Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Boards, Insider Ownership and Firm-Related Characteristics: A Study of Indian Listed Firms

The basic purpose of this article is to ferret out whether there exists any association amongst board characteristics, insider ownership and firm-specific characteristics (firm size and age) in relation to Indian corporates listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). A total of 15 measures including several proxies and modulations has been contrived, which reflect the composition, independence, diligence as well as functioning period of corporate boards. Empirical investigation has been performed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Welch ANOVA under Robust Tests of Equality of Means (including post-hoc tests) on the sample of top Indian firms ranked on the basis of market capitalisation. The present research findings involve the use of several modulations and formulations in the spectrum of board characteristics regarding the testing of board governance in India. Findings of the study have contributed to the extant corporate governance literature by deprehending significant relationships between board, insider ownership structures and firm-specific characteristics that would guide the policymakers to devise suitable policies for Indian corporate boards in future.
Price and Volatility Spillovers between Greater China and Japan and Us Markets

In this paper, we have examined stock market linkages between Greater China and the US and Japan in terms of volatility and price spillovers, yielding a few findings, with most of them either offering new evidence or challenging the results in the previous research, and the rest consolidating previous stylish conclusions. It has been established that volatility spillovers are stronger than price spillovers between the Greater China markets and the developed markets of the US and Japan. The conjecture that developed markets dominate emerging markets in stock market interactions is questioned - such asymmetric dominance of developed markets over developing markets does not show up in the present study where the developing market of China is of a comparable size in relation to the developed markets of Japan and the US. Moreover, the extent of influence by the developed market on the developing market is found to be associated with the degree of market openness of the developing economy.
Global internet use and access: cultural considerations

Purpose – This study seeks to investigate the role and effect of national culture on internet use and access across countries and whether this is moderated by socio‐economic factors, specifically levels of education.Design/methodology/approach – Hofstede's multidimensional framework serves as the conceptual basis for the study. Hierarchical multivariate regressions are conducted to test the hypothesized effects using a large‐scale secondary dataset representing socio‐economic structure and the penetration of the internet for 58 countries.Findings – The results provide supporting empirical evidence linking nearly all of Hofstede's cultural dimensions to nations’ internet penetration either as main effects or as interactions with countries’ educational levels.Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the use of secondary data for a limited number of countries. Only the adoption and usage of one technological innovation – the internet – was investigated and only one social‐economic variable was.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudoalteromonas sp. Strain ECSMB14103, Isolated from the East China Sea

ABSTRACT Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain ECSMB14103 was isolated from marine biofilms formed on the East China Sea. The draft genome sequence comprises 4.11 Mp with a G+C content of 39.7%. The information from the draft genome will contribute to an understanding of bacteria-animal interaction.
A demand‐based perspective on sustainable competitive advantage

We develop an approach to analyzing the sustainability of competitive advantage that emphasizes demand-side factors. We extend the added-value approach to business strategy by introducing an explicit treatment of how firms create value for consumers. This allows us to characterize how consumer heterogeneity and marginal utility from performance improvements on the demand side interact with resource heterogeneity and improving technologies on the supply side. Using this approach, we address a variety of questions including whether technology substitutions will be permanent or transitory; the sequence in which new technologies attack different market segments; how rents from different types of resources change over time; whether decreasing marginal utility and imitation give rise to similar rent profiles; the extent of synergies within a firm's resource portfolio; the emergence of new generic strategies; and the conditions that support strategic diversity in a market. Our focus on consumer utility and value creation complements the traditional focus in the strategy literature on competition and value capture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Providing Experiences for Student Nurses: Perspectives for Cooperating Hospitals

What are the pros and cons of your hospital cooperating with a school of nursing by providing clinical experiences for students? This article discusses the human and material resources that must be available to provide the student with the maximum benefit from the experience. In addition to certain costs inherent in providing this type of support, the authors explore the advantages of having students in terms of recruitment potential, continuing education of staff, and staff satisfaction. Guidelines presented here will help you make a decision about starting a student clinical experience or enhance your management of an existing clinical experience program.
Innovation in the biotechnology industry: The role of university-generated intellectual property rights, knowledge base investments and funding mechanisms

