Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling the impact of internal and external variables on consumer durables in a matured marketing environment

The paper attempts to build an empirically proven model of determinants that influence consumer buying behaviour and consumer switching behaviour towards consumer durable products for a matured marketing environment. The research identified that the entire marketing mix variables viz. product attributes, pricing, distribution and service, promotion, etc., and external variables such as country of origin, brand reputation, influence of peer groups and society have significant impact on consumer buying behaviour in a matured marketing environment, except the influence of opinion groups found no impact. Erosion in product attributes, pricing problems, dealer and service problems, eroding brand reputation, etc., have significant impact on consumer switching behaviour, whereas sales promotion, influence of peer and opinion groups found no influence.
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World

When change requires you to challenge people's familiar reality, it can be difficult, dangerous work. Whatever the context--whether in the private or the public sector--many will feel threatened as you push though major changes. But as a leader, you need to find a way to make it work. Ron Heifetz first defined this problem with his distinctive theory of adaptive leadership in Leadership Without Easy Answers. In a second book, Leadership on the Line, Heifetz and coauthor Marty Linsky highlighted the individual and organizational dangers of leading through deep change in business, politics, and community life. Now, Heifetz, Linsky, and coauthor Alexander Grashow are taking the next step: The Practice of Adaptive Leadership is a hands-on, practical guide containing stories, tools, diagrams, cases, and worksheets to help you develop your skills as an adaptive leader, able to take people outside their comfort zones and assess and address the toughest challenges. The authors have decades of experience helping people and organizations create cultures of adaptive leadership. In today's rapidly changing world, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership can be your handbook to meeting the demands of leadership in the midst of complexity.
Calmodulin/CaMKII inhibition improves intercellular communication and impulse propagation in the heart and is antiarrhythmic under conditions when fibrosis is absent.

AIM In healthy hearts, ventricular gap junctions are mainly composed by connexin43 (Cx43) and localize in the intercalated disc, enabling appropriate electrical coupling. In diseased hearts, Cx43 is heterogeneously down-regulated, whereas activity of calmodulin/calcium-calmodulin protein kinase II (CaM/CaMKII) signalling increases. It is unclear if CaM/CaMKII affects Cx43 expression/localization or impulse propagation. We analysed different models to assess this. METHODS AND RESULTS AC3-I mice with CaMKII genetically inhibited were subjected to pressure overload (16 weeks, TAC vs. sham). Optical and epicardial mapping was performed on Langendorff-perfused rabbit and AC3-I hearts, respectively. Cx43 subcellular distribution from rabbit/mouse ventricles was evaluated by immunoblot after Triton X-100-based fractionation. In mice with constitutively reduced CaMKII activity (AC3-I), conduction velocity (CV) was augmented (n = 11, P < 0.01 vs. WT); in AC3-I, CV was preserved after TAC, in contrast to a reduction seen in TAC-WT mice (-20%). Cx43 expression was preserved after TAC in AC3-I mice, though arrhythmias and fibrosis were still present. In rabbits, W7 (CaM inhibitor, 10 µM) increased CV (6-13%, n= 6, P< 0.05), while susceptibility to arrhythmias decreased. Immunoconfocal microscopy revealed enlarged Cx43 cluster sizes at intercalated discs of those hearts. Total Cx43 did not change by W7 (n= 4), whereas Triton X-100 insoluble Cx43 increased (+21%, n= 4, P< 0.01). Similar findings were obtained in AC3-I mouse hearts when compared with control, and in cultured dog cardiomyocytes. Functional implication was shown through increased intercellular coupling in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSION Both acute and chronic CaM/CaMKII inhibition improves conduction characteristics and enhances localization of Cx43 in the intercalated disc. In the absence of fibrosis, this reduced the susceptibility for arrhythmias.
A network perspective on managing stakeholders for sustainable urban tourism

