Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are Strong Brands a Source of Competitive Advantage in the Virtual World

Offshore outsourcing is a fast-growing trend in the world economy today, and it is changing the way business is done across national boundaries. Specifically, customers are increasingly interacting with service employees located in other countries resulting in many instances of customer backlash due to poor perceived service quality and dissatisfaction. Prior research argues that service firms with strong brands may be less vulnerable to such negative reaction from customers. However, recent studies show that consumer ethnocentrism and unfavorable attitudes towards offshore outsourcing may adversely impact perceived service quality, satisfaction, complaint behavior, brand image, brand loyalty, and repeat purchase intentions. This chapter summarizes these diverse findings and highlights the importance of customer education and employee training to prevent the erosion of brand image and loyalty on one hand, and improve perceived service quality and customer satisfaction on the other, for companies using offshore outsourcing of customer services. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61350-171-9.ch002
CATEGORIZATION OF INSTRUMENTS USED IN TURNAROUND PROCESSES UNDER CONDITIONS OF FINANCIAL DISTRESS * PROCESACH DOSTOSOWAWCZYCH

Summary: The objective of this article was to analyze and categorize the instruments implemented by enterprises recognized as being financially distressed, used in response to such distress. The instruments were implemented in the turnaround process. In order to achieve the research objective, the following research hypothesis was verified: depending on the size of the enterprise (small or medium), various instruments are assessed as being effective and thus they can be subjected to the categorization process. The study encompassed a total of 259 small and 138 medium-sized enterprises from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hunga -ry, Romania and Ukraine.
A Discourse-Level Named Entity Recognition and Relation Extraction Dataset for Chinese Literature Text

Named Entity Recognition and Relation Extraction for Chinese literature text is regarded as the highly difficult problem, partially because of the lack of tagging sets. In this paper, we build a discourse-level dataset from hundreds of Chinese literature articles for improving this task. To build a high quality dataset, we propose two tagging methods to solve the problem of data inconsistency, including a heuristic tagging method and a machine auxiliary tagging method. Based on this corpus, we also introduce several widely used models to conduct experiments. Experimental results not only show the usefulness of the proposed dataset, but also provide baselines for further research. The dataset is available at this https URL
Fracture of the Proximal Tibia after Fulkerson Anteromedial Tibial Tubercle Transfer

Since Fulkerson first described anteromedial transfer of the tibial tubercle as a treatment for patients with chronic anterior knee pain and certain types of patellofemoral malalignment, this procedure has gained popularity because of its favorable results and acceptable complication rates compared with other surgical techniques in the treatment of anterior knee pain, such as the Maquet procedure. In this paper we present four cases of proximal tibial fracture shortly after a Fulkerson procedure.
No Need for Apologies

The expansion of access to antiretroviral therapy for millions of persons living with HIV in low-income countries has been lauded by many. However, the investment in such programs has at the same time been criticized by others, who claim diversion of resources from HIV prevention efforts and from other important health threats in these same countries. Yet, the time is right to recommit to the goal of universal access to HIV prevention and treatment while garnering the lessons learned from HIV programming and building on the platform it has established in confronting other health threats.
Terms and conditions for the implementation of Inflation targeting in Croatia

Since the introduction of the Stabilization program in 1993, the Croatian National Bank has been following the monetary strategy of exchange rate anchor. During the first several years (from 1993 to 1997) this monetary strategy achieved acceptable results, accompanied with a low inflation rate and high GDP growth rates. However, the macroeconomic situation has changed in the last decade. The indicators of Croatian economy, such as trade balance, the level of external debt and GDP growth rates, are not satisfying. The criticizers of exchange rate anchor monetary strategy argue that appreciated kuna lowers the competitiveness of the domestic economy. Due to that, the current monetary strategy is in the focus of various economists' discussions. One of the alternatives to the exchange rate anchor is inflation targeting. There are different theoretical and practical issues connected to the implementation of this, very popular, monetary strategy. Before the implementation of inflation targeting, the following conditions need to be fulfilled: (1) the independence of monetary authorities in choosing the monetary instruments should be achieved, (2) at least one monetary policy instrument should be efficient, and (3) the transparency of monetary policy should be accomplished. The process itself consists of several decisions, such as choosing the proper measure of inflation, the level of targeted inflation, targeted range or point etc., which is still a matter of theoretical debates. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the above mentioned debate. After the theoretical discussion, the inflation targeting will be analyzed from the two perspectives. Firstly, in order to evaluate the capability of Croatia to implement the inflation targeting, the analysis of the Croatian monetary system will be given. Secondly, in order to asses the suitability of the inflation targeting as Croatian monetary strategy, both positive and negative characteristics of this strategy will be considered.
Rapamycin Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation through Insulin Receptor Substrate-1/Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt2 Feedback Signaling*

