Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a Model of the Contributors to Venture Capitalist Certification at IPO

The existence of a certification role for venture capitalist involvement at IPO has been extensively studied in the US market. These studies, however, have barely scratched the surface of establishing the constituents of any certification benefit of venture capitalist involvement with their investee companies at IPO. This paper outlines a model that could be used to investigate the key contributors to any certification role.
Early assessments of the gap between integrated reporting and current corporate reporting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide early assessments of the changes for corporate reporting processes, which an emerging initiative like integrated reporting (IR) will require. The authors also consider the potential for these changes to contribute towards resolving major problems such as financial and environmental crises. IR is gaining momentum globally, and the implementation of some form of future mandatory requirement in this regard appears likely. Design/methodology/approach – The authors begin by developing a reporting checklist based on the requirements for IR, which they use to assess the gap between current “best practice” reporting processes and IR. They then propose systems thinking, a widely accepted approach to problem-solving, as a theoretical basis for assessing the IR Framework and for deeper consideration of the gap analysis. They demonstrate, at a paradigm level, how systems thinking can be used to assess IR and find that IR has the potential to offer specific and impleme.
Extrapituitary prolactin: distribution, regulation, functions, and clinical aspects.

I. Introduction PRL affects more physiological processes than all other pituitary hormones combined. Among these are the regulation of mammary gland development, initiation and maintenance of lactation, immune modulation, osmoregulation, and behavioral modification. At the cellular level, PRL exerts mitogenic, morphogenic, or secretory activities. This raises the question as to the mechanism by which a single hormone can modulate so many seemingly unrelated functions. This review addresses the concept of the dual function of PRL, as a circulating hormone and a cytokine. The diversity of PRL actions is derived from three components: structural polymorphism, local production and processing, and divergent intracellular signaling pathways and target genes. PRL can be easily classified as a cytokine based on its shared properties with hematopoietic growth factors. These include comparable structural motifs, multiple sites of synthesis, ubiquitous receptor distribution, homologous receptor structure, and simila.
Iron deficiency and cognitive achievement among school-aged children and adolescents in the United States.

CONTEXT Iron deficiency anemia in infants can cause developmental problems. However, the relationship between iron status and cognitive achievement in older children is less clear. OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between iron deficiency and cognitive test scores among a nationally representative sample of school-aged children and adolescents. DESIGN The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III 1988-1994 provides cross-sectional data for children 6 to 16 years old and contains measures of iron status including transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin. Children were considered iron-deficient if any 2 of these values were abnormal for age and gender, and standard hemoglobin values were used to detect anemia. Scores from standardized tests were compared for children with normal iron status, iron deficiency without anemia, and iron deficiency with anemia. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of iron status and below average test scores, controlling for confounding factors. RESULTS Among the 5398 children in the sample, 3% were iron-deficient. The prevalence of iron deficiency was highest among adolescent girls (8.7%). Average math scores were lower for children with iron deficiency with and without anemia, compared with children with normal iron status (86.4 and 87.4 vs 93.7). By logistic regression, children with iron deficiency had greater than twice the risk of scoring below average in math than did children with normal iron status (odds ratio: 2.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-4.4). This elevated risk was present even for iron-deficient children without anemia (odds ratio: 2.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-5.2). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated lower standardized math scores among iron-deficient school-aged children and adolescents, including those with iron deficiency without anemia. Screening for iron deficiency without anemia may be warranted for children at risk.
Brand trust in the context of consumer loyalty

The existing literature of brand loyalty has been essentially focused on the roles of perceived quality, brand reputation and especially satisfaction, due to the fact that they summarise consumers’ knowledge and experiences, guiding their subsequent actions. In this context, the shifting emphasis to relational marketing has devoted a lot of effort to analyse how other constructs such as trust predict future intention. The fact that there are conceptual connections of trust to the notion of satisfaction and loyalty, and thatthis effort is especially lacking in the brand‐consumer relationship, moves the authors to focus on analysing the relationships existing among these concepts. Research methodology consisted of regressions and multivariable analysis with a sample of 173 buyers. The results obtained suggest the key role of brand trust as a variable that generates customers’ commitment, especially in situations of high involvement, in which its effect is stronger in comparison to overall satisfaction.
Nanomechanical Motion Transducers for Miniaturized Mechanical Systems

