Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the relationship between generic strategies and competitive advantage among organisations in the tourism industry in Kenya

Tough economic times, stiff competition, globalization, terrorism among other challenges have led several firms to adopt strategies that would enable them to remain competitive in whichever industry they are operating in. The commonly known competitive strategies are the Cost Leadership, Differentiation and Focus. Whatever the choice a company makes to position the firm in the competitive market is dictated by the industry structure (attractiveness) and the environmental forces which may emanate from the macro and micro levels. For a firm to win, it will depend on how it is able to apply or change the competitive rules to suit the unrevealing situation. The study focused on the relationship between the generic strategies and competitive advantage among the firms in the tourism industry in Kenya. A sample of 13 firms was selected from key tourism firms (hotels and tour operators within Nairobi), Kenya Wildlife Service and National Museums of Kenya. The choice of respondents was officials serving at managerial level in the following departments: Planning, Operations, Marketing and Finance in each firm selected. Data was collected from primary sources. Questionnaires were developed and distributed to the respondents by the Researcher. Descriptive statistics, (mean and standard Deviation) were used to analyze the data. Tables were used to present the data. Inferential statistics of correlation analysis was used to draw conclusion and recommendations were made based on the findings. This study finds that there is positive correlation between the three generic and Competitive Advantage. Specifically, it was found out that differentiation and cost leadership have positive correlation at less than significant level, (p<0.1) while focus had a significant positive correlation at 99% level of confidence, (p=0.01) level of significance. This proves that focus has direct and significant impact on the generation of superior profits. Thus, whether a firm chooses to pursue a cost leadership, differentiation strategy or focus, a careful study of the industry attractiveness, market forces and integration of the core competencies will ensure positive organizational performance in an intense competitive environment.
Usability of Passive Models for Energy Minimization of Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation - Possibilities and Shortcomings of Analytical Solutions of Passive Models and Possible Improvements

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation is a more and more used rehabilitation technique for patients suffering from spinal cord injury or stroke. The commonly used pulse shape is the biphasic rectangular pulse, which leads to the question whether another, more efficient pulse shape exists that consumes less energy. In this study a passive model for electrical stimulation was develepod and an analytical analysis was performed. The resulting energy optimal pulse shape was then compared to the results of an active model. To improve the accuracy of the passive model, a simple ionic current correction was introduced, which leads to comparable results of an active model. Concluding it can be said that passive models are a good approach to give notions of some effects, but have to be extended to fit reality.
Analyzing effects of pesticides on invertebrate communities in streams

The aim of this investigation was to find patterns in aquatic invertebrate community composition that are related to the effects of pesticides. Investigations were carried out in 20 central European streams. To reduce the site‐specific variation of community descriptors due to environmental factors other than pesticides, species were classified and grouped according to their vulnerability to pesticides. They were classified as species at risk (SPEAR) and species not at risk (SPEnotAR). Ecological traits used to define these groups were sensitivity to toxicants, generation time, migration ability, and presence of aquatic stages during time of maximum pesticide application. Results showed that measured pesticide concentrations of 1 : 10 of the acute 48‐h median lethal concentration (LC50) of Daphnia magna led to a short‐ and long‐term reduction of abundance and number of SPEAR and a corresponding increase in SPEnotAR. Concentrations of 1 : 100 of the acute 48‐h LC50 of D. magna correlated with a long‐term change of community composition. However, number and abundance of SPEAR in disturbed stream sections are increased greatly when undisturbed stream sections are present in upstream reaches. This positive influence compensated for the negative effect of high concentrations of pesticides through recolonization. The results emphasize the importance of considering ecological traits and recolonization processes on the landscape level for ecotoxicological risk assessment.
Arteriogenesis versus angiogenesis in peripheral artery disease

Different forms of vessel growth in the adult organism contribute to the compensation for an occluded artery. We here summarize the major differences between arteriogenesis and angiogenesis and provide evidence in favour of a therapeutic stimulation of collateral growth. In addition, we outline current knowledge about regulatory mechanisms transducing the initial physical stimulus into a cellular response. As an example, the role of nitric oxide during arteriogenesis is discussed, and finally, we propose a mechanism of how an efficient decision is made that makes the larger collaterals larger and the smaller ones smaller. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strong CD8 T-Cell Responses following Coimmunization with Plasmids Expressing the Dominant pp89 and Subdominant M84 Antigens of Murine Cytomegalovirus Correlate with Long-Term Protection against Subsequent Viral Challenge