The purpose of this paper is to analyze determinants of innovation process effectiveness in the health care biotechnology industry. We use empirical data to highlight specific differences between Europe and USA. We build from a body of literature investigating the historical development of the industry, expansion of intellectual property rights to new entities and new scientific fields as well as the role of different sources of funding of biomedical commercialization process in the development of companies innovative capabilities and new value creation. The theory of innovative enterprise with its focus on strategic control, financial commitment, and organizational integration is compared with the maximizing shareholder value concept in assessing the determinants of biotechnology innovation effectiveness. Our findings point to the weaknesses of the highly monetized US business model given the tendencies of the European biotechnology industry to emulate this model. Based on our findings we propose recommendations that should facilitate
Anal endosonography in the evaluation of perianal sepsis and fistula in ano

Anal endosonography has been performed in 22 patients with fistula in ano and perianal sepsis and compared with the operative findings. Using a special hard cone attachment to a radial 7 MHz probe the examination was well tolerated, rapid and generally accurate, detecting two unsuspected foreign bodies and all seven complicated fistula in ano preoperatively.
Unraveling the Enigma of Internationalization: The Case of Thai Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises

Understanding the internationalization process of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is imperative for emerging economies to compete globally. Empirical findings of SMEs from emerging countries are still lacking. Thus, this study intends to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive model for the process of SMEs internationalization in Thailand. The pattern and dimension of internationalization, including pace, mode of foreign entry, market selection, and financing were investigated in this study as well as problems and challenges faced by SMEs and the factors influencing the internationalization process. An interpretative approach is adopted using case study method. Data from nine manufacturing firms were collected through in-depth interviews with SMEs owners and key executives. The findings indicate that traditional internationalization pattern is strongly evident in which the majority of SMEs was established on the basis of seizing domestic market opportunities before undertaking any international involvement, although some SMEs exhibited born-again global pattern as a result of occurrence of some critical events within the firm such as change of management and registration of a new company. Firms choose their main market without psychic distance reasoning. In other words, they do not choose geographically or culturally close countries as their main markets, but those with high demand and market potential. The findings showed that most of these companies opted for exporting as their preferred choice of foreign entry mode strategy as they were easier to establish, more flexible, required low resource commitments, and involved less risk. Sources of finance for international operations mainly centered on internally generated funds such as retained earnings and family contributions. The main drivers of internationalization centered on key personnel characteristics and firm competences. The finding clearly shows that while domestic and global forces motivate internationalization, aspects of government policy, political situation, and access to finance inhibit the process. A result of this study not only assist Thai government in making more informed decisions when designing their SME support programs, but also provide new knowledge and important insights to SMEs managers to improve their internationalization efforts.
Early postoperative growth hormone levels: high predictive value for long‐term outcome after surgery for acromegaly

Abstract. Valdemarsson S, Ljunggren S, Bramnert M, Norrhamn O, Nordström CH (Lund University Hospital, Lund, and Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden). Early postoperative growth hormone levels: high predictive value for long‐term outcome after surgery for acromegaly. J Intern Med 2000; 247: 640–650.
Isolated Soft Tissue Cleft Lip: The Influence on the Nasal Cavity and Supernumerary Laterals

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the vertical deviation of the nasal floor and to register dental disturbances (i.e., hypo- and hyperdontia) in patients with an isolated soft tissue cleft lip. Design: Thirty patients with isolated cleft lips were randomly selected from the files of the Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Jaw Orthopedics. As a matched control group, 30 patients were selected from the files of the Department of Orthodontics. Panoramic radiographs were analyzed and the lowest point of the floor of the left and right nasal cavity was measured to the nearest 0.5 mm. The presence of supernumerary (deciduous or permanent) or missing lateral incisors was recorded from the patient's journals. Results: The vertical position of the nasal floor differed significantly between the cleft and the noncleft side (p <0.001). Supernumerary, deciduous, and permanent laterals were recorded in 73% of the subjects in the cleft lip group (22 patients). In the control group, no differences were found between the position of the nasal floor on the left and right side and no supernumerary laterals were recorded. Missing laterals were not noted in any of the individuals investigated. Conclusions: Isolated cleft lips were in most cases associated with: (1) lowering of the nasal floor on the cleft side and (2) supernumerary primary or permanent lateral incisors on the cleft side. Panoramic radiographs can be used to detect differences in the vertical position of the floor of the nasal cavity in patients with isolated cleft lips and to diagnose supernumerary laterals.
Expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in murine small intestine during postnatal development

