Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Board Information Processing Capacity and CEO Pay-for-Performance Sensitivity

We develop an agency/information processing theory of board effectiveness to examine board – CEO pay relations. We theorize that board-level information processing capacity affects CEO pay-for-performance sensitivity because boards with limited information processing capacity will prefer to use outcome-based control that links CEO pays more closely to firm performance. Using a longitudinal sample of Standard and Poor’s (S&P) large-, medium-, and small-cap manufacturing firms in the United States over the years 1998 to 2003, we find support for our theory. Smaller boards and those that meet less frequently tend to exhibit greater CEO pay-for-performance sensitivity and this tendency is even greater when boards are more independent. Our study suggests that the board effectiveness should be assessed from both independence and information processing perspectives.
Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux as a risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND The causes of adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia are poorly understood. We conducted an epidemiologic investigation of the possible association between gastroesophageal reflux and these tumors. METHODS We performed a nationwide, population-based, case-control study in Sweden. Case ascertainment was rapid, and all cases were classified uniformly. Information on the subjects' history of gastroesophageal reflux was collected in personal interviews. The odds ratios were calculated by logistic regression, with multivariate adjustment for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS Of the patients interviewed, the 189 with esophageal adenocarcinoma and the 262 with adenocarcinoma of the cardia constituted 85 percent of the 529 patients in Sweden who were eligible for the study during the period from 1995 through 1997. For comparison, we interviewed 820 control subjects from the general population and 167 patients with esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. Among persons with recurrent symptoms of reflux, as compared with persons without such symptoms, the odds ratios were 7.7 (95 percent confidence interval, 5.3 to 11.4) for esophageal adenocarcinoma and 2.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.9) for adenocarcinoma of the cardia. The more frequent, more severe, and longer-lasting the symptoms of reflux, the greater the risk. Among persons with long-standing and severe symptoms of reflux, the odds ratios were 43.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 18.3 to 103.5) for esophageal adenocarcinoma and 4.4 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.7 to 11.0) for adenocarcinoma of the cardia. The risk of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma was not associated with reflux (odds ratio, 1.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.7 to 1.9). CONCLUSIONS There is a strong and probably causal relation between gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal adenocarcinoma. The relation between reflux and adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia is relatively weak.
Efficient evaluation of probabilities of detection and the generalized Q-function (Corresp.)

A highly efficient method of evaluating probabilities of detection and the generalized \cal Q -function to within an absolute accuracy \epsilon is presented. Many unnecessary computations are avoided when it can be determined by Chernoff bounds that the desired function is within \epsilon of 0 or 1. When this is not the case, efficient algorithms for the necessary computations are also provided.
Telesto: Indexação de Séries Temporais por Meio de Árvores de Sufixo Generalizadas

A time series is a collection of measurements made sequentially over time. Time series appear in various application such as finance, marketing, agriculture, weather and industrial and scientific data gathering. Similarity searching over time series databases is an important tool to extract knowledge. In this paper, we propose Telesto, a novel indexing technique aimed at time series similarity search, which is based on discretized time series and generalized suffix trees. Telesto discretizes time series and represents them as strings, using as a basis the Symbolic Aggregate Approximation (SAX) technique. Thereafter, these strings are indexed using a generalized suffix tree. To provide a range query operation among discretized time series, Telesto extends the suffix-tree substring searching algorithm by calculating distances in the discretized time series space. Performance tests showed that Telesto is scalable regarding the database and query sizes, in addition to be very efficient in similarity queries over large real-world time series databases. Resumo. Uma série temporal é uma coleção de medidas feitas sequencialmente ao longo do tempo sobre uma mesma coleção de variáveis. Séries temporais são encontradas nas mais variadas áreas de aplicação, tais como finanças, marketing, agricultura, meteorologia e coleta de dados industriais e científicos. A consulta por similaridade é uma ferramenta importante para extrair conhecimento em bases de dados de séries temporais. Neste artigo é proposto o método Telesto, uma nova abordagem de indexação destinada a consultas por similaridade em séries temporais. O método é baseado na discretização de séries temporais indexadas em árvores de sufixo generalizadas. Nesse método, as séries temporais são discretizadas em cadeias de caracteres (strings) utilizando a técnica Symbolic Aggregate Approximation (SAX) e então indexadas por meio de uma árvore de sufixo generalizada. Para realizar consultas por abrangência sobre uma coleção de séries temporais discretizadas, Telesto estende o algoritmo de busca por substrings em árvores de sufixo para calcular a distância entre essas séries. Testes de desempenho mostraram que Telesto é escalável quanto ao aumento do tamanho da base e do tamanho da consulta, além de responder eficientemente a consultas por abrangência em grandes bases de dados reais de séries temporais.
Impact of smoking cessation advice on future smoking behavior, morbidity, and mortality: up to 40 years of follow-up of the first randomized controlled trial of a general population sample.