ABSTRACT We previously showed that intradermal immunization with plasmids expressing the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) protein IE1-pp89 or M84 protects against viral challenge and that coimmunization has a synergistic protective effect (C. S. Morello, L. D. Cranmer, and D. H. Spector, J. Virol. 74:3696-3708, 2000). Using an intracellular gamma interferon cytokine staining assay, we have now characterized the CD8+ T-cell response after DNA immunization with pp89, M84, or pp89 plus M84. The pp89- and M84-specific CD8+ T-cell responses peaked rapidly after three immunizations. DNA immunization and MCMV infection generated similar levels of pp89-specific CD8+ T cells. In contrast, a significantly higher level of M84-specific CD8+ T cells was elicited by DNA immunization than by MCMV infection. Fusion of ubiquitin to pp89 enhanced the CD8+ T-cell response only under conditions where vaccination was suboptimal. Three immunizations with either pp89, M84, or pp89 plus M84 DNA also provided significant protection against MCMV infection for at least 6 months, with the best protection produced by coimmunization. A substantial percentage of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells remained detectable, and they responded rapidly to the MCMV challenge. These results underscore the importance of considering antigens that do not appear to be highly immunogenic during infection as DNA vaccine candidates.
Internet Tiered Services: Theory, Economics, and Quality of Service

This book provides a theoretical framework for reasoning about and pricing Internet tiered services, as well as a practical toolset for network providers to develop customized menus of service offerings. Internet service providers (ISPs) have introduced several forms of a tiered service, in which users may select from a small set of tiers that offer progressively higher levels of service with a corresponding increase in price. The material provides a comprehensive study of the design, sizing, pricing, and operation of Internet tiered services. It also addresses the following issues: optimization of service tier selection and sizing, economic models for optimal pricing of service tiers, models for optimizing bundles of services, and applications of tiered services in simplifying important QoS functions in the network, including fair packet scheduling.
Service delivery and accountability : the case of rural drinking water in Nepal

Successful delivery of public service depends on how the relationships are forged by the actors (organizations) involved in service provision in a given socioeconomic and political context. By applying Agency Theory to the accountability features of service transaction and Activity Theory as a tool to define relationships, I have demonstrated that the public sector (District Governments) exhibits a more liberal attitude towards relationships with community based organizations (Water Users' Committees) in the provision of rural drinking water, while being more formal in relationships with the technical service providers (NGOs). The resolution of the dilemma regarding whether to choose trust-based or more formal contractual relationships with community and service providers in service provision, depends on how effectively the public sector builds their capacity to monitor, supervise and enforce the terms of the service provision relationship. The study of the application of accountability features in the service delivery transaction helps us to understand how a government organization structures its relationships with community organizations and with others, by using either a social or a market approach. The research also reveals that it is difficult to assign accountability in the collaborative network type of service provision, particularly for the provision of public goods and services, which demands a greater level of formal accountability to legitimize the functioning of the government.
Company Size and the Adoption of Manufacturing Technology

Increasing competition from globalisation, rapid improvements in technology and environmental requirements have led many manufacturing firms to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies to remain competitive. Smaller enterprises can compete successfully with large companies through operations capabilities embedded in people and operating systems. They face various constraints including lack of resources and experience, but their small size can bestow advantages in implementing changes because they have fewer layers of bureaucracy and are more flexible. To explore how well SMEs are adopting manufacturing technologies, this paper compares the past use, payoffs and expected future use by large firms and SMEs of a range of advanced manufacturing technologies and improvement programs as reported by manufacturing managers in a global survey. The analysis of data from 632 firms from both OECD and nonOECD countries indicates that in general, SMEs have used advanced technologies less than larger firms in the past and received a lower payoff. They also expect to use such these technologies less in the future. ____________________
Iodine-131 Rituximab Radioimmunotherapy: Durable Control of Follicular

Aims: We evaluated the response and toxicity, after long-term follow up of Iodine-131 rituximab radioimmunotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma under the routine clinical care of a single hematologist over a period of 12 years. Materials and methods: Patients received 131 I-rituximab radioimmunotherapy according to a standard, personalized dosimetry protocol predicated upon a prescribed whole body radiation absorbed dose of 0.75Gy. Four doses of maintenance rituximab were subsequently administered over 12 months. Results: Response rate was 97% with 24(77%) patients experiencing a complete remission confirmed on 18 F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computerized tomography scan. The cohort of 3 patients with duodenal lymphoma all achieved complete remission lasting 4-5 years.
Tumour budding as prognostic factor in stage I/II colorectal carcinoma

