Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Legal Process Outsourcing, In-house Counsels, Law Firms and Providers: Researching Effective Practices

Globalization and information technologies are the main enablers of Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO), the practice of procuring legal services from an external provider. Most legal firms and in-house counsels will have to consider the opportunities and risks afforded by LPO, a market estimated to be worth $2.4 billion globally and growing,. Because of this growth and the relative neglect of the LPO sector in academic research, the Outsourcing Unit at the London School of Economics undertook research into the provision of services and effective client practices in this. In this article, we present practices used by LPO clients and their providers to realize value from LPO services. The practices are based on data from 27 LPO providers, interviews with clients and providers from successful LPO relationships, and from lessons learned from prior Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) research. The practices address the transformation of legal work, LPO strategy, provider selection, contractual governance, stakeholder buy-in, transition and coordination of work, provider turnover, and relational governance.
Telling It Like It Is: The Use of Certainty in Public Business Discourse

How do large corporations use certainty in their public business communications? Do corporate profit status, industry type, or communication mode (oral versus written) affect their use of certainty? The "Management Discussion and Analysis" section of the 10-K reports of 72 Fortune 500 companies and corporate spokesper sons' recorded public oral business discourse were analyzed with a text-analysis software program (DICTION 4.0) to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that (a) corporate use of certainty in public business discourse is not affected by orga nizational profitability status or industry type; (b) a significant difference in the use of certainty exists between corporate oral and written communications; and (c) the use of certainty in corporate public business discourse does not differ signifi cantly from that in general discourse.
Radiology and the internet: a systematic review of patient information resources.

AIM To determine whether the internet is a useful resource for patients seeking information on radiological procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic search of the world wide web was performed by means of four general search engines (AltaVista, Yahoo! , Infoseek and Excite). Twenty-eight suitable patient-directed websites on arteriography were identified for analysis. The value of this material was measured by establishing inclusion or exclusion of a number of factors relating to the procedure. Readability of the materials was evaluated using the Flesch reading ease score. RESULTS Advice on preparation was included in 21 (75%) sites. Contraindications were found in 16 (57%) sites, risks in 6 (21%) and aftercare in 25 (89%). Result availability was discussed in 15 (54%) sites, with links to other radiology sites in 13 (46%). Visual aids were used in 6 (21%) sites and a contact address found in 27 (96%). Mean Flesch reading ease score was 57, with 46% of sites below the preferred minimum of 60. CONCLUSIONS Few sites provide the range of information a patient needs before arriving for a procedure. In addition, the readability of the material on these sites is frequently set at a level incomprehensible to patients with lower levels of literacy.
Consumer perceptions of monetary and non-monetary introductory promotions for new products

Abstract Little research has examined how consumers respond to sales promotions in new product categories. This article fills this gap by integrating research on reference prices with literature on sales promotions for new product categories. Existing research suggests that consumers respond more favourably to non-monetary promotions (e.g. extra free promotions) than monetary promotions (e.g. price discounts) because non-monetary promotions are framed as segregated gains rather than reduced losses. However, both kinds of promotions are widely used in practice, suggesting the importance of other contributory factors. With a consumer experiment on a national panel of consumers, this research demonstrates that extra free product promotions are most preferred for existing products, and introductory low-price promotions are preferred for innovative products. The moderating effect of a product's innovativeness is explained via a new relationship in the marketing literature, whereby perceived risk mediates the relationship between perceived innovativeness and a consumer's tendency to stockpile.
The role of posttraumatic stress and problem alcohol involvement in university academic performance.