W hile there is evidence from cohort studies that people who stop smoking have a longer life expectancy relative to their nonabstaining counterparts, interpretation of these observational data is often complicated by confounding. That is, the characteristics of people who quit could be different in relevant, unmeasured ways from those who do not. Extended follow-up of participants in a randomized controlled trial, which should circumvent this problem, is scarce and limited to samples whose members already had a smokingrelated disease. Ten-year and 20-year follow-ups of study members in the Whitehall Smoking Cessation Study—to our knowledge, the only trial of an apparently healthy population with future mortality ascertainment—found little apparent benefit for life expectancy despite a reduction in cough, phlegm production, and rate of pulmonary decline at the 3-year follow-up. We present herein the results for smoking behavior after 3 decades of follow-up and mortality risk after 4 decades. With most of the trial participants now deceased, this provides an unusual opportunity to compare the gain in life years with what would be predicted from cohort studies.
Improving Efficiency of Association Rules by Means of Classification L

Data Mining is the computational process of discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and database systems. These patterns can then be seen as a kind of summary of the input data, and may be used in further analysis. Information mining in enterprise applications facing challenges due to the complex data distribution in large heterogeneous sources. In such scenario, a single approach or method for mining, limited the information needs and it also will be high processing and time consuming. It is necessary to develop an effective mining approach which can be useful for the real time business requirements and decision making tasks.
THE INDUSTRIAL DYNAMICS OF INTERNET SERVICES

This paper has two objectives. First, we seek to comprehend the overarching patterns of structural change underlying the hyper-dynamic processes shaping and reconfiguring the Internet services industry during both the Internet hype period in the late 1990s and the 'post-hype' period after the turn of the milennium. This is done through an empircal account of the evolution in commercial customers' Internet use, the corresponding development of new Internet services, and through an analysis of the evolving competitive and cooperative dynamics in the Internet services. This analysis ecompass an exposition of both the entry-based dynamics and the post-entry positioning dynamics of Internet services. Secondly we try to answer the questions, whether Internet services is rather to be considered a complex value system of interrelated services provided by different types of firms in different industries, than a unitary industry of competing firms.
A Test of the Law of Retail Gravitation

DEILLY was the first to propound a . l'. "Law of Retail Gravitation. " He was concerned with the volumes of trade going to each of two cities from within an intermediate town. ' By equating the two business volumes, Converse derived a formula to find the location of the "50-50 point," or boundary, between two trading areas," Both of these formulas may be derived from Newton's "Law of Universal Gravitation," where business volume is substituted for force and population for mass, distance remaining unchanged. Recently Day, after Davies, has shown that, assuming airline distances, trading area boundaries theoretically are arcs of circles and become straight lines (infinite circles) only in the case of equalsized cities. " It is our purpose here to test Converse's formula in order to determine for which commodities and services, if any, it holds in Iowa. In other words, can it safely be used to locate the "breaking point" between two trading areas?
Seasonal variation in the antifouling defence of the temperate brown alga Fucus vesiculosus

The important role of marine epibiotic biofilms in the interactions of the host with its environment has been acknowledged recently. Previous studies with the temperate brown macroalga Fucus vesiculosus have identified polar and non-polar compounds recovered from the algal surface that have the potential to control such biofilms. Furthermore, both the fouling pressure and the composition of the epibiotic bacterial communities on this macroalga varied seasonally. The extent to which this reflects a seasonal fluctuation of the fouling control mechanisms of the host is, however, unexplored in an ecological context. The present study investigated seasonal variation in the anti-settlement activity of surface extracts of F. vesiculosus against eight biofilm-forming bacteria isolated from rockweed-dominated habitats, including replication of two populations from two geographically distant sites. The anti-settlement activity at both sites was found to vary temporally, reaching a peak in summer/autumn. Anti-settlement activity also showed a consistent and strong difference between sites throughout the year. This study is the first to report temporal variation of antifouling defence originating from ecologically relevant surface-associated compounds.
Purchasing Satisfaction on Symbolic Items among International Tourist in Kuala Lumpur

