Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Possibilities for Differentiation in the Chinese Furniture Industry : Case Company: IKEA China

Author He Mengdi Title The Possibilities for Differentiation in the Chinese Furniture Industry Year 2012 Language English Pages 86 Name of Supervisor Satu Lautamäki At the moment, Chinese furniture industry is maintaining a steadily increasing momentum. However, tight competition began to occur when all furniture companies started to produce similar products. Therefore, differentiation can be adopted by companies as a way for them to be distinguished. This thesis examined the possibilities for differentiation in the Chinese furniture industry. A special focus was on the local customers’ perspectives on furniture industry. To support the aim of this study, a theoretical discussion was presented about what differentiation is as well as how and why it functions. Next an empirical analysis the perceptions of the local customers on IKEA’s differentiation in the Chinese furniture market was illustrated. By the end, some managerial implications for the case company and further research were given. In the theoretical study, the nine domains of differentiation were presented, namely product uniqueness, distribution, product marketing segmentation, customer service/after-sales service, width of offering, brand, size/market dominance, low price and behavior. Furthermore, in order to understand the link from the theory of differentiation to practice, IKEA China was examined as a case company with the previously described domains of differentiation used. In the empirical study, quantitative method was used. A structured questionnaire was organized and 155 responses were collected. Empirical findings show that the customers value five domains of differentiation of IKEA, namely product uniqueness, brand, width of offerings, low price and distribution of products. However, customers thought that customer service/after-sales services, behavior, product market segmentation and size/market dominance of IKEA negatively contributed to its differentiation.
Comparative In Vitro Activity of Azlocillin, Ampicillin, Mezlocillin, Piperacillin, and Ticarcillin, Alone and in Combination with an Aminoglycoside

The in vitro activities of the newer semisynthetic penicillins azlocillin, mezlocillin, and piperacillin were compared with those of ampicillin and ticarcillin by using 290 clinical laboratory isolates. Piperacillin and mezlocillin were the most active against Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella spp. , and Enterobacter spp. When Pseudomonas aeruginosa was tested, piperacillin and azlocillin were more active than either mezlocillin or ticarcillin. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae species were highly susceptible to all of the penicillins tested. Ticarcillin had relatively poor activity against enterococci. The rate of bacterial killing with multiples of the minimal inhibitory concentration of azlocillin, ampicillin, or ticarcillin was tested for E. coli, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa, and Klebsiella spp. Increasing concentrations increased the bactericidal effect. The effect of combining azlocillin, ampicillin, or ticarcillin with an aminoglycoside was studied by using both killing curves and checkerboards. The isobolograms constructed from the checkerboards showed a synergistic pattern for the organisms tested, which included E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp. , P. mirabilis, and enterococci. However, the rate of killing was increased by the combination only for P. aeruginosa and enterococci.
Extreme lateral interbody fusion - XLIF

Anterior and posterior approaches for lumbar interbody fusion can be associated with a number of serious complications. Interest in minimally invasive approaches for interbody fusion has increased in recent years, with the goal of decreasing complications and patient morbidity. The goal of minimally invasive spine surgery is to decrease operative time, decrease blood loss, improve cosmesis, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery time. Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) is a relatively new technique whereby access to the disc space is achieved through a minimally invasive lateral, retroperitoneal, trans-psoas approach. The nerves of the lumbar plexus reside within the psoas, and the technique is dependent upon real-time electromyographic monitoring. The purpose of this review is to present an overview of the XLIF technique, with particular attention paid to indications, advantages, biomechanics, and early clinical and radiographic results.
Advanced time shrinking using a drop classifier based on codec features

We present an integrated approach of full-band audio time scale modiﬁcation for Voice over IP communication. The concept is based on a low complexity adaptive playout method that uses frame dropping and audio concealment for time shrinking and stretching, respectively. The existing version of this method is improved using a classiﬁer that assists in choosing which audio frames can be dropped with the least subjective impact on audio quality. To maintain low complexity, we exclusively use audio signal features that are available in the audio codec. The classiﬁcation of audio frames improves audio quality of the existing method without classiﬁcation by 0 . 5 Mean Opinion Score points while requiring signiﬁcantly less computational complexity by a factor of ca 10 4 .
Evidence-Based Management and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed along a continuum of behavioural variants in social communication and repetitive behaviours (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Most individuals on the autism spectrum also experience differences in sensory perception. Some individuals on the spectrum are ‘high-functioning’ and able to cope in every day environments, while others are severely affected, non-verbal, and may have co-occurring diagnoses, such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, and/or obsessional, conduct, or mental health disorders. These individuals require substantial support, caring and careful manage‐ ment, and evidence-based, effective interventions.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and Firm Value: A Study of Large North-American and European Firms