OBJECTIVE The present study examines how Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during the first year of university affects academic performance and whether alcohol behavior mediates the relationship between PTSD and poor academic outcomes. METHOD University students (N = 1,002; 65% female; Mage = 18.11) completed a baseline web survey, and 5 subsequent surveys throughout freshman year assessing variables of interest. RESULTS Mediation analyses were not significant; however, students who developed PTSD had a lower grade point average and experienced more alcohol consequences by the end of freshman year. Unremitted PTSD and alcohol consequences were associated with leaving university by year's end. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that assessment of trauma-related symptoms and alcohol behavior might benefit interventions aimed at students with academic difficulties.
Design and Selection of Pharmaceutical Care Contract Based on the Effort Level

This paper utilizes the principal/agent models to study the design and selection of pharmaceutical care contracts based on the effort level of both parties. We design the corresponding optimal contract in three situations. The performance of pharmaceutical care is modeled with the principal's efforts and the agent's effort. Under this performance function, we obtain the expression of the total surplus under each contract. The conclusion is that the performance of pharmaceutical care projects is more sensitive to the agent's effort, so the fixed-fee contract with a payment contingent on performance is optimal.
Pericytes and vessel maturation during tumor angiogenesis and metastasis

Despite promising results in preclinical and clinical studies, the therapeutic efficacy of antiangiogenic therapies has been restricted by a narrow focus on inhibiting the growth of endothelial cells. Other cell types in the tumor stroma are also critical to the progression of cancer, including mural cells. Mural cells are vascular support cells that range in phenotype from pericytes to vascular smooth muscle cells. Although the role of pericytes and pericyte‐like cells in the pathophysiology of cancer is still unclear, evidence indicates that aberrations in pericyte–endothelial cell signaling networks could contribute to tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. The purpose of this review is to evaluate critically recent evidence on the role of pericytes in tumor biology and discuss potential therapeutic targets for anticancer intervention. Am. J. Hematol. 85:593–598, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The impact of the financial crisis on the financial constraints of portuguese small and medium enterprises

VII Resumo . IX List of Figures . XII List of Tables . XII A. Introduction and Motivations . 13 B. Literature Review . 18 B.1. Financial Constraints . 18 B.1. 1. Cash Holdings . 19 B.1. 2. Investment‐Cash Flow Sensitivity . 19 B.1. 3. Cash‐Cash Flow Sensitivity . 21 B.2. Sovereign Credit Rating . 22 C. Data Description . 25 D. Methodology . 27 E. Results . 31 E.1. Summary Statistics . 31 E.2. Analysis of the Results . 34 E.2. 1. Financial Crisis . 34 E.2. 2. Portuguese Sovereign Credit Rating . 41 F. Final Conclusions . 48 G. Bibliography . 51
MUC4 and ERBB2 expression in major and minor salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Peptide sequence homology between the gene product of human MUC4 and rat sialomucin complex (SMC) has recently been reported. Each contains a mucin subunit with antiadhesive activity linked to the plasma membrane by means of a transmembrane subunit with two epidermal growth factor (EGF)–like domains that act as ligand for ErbB2. This study investigates MUC4 and ErbB2 receptor expression in major and minor salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma and correlates patterns of expression with clinical outcomes.
Do the Italian Stars' Shine in a Hybrid Market?

The market microstructure literature focused particularly, in the last few years, on hybrid market structures, and actual markets offer some major examples of this kind like NYSE or the London Stock Exchange (the SET segment). This paper provides unique additional evidence represented by the Italian STAR market, a segment that in 2001 experienced the introduction of the specialist, transforming an order driven market in a hybrid one, and an increase in the transparency level.The empirical evidence shows that the STAR stocks experienced an improvement in liquidity (measured by trading volumes and spreads) and in the price discovery process, and to some extent it is possible to argue that these improvements are mainly due to the Specialist's activity.
Young people's access to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs

Young people's use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs causes concern. Early use of psychoactive substances can be harmful to health in the short term—for example, through injuries sustained or inflicted while intoxicated—and can lead to lasting patterns of consumption that increase the risk of many chronic diseases and social problems.1 2 Recent concern in the United Kingdom has focused on issues such as continued high levels of smoking by young women, binge drinking and associated antisocial behaviour by young people in general, and higher levels of cannabis use in adolescents than in most European countries.w1 One potential approach to reducing the use of psychoactive substances in young people is to control their availability, but public policy in this area has tended to tackle tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs in isolation and is not necessarily based on evidence about what works.3 We review the research evidence on availability and answer two key questions. Firstly, how easy is it for young people in the UK to obtain tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs? Secondly, do measures to control availability affect young people's patterns of use? We concentrate on measures affecting price, tax, importation, licensing, sales practices, illicit markets, and enforcement in all of these areas. We do not deal with production, prohibition, rationing, marketing, or controls on possession or use (see bmj.com for rationale). This article is based on evidence about availability synthesised from nine population surveys of people aged under 25 in various parts of the UK and on evidence synthesised from 30 reviews (including seven systematic reviews) of the effects of measures to control availability on patterns of use (specifically hazardous use by young people, where available) and health outcomes. Where review level evidence was insufficient, we included relevant primary research and data from official reports. A …
A VHF interleaved self-oscillating resonant SEPIC converter with phase-shift burst-mode control

This paper presents design and implementation of the phase-shift burst-mode control method for interleaved self-oscillating resonant SEPIC converters for LED lighting applications. The proposed control method utilizes delays in the turn-on and turn-off of the power stage and control circuitry in order to reduce requirements for the comparator in the regulation circuit. The control method is experimentally evaluated on a 49 MHz dc-dc converter prototype, and the results are presented. The designed converter demonstrates peak efficiency of 81%, maintains efficiency above 75% from 20% load to full load, and is implemented using low-cost switches and integrated circuits.
The role of procurement in the management of supplier relationships

This paper explores the role of procurement in supplier relationships (SRs). Driven by the importance of outsourcing, there is a widespread awareness that procurement plays an important role in their management, yet there is still an incoherent view of what this role entails. The role of procurement is identified in this study by exploring how procurement managers conduct certain activities for the management of SRs that involve the exchange of products/services with different levels of asset specificity. The role is analysed and assessed in terms of four fundamental dimensions of SRs (trust, power, commitment and involvement). The findings reveal a far more limited role for procurement managers than what is advocated in the literature, especially for SRs that involve the exchange of products/services with high level of asset specificity and criticality. In light of the findings, certain profiles that can be adopted by procurement managers in specific contextual situations are identified and a guide to how procurement departments may be involved in an effective way in the management of SRs is proposed.
Predictors of equity in relationships between financial services providers and retail customers

Relationship marketing has been embraced in a wide range of industries, including financial services. Despite considerable study and widespread application, it appears that many services marketers have accepted the concept of relationship marketing with little examination of the basis for genuine, quality relationships. Based on a review of the social psychology and relationship marketing literature, the authors offer a consumer‐focused approach to defining the principles of relationship marketing, and examine the conditions under which services marketers can expect to form relationships with their customers. Also presented are empirical findings on the predictors of the level of equity which resides in relationships between financial services providers and their retail customers. The research reveals that the affective dimensions of the service encounter best predict quality relationships. The implications for financial services marketers are discussed.
Social Sustainability Assessment of Sprouts

3 INTRODUCTION 3 Problem Definition 5 Vision Statement and Value Assumptions 6 METHODOLOGY 8 FINDINGS 10 Interview with Martin Gunst 10 Volunteer Satisfaction Findings 11 Customer Satisfaction Findings 12 DISCUSSION 15 Size 15 Society 16 Stability 17 Satisfaction 18 RECOMMENDATIONS 19 CONCLUSION 22 REFERENCES 23 APPENDIX 24
Influence of Price and Variety of Services on Consumer Intention to Use the Services: An Experimental Investigation