Purpose – This study aims to examine the current network of inter‐relationships of stakeholders representing government, the community and the tourism and hospitality industry, and their perceptions of critical stakeholders in destination development.Design/methodology/approach – While the network analysis enabled examination of the interconnectedness of stakeholders, the stakeholder approach identified the critical stakeholders in destination development. These two approaches helped determine how the existing relationship structures of destination stakeholders might influence sustainable destination development.Findings – The destination marketing/management organizations (DMOs) and stakeholders with access to or possession of critical resources have the highest centrality in urban destinations. In all three clusters, local government and DMOs are perceived to hold the greatest legitimacy and power over others in destination development. It is also found that there is a lack of “bridges” between the thre.
Optimisation research of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in weathered drilling wastes from waste pits

The aim of this article is to discuss the problem of drilling waste remediation. Analyses and research showed that material stored in waste pits could be classified as soil with a high level of petroleum impurities (total petroleum hydrocarbons [TPH] = 102,417—132,472 mg kg—1 dry mass). While preparing the complex technology of soil decontamination (which included primary reclamation, basic bioremediation and inoculation with biopreparations based on indigenous bacteria and fungi), laboratory tests indicated the use of an ex-situ method was fundamental. Remediation was controlled with a chromatographic method of qualitative and quantitative determination of petroleum hydrocarbons. Based on analytical data, there was the possibility to determine the effectiveness of consecutive purifying phases. Laboratory tests, following 135 days of basic bioremediation stimulated by optimum conditions to activate the growth of indigenous micro-organisms, resulted in a decrease in the TPH content, which was in the range of 52.3—72.5%. The next phase of soil decontamination lasted 135 days and involved the use of inoculation with biopreparations based on indigenous micro-organisms and fungi. This process enabled a TPH decrease of 93.8— 94.3%. Laboratory biodegradation research was done with the use of the biomarker C30-17α(H)21β(H)-hopane to normalize analyte (TPH, Σn-C8—n-C22 and Σn-C23—n-C36) concentrations. The calculated first-order biodegradation constants enable estimation of the purification stage dynamics and the effectiveness of the applied biopreparations. Furthermore, they represent the biodegradation degree of individual n -alkanes in subsequent stages of the soil purification process.
Stimulation of T cells through the CD3/T-cell receptor complex: role of cytoplasmic calcium, protein kinase C translocation, and phosphorylation of pp60c-src in the activation pathway

Stimulation of T cells or the Jurkat T-cell line with soluble antibodies to the CD3/T-cell receptor complex causes mobilization of cytoplasmic Ca2+, which is blocked by pertussis toxin but not by ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, and translocation of protein kinase C activity from the cytoplasm to the membrane. Such stimulation also causes phosphorylation of pp60c-src at an amino-terminal serine residue. These activities are consistent with induction of phosphatidylinositol metabolism after antibody binding. Anti-CD3 stimulation with antibody in solution, however, does not cause Jurkat cells to release interleukin 2 and blocks rather than induces proliferation of T cells. Induction of interleukin 2 production by Jurkat cells and proliferation by normal T cells requires anti-CD3 stimulation with antibody on a solid support, such as Sepharose beads or a plastic dish. Thus, we examined phosphorylation of pp60c-src after stimulation of Jurkat cells with anti-CD3 in solution or on solid phase. Both of these caused serine phosphorylation of pp60c-src that was indistinguishable even after 4 h of stimulation. These results indicate that the mode of anti-CD3 stimulation (in solution or on solid phase) controls a cellular function that modifies the consequences of signal transduction through phosphatidylinositol turnover.
The Effects of a Disruption in CDSX Settlement on Activity in the LVTS: A Simulation Study