The important role played by the gut microbiota in host immunity is mediated, in part, through toll-like receptors (TLRs). We evaluated the postnatal changes in expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in the murine small intestine and assessed how expression is influenced by gut microbiota. The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in the murine small intestine was highly dynamic during development. The changes were especially profound during the suckling period, with the maximal mRNA levels detected in the mid-suckling period. Immunohistochemical and flow-cytometric analyses indicated that the changes in TLR2 and TLR4 expression involve primarily epithelial cells. The germ-free mice showed minor changes in TLR2/TLR4 mRNA and TLR2 protein during the suckling period. This study demonstrated that the postnatal expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in small intestinal epithelial cells is dynamic and depends on the presence of commensal intestinal microbiota. The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in the murine small intestine was dynamic during development, with the maximal expression levels detected in the mid-suckling period.
Human Papillomaviruses and Other Influences on Survival From Cervical Cancer in Panama

Objective: To determine the influence on survival from cervical cancer of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and other factors including age, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) antibody status, and number of pregnancies. Methods: We followed 196 women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in Panama for an average of 32 months. Clinical and risk-factor information was obtained from these women through an interview and review of medical records. We assessed HPV DNA status by testing tumor specimens using polymerase chain reaction. Southern blot, and slot blot techniques. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards model were used to assess the risk of mortality associated with selected variables. Results: Eighty-one percent (N=144) of the women tested for HPV were positive. Absence of HPV DNA was associated with a 1.9-fold excess risk of mortality (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.3) after controlling for age, clinical stage at diagnosis, number of pregnancies, and HSV-2 seropositivity. Women diagnosed with cervical cancer before the age of 30 had a ninefold excess risk of dying compared with those diagnosed at age 50 or older (relative risk [RR] 9.3, 95% CI 3.4-25.5). Parity was also an independent prognostic factor. Women with six or more pregnancies had a 2.5-fold excess risk of dying compared with women with three or fewer (95% CI 1.2-5.3). Years of education, presence of HSV-2 antibodies, age at first intercourse, number of sexual partners, oral contraceptive use, and cigarette smoking were not significantly associated with prognosis. Conclusion: These findings suggest that women negative for HPV DNA, those who are diagnosed at an early age, and those who have multiple pregnancies might have more aggressive tumors.
Measuring the quality of relationships in consumer services: an empirical study

Increasingly, firms are recognizing the value of establishing close relationships with their customers as a means of retaining existing customers. Also, firms are realizing that the intangible aspects of a relationship are not easily duplicated by competition, thus providing a sustainable competitive advantage to the firm. In this paper, we provide firms with a scale for measuring the quality of these intangible relationships between service firms and their customers. We then test this scale against the related, yet dissimilar scale for service quality to determine whether the relationship quality (RQ) scale adds any further explanation of behavioral intentions. Our results indicate that relationship quality is a distinct construct from service quality and that RQ is a better predictor of behavioral intentions than service quality.
Sport Therapy for Hypertension: Why, How, and How Much?

Exercise may prevent or reduce the effects of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, including arterial hypertension. Both acute and chronic exercise, alone or combined with lifestyle modifications, decrease blood pressure and avoid or reduce the need for pharmacologic therapy in patients with hypertension. The hypotensive effect of exercise is observed in a large percentage of subjects, with differences due to age, sex, race, health conditions, parental history, and genetic factors. Exercise regulates autonomic nervous system activity, increases shear stress, improves nitric oxide production in endothelial cells and its bioavailability for vascular smooth muscle, up-regulates antioxidant enzymes. Endurance training is primarily effective, and resistance training can be combined with it. Low-to-moderate intensity training in sedentary patients with hypertension is necessary, and tailored programs make exercise safe and effective also in special populations. Supervised or home-based exercise programs allow a nonpharmacological reduction of hypertension and reduce risk factors, with possible beneficial effects on cardiovascular morbidity.
Behavioural (non-chemical) addictions.