ABSTRACT Developing an effective strategy that employs the appropriate blending of price and variety of services requires an understanding of the impact of these variables on buyer attitudes, intentions and purchase decisions. This study examines the influence of price and variety of services offered on attitudes and intention to use the services of banks and of quick copy (printing) businesses. The findings indicate a strong interaction effect on intention to use the services of the bank as well as the copy business.
Acute endurance exercise increases the nuclear abundance of PGC-1alpha in trained human skeletal muscle.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC-1alpha) is a transcriptional coactivator that plays a key role in coordinating mitochondrial biogenesis. Recent evidence has linked p38 MAPK and AMPK with activation of PGC-1alpha. It was recently shown in rodent skeletal muscle that acute endurance exercise causes a shift in the subcellular localization of PGC-1alpha from the cytosol to the nucleus, allowing PGC-1alpha to coactivate transcription factors and increase mitochondrial gene expression, but human data are limited and equivocal in this regard. Our purpose was to examine p38 MAPK and AMPK activation, and PGC-1alpha protein content in whole muscle, cytosolic, and nuclear fractions of human skeletal muscle following an acute bout of endurance exercise. Eight trained men (29 +/- 3 yr; Vo(2peak) = 55 +/- 2 ml.kg(-1). min(-1)) cycled for 90 min at approximately 65% of Vo(2peak) and needle biopsy samples (vastus lateralis) were obtained before and immediately after exercise. At rest, the majority of PGC-1alpha was detected in cytosolic compared with the nuclear fractions. In response to exercise, nuclear PGC-1alpha protein increased by 54% (P < 0.05), yet whole muscle PGC-1alpha protein was unchanged compared with rest. Whole muscle and cytosolic p38 MAPK phosphorylation increased several-fold immediately after exercise compared with rest (P < 0.05). Acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylation, a marker of AMPK activation, was increased by approximately 5-fold in cytosolic fractions following exercise (P < 0.05). These data provide evidence that, in human skeletal muscle, activation of cytosolic p38 MAPK and AMPK may be potential signals that lead to increased nuclear abundance and activation of PGC-1alpha in response to an acute bout of endurance exercise.
User engagement in the development, implementation, and use of information technologies

The roles of users in information system development and implementation has received a great deal of research attention. Yet the empirical evidence regarding the value of such user roles is mixed. Moreover, it is difficult to make comparisons and generalizations. This is a result of the varied definitions for the constructs utilized, the somewhat ambiguous use of terminology, and the scarcity of common models and measurements. Based upon recent information systems studies, as well as the consumer and organizational behavior, and psychological literature, a taxonomy is presented to describe the various ways in which users can be engaged in the processes of information technology development, implementation, and use. This framework accounts for distinctions among the psychological and behavioral components of user engagement, as well as the process and product objects of such engagements. Evidence suggests that such distinctions can improve research that is undertaken in this important area. <<ETX>>
Service quality attributes in urban bus services: the experience of Belem-Para/Brazil

The city of Belem, in Brazil’s northern region, is known as the gateway of the Amazon and is also capital of the Para state and part of a metropolitan region. In the last 10 years, deep changes in the metropolitan socioeconomic and land use structures have led to a decrease in bus ridership. This is due to congestion jams in bus corridors and continuous quality deterioration of bus services. A survey was done to determine and evaluate which service attributes influence users’ opinions that allow them to have a negative image of bus transport. Data were obtained through a home survey (500 households) applied to bus users in order to identify their socioeconomic status, trip patterns, service evaluation and both favorable and unfavorable opinions towards bus services. A detailed analysis of the results permits the identification of the most important existing problems and shortcomings and gives subsidy to a comprehensive diagnosis of the whole bus transport system.
Direct Marketing to Online Social Network (OSN) Users in Nigeria

Online Social Network (OSN) serves as one of the pervasive media of connecting to family and friends; make social plans and also obtain information about company’s products and brands. This study demonstrated how in the near future online Social Networks may offer greater commercial benefits to its users than the present social benefits. Results indicated that the majority of the users of Social Networking sites are teenagers and young adult. The study as well confirms that Parental rules and regulations have no significant influence on child’s use of Social Networking sites.
KCS1 encodes a fatty acid elongase 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase affecting wax biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.