The Large Value Transfer System (LVTS) for settling large payments, and CDSX for settling debt and equity trades, are two of the main settlement systems in Canada. They are closely linked; for example, at the end of the day the final CDSX payment obligations must settle on the Bank of Canada's books, with payments made through the LVTS. CDSX settlement payments account for an important portion of LVTS activity. Therefore, any event that disrupts CDSX settlement may have systemic implications for the LVTS. Through simulation analysis, the authors quantitatively assess the potential impacts of a disruption to CDSX settlement on LVTS activity, and examine the mitigating actions implemented during such an event. Their results indicate that a disruptive event could lead to a considerable amount of rejected payments and payment delays. These findings highlight the importance of business continuity plans to prevent disruptions, contingency measures to ensure that delays are short, and mitigating actions that can be taken to reduce the impacts of a disruption when it does occur.
Human Age Estimation by using Facial Landmarks

Human age can be inferred by distinct patterns emerging from facial appearance. Usually people wear makeup aimed at making them look very much beautiful, handsome and younger than real appearance making hard to predict the age. The photo of a person with makeup and without makeup can lead us into different answers because makeup affects the looks of the person by covering dark and red spots, wrinkle, discoloration area, breakouts and other undesirable areas on the face. In this paper, high quality images with and without makeup are collected from internet ranging from 35 to 55 years in age. Selecting 20 most important facial feature points manually using statically developed Active Appearance face model. The input image is subjected to pre-processing to make it suitable for further image processing.1D-Gabor filter are used for feature extraction. We use Local Gabor XOR pattern (LGXP) operator to encode Gabor phase and efficient in extraction of texture from facial images. Feed forward neural network for age estimation.
Scratching the Knowledge Base Surface of Ministry of Education (MOE) English Teacher Supervisors in Iran

Based on the expert observation that the teacher “supervisor’s role is, in part, culturally defined” (Bailey, 2006, p.6), and the perceived gap that few supervisors receive formal training, in the current study, the researchers report on the views of Ministry of Education (MOE) teachers and supervisors in the Iranian context as to what constitutes the knowledge base of supervisors. Having conducted qualitative content analysis on the data gleaned from interviews with the teachers and supervisors and open-ended questionnaires, we came up with a framework of supervisory skill/knowledge domains – one encompassing public relations skills, subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and contextual sensitivity. The results show that teachers by and large, by voicing their discontent with current supervisory routines, opt for humanistic supervisory procedures. The study, hoping to be taken up with more supervisory knowledge base studies, ends with advice on building supervisory preparation courses into existing teacher development programs.
Corporate Accounting Disclosure in ASEAN

This article analyses corporate annual report disclosure practices in five ASEAN countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. The purpose is twofold. First, to ascertain the extent, pattern and nature of corporate disclosure in ASEAN. Second, to reveal whether existing disclosure requirements would be conducive to accounting harmonisation in the ASEAN region. Data sources are the annual reports of 145 public companies listed on ASEAN stock exchanges, and disclosure requirements in companies legislation and stock market regulations. A disclosure checklist and a model are used to analyse disclosure practices. The results reinforce and extend extant international studies of disclosure practices. They are thought likely to benefit those seeking to operate public companies in ASEAN and those contemplating accounting harmonisation in ASEAN.
Towards applied geographical economics: modelling relative wage rates, incomes and prices for the regions of Great Britain

One of the key issues surrounding geographical economics is whether the theory can be made operational, so that proper investigations can be made of the basic theoretical assumptions and practical use can be made of the model's predictions at a detailed spatial level. In this paper the model formalized by Fujita et al. (1999) is developed in the context of 36 regions of Great Britain, enabling direct comparisons with observed wage rate data that are used to calibrate the model. Iceberg transport costs are in the form of an exponential function and a power function. For the range of parameters considered, the power function gives a better fit between model and data, suggesting scale economies in transportation. The paper shows that, in spite of the assumptions that have to be made, quite realistic distributions of relative wages, income and prices are attainable. However, caution is required in the interpretation of these simulations, which in no way provide proof of New Economic Geography theory, which clearly has limitations. Nonetheless it is hoped that the work reported in this paper does help to advance the progress of geographical economics theory towards empirical verification.
Did Latin America learn to shield its poor from economic shocks

