-site-associated configuration in two otherwise unrelated classes of methylases. Thus, the SET domain provides a model for the innovation of a complex enzymatic fold through the duplications of a structurally simple non-enzymatic unit.
The Influence of Some Macroeconomic Factors on the Growth of Micro Firms in the United States

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of some aggregate domes-tic economic forces (i.e., government consumption expenditures and gross Investment; gross private domestic investment and personal consumption expenditures) on the growth of micro firms (businesses with fewer than 20 employees) in the U.S. between the years 1988-2012. The study classified micro firms into three categories (a) firms with employment between 0 and 4 employees, (b) firms with employment between 5 and 9 employees, and (c) firms with employment between 10 and 19 employees. In aggregation, the firms are termed “very small enterprises” by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data for the period 1988-2012 was reviewed, analyzed, and subjected to statistical analysis. It was found that a strong positive correlation exists between each of the aggregate domestic forces and the number of micro-firms in each of the three categories of micro-firms as well as all micro-firms in aggregate. The OLS regression results show all macro variables significantly affecting the growth of micro firms in the size range 10-19 employees. The evidence is more mixed in the other two size categories. The stepwise regression results are more mixed.
Interviews of deshopping behaviour: an analysis of theory of planned behaviour

Research reveals alarming results on the prevalence of the dishonest consumer behaviour known as deshopping. Deshopping is the “deliberate return of goods for reasons other than actual faults in the product, in its pure form premeditated prior to and during the consumption experience”. In effect this means buying something with no intention of keeping it. The authors consider the implications of deshopping and retailers’ prevention of deshopping, exploring the research undertaken to date and the methodology for further research.
Infant perception of gestural contrasts: prerequisites for the acquisition of a visually specified language

ABSTRACT Research is reported which investigated the ability of 4-month-old hearing infants to discriminate between gestures, derived from American Sign Language (ASL), that differ solely in terms of contrasts along underlying movement dimensions. Using an habituation–dishabituation task, it is shown that young infants can make such discriminations for global movement contrasts as well as contrasts along a single movement dimension. Thus, at four months, infants possess certain prerequisite perceptual abilities for the analysis of the signs of a visually specified language. Partial failure to dishabituate to another movement contrast, however, suggests that readiness to utilize the information in gestural events may vary depending on the movement in question. Results are contrasted to infant speech perception findings and implications for further research in the development of sign perception are discussed.
Promoting cost efficiency and uniformity in parcel delivery centre locations and service areas: a GIS-based analysis

ABSTRACT This paper provides a systematic framework to determine local delivery centre (LDC) locations and service areas to reduce delivery costs and balance the allocation of parcel delivery loads to promote sustainable LDC development. Based on a case study of a parcel distribution company in Korea, this study proposes two strategies for LDC service area delineation within each terminal service boundary that either minimises the total delivery time or balances the allocation of delivery loads. This research contributes to improving cost efficiency and balancing delivery load allocations in planning LDC locations and service areas that can potentially promote the long-term mutual sustainable development of parcel distribution companies and their local delivery counterparts.
THE ETHICAL WORK THAT REGULATIONS WILL NOT DO

Ethical concerns in e-social science are often raised with respect to privacy, confidentiality, anonymity and the ethical and legal requirements that govern research. In this article, the authors focus on ethical aspects of e-research that are not directly related to ethical regulatory framework or requirements. These frameworks are often couched in terms of benefits or harms that can be incurred by participants in the research. The authors shift the focus to the sources of value in terms of which benefits or harms are understood in real social situations. A central claim of this paper is that the technologies that are used for research are not value neutral, but serve to reinforce some values at the expense of others. The authors discuss databases, modelling and simulation, network analysis as examples of technologies which affect the articulation of values. A view of e-social science as a techno-scientific constellation of researchers, technologies and society, in which values are always already embedded, is put forward as a basis for a view of ethics as reflexive and active engagement, conducted with awareness. Methodological pluralism and proactive openness are also proposed as responses to this view of the ethical dimensions of e-social science.
The utility of facial nerve amplitude and latency ratios in predicting postoperative facial nerve function after vestibular schwannoma surgery.

BACKGROUND Despite advances in vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery and intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring, immediate and delayed facial nerve outcomes are difficult to accurately predict consistently. OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of proximal to distal facial nerve amplitude and latency ratios in predicting the long-term postoperative facial nerve function in patients undergoing excision of VS. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred consecutive patients undergoing surgery for VS with intraoperative facial nerve monitoring were included. Clinical, radiological, electrophysiological, and postoperative outcome data were prospectively entered into a database. Other parameters such as brainstem distance, size of the porus acousticus, and facial nerve length were also analyzed. RESULTS Of the 100 patients, 53 were women. The mean age was 42.5 ± 14.1 years (range, 14-71 years) and the average tumor size was 4.1 ± 0.8 cm (range, 2.4-6.5 cm). Total excision was done in 89% of patients. Intraoperatively, the facial nerve was anatomically preserved in 86 patients, but electrophysiological responses were obtained from the root entry zone (REZ) in only 77 patients at the end of surgery, 75% of which had good facial function at long-term follow-up. In nine patients where no responses were obtained but the facial nerve was anatomically intact, 50% had good facial function at long-term follow-up. Proximal and distal amplitude and latency ratios, size or consistency of the tumor, brainstem distance, size of the porus acousticus, and length of the facial nerve were not useful in predicting long-term functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS While a positive response to facial nerve stimulation at the end of VS surgery is a good predictor of long-term postoperative function, the absence of responses in an anatomically intact nerve does not preclude good function in the long term. Proximal to-distal amplitude and latency ratios did not correlate with the final facial function.
The influence of ethnic attributes on ethnic consumer choice of service outlet