Aims : The term tumour ‘budding’ has been coined for the detachment of tumour cells from the neoplastic glands of adenocarcinomas and is presumed to be an early step in the metastatic process. A limited number of studies have shown budding to be an adverse prognostic factor.
Emergency Preparedness in the School Setting for the Child Assisted by Medical Technology

Children with special health care needs are those who have a health condition that requires health or related health services over and above what is expected to be required for the majority of children who are typically developing. Children with special health care needs have a range of conditions that may require medical technology. For the purposes of this article, emergency preparedness for children with special health care needs who require oxygen, tracheostomy care, and ventilator care will be discussed.
Cassandra for Internet of Things: An Experimental Evaluation

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) increases the amount of data that is being produced. Therefore it is extremely important to find the best possible storage engine to process these huge amounts of data. With the intent of discovering which database engine better supports the characteristics of an IoT system it is essential to analyse the existing databases and test them in a practical context. With this objective we decided to use one of the most popular databases, Cassandra, to evaluate it on an IoT environment. We evaluate the querying processing time of Cassandra using queries of an IoT real time environment and comparing it with different types of data architectures. The main focus of this work is to investigate if Cassandra can provide good performance in an IoT system.
Role of amino acid position 70 in the binding affinity of p50.1 and p58.1 receptors for HLA‐Cw4 molecules

In an attempt to identify the amino acid position(s) of the HLA‐C‐specific p58.1/p50.1 natural killer cell receptors that determine the binding affinity for their ligand, we used soluble fusion proteins formed by the ectodomain of either receptor and the Fc portion of human IgG1. We show that the soluble p50.1 (activating) receptor binds weakly to 221‐Cw4 transfectants. In contrast, the soluble p58.1 (inhibitory) receptor binds with high affinity. A single amino acid mutation at position 70, obtained by site‐directed mutagenesis, was found to affect the binding affinity of both the p50.1 and the p58.1 receptors. Thus, sub‐stitution in p50.1 of lysine 70 by threonine (typical of the inhibitory p58.1 molecule) resulted in a dramatic increase in binding affinity, comparable to that of the p58.1 molecule. On the other hand, substitution of threonine 70 by lysine in p58.1 almost abolished binding to 221‐Cw4 cells. Our present data indicate that a single amino acid difference greatly influences the p58.1/p50.1 affinity for their HLA‐C ligand and suggests a possible role of position 70 as a contact site in the natural killer cell receptor/major histocompatibility complex class I interaction.
Preparing and Training Superintendents for the Mission of Executive Management.

Superintendent preparation and training has remained substantially unaltered for a half century. State certi cation requirements drive the content and activities for preparation programs housed in higher education institutions. State agencies never participated in superintendent preparation beyond awarding certi cation to post master's educators completing an approved course of study. However, high stakes testing and accountability pressures are now causing a few states to reconsider traditional paths to superintendent certi cation. Illinois and Washington have opened the superintendency to individuals without educational, managerial, executive, or higher education backgrounds. What the e ects of these attempts to provide local school districts with superintendent choice is unclear at this
Dopamine and the kidney: ten years on.

Ten years ago the Editorial Board of Clinical Science invited me to write an Editorial Review on dopamine and the kidney. The result was published in 1982 in Volume 62 [1]. It was my hope that it would serve to stimulate other investigators to take up this area of renal physiology and pharmacology and to help to solve some of the problems left unanswered at that time. Since 1982 much has happened: there have been major successes, such as the delineation of the renal and adrenal dopamine receptors, and some relative failures, such as the lack of development of clinically useful peripheral dopamine agonists for use in hypertension and congestive cardiac failure. Nevertheless, continuous progress has been made and it is my task in this Review to try to describe this general advance while not omitting remaining areas of uncertainty. The areas which I will undertake to describe are: 1.The renal receptors for dopamine. 2.The source of dopamine in the urine and its formation in the kidney. 3.The actions of dopamine upon the kidney. 4.The interaction of renal dopamine with other substances. 5.Dopamine formation in hypertensive and oedematous states. 6.The search for specific peripheral dopaminergic agonists of therapeutic utility. 7.Final conclusions and unanswered questions.
Continuing professional development for Physician Associates in primary care

Abstract The Physician Associate role is relatively new to the United Kingdom and is currently undergoing a period of significant expansion. This includes an aim of 1000 PAs working in primary care by 2020. The profession has specific continuing professional development requirements which need to be addressed. These requirements can be met through the deployment of some well established pedagogical strategies which are already in use for junior doctors and allied health professionals.
Electrical cues regulate the orientation and frequency of cell division and the rate of wound healing in vivo

