Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring structure-effectiveness relationships in nonprofit arts organizations

The authors examined nineteen nonprofit performing arts organizations, investigating the distribution of influence among organizational members, the grouping of volunteers and staff in organizational structures, and the effectiveness of the organizations. The organizations' effectiveness was assessed using multiple performance indicators. The analysis revealed five groupings or configurations of influence, which correlated to the organizations exhibiting the highest and lowest levels of organizational effectiveness. The authors conclude that a variety of structures are associated with good performance but structural dysfunctions are associated with organizational failure, and that members' commitment to an organization's structure is an important element of success.
A classification of export marketing problems of small and medium sized manufacturing firms in developing countries

Purpose – The objective of the study is to derive a classification of export problems of SMEs from developing countries on the basis of a comprehensive literature study.Design/methodology/approach – The study performed a comprehensive and systematic literature review of 40 articles published over a period of 25 years (1980‐2004). The export problems are classified into company barriers, product barriers, industry barriers, export market barriers and macro environment barriers.Findings – The study provides a modified qualitative model that can be used by future researchers to further their research endeavour in export problems of firms from developing countries. It also identifies the similarities and differences of export problems in developed and developing countries.Research limitations/implications – The lack of extensive research on export problems limited the number of articles reviewed in this study. Thus, the results of this paper should be considered as a stepping stone for future research.Practic.
Numerical observer evaluation of 3D statistical PET reconstruction method with system response modeling

Previously we have developed a 3D statistical method, which incorporates point spread function in the system matrix. Comparing to our standard 3D reconstruction algorithm with simple line integral model, this method resulted in improved resolution and noise behavior of phantom images. Reconstruction of clinical data is usually performed from rebinned projection data, resulting in downsampled patient image. Efficient algorithm implementation allows reconstruction of patient data from rebinned data in time close to clinically acceptable. Then numerical observer study to evaluate algorithms performance is feasible. We use channelized Hotelling observer to establish hot spot detectability in noisy images for each method. Patient-derived phantom was used in computer simulations when a few known location tumors of various size and contrasts were added to patient image. Number of iterations and postsmoothing amount, optimal for hot spot detectability, were also investigated.
Understanding Rising Income Inequality in Germany, 1999/2000–2005/2006

We examine the factors behind rising income inequality in Europe's most populous economy. From 1999/2000 to 2005/2006, Germany experienced an unprecedented rise in net equivalized income inequality and poverty. At the same time, unemployment rose to record levels, part‐time and marginal part‐time work grew, and there was evidence for a widening distribution of labor incomes. Other factors that possibly contributed to the rise in income inequality were changes in the tax and transfer system, changes in the household structure (in particular the rising share of single parent households), and changes in other socio‐economic characteristics (e.g., age or education). We address the question of which factors were the main drivers of the observed inequality increase. Our results suggest that the largest part of the increase was due to increasing inequality in labor incomes, but that changes in employment outcomes and changes in the tax system also contributed considerable shares. By contrast, changes in household structures and household characteristics, as well as changes in the transfer system only seem to have played a minor role.
Unraveling the complex genetics of familial combined hyperlipidemia

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) constitutes a substantial risk factor for atherosclerosis since it is observed in about 20% of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients under 60 years. FCHL, characterized by elevated levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TGs), or both, is also one of the most common familial hyperlipidemias with a prevalence of 1%–6% in Western populations. Numerous studies have been performed to identify genes contributing to FCHL. The recent linkage and association studies and their replications are beginning to elucidate the genetic variations underlying the susceptibility to FCHL. Three chromosomal regions on 1q21–23, 11p and 16q22–24.1 have been replicated in different study samples, offering targets for gene hunting. In addition, several candidate gene studies have replicated the influence of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene and apolipoprotein A1/C3/A4/A5 (APOA1/C3/A4/A5) gene cluster in FCHL. Recently, the linked region on chromosome 1q21 was successfully fine‐mapped and the upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) gene identified as the underlying gene for FCHL. This finding has now been replicated in independent FCHL samples. However, the total number of variants, the risk related to each variant and their relative contributions to the disease susceptibility are not known yet.
Testing Market Integration

A model of spatial price differentials for a tradable good is proposed which avoids the inferential dangers of received methods using static price correlations. The proposed method also extracts more information on the causes of price differentials from the same data. The method is illustrated using monthly rice price data for postindependence Bangladesh, including the very substantial regional price shocks during the 1974 famine. Impediments to market integration are indicated.
Oncology Nurses’ Narratives About Ethical Dilemmas and Prognosis-Related Communication in Advanced Cancer Patients