The phenotypic plasticity of mature vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) facilitates angiogenesis and wound healing, but VSCM dedifferentiation also contributes to vascular pathologies such as intimal hyperplasia. Insulin/insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is unique among growth factors in promoting VSMC differentiation via preferential activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt. We have previously reported that rapamycin promotes VSMC differentiation by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) target S6K1. Here, we show that rapamycin activates Akt and induces contractile protein expression in human VSMC in an insulin-like growth factor I-dependent manner, by relieving S6K1-dependent negative regulation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). In skeletal muscle and adipocytes, rapamycin relieves mTOR/S6K1-dependent inhibitory phosphorylation of IRS-1, thus preventing IRS-1 degradation and enhancing PI3K activation. We report that this mechanism is functional in VSMCs and crucial for rapamycin-induced differentiation. Rapamycin inhibits S6K1-dependent IRS-1 serine phosphorylation, increases IRS-1 protein levels, and promotes association of tyrosine-phosphorylated IRS-1 with PI3K. A rapamycin-resistant S6K1 mutant prevents rapamycin-induced Akt activation and VSMC differentiation. Notably, we find that rapamycin selectively activates only the Akt2 isoform and that Akt2, but not Akt1, is sufficient to induce contractile protein expression. Akt2 is required for rapamycin-induced VSMC differentiation, whereas Akt1 appears to oppose contractile protein expression. The anti-restenotic effect of rapamycin in patients may be attributable to this unique pattern of PI3K effector regulation wherein anti-differentiation signals from S6K1 are inhibited, but pro-differentiation Akt2 activity is promoted through an IRS-1 feedback signaling mechanism.
Antioxidant activity, repair and tolerance of oxidative DNA damage in different cultivars of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) leaves.

High intake of natural antioxidants has been associated with lower incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart diseases. Thus, there is need to find out the crops rich in antioxidants and phenolic compounds. The aqueous extracts of leaves of thirteen varieties of sugarcane were studied for their antioxidant activity and protective effect on DNA damage. 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and phosphomolybdenum reduction assays were used to determine the antioxidant activities in the leaves. Different varieties of sugarcane showed the higher antioxidant properties (IC50 values ranged between 18.75±1.2 to 27.67±0.45 µg/ml) and demonstrated their ability to protect against DNA damage induced by hydroxyl radical generated in the Fenton ,s reaction. The high antioxidant activity and protection against DNA damage of sugarcane may be partly due to their phenolic and flavonoid contents. In here, we suggest that the hot water extracts of sugarcane leaves could provide health and functional food effects due to their antioxidant properties.
Creating a financial market for IPR

In the knowledge economy, the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) increases constantly. This raises the question of the optimal allocation of IPR where market mechanisms can play a significant role. The study on behalf of the European Commission investigated a potential approach for the establishment of a financial market for IPR in Europe. The IPR Market comprises two components, the IPR Asset Market and the IPR Financial Market. In the IPR Asset Market, patent sales and licensing transactions are conducted which may occur both directly and indirectly. Indirect transactions are conducted via brokers, dealers and vehicles (e.g., funds, companies, special purpose vehicles, etc.) which are the link to the IPR Financial Market. In the IPR Financial Market, these vehicles create financial products (shares, bonds, etc.) which investors can purchase. The primary market is created there when the product or vehicle issues shares, bonds, etc., whereas the secondary market arises as soon as these financial products can be traded between different investors. The study may be downloaded via [http://www.item. unisg.ch/Chairs/Innovation+Mgmt/Research/IP+Management/Projects.aspx Competence Center IP Management at the Institute of Technology Management of the University of St.Gallen]
Subcellular localization, redistribution and photobleaching of sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanines in a human melanoma cell line