Reliable operation of a miniaturized mechanical system requires that nanomechanical motion be transduced into electrical signals (and vice versa) with high fidelity and in a robust manner. Progress in transducer technologies is expected to impact numerous emerging and future applications of micro- and, especially, nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS); furthermore, high-precision measurements of nanomechanical motion are broadly used to study fundamental phenomena in physics and biology. Therefore, development of nanomechanical motion transducers with high sensitivity and bandwidth has been a central research thrust in the fields of MEMS and NEMS. Here, we will review recent progress in this rapidly-advancing area.
Who are the brokers of knowledge in regional systems of innovation? A multi-actor network analysis

The discussion on regional innovation systems emphasizes the duality of local and global links. While the former enable effective knowledge exchange between regional actors, the latter are considered to provide regional systems with knowledge diverse to their knowledge base. Our empirical analysis of 18 German regional innovation networks highlights the importance of public research organizations for inter-regional knowledge exchange. The broker and gatekeeper function of public research organizations may be particularly important in lagging regions that typically suffer from a lack of large firms who often assume the role of "gatekeepers of knowledge".
Impact of Deregulation

Pre-Deregulation in the US - Carriers were not able to compete in terms of price - Service quality and frequency were the main means by which they competed - Load factors were low and unit costs high as a result - A study by Jordan (Airline Regulation in America, 1970) of inter-state trunk airline fares in 1965 showed that if there had been no regulation these would have been 32 –47% lower
Media Attention, Analysts Coverage, and Irregularities in Management Earnings Forecasts

This paper investigate the impact of media attention on Chinese listed firms' management earnings forecasts. The empirical results indicate that media attention can reduce the irregularities of mandatory management earnings forecasts significantly. The effect is more pronounced for firms with better analysts coverage. This finding implies that the monitoring roles played by media attention and analysts coverage can complement each other in terms of correcting management earnings forecasts. After controlling the endogeneity, the result is still robust. This paper sheds new light on research areas involving media attention and management earnings forecasts, serving as new empirical reference for the establishment and enforcement of information disclosure rules.
Monetizing Sharing Traffic through Incentive Design : Evidence from A Randomized Field Experiment 1

Despite the large volume of information sharing across digital platforms, no study has systematically investigated how firms can monetize such sharing traffic. Our study examines whether and how firms can engage customers involved in online sharing, through the design of novel incentive mechanisms. We design and implement a large-scale randomized field experiment to test the effectiveness of different incentive designs in converting customers in the share. We find evidence that incentive design has a significant impact on both sender's purchase and referrals, but in a different ways. Specifically, compared to the senders who receives nonshareable promotional code, senders who receives shareable code are less likely to make purchase themselves, but much more likely to make further referrals. We further leverage exogenous variation in incentive design to untangle three motives underlying the sender’s sharing -self-regarding motive (sender's interest in the product), other-regarding motive (sender's interest in the recipient), or group-regarding motive (sender's interest in purchasing the product with the recipient). We find evidence that the effect of incentive designs critically depends on the motive underlying the sender’s sharing. We discuss how firms can customize incentive design at individual level based on such sharing motive. Our findings not only provide practical implications for firms to monetize sharing traffic, but also shed light on theoretical underpinnings of sharing. 1 Tianshu Sun is a doctoral student and Siva Viswanathan is an Associate Professor at the Robert.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Elena Zheleva heads the Data Science team at LivingSocial Inc. 2 The bulk of this study is done by a doctoral student (Tianshu Sun). Monetizing Sharing Traffic through Incentive Design
THE IMPACT OF CONTRACTUAL AND COLLABORATION FORMS ON RISK MANAGEMENT IN SWEDISH CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

In order to be able to carry out a construction project with the expected final result, professional risk management as well as a conscious risk sharing among the actors in the project are required. A question of a particular interest for the actors in Swedish construction industry is the way in which project risk management needs to be further developed, based more on openness, trust and collaboration rather than on sharp contract formulations. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of the chosen form of contract and collaboration on risk management in construction projects. We analyse three major forms used in Sweden: performance-based contracts, design-build contracts and collaboration through partnering. A questionnaire survey and a series of interviews with clients, contractors and consultants involved in three construction projects were conducted. In the performance-based project no collaboration in risk management process existed between the actors. Both identified and unforeseen risks occurred in the project and had a large economic effect for the contractor. The design-build project showed very good project performance and successful collaboration in risk management. From the contractor's perspective, risk management is more effective in design-build projects as it gives the contractor the possibility to influence the project during the early phases. In contrast with first two projects, the partnering project showed that all actors had the same degree of influence on risk management. Despite the fact that the identified risks occurred during the project implementation, all actors acknowledged very good collaboration in risk management. Moreover, the partnering project was completed with a better economic result for both the client and the contractor. The results show a clear connection between the form of contract and collaboration and risk management in the chosen construction projects. Those forms that support early involvement of the actors and create opportunities for open dialogue and collaboration result in a more efficient risk management process.
Dynamics of Phase Separation and Pattern Formation