The tourism industry will ensure tourists' splurge in the country they visited. Tourists purchase because of the desire for keepsake and tangible memories of their holiday experience including represent the destination and as evidence throughout their experiences. Marketing mix used by marketers to produce the response they want to achieve from the target market. This study attempted to identify how marketing mix can influence tourist purchasing decision on symbolic items and determine overall satisfaction. The objective of this study was to identify which symbolic items most purchased by tourists as well as to examine the relationship of the marketing mix and their purchase behavior. The results indicate the highest symbolic item purchased by the tourists was t-shirts. From the finding also, the researchers have found that there are relationship between marketing mix and purchasing behavior of symbolic items among international tourist. Therefore, the results can be practically applied by the industry practitioners. It provides additional insights into factors that influenced the tourists purchasing decision on symbolic items and overall satisfaction on products purchased.
Aid for trade and Global Value Chains

G value chains (GVCs) are not a new phenomenon, nor are donors’ interests in GVCs. Their interests in GVCs started in the late 1990s when researchers and policymakers were seeking to better understand the implications of the proliferation of GVCs for producers and labourers, predominantly in developing countries. The ramifications of the global financial crisis, the emergence of which has been linked to the proliferation of GVCs and ensuing developments in developed countries—notably the United States—have helped renew donors’ interests in GVCs in the context of global rebalancing in a post-crisis world.1 This policy brief discusses some of the motivations behind renewed interests in GVCs, and the opportunities that this may present for South Asian countries, as well as some of the expectations that should be managed. Issues for South Asia
MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN AND BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION REDUCTION

ABSTRACT The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is a complex system of physical and biological elements. Due to the actions of man, the Basin's ecosystem has changed significantly over the past half century. These changes have impaired water quality and habitats throughout the Pontchartrain Basin. Recreational activities including swimming have been banned in areas of the lake. This paper discusses sources of microbial contamination impacting designated use criteria and the need of disinfection for water quality enhancement. Quantification of microbial loadings and identification of organisms of particular concern are made. Alternative Best Management Practices (BMPs) are suggested with emphasis on disinfection and engineered microbial reduction technologies.
Identification of Lactobacillus reuteri Genes Specifically Induced in the Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract

ABSTRACT Lactobacilli are common inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals and have received considerable attention due to their putative health-promoting properties. Little is known about the traits that enhance the ability of these bacteria to inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. In this paper we describe the development and application of a strategy based on in vivo expression technology (IVET) that enables detection of Lactobacillus reuteri genes specifically induced in the murine gut. A plasmid-based system was constructed containing ′ermGT (which confers lincomycin resistance) as the primary reporter gene for selection of promoters active in the gastrointestinal tract of mice treated with lincomycin. A second reporter gene, ′bglM (β-glucanase), allowed differentiation between constitutive and in vivo inducible promoters. The system was successfully tested in vitro and in vivo by using a constitutive promoter. Application of the IVET system with chromosomal DNA of L. reuteri 100-23 and reconstituted lactobacillus-free mice revealed three genes induced specifically during colonization. Two of the sequences showed homology to genes encoding xylose isomerase (xylA) and peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase (msrB), which are involved in nutrient acquisition and stress responses, respectively. The third locus showed homology to the gene encoding a protein whose function is not known. Our IVET system has the potential to identify genes of lactobacilli that have not previously been functionally characterized but which may be essential for growth of these bacteria in the gastrointestinal ecosystem.
Knowledge management technologies and organizational business processes: integration for business delivery performance in Sub Saharan Africa

To remain competitive, organizations must efficiently and effectively create, locate, capture, and share their organization’s knowledge and expertise. This increasingly requires making the organization’s knowledge explicit and recording it for easier distribution and reuse. The paper is based mainly on theory, literature review and borrows some practical examples of knowledge management theories in trying to understand business performance. Knowledge management together with mindful application of the business technology can be of extreme importance for performance in organizations. Human capital with effective use of the available technologies could play a more important role in growth and performance of any organization. However, questions of what technology to use and the process of its use are paramount in understanding its application in businesses. Note should be taken that massive investment in sophisticated technology is not a prerequisite to organizational performance.
Familial amelia as reported by Michaud et al. (OMIM-601360): one more patient endorsing the phenotype.