‘Addiction’ denotes repetitive routines that aim to obtain chemicals and, less often, routines without that aim. The latter are behavioural addictions. They include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), compulsive spending (including gambling), overeating (bulimia), hypersexuality (straight or deviant), and kleptomania. Common across dependence syndromes is: a repeated urge to engage in behaviour known to be counterproductive; mounting tension until it is completed; rapid temporary switching off of the tension by completing the behaviour; gradual return of the urge; syndrome-specific external and perhaps internal cues for the urge; secondary conditioning of the urge to external and internal cues; similar strategies for relapse prevention by cue exposure and stimulus control. The urge to complete a behaviour and discomfort if prevented from this resemble the craving and the withdrawal (WD) symptoms of substance abusers. Some WD symptoms are common to several addictive syndromes while others may be more specific. Addiction (pull) and compulsion (push) overlap and can occur sequentially or concurrently. Different addictions occur with varying amounts of pleasure at various stages. Prolonged exposure can enduringly reduce the urge and discomfort in OCD, and may help some other addictions. Conditioned cues are important and for lasting efficacy a therapist may need to know their details for each syndrome. There may be some similarities in the early management and prevention of relapse of behavioural and chemical addictions.
How to recruit and retain health workers in rural and remote areas in developing countries

Worldwide the geographical distribution of health workers is skewed towards urban and wealthier areas. This pattern is found in nearly every country in the world, regardless of the level of economic development and health system organization, but the problem is especially acute in developing countries. The geographical imbalances in the health workforce further exacerbate inequities in the health sector, as the services are not available where needs are higher and impact greater. A variety of interventions have been applied in different contexts and for different types of health workers to address this problem. There is an emerging consensus that policies for recruitment and retention in rural and remote areas need to address two critical issues: i) to be effective, interventions need to be implemented in bundles, combining different packages of interventions according to the variety of factors influencing the health worker's decision to work in rural or remote areas; and ii) to match the interventions with health worker's preferences and expectations, since the health worker's employment decisions are a function of these preferences. In order to respond to these requirements, this paper proposes the application of Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) to allow for measurement of health workers' preferences and quantitatively predicts the job uptake given a set of job characteristics. This paper has a two-fold objective: a) to give the reader an overview of the magnitude of unequal health workforce distribution in the developing countries, provide a summary of the evidence to date on the factors that contribute to these imbalances, and present a systematic set of policy interventions that are being implemented around the world to address the problem of recruitment and retention of health workers in rural and remote regions of the developing countries; and b) to introduce the reader to the potential application of the DCE to elicit health workers' preferences and determine the factors likely to increase their probability of taking up a rural or remote job.
Near- and far-fields: source characteristics and the conducting medium in neurophysiology.

It is possible to appreciate the production of far-field potentials by considering constant current dipolar source voltage distributions in bounded volumes, especially when they are stretched in one direction, e.g., a cylinder. An essentially nondeclining voltage is detected when the recording electrodes are on opposite sides of, and relatively far from, the dipolar source. This voltage maintains its (a) latency, (b) amplitude, (c) morphology, and (d) polarity even if recordings are performed a whole body length away. These four criteria define far-field potentials. A propagating action potential (AP) can be conceptualized as a linear quadrupole or the summation of two dipoles "back-to-back" (+ - - +). The far-field components of the summated dipoles cancel resulting in the anticipated triphasic waveform for APs with only near-field characteristics, not meeting the first three criteria above. Far-field potentials can be transiently generated when any propagating AP constitutes a net "real" or "virtual" dipolar source. "Real" dipolar sources can occur if an AP encounters the termination of excitable tissue, an alteration in conduction velocity, curvature in excitable tissue resulting in a change in propagation direction, or an abrupt change in resistance of the excitable tissue. Virtual dipolar sources may be produced if an AP encounters a change in the size or shape of the extracellular medium or a transition in extracellular conductivity.