Intracellular localization, intracellular translocation and photobleaching following non‐lethal laser microirradiation of the fluorescing derivatives of sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanines (A1‐PcSn, n = 1‐4) in a human melanoma cell line (LOX) were studied by means of confocal laser scanning microxopy (LSM) and image processing. Use of confocal microscopy allowed 3‐dimensional information to be obtained. Both A1‐PcS1, and A1‐PcS2, localized diffusely in the cytoplasm of the cells, while A1‐PcS3, and A1‐PcS4, exhibited a granular pattern in the extranuclear fraction of the cells. None of the A1‐PcSn, family was observed in the nuclei of the cells except that a small fraction of fluorescence was occasionally detected in nuclei of some cells treated with A1‐PcS1, and A1‐PcS2. Furthermore, exactly the same granular localization patterns and positions in the same cells were found after incubation initially with A1‐PcS3, (or A1‐PcS4,) followed by acridine orange (AO) which emits red fluorescence from lysosomes of cells. Thus, the granular fluorescence of A1‐PcS3, and A1‐PcS4, is confined to the lysosomes of the LOX cells. Non‐lethal laser exposure of cells incubated with high concentrations of the 2 dyes resulted in a translocation of the dyes from the lysosomes to the whole cytoplasm and an increase in total intracellular fluorescence intensity. Finally, a small fraction of the dyes localized into the nuclei of the cells. The laser exposure of cells incubated with low concentrations of the lysosomally localized dyes resulted in an increase in the intracellular fluorescence intensity with no translocation of the dyes. Under all conditions, high laser exposure resulted in a decrease in the total intracellular fluorescence intensity.
Computational Efficiency of Parallel Combinatorial OR-Tree Searches

The performance of parallel combinatorial OR-tree searches is analytically evaluated. This performance depends on the complexity of the problem to be solved, the error allowance function, the dominance relation, and the search strategies. The exact performance may be difficult to predict due to the nondeterminism and anomalies of parallelism. The authors derive the performance bounds of parallel OR-tree searches with respect to the best-first, depth-first, and breadth-first strategies, and verify these bounds by simulation. They show that a near-linear speedup can be achieved with respect to a large number of processors for parallel OR-tree searches. Using the bounds developed, the authors derive sufficient conditions for assuring that parallelism will not degrade performance and necessary conditions for allowing parallelism to have a speedup greater than the ratio of the numbers of processors. These bounds and conditions provide the theoretical foundation for determining the number of processors required to assure a near-linear speedup. >
Astrovirus, Adenovirus, and Rotavirus in Hospitalized Children: Prevalence and Association With Gastroenteritis

Background Agents of viral gastroenteritis such as astrovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus are common pediatric pathogens accounting for many physician visits, hospital admissions, and nosocomial infections. Previous hospital-based prevalence studies have examined mainly symptomatic children. Purpose To evaluate the prevalence of astrovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus infections among hospitalized children less than 6 years of age, regardless of symptoms, and determine association with gastroenteritis. Methods From September 1998 to June 2000, stool specimens were collected twice weekly from children less than five years of age admitted to two wards in a tertiary-care children's hospital. A total of 480 samples were obtained from 309 hospitalizations. Stools were examined using antibody-based ELISA for astrovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus. Clinical data was abstracted from patient records. Results Twenty one percent of the children had gastroenteritis symptoms at some point during their hospitalizations (43% were hospital acquired). Astrovirus was detected in 5.2% of all children compared to 6.8% with rotavirus and 0.8% with adenovirus serotypes 40 or 41. Nosocomial acquisition was common. Seventy five percent of astrovirus infections and 90% rotavirus infections were symptomatic. Astrovirus infections were significantly more likely to occur in younger infants and in children with compromised immunity. Rotavirus infections were significantly more likely to cause dehydration. In a three-year passive surveillance of gastroenteritis at the hospital, astrovirus and rotavirus infections peaked simultaneously in winter months. Conclusions Rotavirus and astrovirus are common symptomatic infections on pediatric wards and contribute greatly to inpatient morbidity. Adenoviruses played a limited role in gastroenteritis in hospitalized children in this study.
The Role of Lean Production on Organizational Performance

This chapter introduces the role of Lean Production on organizational performance, thus explaining the management practices of Lean Production of just in time, total productive maintenance, total quality management, cellular manufacturing, and human resource management. The successful Lean Production implementation programs can facilitate the manufacturing organization’s quest for achieving enhanced business performance leading to competitive advantage. This chapter has highlighted some significant revelations about various facets of simultaneous implementation of Lean Production paradigms in the manufacturing organizations. Lean Production implementation dimensions are important to the manufacturing organizations trying to realize manufacturing excellence for competing in the highly dynamic global marketplace. The study also highlights that significant business performance enhancements can be realized through Lean Production implementation over considerable period of time. Organizations should focus on developing the management practices of Lean Production of just in time, total productive maintenance, total quality management, cellular manufacturing, and human resource management in order to achieve better organizational performance.
An analysis of the chemical processes in the smoke plume from a savanna fire

