Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Middle market companies: reaching stakeholders through strategic communication

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a description and overview of the middle market which, by sales volume, lies between the small business and large business sectors and also identifies the implications for corporate communication in that sector. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature in corporate communication and related business and management topics formed the basis of the paper. Findings – The middle market was found to be a collection of businesses vastly ranging in size and structure and spanning numerous industries. Regardless of size, firms need to behave as if they were large corporations and well-staffed organizations as they engage and manage stakeholders and implement corporate communication strategic plans. Research limitations/implications – The findings, which could form the basis for a more comprehensive study, were based solely on secondary sources. Practical implications – Suggestions for addressing unique corporate communication issues in the middle mar.
Price and non-price determinants of farm household demand for purchased inputs: evidence from Northern Ghana

The study examined the factors that influence the use of purchased inputs (fertilizer, hired labour, seed and ploughing services) by smallholders in Northern Ghana. The seemingly unrelated regression technique was used to estimate a system of cost share equations of the factor inputs. The elasticities of substitution and factor demand have been estimated. The estimated results suggested that higher amount of remittance received and the attainment of basic education significantly led to higher fertilizer expenditure, suggesting that credit and basic education programmes were important for increasing expenditure on production enhancing inputs like fertilizer. The own-price elasticities of demand for the inputs were significant and had the expected negative signs. The demand for seed and ploughing services were quite price inelastic, while the demand for fertilizer and hired labour were price elastic. The estimated own-price elasticities of demand for fertilizer and hired labour indicated substantial high degrees of price responsiveness of farmers for them. The estimated cross-price elasticities suggested that smallholders would substitute relatively more hired labour for fertilizer, if the relative price of fertilizer to hired labour is increased.
What role does cell membrane surface potential play in ion-plant interactions

Almost all cell membrane surfaces (CMS) are intrinsically negatively charged. These negative charges create a surface electrical potential (ψ0) which affects ion concentrations at the CMS and consequently affects the phytotoxicity of metallic cations and metalloid anions in different ways. The ψ0 is also controlled by the ionic composition of the bulk-phase medium (BM). Common cations, especially H+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, can reduce the negativity of ψ0 by ionic screening and binding. Treatments that reduce the negativity of ψ0 would reduce the surface activity of Cu2+ ({Cu2+}0) and increase the surface activity of arsenate ({As(V)}0) at the CMS, and consequently alleviation of Cu2+ toxicity but aggravation As toxicity would be expected. It is the ψ0, rather than site-specific competition, that plays the principal role in ionic interactions and biotic effects.
Black carbon aerosols over Manora Peak in the Indian Himalayan foothills: implications for climate forcing

This letter presents the contribution of black carbon (BC) to the total aerosol optical depth (AOD) and subsequently to the direct radiative forcing (DRF) at Manora Peak in the Indian Himalayan foothills. Measurements of the chemical composition of aerosols, carried out from July 2006 to May 2007, together with concurrently measured BC mass concentrations were used in an aerosol optical model to deduce the radiatively important aerosol optical parameters for composite aerosols. On the other hand, BC mass concentrations alone were used in the optical model to deduce the optical parameters solely for BC aerosols. The derived aerosol optical parameters were used independently in a radiative transfer model to estimate the DRF separately for composite and BC aerosols. The average BC mass concentration was found to be 0.98 (±0.68) μg m−3 during the entire observation period, which contributes <3% to the total aerosol mass and ∼17% to the total AOD at Manora Peak. The mean surface forcing was found to be − 14.0 (±9.7) and − 7.4 (±2.1) W m−2, respectively for composite and BC aerosols whereas mean atmospheric forcing was about +14 (±10) and +10 (±3) W m−2 for these aerosols. These results suggest that BC aerosols exert relatively large surface heating (∼45% higher) as compared to composite aerosols and contribute ∼70% to the total atmospheric forcing at Manora Peak. Such a large warming effect of BC may affect the strength of Himalayan glaciers, monsoon circulation and precipitation over the Indian region.
Modified SIFT for multi-modal remote sensing image registration

The scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) is a widely used method for image registration and object recognition. The SIFT method is well known for its ability to identify objects at varying scales and rotations among clutter and occlusion with very fast processing time. The application of SIFT on multi-modal remote sensing images for image registration purposes, however, often results in inaccurate and sometimes incorrect matching. Commonly a very large number of feature points are generated from a remote sensing image but a very small number of feature points are matched giving a high false alarm rate. This paper proposes a method containing several modifications to improve the feature matching performance of the SIFT algorithm by adapting it to suit the characteristics of remote sensing images. The proposed method leads to more matching points with a significantly higher rate of correct matches.
Effects of increased transportation costs on spatial price differences and optimum locations of cattle feeding and slaughter