Background: Oncology nurses routinely encounter ethical dilemmas when caring for advanced cancer patients, particularly concerning prognosis-related communications. Nurses experience uncertainty and barriers to providing quality end-of-life care; thus, more information is needed about recognizing and managing these dilemmas and to clarify their role in these situations. Objective: The purposes of this study were to (1) describe the frequency and types of ethical dilemmas experienced by oncology nurses caring for advanced cancer patients and (2) to summarize their written comments about prognosis-related communications. Methods: This was a content analysis of narrative comments provided by 137 oncology nurses who completed a mailed national survey of members of the Oncology Nursing Society. Results: The most frequently reported ethical dilemmas encompassed uncertainties and barriers to truth telling, familial and cultural conflict, and futility. Physician-nurse teams were considered optimal for delivering prognosis-related information. Nurses offered strategies for facilitating these communications. They also expressed the need for more education about how to engage in prognosis-related discussions and for better methods for relaying this information among team members to avoid “working in the dark. ” Conclusions: Oncology nurses routinely experience ethical dilemmas, and there is a need for clarification of their role in these circumstances. Healthcare providers would benefit from interdisciplinary education about prognosis-related discussions. Attention to managing familial conflict and understanding cultural variations associated with illness, death, and dying is also needed. Implications for Practice: Findings reveal new information about ethical dilemmas encountered by nurses and strategies for improving end-of-life communications with advanced cancer patients.
The Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement (STAR)

Ankle joint arthritis is a condition that affects many people. Initial conservative treatment includes nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, soft bracing, and ankle foot orthosis. When conservative management fails, surgical intervention is often considered. Previously an ankle joint fusion has been considered the “gold standard” to treat disabling ankle joint arthritis because early total ankle joint replacements had unacceptably high complication rates. However, early and midterm data have demonstrated that the Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement (STAR) or Agility Total Ankle may be a reasonable alternative to an ankle joint fusion
Examining the Nature and Magnitude of Intradistrict Resource Disparities in Mid-Size School Districts

While a growing research base has examined resource disparities across schools within large school districts, the literature has largely overlooked resource allocation in the mid-size school districts that a large portion of the nation's children attend. In this paper, we measure disparities in teacher resources within four New York State districts and conclude that intradistrict equity is not just a big city problem. We also explore the budgeting processes and mechanisms leading to these disparities, including fund-based budgeting, grant-based allocation rules, class size formulae, and ad-hoc mechanisms. We conclude with policy implications and recommendations for improving intradistrict resource equity.
Scalar feeds for 8 wavelength diameter homogeneous lenses

Improving the connectedness of airliners in flight to allow the realisation of passengers' expectations for uninterrupted cell phone usage and internet access requires overcoming the bottleneck between the airliners' internal networks and the wider world in a cost effective manner while still providing sufficient bandwidth. The 43.5 – 47GHz band is attractive for airliner to ground links due to lack of utilisation and the small physical size of high gain antennas. Consequently, NICT plans to conduct a demonstration of such a system in late 2009.
Tyrosinase Biosensor Used for the Determination of Catechin Derivatives in Tea: Correlation with HPLC/DAD Method

Tea, one of the most popular consumed worldwide beverages, is known to be rich in polyphenols, more particularly in catechins. An amperometric biosensor based on tyrosinase was developed in order to monitor the phenolic content in black and green teas. The enzyme was immobilised by coreticulation with glutaraldehyde on carbon screen-printed electrodes (CSPE). Initially, the performances of the biosensor were evaluated referring to catechol as a model substrate. This analytical tool exhibits a high sensitivity (217 nA/μM), low limit of detection (LOD) = 0.03 μM, good intra-electrode and inter-electrode reproducibilities with RSD lower than 3% (n = 5 injections) and RSD = 8.14% (n = 12 sensors) respectively. The storage stability was also studied; the biosensor retained successively 85% and 70% of its initial response after 34 and 53 days. Subsequently, several catechin derivatives frequently found in teas were tested and classified relatively to their sensitivities. For tea samples, the results obtained with the biosensors were compared to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. A good correlation between the two methods was obtained. The calculated recovery was between 90% and 96%, proving that the proposed tyrosinase biosensor can be an alternative analytical tool for global determination of catechin derivatives in tea.
Graph modeling from relational databases