Controlling cell division is fundamental. One environmental cue that exerts profound control over both the orientation and frequency of cell division in vivo is a naturally occurring, wound-induced electric field (EF). Wounds in rat corneas generate endogenous EFs in the plane of the epithelial sheet because the transcorneal potential difference (TCPD; +40 mV internally positive) collapses at the wound edge, but is maintained at normal levels at 0.5 mm back from the wound. We manipulated the endogenous EF this creates by using drugs with differing actions. The wound-induced EF controlled the orientation of cell division; most epithelial cells divided with a cleavage plane parallel to the wound edge and perpendicular to the EF vector. Increasing or decreasing the EF pharmacologically, respectively increased or decreased the extent of oriented cell division. In addition, cells closest to the wound edge, where the EF was highest, were oriented most strongly by the EF. Remarkably, an endogenous EF also enhanced the frequency of cell division. This also was regulated by enhancing or suppressing the EF pharmacologically. Because the endogenous EF also regulated the wound healing rate, it may act as one control of the interplay between cell migration and cell division during healing.
An Analysis of Patient Adherence to Treatment During a 1-Year, Open-label Study of OROS® Methylphenidate in Children With ADHD

Objective: Treatment adherence is an important aspect of ADHD symptom management, but there are many factors that may influence adherence. Method: This analysis assessed adherence to OROS methylphenidate during a 1-year, open-label study in children. Adherence was defined as the number of days medication was taken divided by the number of days in the study and determined to be high if ≥75%. Possible clinical and demographic factors associated with adherence, including use of planned medication breaks, were assessed. Results: Mean adherence was 86.4%. It was 91.6% for the subgroup of patients who reported not taking planned medication breaks (n = 252) and 77.7% for the subgroup taking planned medication breaks (n = 155). Overall, 75% of patients showed high adherence. Older age, low starting dose, minority ethnic status, and fewer ADHD symptoms were associated with low adherence. Conclusion: Various factors were found to be associated with low adherence, and the results of this analysis provide guidance to physicians seeking to identify those patients with ADHD most likely not be adherent to stimulant therapy (J. of Att. Dis. 2007; 11(2) 157-166)
Current epidemiological issues in human campylobacteriosis

Campylobacter has been the most commonly reported bacterial cause of human gastroenteric infection in England and Wales since 1981 and yet the epidemiology of this pathogen remains poorly understood. Indeed, the prevalence of Campylobacter infection is underestimated since the study of Infectious Intestinal Disease in England calculated that the true annual incidence was nearer 420 000 than the 55 000 reported in 1999. The epidemiology of Campylobacter infection is complex since the organism is widely distributed in the environment and throughout the food chain. Sources of human infection are likely to be contaminated with more than one strain of Campylobacter and cross contamination in domestic or commercial food preparation means that the source and vehicle of infection may not be the same food item. The vast majority of Campylobacter infections are reported as sporadic and the lack of outbreak data makes identification of sources and vehicles of infection difficult. Studies are further hampered by the lack of widely used, standard subtyping methods. A wide variety of phenotypic and genotypic typing methods have been applied to this organism although rarely on a sufficient scale to address the broader epidemiological issues. Furthermore the wide range of variation detected makes correlation of data from human infection with water and food sources difficult. The present paper describes a number of the more widely used typing methods together with examples of their impact on our understanding of the epidemiology of this important pathogen.
Armed intervention and civilian victimization in intrastate conflicts

Research has begun to examine the relationship between changes in the conflict environment and levels of civilian victimization. We extend this work by examining the effect of external armed intervention on the decisions of governments and insurgent organizations to victimize civilians during civil wars. We theorize that changes in the balance of power in an intrastate conflict influence combatant strategies of violence. As a conflict actor weakens relative to its adversary, it employs increasingly violent tactics toward the civilian population as a means of reshaping the strategic landscape to its benefit. The reason for this is twofold. First, declining capabilities increase resource needs at the moment that extractive capacity is in decline. Second, declining capabilities inhibit control and policing, making less violent means of defection deterrence more difficult. As both resource extraction difficulties and internal threats increase, actors’ incentives for violence against the population increase. To the extent that biased military interventions shift the balance of power between conflict actors, we argue that they alter actor incentives to victimize civilians. Specifically, intervention should reduce the level of violence employed by the supported faction and increase the level employed by the opposed faction. We test these arguments using data on civilian casualties and armed intervention in intrastate conflicts from 1989 to 2005. Our results support our expectations, suggesting that interventions shift the power balance and affect the levels of violence employed by combatants.