A least-cost multiproduct transshipment model is developed to evaluate the impact of changes in interregional relationships in the cattle feeding|fed-beef economy as a result of increased transportation costs. Results indicate that Southern and Central Plains and Corn Belt cattle feeders would continue to account for nearly 85% of all cattle fed in the US in the short run. Slaughter generally was shown to remain production oriented as slaughter firms locate near concentrated sources of fed slaughter cattle. Results suggest that cattle feeders in the Southern and Central Plains may be faced with less favorable competitive positions when competing with western Corn Belt feedlots if transportation costs increase more than 50% relative to other input costs. Future increases in placements of feeder cattle would likely occur to a greater degree in the Corn Belt and to a lesser extent in the South.
Comparative Analysis of the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement and Its Flanking Regions

ABSTRACT The attaching-and-effacing (A/E) phenotype mediated by factors derived from the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is a hallmark of clinically important intestinal pathotypes of Escherichia coli, including enteropathogenic (EPEC), atypical EPEC (ATEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains. Epidemiological studies indicate that the frequency of diarrhea outbreaks caused by ATEC is increasing. Hence, it is of major importance to further characterize putative factors contributing to the pathogenicity of these strains and to gain additional insight into the plasticity and evolutionary aspects of this emerging pathotype. Here, we analyzed the two clinical ATEC isolates B6 (O26:K60) and 9812 (O128:H2) and compared the genetic organizations, flanking regions, and chromosomal insertion loci of their LEE with those of the LEE of other A/E pathogens. Our analysis shows that the core LEE is largely conserved—particularly among genes coding for the type 3 secretion system—whereas genes encoding effector proteins display a higher variability. Chromosomal insertion loci appear to be restricted to selC, pheU, and pheV. In contrast, striking differences were found between the 5′- and 3′-associated flanking regions reflecting the different histories of the various strains and also possibly indicating different lines in evolution.
Managing Relationship Marketing: A cross‐cultural perspective of a Chinese Market

This paper reports on research in China to investigate the exporting of industrial cranes and the building of long‐term relationships between foreign suppliers and their Chinese customers. The qualitative research findings showed the importance which the Chinese placed on the building of the customersupplier relationship in a competitive environment which is becoming increasingly fierce in certain segments. This is despite the fact that in broad terms, China is still very much an economy of planning and control where demand exceeds supply. However, at the sales management level, the nurturing of relationships with customers is as important as in the West.
Respiratory symptoms and nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux: a population-based study of young adults in three European countries.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To estimate the possible association between reported symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) after bedtime, sleep-disordered breathing, respiratory symptoms, and asthma. DESIGN Cross-sectional international population survey. PARTICIPANTS Participants consisted of 2,661 subjects (age range, 20 to 48 years) from three countries (Iceland, Belgium, and Sweden), of whom 2,202 were randomly selected from the general population and 459 were added because of reported asthma. MEASUREMENTS The investigation included a structured interview, spirometry, methacholine challenge, peak flow diary, skin-prick tests, and a questionnaire on sleep disturbances. RESULTS In the random population sample, 101 subjects (4.6%) reported GER, which was defined as the occurrence of heartburn or belching after going to bed at least once per week. Subjects with nocturnal GER more often were overweight and had symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing than participants not reporting GER. Participants with GER were more likely to report wheezing (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.5), breathlessness at rest (adjusted OR, 2.8), and nocturnal breathlessness (adjusted OR, 2.9), and they had increased peak flow variability compared to the subjects without GER. Physician-diagnosed current asthma was reported by 9% of subjects with GER compared to 4% of those not reporting GER (p < 0.05). Subjects with the combination of asthma and GER had a higher prevalence of nocturnal cough, morning phlegm, sleep-related symptoms, and higher peak flow variability than subjects with asthma alone. CONCLUSION The occurrence of GER after bedtime is strongly associated with both asthma and respiratory symptoms, as well as symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The partial narrowing or occlusion of the upper airway during sleep, followed by an increase in intrathoracic pressure, might predispose the patient to nocturnal GER and, consequently, to respiratory symptoms.
Labor-Productivity Changes in Regional Econometric +Input−Output Models