[1] Photochemistry in young plumes from vegetation fires significantly transforms the initial fire emissions within the first hour after the emissions are injected into the atmosphere. Here we present an investigation of field measurements obtained in a smoke plume from a prescribed savanna fire during the SAFARI 2000 field experiment using a detailed photochemical box-dilution model. The dilution used in the model simulations was constrained by measurements of chemically passive tracers (e.g., CO) near and downwind of the fire. The emissions of the dominant carbonaceous compounds, including oxygenated ones, were taken into account. The field measurements revealed significant production of ozone and acetic acid in the gas phase. The photochemical model simulations also predict ozone production, but significantly less than the measurements. The underestimation of the ozone production in the model simulations is likely caused by shortcomings of our current understanding of ozone photochemistry under the polluted conditions in this young smoke plume. Several potential reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. One possible cause could be the neglect of unmeasured emissions or surface reactions of NO2 with methanol or other hydrocarbons. In contrast to the field measurements, no significant production of acetic acid was simulated by the model. We know of no gas-phase reactions that cause the production of acetic acid on the timescale considered here. Though many processes were well-simulated by the model, there is a need for further research on some key photochemical processes within young plumes from biomass burning and the potential interactions between gas and the particulate phases. These fundamental photochemical processes may also be of importance in other polluted environments.
Early Retention in HIV Care and Viral Load Suppression: Implications for a Test and Treat Approach to HIV Prevention

BackgroundAfter HIV diagnosis and linkage to care, achieving and sustaining viral load (VL) suppression has implications for patient outcomes and secondary HIV prevention. We evaluated factors associated with expeditious VL suppression and cumulative VL burden among patients establishing outpatient HIV care. MethodsPatients initiating HIV medical care from January 2007 to October 2010 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Washington were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and linear regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with time to VL suppression (<50 copies/mL) and cumulative VL burden, respectively. Viremia copy-years, a novel area under the longitudinal VL curve measure, was used to estimate 2-year cumulative VL burden from clinic enrollment. ResultsAmong 676 patients, 63% achieved VL <50 copies per milliliter in a median 308 days. In multivariable analysis, patients with more time-updated “no show” visits experienced delayed VL suppression (hazard ratio = 0.84 per “no show” visit, 95% confidence interval = 0.76 to 0.92). In multivariable linear regression, visit nonadherence was independently associated with greater cumulative VL burden (log10 viremia copy-years) during the first 2 years in care (Beta coefficient = 0.11 per 10% visit nonadherence, 95% confidence interval = 0.04 to 0.17). Across increasing visit adherence categories, lower cumulative VL burden was observed (mean ± standard deviation log10 copy × years/mL); 0%–79% adherence: 4.6 ± 0.8; 80%–99% adherence: 4.3 ± 0.7; and 100% adherence: 4.1 ± 0.7 log10 copy × years/mL, respectively (P < 0.01). ConclusionsHigher rates of early retention in HIV care are associated with achieving VL suppression and lower cumulative VL burden. These findings are germane for a test and treat approach to HIV prevention.
Auditors’ perceptions of the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in a developing country

Purpose The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been adopted by 140 countries around the globe, including the G20 countries. Most of the prior literature focuses on adoption issues in developed countries. Due to the paucity of research on implementation issues in developing countries, the purpose of this paper is to explore the impediments of IFRS implementation in a developing country from 1998 to 2014 based on the auditors’ perceptions and documentary analyses. Design/methodology/approach Three rounds of interviews (2010, 2012, and 2014) from a total of 75 auditors (including 12 internal auditors and 13 external auditors) were conducted and enforcement documents from 1998 to 2010 were evaluated. The purpose of the three rounds of interviews was to explore the reflection on the changes which the interviewees have experienced over a five-year period. Findings Using institutional isomorphism, the results suggest that policy makers should focus on several factors to implement IFRS effectively, including low audit fees, a lack of qualified accountants, a lack of interest in IFRS by managers of some companies, a culture of secrecy, and a family-based private sector. Surprisingly, chartered accountancy firms are able to continue their work because of a culture of non-punishment for violating rules and the absence of any reliable exercising of due care or professional ethics in Bangladesh. Regulators such as the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh are not inclined to enforce actions against corrupt chartered accountant firms. This raises question about the professional integrity of auditors as well as regulators. Unlike, Albu et al. (2011) (World Bank as coercive) and Hassan et al. (2014) (western influence as coercive), the findings of this study imply that coercive isomorphism (regulatory authorities in Bangladesh) should be more proactive to ensure a successful implementation of IFRS. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations, including transcribing information from Bengali to English and some enforcement documents were not available on the BSEC website. This last limitation is mitigated by the fact that a substantial number of enforcement releases (1,647 enforcement notices for a 13-year period) are analysed and three rounds of interviews were conducted. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to, and advance the incremental knowledge of IFRS implementation issues and auditing literature in a developing country’s experience to policy makers (e.g. World Bank, IMF, Basel Committee, G20, IOSCO, and IFAC). The findings may be generalised to other developing countries that are facing effective implementation of IFRS.