There is strong public pressure globally to mitigate GHG emissions even though regulatory requirements for GHG mitigation vary greatly among countries. However, research on the influence of GHG emissions mitigation on firm value has been inconclusive. This paper contributes by examining the impact of GHG emissions on firm value for a sample of over 600 large firms from the US, Canada, and Europe. We find that GHG emissions have a negative influence on firm value. However, we cannot document that GHG emission mitigation actions add to firm value. The value maximizing nature of such actions seems to be moderated by the nature and quality of corporate governance in a firm perhaps especially as absent any industry-wide regulatory requirements there is no direct link between such GHG mitigating actions and shareholder wealth maximization.
Libby : Braunwald ' s Heart Disease : A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine

Coronary arteriography remains the standard for identifying the presence or absence of arterial narrowings related to atherosclerotic coronary sartery disease (CAD) and provides the most reliable anatomical information for determining the appropriateness of medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in patients with ischemic CAD. First performed by Sones in 1959, coronary arteriography has subsequently become one of the most widely used invasive procedures in cardiovascular medicine. It is performed by directly injecting radiopaque contrast material into the coronary arteries and recording radiographic images on 35-mm cinefilm or digital recordings. More than 2 million patients will undergo coronary arteriography in the United States this year alone, and coronary arteriography is now available in 25% of acute care hospitals in this country.
Frequency dependence of Q in Earth's upper mantle inferred from continuous spectra of body waves

The frequency dependence of Q in Earth's upper mantle is investigated using the continuous P wave spectra over 0.08 < f < 8.0 Hz. Regional waveform data from 23 events in the Pacific slab recorded on broadband stations in western Japan were used to create spectral ratio estimates of P waves which sample a subducting slab and mantle wedge. We assumed the power‐law model Q(f) = Q0(f/f0)α and applied a grid search to determine the best fit α and Q0. The inferred frequency dependence (0.2 < α < 0.4) in most regions is consistent with laboratory data on solid olivine but not on partially molten olivine‐rich rocks except those data for deep events. Close agreement between seismological and laboratory observations on frequency dependence of Q suggests that physical mechanisms of seismic wave attenuation are common and therefore laboratory data can be used to infer the physical state of Earth's upper mantle from seismic wave attenuation.
Identification and control of continuous-time nonlinear systems via dynamic neural networks

In this paper, we present an algorithm for the online identification and adaptive control of a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems via dynamic neural networks. The plant considered is an unknown multi-input/multi-output continuous-time higher order nonlinear system. The control scheme includes two parts: a dynamic neural network is employed to perform system identification and a controller based on the proposed dynamic neural network is developed to track a reference trajectory. Stability analysis for the identification and the tracking errors is performed by means of Lyapunov stability criterion. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of these methods by computer simulations of the Duffing chaotic system and one-link rigid robot manipulator. The simulation results demonstrate that the model-based dynamic neural network control scheme is appropriate for control of unknown continuous-time nonlinear systems with output disturbance noise.
Skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats.

Ad libitum access to a high-fat (HF) diet produces a wide range of weight gain in rats. Rats most susceptible to weight gain on such a diet (obesity prone; OP) are more insulin resistant after 4-5 wk of diet exposure than are those most resistant (obesity resistant; OR) to weight gain. To investigate whether skeletal muscle glucose metabolism contributes to insulin resistance in this model, insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism was assessed in the perfused hindquarter of rats exposed to either a low-fat (LF, n = 6) or HF diet for 5 wk. Delineation of OP (n = 6) and OR (n = 6) rats was based on body weight gain. OP rats gained 60% more body weight while eating only 10% more energy than OR rats. Single-pass perfusions were carried out for 2 h in the presence of glucose, insulin, and [U-14C]glucose. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was 14.2 +/- 0.9 in LF, 11.1 +/- 0.8 in OR, and 6.2 +/- 0.6 in OP. Glucose oxidation (mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was 1.7 +/- 0.3 and 1.2 +/- 0.3 in LF and OR, respectively, but was 0.2 +/- 0.1 in OP. Net glycogen synthesis was significantly reduced in OP compared with OR and LF despite similar glycogen synthase I activity. Muscle triglyceride concentration was not significantly different in OR and OP rats. These results demonstrate significant defects in skeletal muscle glucose uptake and disposal in rats most susceptible to HF diet-induced obesity. Clearly, the heterogeneous response to a HF diet involves not only body weight gain but also skeletal muscle fuel metabolism.
Phase I trial of sargramostim in pediatric Crohn's disease