In 1988 Moghadam and Ballard first introduced the interindustry demand variable (IDV) as an innovative approach to integrate regional econometric and input—output models. Since then, several extensions of the IDV have been suggested in the literature, including adjustments for labor-productivity differentials across sectors to generate an interindustry employment demand variable (IEDV). In this paper we revisit the IEDV variable, and offer extensions that transform it from a static to a dynamic form. We implement the range of these specifications for the San Diego labor market, and evaluate their estimation properties and forecasting performance in the context of simulation and projection analyses. The results suggest that problems of multicollinearity plague the conventional specification, and have obscured the assessment of the value of adjustments for industry productivities and the nature of productivity specification. Based on an alternative specification, we find that dynamic labor-productivity adjustments lead to lower simulation errors. These adjustments also result in significantly lower impact multipliers relative to those from the IDV model.
Exploring the Links between Stakeholder Type, and Strategic Response to Stakeholder and Institutional Demands in the Public Sector Context

The management of increased numbers of stakeholder groups with increased and conflicting demands requiresrefined information on who and what really counts to management in terms of these demands from multiplestakeholders. These requirements challenge stakeholder and institutional theory to effectively support thedecision making practice. The purpose of this paper is to examine links between stakeholder theory andinstitutional theory in a way not previously seen in the literature and present new propositions as a potentialextension of these theories. The study makes use of the Mitchell et al. (1997) stakeholder typology model andcombines it with the Oliver (1991) model which offers a typology of strategic responses to institutionalpressures. This is a conceptual paper which employs a literature based analysis and from this generates six newpropositions. These propositions can be tested in future research. The main implication is that the paper has thepotential to assist managers in dealing with multiple stakeholders’ interests. Several insights are provided forfurther research and for improvement in current practice.
Branched fungal β‐glucan causes hyperinflammation and necrosis in phagocyte NADPH oxidase‐deficient mice

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a genetic disorder characterized by the absence of a functional phagocyte NADPH oxidase, is a severe immune deficiency. However, non‐infectious hyperinflammation is a second hallmark of the disease. In CGD mouse models, sterile hyperinflammation can be induced by A. fumigatus cell wall preparations. In this study, we used subcutaneous injection of microbial cell walls and cell wall components to identify causes of CGD hyperinflammation and to characterize its histological features. Sterile cell wall preparations from fungi (A. fumigatus, C. albicans, S. cerevisiae), but not from bacteria (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. coli), caused prolonged and severe skin inflammation in CGD mice. To identify fungal cell wall elements responsible for this process, we investigated microbial cell wall‐derived monosubstances. Injection of β(1–3)(1–6)‐glucan induced severe hyperinflammation in CGD mice, while other fungal cell components [mannan, (1–3) β‐glucan] or bacterial cell wall components (lipopolysaccharide, lipoteichoic acid) caused no or only moderate inflammation. β‐glucan‐induced hyperinflammation was predominantly due to a defect in termination of inflammation, as in the initial stage (2 days), the severity of inflammation and the extent of cell death were comparable in wild‐type and CGD mice. At later stages (7 days), β(1–3)(1–6)‐glucan‐induced inflammation had subsided in wild‐type mice. In contrast, CGD mice showed persistent severe inflammation with central necrosis, containing abundant apoptotic and necrotic cells. In summary, branched fungal β‐glucan induces a severe inflammatory reaction in the absence of phagocyte NADPH oxidase. As opposed to the commonly perceived notion that reactive oxygen species are the cause of cell death, our results demonstrate that tissue necrosis can be caused by the absence of a superoxide‐producing enzyme. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical Studies of Sea Surface Scattering With the GMRES-RP Method

In this paper, we apply the right preconditioned generalized minimal residue (GMRES-RP) method for the analysis of electromagnetic scattering from 1-D ocean surfaces. We first verify that the GMRES-RP method has the desirable features of high accuracy, robustness, and efficiency, and, hence, is well suited to such analysis. We then carry out this analysis systematically by examining the effects of wind speed, incidence angle, ocean spectrum, and the degree of inclusion of the gravity and intermediate waves. With a large surface length of 16384 λ and a noise floor pushed down below -70 dB, we have found more refined structures than suggested in the literature: At near-normal incidence angle (θi=20°), both VV and HH results remain sensitive to wind speed. Across the incidence angle range, the sensitivity is higher at small wind speed than at medium to high wind speed. Plant argued that the contribution from intermediate waves separately, not as a part of the large wave spectrum, becomes increasingly important with increasing wind speed and, accordingly, a multiscale model is desired. Our numerical analysis validates this viewpoint by showing that a normalized bistatic scattering coefficient value as large as 4 dB at certain angles for H-pol at L band can be attributed to the intermediate wave and the tilt modulation provided by large waves. The viewpoint is further validated by a comparison of the two-scale model and three-scale model against numerical results where the two-scale model shows appreciable discrepancy in the forward scattering angles whereas the three scale model shows very good agreement with MoM, hence manifesting the necessity of advancing multiscale models beyond the conventional two-scale model. This finding also implies the need for numerical studies to use adequately large surface length, at least to cover the intermediate waves, even for below intermediate incidence cases.
Predictors of homelessness among families in New York City: from shelter request to housing stability.