An Arabidopsis fatty acid elongase gene, KCS1, with a high degree of sequence identity to FAE1, encodes a 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase which is involved in very long chain fatty acid synthesis in vegetative tissues, and which also plays a role in wax biosynthesis. Sequence analysis of KCS1 predicted that this synthase was anchored to a membrane by two adjacent N-terminal, membrane-spanning domains. Analysis of a T-DNA tagged kcs1-1 mutant demonstrated the involvement of the KCS1 in wax biosynthesis. Phenotypic changes in the kcs1-1 mutant included thinner stems and less resistance to low humidity stress at a young age. Complete loss of KCS1 expression resulted in decreases of up to 80% in the levels of C26 to C30 wax alcohols and aldehydes, but much smaller effects were observed on the major wax components, i.e. the C29 alkanes and C29 ketones on leaves, stems and siliques. In no case did the loss of KCS1 expression result in complete loss of any individual wax component or significantly decrease the total wax load. This indicated that there was redundancy in the elongase KCS activities involved in wax synthesis. Furthermore, since alcohol, aldehyde, alkane and ketone levels were affected to varying degrees, involvement of the KCS1 synthase in both the decarbonylation and acyl-reduction wax synthesis pathways was demonstrated.
Alpha/Beta Interferon (IFN-α/β)-Independent Induction of IFN-λ1 (Interleukin-29) in Response to Hantaan Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Type III interferons ([IFNs]IFN-λ and interleukin-28 and -29 [IL-28/29]) are recently recognized cytokines with innate antiviral effects similar to those of type I IFNs (IFN-α/β). Like IFN-α/β, IFN-λ-expression can be induced by viruses, and it is believed that type I and III IFNs are regulated in the same manner. Hantaviruses are weak IFN-α/β inducers and have surprisingly been shown to activate IFN-α/β-independent IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression. Here, we show that in Hantaan virus (HTNV)-infected human epithelial A549 cells, induction of IFN-λ1 preceded induction of MxA and IFN-β by 12 and 24 h, respectively, and IFN-α was not induced at all. Furthermore, induction of IFN-λ1 and MxA was observed in HTNV-infected African green monkey epithelial Vero E6 cells, a cell line that cannot produce type I IFNs, clearly showing that HTNV can induce IFN-λ1 and ISGs in the complete absence of IFN-α/β. In HTNV-infected human fibroblast MRC-5 cells, which lack the IFN-λ receptor, induction of MxA coincided in time with IFN-β-induction. UV-inactivated HTNV did not induce any IFNs or MxA in any cell line, showing that activation of IFN-λ1 is dependent on replicating virus. Induction of both IFN-β and IFN-λ1 in A549 cells after poly(I:C)-stimulation was strongly inhibited in HTNV-infected cells, suggesting that HTNV can inhibit signaling pathways used to simultaneously activate types I and III IFNs. In conclusion, we show that HTNV can cause type I IFN-independent IFN-λ1 induction and IFN-λ1-specific ISG induction. Importantly, the results suggest the existence of specific signaling pathways that induce IFN-λ1 without simultaneous type I IFN induction during virus infection.
Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces of Strategic Renewal: The Case of the Finnish Broadcasting Company

This study explores the context-dependent nature of organizational cognition and dynamic capabilities during strategic change. The empirical analysis is based on a quantitative survey conducted in the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yleisradio. The theoretical frame is based on the concepts of dominant logic and the sensing, seizing, and configuring capacities of dynamic capabilities. The analysis indicates that Yleisradio’s sub-units differ in terms of change attitudes, capabilities, and future orientations. Some units have a stronger commitment to the new dominant logic than others; some are capable of changing faster than others.