The focus of this thesis is the study of the evolution of two models adopted in the context of phase separation and pattern formation, the Cahn-Hilliard model and the Swift-Hohenberg model. In the study of the Cahn-Hilliard model, the PDEs arising as the L2 and H 1 gradient flows in the higher dimensional setting n > 1 are studied, and estimates are provided on the evolution of solutions initiated close to configurations that globally or locally minimize the perimeter of the interface are provided. The results rely on a new regularity property of a local version of the well-known isoperimetric function. In the Swift-Hohenberg setting, the one dimensional model is considered, and the slow evolution of a particular class of solutions is established. In this context, existence and regularity of solutions in dimension n  3 are provided. In the last part of this thesis, two ongoing project and future research directions are presented. iii
Porosity of, and bacterial invasion through, the shell of the hen's egg

1. Histological methods show four layers in the intact shell of the hen's egg, namely, cuticle, spongy layer, mammillary layer, and inner shell membrane. Distinct channels or pores may be found in the spongy layer, but these tend to disappear in the mammillary layer in which only a network of much finer channels can be observed. 2. Viscometric measurements of the passage of water and air through the shell show that (a) shells vary widely in their porosity, even when taken on successive days from the same hen; (b) there is no correlation between porosity so determined and the number of pores counted by staining methods; (c) the rate of flow is slower from the interior to the exterior than vice versa, and the pore count by staining methods also less on the inside than on the outside. 3. A rough correlation exists between porosity as determined viscometri-cally and the evaporation of water during storage. 4. If the temperature of the egg is higher than a fluid containing bacteria in which it is immersed, the latter are readily drawn through the shell by simple suction as the egg cools down, a point of great significance in the washing of eggs.
An Empirical Study of Smartphone Based Iris Recognition in Visible Spectrum

The advanced technologies and sensors in smartphones has led to showcase their potential as a biometric sensor. In this work, we present the feasibility study and challenges in the path forward for using smartphone as a biometric sensor for iris recognition in visible spectrum. Especially, with a limited shelf-life of smartphones, it is anticipated to have enrolment and verification using different camera. In this work, we propose an improvement to segmentation scheme for contactless iris acquisition by approximating the radius range. The proposed method has resulted in a segmentation accuracy of 81%. We also propose various protocols for real-life verification scenarios using smartphones for visible spectrum iris recognition. Finally, results from an extensive set of experiments are presented to validate the anticipated challenges in using smartphone based iris recognition. Being the first of its kind, this work provides the benchmarking results for the smartphone iris database. The best EER is obtained for iPhone in indoor scenario with an impressive EER of 0.48%.
F-BAR domain proteins

The F-BAR domain is emerging as an important player in membrane remodeling pathways. F-BAR domain proteins couple membrane remodeling with actin dynamics associated with endocytic pathways and filopodium formation. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of F-BAR domain proteins in terms of their evolutionary relationships and protein function. F-BAR domain containing proteins can be categorized into five subfamilies based on their phylogeny which is consistent with the additional protein domains they possess, for example, RhoGAP domains, Cdc42 binding sites, SH3 domains, and tyrosine kinase domains. We derive a protein-protein interaction network suggesting that dynamin1/2, N-WASP, Huntingtin, intersectin and Cdc42 are central nodes influencing F-BAR domain protein function.
Determination of tomato quality attributes using near infrared spectroscopy and reference analysis@@@Kokybinių rodiklių nustatymas nepažeidžiant pomidorų vaisiaus, taikant artimąją infraraudonąją spektroskopiją