This brief included the following headings: how did the 2009 economic crisis affect poverty in Latin America? Why did poverty rise by less than predicted in 2009? Why did the links between poverty and growth fray during this crisis? Resilient markets buoyed labor incomes during the crisis and did not exacerbate inequalities; increased social spending and better safety nets likely cushioned the fall; what is the impact of the emerging recovery on poverty? Agenda ahead; statistical annex; and notes.
Muscle preservation using an implantable electrical system after nerve injury and repair

The value of continuous electrical stimulation of denervated muscles after nerve injury and repair has been clearly shown in a series of laboratory experiments in three animal models. This experimental background, which showed improved muscle preservation and better functional results, evolved into a clinical study that included 15 patients with peripheral nerve injuries in the upper extremities, 3 patients with brachial plexus injuries, and three patients with facial nerve paralysis. Improved functional results were obtained using this implantable system, which were similar to those achieved with the animal experiments. All patients had muscle stimulation for extended periods ranging from 127 to 346 days. Analysis of the results showed satisfactory nerve regeneration on clinical examination and with electromyographic studies. Functional muscle analysis varied somewhat from patient to patient, but every patient had a satisfactory to excellent recovery. The results from this study have clearly shown the benefits of continuous muscle stimulation using an implantable electrical system after nerve injury and repair expansion of the project to a larger patient cohort is indicated. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 21:241–247 2001
Metamodeling Driven IP Reuse for System-on-chip Integration and Microprocessor Design

Microcode Model Models in Functional Validation Environment Figure 1.3: Different Levels of Abstraction in a Microprocessor components which are composed with other components (as if plugging them onto virtual sockets), similar to how real hardware components are plugged into real sockets on a board. VSIA eases the integration work required to incorporate IP-cores into “Virtual Sockets” at both the functional level (e.g., interface protocols) and the physical level (e.g., clock, test, and power structures). This will allow IP providers to productize and maintain a uniform set of IP deliverables, rather than requiring them to support numerous sets of deliverables needed for the many unique customer design flows. The OCP International Partnership Association, Inc. (OCP-IP) [18] promotes and supports the open core protocol (OCP) as the complete socket standard that ensures rapid creation and integration of interoperable virtual components. OCP-IP offers a universal socket standard with communication socket for an IP to specify: data flow signaling, control signals and test signals. It shields IP designer from the knowledge of the interconnection system, and enables the same IP to be portable among different systems. An orthogonal approach to reusing IP-cores is through a design flow which utilizes metadata [19] exchanged in a design-language neutral format, as proposed in SPIRIT [20]. It proposes an IP reuse approach to enable IP configuration and integration by utilizing metadata exchanged in XML [21] format between tools and SoC design flows. SPIRIT provides the API standards that should be implemented to export the design and configure the actual IPs to create the executable. However, the designer is required to specify the IP-explicit meta-information, which is a time consuming task and affects the essential rapid DSE. Deepak A. Mathaikutty Chapter
Effects of stimulation and diphenylhydantoin on the intracellular sodium activity in Purkinje fibres of sheep heart.

The effects of stimulus frequency on the intracellular Na+ activity (aiNa) of Purkinje fibres from sheep hearts have been investigated using ion‐sensitive micro‐electrodes. aiNa increased by approximately 44% at 3 Hz and approximately 6.5% at 0.2 Hz. The size of the increase was very variable between preparations and did not appear to be related to the initial level of aiNa before stimulation. During stimulation, the rise of aiNa was exponential and gave a new steady‐state level within about 15 min. The time constant of this rise was independent of the frequency of stimulation. The recovery of aiNa following a period of stimulation also appeared to be exponential but the time constant was dependent upon the extent to which aiNa had been raised during stimulation, with shorter time constants following larger rises. The effects of stimulation on aiNa were compared to inhibition of the Na+‐K+ pump using high concentrations of cardioactive steroids. The influence of diphenylhydantoin (DPH) on the Na+ permeability of the cell membrane was assessed by measuring the rate of rise of aiNa following Na+‐K+‐pump inhibition. DPH decreased the rate of rise of aiNa by approximately 37% at concentration of 10(‐4) M. The decrease of Na+ permeability produced by DPH is probably responsible for the observed reduction of aiNa in quiescent preparations. DPH also produced substantial decreases of aiNa in stimulated preparations. These results are discussed in relation to its known anti‐arrhythmic effects.
Role of alpha-fetoprotein regulatory elements in transcriptional activation in transient heterokaryons