The importance of mapping data from the relational model to other models and technology have been widely discussed. Bring them to graph model is an example of that discussion. The graph model allows to analyze the topology such as social networks, link prediction and recommendation systems. There are initiatives to map a relational database to a graph representation. However, they are not concerned with the different ways to generate a graph, especially when the main objective is to perform topological analysis. This work proposes some heuristics aiming a mapping systematization from relational model data to graph representation. The main contribution is to provide support for an adequate choice of the graph model, according to the analysis to be performed. Experiments are presented and show interesting results including heuristics to support the user on the graph model choice.
Fast and economic integration of new classes on the fly in evolving fuzzy classifiers using class decomposition

In this paper, we propose a fast and economic strategy for the integration of new classes on the fly into evolving fuzzy classifiers (EFC) during data stream mining processes. Fastness addresses the assurance that a newly arising class in the stream can be integrated in a way such that the classifier is able to correctly return the new class after receiving only a few training samples of it. Economic means that the classifier update cycles are decreased to a minimum amount of time, as these require operator's feedback for obtaining the ground truth labels, which are usually costly to obtain. The former is achieved by a class-decomposition approach, which splits up multi-class classification problems into several less imbalanced and less complex binary sub-problems. The latter is achieved by a single-pass active learning selection scheme which selects the most informative samples based on sample-wise criteria. The approach is compared with conventional single model architecture for EFC (EFC-SM) based on two data streams from a real-world application in the field of surface inspection. The comparison shows that the class decomposition approach can significantly reduce the delay of class integration, and this with a lower # of samples used for model updates than EFC-SM.
A Study of Youth Volleyball Players Participation Motivation and Relate Elements

The present study examined the essential factors that truly motivated youth athletes participated in Volleyball practices and competitions using the Adapted Questionnaire of Volleyball Athletes Motivation-Chinese Version. Participants were 92 youth volleyball athletes (age 14-17) from 15 schools of Nanjing City, China. Data analysis was done by a 2 Gender (boy or girl) x 2 Education-levels (high-school or middle-school) x 2 School-types (sport-school or regular-school) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Findings included: the top five higher scores from the 19 RFs were: RF1 Technical-content and unique-value M ± SD = 4.30 ± . 83; RF17 For extraordinary-skills M ± SD = 4.24 ± 1.04; R3 For health M ± SD = 4.11 ± 1.02; RF12 Improve own-literacy M Â± SD = 4.00 ±1.26; RF9 become healthier M± SD = 3.58 ±1.13. These RFs possess significant higher impact on the participantsmotivations. The results of the MANOVA revealed that: two out of three independent variables reached meaningful significantly difference level (p < .00), wherein in Genderaspect, I› = . 37, F = 5.92 with boys athletes motivation score significantly higher (p < .00) than the girls athletes; (2) in School-types aspect, I› = . 24, F =11.17 with sport-school players motivation score significantly higher (p < .00) than the regular-school players.
British Managers' Attitudes and Behaviour in Industrial Relations: A Twenty-Year Study

A unique longitudinal study of Britain's managers conducted in 1980, 1990 and 2000 permits comparisons of managerial attitudes and behaviour in industrial relations over twenty years. We find clear evidence of the relationship between macro-level political and economic movements of the period from 1980 up until the late 1990s on managerial attitudes, the impact of changes in power relations and the 'lag effect' of institutions. The most unexpected findings are the modest rise of managerial unionism in the 1990s and the limited evidence of the replacement of collective bargaining by either individual or group involvement or by employee financial participation.
The Growth of Enterprise Zones: A Policy Transformation

The rapid growth of enterprise zones during the 1980s has occurred despite the lack of empirical support for its theory of using tax incentives to rebuild inner cities. This paper concludes, after reviewing the literature and assessments made by zone coordinators that enterprise zones, like Head start, have been transformed into a program through which both conservatives and liberals can justify spending on improved community social and infrastructure services.
Association of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Pathotypes with Infection and Diarrhea among Mexican Children and Association of Atypical Enteropathogenic E. coli with Acute Diarrhea