Purpose – Marketers are increasingly aware of ethnic subgroups as segments to target with customized offers. This paper aims to investigate the role of ethnic‐related outlet attributes in determining the attractiveness of mainstream and ethnic service outlets to ethnic consumers.Design/methodology/approach – Based on institutional theory and self‐congruity theory, the paper proposes that two sets of outlet attributes, ethnic‐related and performative attributes, influence the attractiveness of an outlet. These effects are mediated by a business's pragmatic legitimacy, its social legitimacy (in terms of perceived sensitivity to ethnic culture), and the congruity between the consumer's self‐image and the business. A model is proposed and hypotheses derived. They are tested on data from an online survey among 483 Chinese Australian consumers about their use of travel agents. The hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling.Findings – The study reveals that ethnic‐related attributes play a specifi.
Cytoplasmic axial filaments in Escherichia coli cells: possible function in the mechanism of chromosome segregation and cell division

Overproduction of CafA caused formation of chained cells and minicells. The cafA gene is located downstream from the mre region at 71 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome map and was previously called orfF. A long axial structure running through the chained cells, consisting of bundles of filaments assembled in a long hexagonal pillar several micrometers long and about 0.1 to 0.2 micron in diameter, was visible in both phase-contrast micrographs of the lysozyme-treated cells and electron micrographs of ultrathin sections. The CafA protein displays 34% amino acid similarity with the N terminus of the Ams protein of E. coli, which cross-reacts with antibody to a nonmuscle myosin heavy chain.
The Effect of Social Networks on Student’s Academic and Non-Cognitive Behavioral Outcomes: Evidence from Conditional Random Assignment of Friends in School ∗

In this paper, we estimate the influence of social networks on educational attainment and behavioral outcomes of students in school. More specifically, we investigate how separating from pre-existing social networks during the transition from elementary to middle school affect students' academic progress and school and social satisfaction. We use social networks identified by the students themselves in elementary school, as part of a unique aspect of the Tel Aviv school application process which allows sixth-grade students to designate their middle schools of choice and to list up to eight friends with whom they wish to attend that school. The lists create natural “friendship hierarchies” that we exploit in our analysis. We designate the three categories of social networks that stem from these lists as follows: (1) reciprocal friends (students who list one another); and for those whose friendship requests did not match: (2) followers (those who listed fellow students as friends but were not listed as friends by these same fellow students) and (3) non-reciprocal friends (parallel to followers). Our identification strategy is based on a conditional random assignment model: in Tel Aviv middle schools students’ are randomly assigned to classes within a given school. Therefore, conditional on the number of friends a student has at her school, the number of friends she attends class with should be random. Our results suggest that the presence of reciprocal friends and followers in class has a positive and significant effect on test scores in English, math, and Hebrew. However, the number of friends in the social network beyond the first circle of reciprocal friends has no effect at all on students. In addition, the presence of non-reciprocal friends in class has a negative effect on a student’s learning outcomes. We find that these effects have interesting patterns of heterogeneity by gender, ability and age of students. In addition, we find that these various types of social networks have positive effects on other measures of non-cognitive behavioral outcomes, including social and overall happiness in school and whether one exhibits violent behavior.
E-mail Marketing: Advantages, Disadvantages and Improving Techniques

E-Commerce changes the way organizations do business. Recognizing the significance of E-Commerce contributions to the nation's economic growth, the Iranian government introduced some solutions to increase the practice of E-Commerce. They effort to encourage public and private enterprises to adopt E-Commerce as a tool to be more competitive in global markets. One of tools regarding E-commerce is E-mail Marketing. E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fund-raising messages to an audience. In this paper, there is a systematic review on its advantages and disadvantages. In addition, there are some recommendations to Iranian Marketing Company regarding to improving E-mail Marketing. More results are subsequently explained in the paper.
Engaging the Inventor: Exploring Licensing Strategies for University Inventions and the Role of Latent Knowledge

A significant portion of knowledge generated by university inventors remains latent (uncodified but codifiable), even though this information is valuable to firms that have licensed their inventions and famously strong incentives exist to disseminate academic findings widely. However, the licensee may access and exploit this latent knowledge by engaging the inventor during the development phase. This paper examines the hypothesis that licensing strategies that directly engage the inventor increase the likelihood and degree of commercialization success. While this may seem somewhat apparent, firms in the sample under investigation vary substantially in the degree to which they engage the inventor: one third of the sample does not engage the inventor at all. On the other hand, the hypothesis might seem surprising given the norms of open science under which university labs are expected to operate. Regression analyses based on a unique dataset of 124 license agreements associated with inventions from MIT support the hypothesis and generate results that are robust to a variety of controls.
Complete mitochondrial genome of Saunders's gull Chroicocephalus saundersi (Charadriiformes, Laridae)

Saunders's gull Chroicocephalus saundersi (Aves, Charadriiformes, Laridae) is a small-sized gull having black-colored head. In this study, the entire mitochondrial genome of C. saundersi is sequenced, which is 16,725 bp in length. The detailed characteristics of the mitochondrial genome are described here.