Background: Improving granulocyte function may represent an effective therapy for Crohn's disease (CD). We performed a Phase I‐2 trial of sargramostim (SRG) in children with CD. Methods: This was multicenter, open‐label study in 6–16‐year‐old patients with moderate to severely active CD. Patients received either 4 or 6 &mgr;g/kg SRG subcutaneously daily for 8 weeks, with and without concomitant corticosteroids (CS). The primary endpoint was identification of a safe and tolerable dose in children. The secondary endpoint was establishment of the pharmacokinetics (PK). Efficacy, a tertiary endpoint, was measured by the Pediatric CD Activity Index (PCDAI). Response was defined as a decrease from baseline of ≥12.5 points and remission as absolute PCDAI of ≤10. Results: In all, 22 patients were enrolled: 12 and 10 received 4 and 6 mg/kg, respectively; 19 completed the course. Both doses were found to be safe and well tolerated. Mild injection‐site reactions occurred in 90% of patients. Three patients required dose reductions due to elevated absolute neutrophil counts. Following 4 &mgr;g/kg the mean area under the curve (AUC) was 2.64 and 2.80 ngh/mL for the 6–11‐ and 12–16‐year‐old groups, respectively. The mean half‐life (t1/2) was 1.22 and 1.59 hours, respectively. Following 6 &mgr;g/kg, the mean AUC was 5.01 ngh/mL for the 12–16‐year‐old group, a 1.8‐fold increase. A total of 16/18 patients (88%) achieved remission or response. Conclusions: Sargramostim at both 4 and 6 mg/kg was well tolerated. PK analysis suggested dose proportionality unaffected by CS exposure. Remission and response data are encouraging, but further trials are needed to assess efficacy. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010)
Hybrid Predictive Models for Optimizing Marketing Banner Ad Campaign in On-line Social Network

Promotional campaigns implemented in web-based social networks are growing in popularity due to an increasing number of users in virtual communities. A study concerning an advertising campaign in a popular social network is presented in this article. Identification of the profile of a group of people responding positively to a banner ad allows for an effective management of marketing communications. Unfortunately, a small number of users clicking on ads leads to a situation in which researchers have problems with heavily skewed datasets. This article attempts to build hybrid predictive models based on clustering algorithm and decision trees. The choice of these analytical tools was to ensure a clear interpretation of the model using a set of if-then rules instead of black boxes with a high
A Model of the Distributor's Perspective of Distributor-Manufacturer Working Relationships

Building upon work from social exchange theory and channels of distribution, a model of distributor-manufacturer working relationships from the distributor's perspective is presented. An initial empirical test, using a structural equation methodology, provided acceptable support of the model, given some measurement limitations. Further work on modeling both perspectives of the exchange relationship is discussed.
45nm/32nm CMOS ∼challenge and perspective∼

Product of 45 nm node technology will start by the end of this year. However, difficulty of new technology development is increasing and some company dropped off from the competition. The big challenge for 45 nm node is the usage of immersion lithography. Most of the other technologies used for 45 nm node are the extension of those used for 65 nm node. On the other hand, there will be a big jump for 32 nm node technology. The biggest item is metal gate and high-k gate insulator system. Self barrier layer formation for BEOL is also new item. To achieve the target performance, performance improvement for each component is required. Variability in not only SRAM but also in logic will increase. To overcome these difficulties, closer collaboration between device and circuit is important.
Long-term follow-up of 106 multiple sclerosis patients undergoing interferon-beta 1a or 1b therapy: predictive factors of thyroid disease development and duration.

BACKGROUND Conflicting data have been reported on the association between interferon (IFN)-beta therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and thyroid disease development. AIMS The goals of this study are as follows: to assess the actual occurrence of thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity during long-term IFN-beta therapy; to establish the possible presence of predictive factors for thyroid dysfunction development and duration; and to suggest an effective follow-up protocol for patients receiving long-term IFN-beta therapy. STUDY PROTOCOL A total of 106 MS patients (76 women) underwent IFN-beta 1a or 1b therapy for up to 84 months (median, 42 months). Thyroid function and autoimmunity were assessed at baseline and every 3-6 months throughout the treatment course. RESULTS Baseline thyroid autoimmunity was detected in 8.5% of patients and hypothyroidism in 2.8%. Thyroid dysfunction (80% hypothyroidism, 92% subclinical, 56% transient) developed in 24% (68% with autoimmunity) of patients and autoimmunity in 22.7% (45.5% with dysfunction), without significant differences between the two cytokines; 68% of dysfunctions occurred within the first year. Autoimmunity emerged as the only predictive factor for dysfunction development (relative risk, 8.9), whereas sustained disease was significantly associated with male gender (P < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Both incident thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction frequently occur in MS patients during IFN-beta therapy, particularly within the first year of treatment. Thyroid dysfunction is generally subclinical and transient in over than half of cases; preexisting or incident autoimmunity emerged as the only significant predictive factor for thyroid dysfunction development. Thyroid function and autoimmunity assessment is mandatory within the first year of IFN-beta therapy; thereafter, serum TSH measurement only in patients with thyroid disease could be sufficient.
International Conservation Policy Delivers Benefits for Birds in Europe