ABSTRACT Seventy-six children ≤2 years old were prospectively followed for 1 year in a peri-urban community of Mexico City to determine asymptomatic infection and acute diarrhea associated with diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes (DEPs). By use of a pathogen-specific multiplex PCR, DEPs were sought in 795 stool samples, of which 125 (16%) were positive for DEP; of these, 4 represented shedding episodes and 4 parasite coinfections. Most single-DEP infections (85/117) were asymptomatic (P < 0.001), and of the 32 DEP diarrhea episodes, 41% were associated with atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC), 37.5% with enterotoxigenic E. coli, 9% with typical EPEC, 9% with enteroinvasive E. coli, and 3% with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains. Among the 76 children, 54 had at least one stool positive for DEP, of which 23 experienced a DEP-associated diarrhea episode. In the last group of children, DEP infection was significantly associated with a diarrhea episode (relative risk [RR] = 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.79 to 3.57; P < 0.001), with ETEC (RR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.49 to 3.54; P = 0.003) and aEPEC (RR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.23 to 3.0; P = 0.019) being the pathotypes associated with diarrhea. aEPEC-associated diarrhea episodes were frequently in the <12-month age group (RR = 2.57; 95% CI, 1.05 to 6.27; P = 0.04). aEPEC infections were distributed all year round, but associated diarrheal episodes were identified from April to October, with a May-June peak (rainy season). Most ETEC infections and diarrhea episodes characteristically occurred during the summer (rainy season), with a diarrhea peak in August. Of all DEPs, only aEPEC was associated with acute diarrhea episodes lasting 7 to 12 days (P = 0.019). DEPs are important causes of community-acquired enteric infection and diarrhea in Mexican children.
Dynamic capabilities and trans-generational value creation in family firms: The role of organizational culture

While some research on entrepreneurship in family businesses has focused on transgenerational value creation, a gap exists in understanding how such value is generated across generations. The present research offers insights through the lens of dynamic capabilities, which are created by knowledge and in turn generate entrepreneurial performance and value creation. A model is built based on literature and case research. The crucial role of the organizational culture emerges through the empirical study. Family inertia is considered to be a factor preventing the creation of dynamic capabilities. We find that family inertia depends on characteristics of the family business culture, where paternalism and entrepreneurial orientation influence family inertia positively and negatively, respectively. Family firms from Switzerland and Italy active in the beverage industry represent the empirical context. Theoretical and practical implications are offered.
Effect of interfacial states on the technological variability of trigate MOSFETs

This work studies the influence of the interfacial states on the performance of Trigate MOSFETs and, specifically, on the Subthreshold Swing (SS) and threshold voltage (VT) variability. To do so, a solver for the 2D Schrödinger-Poisson coupled equation system has been developed, including the effects of interfacial states (Dit). Different Dit(E) profiles have been considered, analyzing their influence for several device geometries.
Optimal Smoothing of Shipments in Response to Orders

In the American economy practically no penalty for fluctuations in placing orders is incurred by the ordering company, even though such fluctuations are costly to manufacturers and to the economy as a whole. In particular, dynamic pricing by suppliers, which would communicate information on desirable and undesirable times for placing orders, is seldom used in practice. In this paper we extend the Holt, Modigliani, Muth and Simon (H.M.M.S.) aggregate production-work force scheduling model by not requiring the manufacturer to ship exactly what is ordered. Our model provides a means of balancing the costs and benefits (to the manufacturer) of smoothing shipments in response to orders and therefore could be used as an aid in establishing dynamic prices.
Determinants of Indonesian rural secondary school enrolment: gender, neighbourhood and school characteristics

In recent years the school enrolment rates of children aged 13–15 and 16–18 years have increased sharply in Indonesia, not only in urban but also in rural areas. Using various data sets spanning the years from 1993 to 2007, this paper investigates changes in factors associated with the enrolment of secondary school aged children in rural areas. It sheds light on the roles of gender and of neighbourhood and school characteristics, which have rarely been examined in the Indonesian context. The study finds that the disappearance of a gender gap in secondary enrolments between 1993 and 2007 contributed significantly to the rise in the overall enrolment rate. The findings also show that children living in wealthier communities and communities with a high proportion of enrolled children are more likely to attend school. Finally, various school characteristics are shown not to be strongly or consistently correlated with school enrolment.
Trade reform, macroeconomic performance and export growth in ten Latin American countries, 1979–95

The impact of trade reforms on economic performance in ten Latin American countries is examined using a panel data set of 17 annual observations. Each country is classified as 'reformed' or 'unreformed' in a given year, and the model tests whether reform improves performance across various dimensions. Both manufactured and total exports display greater real exchange rate and income elasticity after reform, but the effects have been offset by real exchange rate appreciation. Key 'real' variables such as GDP growth and investment ratios appear not to have improved.
MBNQA criteria used in the GCC countries

Purpose – Quality criteria of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) have been used as a standard for organisational self‐assessment and benchmarking. The threefold purpose of this paper is: to analyse the individual weights of the MBNQA criteria for organisations of the construction and the manufacturing industry within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries in order to create a basis for self‐assessment and benchmarking; to identify differences of criteria importance between the construction and the manufacturing industry (external alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on TQM when two organisations from the respective industries collaborate; and to compare the perspectives of project managers with those of quality management representatives (internal alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on an organisation's TQM caused by not aligned or contradicting perspectives.Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire based in‐depth interviews of GCC project managers and q.