The requirements for activation of the mouse alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene in transient heterokaryons were investigated. For this purpose, the 7-kilobases of DNA flanking the 5' end of the AFP gene were linked to a mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I structural gene. The fusion gene was stably integrated at different sites into mouse L-cells, which do not transcribe the AFP gene. Transient heterokaryon fusions demonstrated that the silent AFP-MHC gene and the endogenous AFP gene were activated by factors present in HepG2 cells, a liver-derived cell line, but not by those in HeLa cells. Activation was detected at the protein level in single heterokaryons by using monoclonal antibodies against the cell surface protein and at the mRNA level in populations of cells. The AFP promoter alone was sufficient for activation could be used for DNA transfer strategies to identify genes which can activate AFP promoter elements in trans.
Regional Labour Market Matching Functions and Efficiency Analysis

Stochastic production frontiers are used for estimating regional matching functions where unemployment outflow is 'produced' by the unemployed and vacancies. The frontier is estimated using regional panel data from Finland from 1988 to 1997 and the Battese and Coelli frontier model, where the explanatory factors are included in the inefficiency term. The stochastic frontier matching function has constant returns, whereas in OLS estimation with fixed effects the returns are slightly increasing. Unemployment and vacancies in neighbouring regions have a spillover effect on efficiency. Excess job reallocation in a region deteriorates matching efficiency. The decomposition of total factor productivity change in matching to efficiency change and change in matching technology is also investigated by interpreting the matching frontier as a distance function and using Malmquist indexes. There is a downward trend in the technology, but short-term variations are dominated by cyclical changes in efficiency.
When does funding research by smaller firms bear fruit?: Evidence from the SBIR program*

This paper evaluates whether the relative concentration of funding for small, research-oriented firms in a small number of high-technology industries is related to differences across industries in the appropriability level facing small firms. We exploit a novel test based on the relationship between industry-level private venture financing and the performance of government-subsidized R&D projects. If industries differ in their appropriability level, then private funding and subsidized project performance should be positively correlated. Our principal finding is that subsidized project performance is higher in industrial segments with higher rates of private venture capital investment. Industrial sectors therefore seem to differ in the degree of appropriability and this variation helps explain why venture capital is concentrated. * The latest version of this paper is available at http://www.mbs. edu/home//jgans/research.htm
Methotrexate-gelonin conjugate – an inhibitor of MCF-7 cells expressing the dihydrofolate receptor

Abstract An immunotoxin composed of gelonin, a basic ribosome-inactivating protein, type I of 30 kDa, isolated from the seeds of the Indian plant Gelonium multiflorum and methotrexate (MTX) has been studied as a potential tool of gelonin delivery into the cytoplasm of MTX-responsive cells. On the average, about five molecules of methotrexate were chemically coupled to gelonin via an N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of the drug. The MTX-gelonin conjugate was able to reduce the viability of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner with ID50 of 10 nm, whereas gelonin or MTX alone showed none or very little effects. Besides its ribosome-inactivating activity, which is about ten-fold lower in an in vitro translation assay (IC50 of 50.5 ng/ml as compared to 4.6 ng/ml), the conjugate also significantly induced direct and oxidative DNA damage as shown by the alkaline comet assay. Hence, MTX-gelonin conjugates are promising candidates for the treatment of MTX-responsive cancers.