The research objective was determination of ripening attributes of intact tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cv. ‘Rutuliai’ using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and reference analysis. Tomatoes were picked at six different ripening stages in order to evaluate the correlation between data obtained by near infrared spectra and physicalchemical analyses and how the quality parameters change during ripening. Primarily, spectroscopic measurements were followed by chemical analyses. NIR spectroscopy measurements and reference analyses showed that tomato fruit had lost skin and flesh firmness during the ripening processes and there were no big differences between the methods used for the determination of dry matter and soluble solids (°Brix) and the obtained results varied slightly. The obtained results of dry matter, soluble solids content (°Brix) and fruit skin and flesh firmness were presented as simple linear regression between NIR spectroscopy and reference analyses. A high correlation between NIR spectroscopy and reference analyses of dry matter was established and this correlation, expressed by regression coefficient, reached 0.9089. Regression coefficient between NIR spectroscopy and reference analyses of soluble solids was 0.815. Meanwhile, the highest correlation was detected for tomato fruit skin and flesh firmness and regression coefficient, respectively, reached 0.9119 and 0.9624. Hence the near infrared calibration has the potential to estimate the physical-chemical properties of tomato fruit according to their infrared spectra.
Students ' Reactions and Adjustments to Fundamental Curricular Changes : What Are " Mathematical Transitions " ? How Can We Study Them ?

The "Navigating Mathematical Transitions" project is a 3-year study that examines students' experiences as they move between "traditional" mathematics curricula and those inspired by the NCTM standards (1989). In this paper, we focus on our method of analysis, particularly the ways that we have conceptualized "mathematical transitions". We describe our analytical framework, which consists of four categories that summarize changes that students' experience during the curricular shift: (1) student achievement, (2) significant differences students notice and report, (3) changes in disposition towards mathematics, and (4) changes in learning approach. We give examples and raise issues with each of these categories, in an attempt to explore what aspects of students' experiences our framework does or does not allow us to capture.
Three-dimensional power segmented tracking for adaptive digital pre-distortion

: A three-dimensional power segmented tracking for adaptive digital pre-distortion is presented to stabilize the linearization of radio frequency power ampli ﬁ ers (PAs). It contains long term average power segmented dimensional, short term average power segmented dimensional and instant power segmented dimensional that can correct and track the various nonlinear characteristics of PAs. Moreover, a constraint least square algorithm by indirectly learning structure is employed to initial the parameters and a least mean square algorithm by directly learning structure is used to adaptive calculate the parameters. Experimental results show that the proposed method has stable improvements in comparison with previous methods.
The Interactome of the Glucocorticoid Receptor and Its Influence on the Actions of Glucocorticoids in Combatting Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases

SUMMARY Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been widely used for decades as a first-line treatment for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, their use is often hampered by the onset of adverse effects or resistance. GCs mediate their effects via binding to glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a transcription factor belonging to the family of nuclear receptors. An important aspect of GR's actions, including its anti-inflammatory capacity, involves its interactions with various proteins, such as transcription factors, cofactors, and modifying enzymes, which codetermine receptor functionality. In this review, we provide a state-of-the-art overview of the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of GR that positively or negatively affect its anti-inflammatory properties, along with mechanistic insights, if known. Emphasis is placed on the interactions that affect its anti-inflammatory effects in the presence of inflammatory and microbial diseases.
Word play in destination marketing: an analysis of country tourism slogans.

Advertising Slogans can hold the key to success of tourism destinations. In highly competitive times when countries are in a fi erce struggle to attract a major share of tourists, the importance of creation of an ideal ‘tourism slogan’ for the country is duly acknowledged by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs). There are continuous efforts for building national destination identities that can rightly encapsulate the image of a country in an essence through a logo, campaign or slogan, which strikes an immediate chord with the tourist market and can be easily retained in top of mind awareness (ToMA). The power of ‘word play’ in coining a country tourism slogan has a vital role that can be detrimental to the success of destinations. While certain creatively coined slogans leave an indelible mark in the memory through appropriate use of words, rhyme and rhythm, providing a true refl ection of the country, others are easily relegated into oblivion. There are very few country tourism slogans that the wider market can easily identify and associate with. Therefore lexical use and creativity in advertising slogans has become of paramount importance in marketing. This study makes an attempt to analyze the importance of word play in country tourism slogans with the aim of identifying the most commonly used themes that are used to attract tourists through the few words that paint a picture of the destination.
Formal Process of Managerial Learning: Empirical Evidence from Apparel Manufacturing Industry

This paper reports results of an empirical investigation into the formal processes that apparel manufacturing companies use to develop their managers. The findings of the study shed light on the formal development processes that are commonly used in the industry and on differences across companies of different ownership. The investigations revealed that not all human resource managers actively engage in the provision of different formal management development processes. Instead, some development processes are solely provided by the heads of the departments within their departments without having any specific organisation-led development initiative. The implications of the findings are discussed. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/sljhrm.v1i1. 5109 Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management Vol.1(1) 2007 pp.14-35