Conservation of the planet's biodiversity will depend on international policy intervention, yet evidence-based assessment of the success of such intervention is lacking. Poor understanding of the effectiveness of international policy instruments exposes them to criticism or abandonment and reduces opportunities to improve them. Comparative analyses of population trends provide strong evidence for a positive impact of one such instrument, the European Union's Birds Directive, and we identify positive associations between the rate of provision of certain conservation measures through the directive and the response of bird populations. The results suggest that supranational conservation policy can bring measurable conservation benefits, although future assessments will require the setting of quantitative objectives and an increase in the availability of data from monitoring schemes.
Crises, Liquidity Shocks, and Fire Sales at Financial Institutions

We investigate liquidity shocks and shocks to fundamentals during financial crises at commercial banks, investment banks, and hedge funds. Liquidity shock amplification models assume that widespread funding problems cause fire sales. We find that most banks do not experience funding declines during crises. Banks that do face debt shortages circumvent fire sales by shifting to deposits, issuing equity, and cherry picking. Similarly, we find that hedge funds facing large redemption requests often sell more stock than necessary and use excess proceeds to buy new stock. We conclude that shocks to fundamentals, not illiquidity-induced fire sales, are central to financial crises.
A discussion on indicators and criteria for sustainable urban infrastructure development

Infrastructure systems are at the core of urban sustainability issues. As population growth in urban centres continues to increase, infrastructure requires both development and rehabilitation. Unsurprisingly, this challenge is more evident in urban centres across the world and Portugal is not exception. To address this issue, the technical proposal of the Portuguese Program of the Policies for Land-Use Planning (PNPOT), and according to the Council of Ministers Resolution of April 27, 2006, considers that in order for Portugal to become an equitable territory in terms of development and well-being, the territorial model and corresponding policies-program should encompass strategic options that amongst other things, define the urban system as the guiding criterion for infrastructure network and public facilities design. The European Council released the Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) in June 2006, calling for sustainability research efforts that promote and are carried out via interand transdisciplinary approaches, with the purpose of bridging the gap between science, policy-making and implementation. As spatial distribution and structure of human activities change, so does the call for increased urbanization and associated negative environmental impacts. Therefore and predictably, a major challenge is the development of practical tools to measure and enhance urban sustainability, particularly those that concern design and management of sustainable infrastructure. Life-cycle and threshold analysis are potentially applicable tools. However, measuring the sustainable development level of a given region remains the result of a careful process of selecting and defining sustainability indicators/criteria. Though several have been proposed for a plethora of case studies, the fact remains that each case requires a specific set of indicators/criteria. Some of these indicators will be presented and explored in the paper presented herein for a case-study area of Portugal, the sub-region of Tras-Os-Montes, a mountainous, sparsely populated and deprived area.
The effect of price features on consumer's purchasing behaviors

Customer relationship management (CRM) has been identified to be one of the important tasks serving to promote customer satisfaction (CS). CS is the most distinctive target for measuring customer satisfaction in enterprise, product or service quality performance. Therefore, many enterprises have initiated investigations and surveys regarding what might constitute product satisfaction for their customers. From this, they have come to understand that the most critical factors affecting satisfaction as a whole are product and service performance. This has led to a change in the core of operations from a product oriented operation to customer oriented one. The manager’s values are also determined by the customer’s opinion of product quality. In other words, the customers are the key and are always right. Whatever the products are, they are deemed good for that enterprise as long as the customers identify with them. Hence, customer satisfaction has become one of the main targets of any operation. This study analyzes customer purchasing considerations by questionnaire. The results show that not only do customers care about quality and price, but also after-sales service, and enterprises should adopt the slight profit as marketing. Key words: Customer satisfaction, customer relationship management, product oriented, customer oriented.