OBJECTIVES This study examined predictors of entry into shelter and subsequent housing stability for a cohort of families receiving public assistance in New York City. METHODS Interviews were conducted with 266 families as they requested shelter and with a comparison sample of 298 families selected at random from the welfare caseload. Respondents were reinterviewed 5 years later. Families with prior history of shelter use were excluded from the follow-up study. RESULTS Demographic characteristics and housing conditions were the most important risk factors for shelter entry; enduring poverty and disruptive social experiences also contributed. Five years later, four fifths of sheltered families had their own apartment. Receipt of subsidized housing was the primary predictor of housing stability among formerly homeless families (odds ratio [OR] = 20.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.9, 42.9). CONCLUSIONS Housing subsidies are critical to ending homelessness among families.
The HIV-1 matrix domain of Gag is required for Vpu responsiveness during particle release.

HIV-1 viral protein U (Vpu) facilitates virus particle release. To determine whether Gag is sufficient for generation of a target for Vpu-mediated particle release, we expressed HIV-1 Gag protein in the absence of the other viral genes. The resulting particles were still Vpu responsive. Mutational analysis of Gag indicated that the matrix domain (MA) is required for Vpu responsiveness. However, additional mutations in other domains of Gag, which affect the formation of stable virus particles, also abrogate Vpu responsiveness on total Gag release. Coexpression of the wild-type gag gene and a gag mutant lacking the MA domain renders the MA- mutant Vpu responsive. This indicates that Gag molecules lacking MA are still incorporated into particles through association with wild-type Gag molecules and that the resulting composite particles are sufficient for Vpu-mediated exit.
Marketplaces and Matching

This paper models equilibrium trading patterns when marketplaces exist and goods are differentiated. When first visiting the market, a buyer samples a stock of goods. If fortunate, the buyer matches with and purchases one of these goods and then exits the market. If an initial match does not exist, the buyer can now only match with the flow of new goods for sale. The previous stock has been sampled and rejected. In a steady state, the current stock of unmatched traders on one side of the market is trying to match with the flow of new traders on the other side. It is shown that this market behaviour describes matching patterns between unemployed job seekers and vacancies in UK Job Centres.
THE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF MULTIPLE MISSIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Community colleges are complex institutions serving a multitude of constituencies with dozens of programs and activities. Comprehensiveness has flourished since the 1970s, as the colleges steadily adopted more missions, and many community college advocates argue that the constant expansion of activities is a natural outcome of the community-based function of the colleges. But during the past two decades, academics and researchers have almost universally condemned the comprehensive model. Even some community college insiders have suggested that these institutions cannot accomplish their goals by trying to be all things to all people. Despite this backdrop of criticism, the accretion of activities continues unabated. The list of community college missions now goes well beyond the core degree-granting programs. Activities now include developmental education, adult basic education, English as a second language, education and training for welfare recipients and others facing barriers to employment, customized training for specific companies, preparation of students for industry certification exams, noncredit instruction in a bewildering plethora of areas (including purely avocational interests), small business development, and even economic forecasting. This Brief is based on case studies conducted by researchers at the Community College Research Center (CCRC) between August 1998 and November 1999, at eight community colleges in five states: two colleges in each, California, Texas, and Florida, one in Massachusetts, and one in New York. We intentionally sought more than one community college in Florida, Texas, and California because these states alone enroll over one-third of all community college students in the country. We used the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and college catalogues to find community colleges that were comprehensive. The primary source of data for this study was interviews with administrators, faculty, and some students at each institution. In total, 271 individuals participated in the study, including 162 administrators (60%), 85 faculty (31%), and 24 students (9%). Criticisms of the Multiple Missions Strategy