Case summary The first pregnancy of first cousin Indian couple had ended in a male fetus with holoprosencephaly. The present pregnancy was naturally conceived. There was no history of prenatal exposure to tobacco, alcohol, medication nor radiation. Ultrasonography at 13 weeks revealed absence of upper limbs and short lower limbs. Nuchal translucency was 2.1 mm. Crown–rump length was 65mm (50th percentile). The pregnancy-associated plama protein-A level was 3747.39 ng/l (0.96MoM) and free βhuman chorionic gonadotropin level was 28.56mU/ml (0.77MoM). Parents were counselled regarding implications of these findings and opted for the termination of pregnancy at 15 weeks of gestation. Examination of the terminated fetus revealed head circumference of 9.7 cm (16th percentile). The fetus had a broad root to the nose, anteverted nares, broad philtrum, and retromicrognathia. Crease-like depression was present below the orbits. Upper limbs were absent. Small protuberances were present anterolaterally below the clavicles. The protuberance on the left was little larger than the one on the right side. The lower limbs were short and thin. Each lower limb was divided into two short segments representing thigh and calf. Both lower extremities ended in pointed structure with no differentiation into toes. The genitals had a male appearance. The back and spine showed no anomalies. Radiography showed a square-shaped skull. The clavicles, scapula, ribs, and spine had normal appearance. The pelvic bones were small. The femurs and tibiae were short bilaterally. Internal examination and histopathology of the abdominal and thoracic organs revealed no abnormality. The histopathology of the protuberances showed superficial skin and underlying muscle and connective tissue. G-banded karyotype revealed 46, XY pattern at 550 band stage. Parental G-banded karyotypes were normal. No investigations were carried out on the terminated fetus from the first pregnancy. The available ultrasonography reports revealed holoprosencephaly with normal upper and lower limb parameters in that pregnancy (Figs 1–4).
College Student Conceptions of Geological Time and the Disconnect Between Ordering and Scale

College student conceptions of the scale of geologic time and the relationships between time and geological or biological events were evaluated through interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and student generated timelines collected from four institutions. Our data indicate students hold a number of alternative conceptions about the Earth's formation and the appearance of life, and these ideas are remarkably consistent across institutions. Transferability of these findings was evaluated via comparison with Geoscience Concept Inventory questions related to geologic time collected from 43 institutions nationwide. Detailed evaluation of student timelines reveals a notable disconnect between the relative relationships between the age of the Earth, the time required for the origin of the first life forms (prokaryotes), and the evolution of dinosaurs and humans. Students generally placed these events in the correct relative order, but had a poor understanding of the scale of time between events. Intriguingly, timelines can be mapped onto ternary diagrams, and the relationship between ternary diagram zoning and specific ideas of geologic time is explored. We found that some students, for example those with a young Earth perspective, map onto specific conceptual zones on ternary diagrams.
Can Riboflavin Penetrate Stroma Without Disrupting Integrity of Corneal Epithelium in Rabbits? Iontophoresis and Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography With Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Purpose: To examine riboflavin concentrations in corneas and aqueous humor from rabbits with standard and transepithelial methods and iontophoresis without disrupting the integrity of the corneal epithelium before corneal collagen cross-linking. Methods: Twenty-four eyes of 12 adult New Zealand rabbits were used. They were assigned to 4 groups, each including 6 eyes. Group 1 was exposed to the standard method and given riboflavin 0.1% after epithelial debridement. Group 2 was exposed to the transepithelial method and given benzalkonium chloride (BAC), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), trometamol (TRIS), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), and riboflavin 0.2% 3 times at 1.5-minute intervals followed by riboflavin 0.2%. Group 3 was given riboflavin 0.1% by using 1-mA electric current for 10 minutes with the help of iontophoresis without using substances disrupting the integrity of the corneal epithelium. Group 4 received the same treatment as did group 3, except that it was given riboflavin 0.2%. Following these treatments, riboflavin concentrations in aqueous humor and corneas were measured with ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Results: Riboflavin concentrations in the cornea and aqueous humor were higher in group 1 (42.4 ± 5.4 &mgr;g/g) than in the other groups. They were significantly higher in group 4 (34.2 ± 6.6 &mgr;g/g) than in group 2 (24.4 ± 1.2 &mgr;g/g) (P = 0.009) and group 3 (23.6 ± 6.1 &mgr;g/g) (P = 0.026). There was not a significant difference in corneal riboflavin concentrations between group 2 and group 3 (P = 0.937). Conclusions: Intrastromal and aqueous riboflavin concentrations after administration of riboflavin 0.2% through iontophoresis without disrupting the integrity of the corneal epithelium were lower than those after the standard method, but higher than those after the transepithelial method. In this study, in which riboflavin concentrations were measured with a very sensitive method, iontophoresis was observed to increase the transmission of riboflavin molecules into the cornea without using substances disrupting epithelial integrity.