Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technological Opportunity Detection and SMEs: A Mix of Individual and Organizational Factors

Technological entrepreneurship is associated with innovation, economic development, and great return on investments for stakeholders. However, creation and development of new patents and technologies do not automatically ensure value creation. The key challenge is to discover and exploit the opportunity of new products or services through the entrepreneurial process. The focus of this research is to explore the effect of entrepreneurial alertness on the corporate environment to provide knowledge about the mechanism of opportunity detection. A mix of individual traits and organizational factors is explored surveying CEOs and Executive Managers of 276 SMEs. The findings provide evidence of a two-level process through the corporate environment.
Introduction to Marketing: Theory and Practice

MARKETING: THE FUNDAMENTALS 1. What is Marketing? 2. The Marketing Environment UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMERS 3. Buyer Behaviour and Relationship Development 4. Marketing Research 5. Segmentation and Positioning DEVELOPING THE MARKETING MIX 6. Competitor Analysis and the Development of a Brand 7. Developing the Product 8. Pricing 9. Distribution 10. Introduction to Promotion Planning 11. Developing the Promotion Mix BRINGING IT TOGETHER 12. Managing the Marketing Effort 13. The Marketing of Services 14. Global Marketing
Hepatocytes induce functional activation of naive CD8+ T lymphocytes but fail to promote survival

Intraperitoneal peptide injection of TCR‐transgenic mide or expression of antigen in hepatocytes leads to an accumulation in the liver of specific apoptotic CD8+ T cells expressing activation markers. To determine whether liver cells are capable of directly activating naive CD8+ T cells, we have studied the ability of purified hepatocytes to activate TCR‐transgenic CD8+ T cells in vitro. We show that hepatocytes which do not express CD80 and CD86 co‐stimulatory molecules are able to induce activation and effective proliferation of specific naive CD8+ T cells in the absence of exogenously added cytokines, a property only shared by professional antigen‐presenting cells (APC). Specific T cell proliferation induced by hepatocytes was comparable in magnitude to that seen in response to dendritic cells and was independent of CD4+ T cell help or bystander professional APC co‐stimulation. During the first 3 days, the same number of divisions was observed in co‐cultures of CD8+ T cells with either hepatocytes or splenocytes. Both APC populations induced expression of early T cell activation markers and specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity. However, in contrast to T cells activated by splenocytes, T cells activated by hepatocytes lost their cytolytic function after 3 days of co‐culture. This correlated with death of activated T cells, suggesting that despite efficient activation, proliferation and transient CTL function, T cells activated by hepatocytes did not survive. Death could be prevented by adding antigen‐expressing splenocytes or exogenous IL‐2 to the co‐culture, indicating that hepatocytes are not involved in direct killing of CD8+ T cells but rather fail to promote survival. Dying cells acquired a CD8low TCRlow B220+ phenotype similar to the one described for apoptotic intrahepatic T cells, suggesting an alternative model to account for the origin of these cells in the liver. The importance of these findings for the understanding of peripheral tolerance and the ability of liver grafts to be accepted is discussed.
The Impact of Agility Requirements on Business Intelligence Architectures

Business Intelligence (BI) promises a coordinated and integrated approach to management support. This goal, however, is constantly challenged by de-central and isolated systems that emerge on the side of the user departments and that seriously affect the overall effectiveness of BI. This contribution explores how requirements for "agility" might explain the situation and what measures can be taken on the architecture side to deal with them. After discussing the concept of agility, it is argued that some degree of de-centrality might be unavoidable in turbulent business environment due to the very nature of BI. In a series of case studies it is explored how the situation can be dealt with in a systematic manner. The results show that agility requirements can be effectively confined to areas more exposed to turbulence as long as the architecture is designed in a pertinent way -- and if it is supported by suitable organizational measures.
An 800MHz 320mW 16-core processor with message-passing and shared-memory inter-core communication mechanisms

Almost all multicore processors use a shared-memory architecture due to its simple programming model. Recently, however, the message-passing mechanism is also drawing attention due to its potentially better scalability. In this work, we demonstrate that a hybrid communication mechanism supporting both message passing and shared memory can provide both higher performance and energy efficiency. This 16-core processor has 3 key features: (1) A cluster-based hierarchical architecture supporting both shared-memory and message-passing communication. (2) A cache-free memory hierarchy with an extended register file, small private memory and moderate shared memory to avoid complex cache coherence issues and achieve high energy efficiency by keeping data accesses local. (3) A hardware-aided mailbox mechanism to accelerate the synchronization procedure between different processor nodes. With these techniques, our multicore processor can provide high performance for many applications. Chip test results show that its maximum clock frequency is 800MHz and typical power consumption is 320mW, when running basic applications with clock gating at 1.2V at room temperature.
Long-Term Capital Budgeting and Incentive Mechanism

We study the optimal dynamic mechanism for capital budgeting and managerial compensation in a firm that consists of two divisions. Division managers privately observe the characteristics of their own project, which govern the evolution of the project types, and the project’s subsequent profitability. At the same time, managers supply costly efforts to run the projects. The optimal mechanism incorporates the distortion driven by persistent private information and the production complementarity among the divisions. The headquarters should commit to investment policy that excludes or terminates projects, and controls the growth rate and volatility of project scales. With proportional distortions, the investment for good projects grows faster but is more volatile. In addition, we show that a linear contract implements the optimal investment and effort policy in an ex-post equilibrium, and the evolution of the power of incentives depends on the nature of initial private information. When a manager's private information generates decreasing distortion, her pay-performance sensitivity grows stronger over time, and the headquarters provides incentives through firm-level pay instead of divisional-level pay.
Financial integration in the European Union. Measurement and determination

The first part of this study addresses the measurement of financial integration in the European Union (EU). First, we present empirical evidence on the degree of financial integration as measured with interest parity conditions. Second, the study applies an error-correction model of saving-investment correlations to assess the degree of financial integration. Third, we examine the relationship between returns on financial assets and consumption growth rates across countries to test for the degree of financial integration. The second part of the study considers the determinants of financial integration and the incidence of nonresident interest withholding taxation. Particularly, we discuss relevant measures of the intensity of capital controls and go into the underlying determinants of the intensity of capital controls in the EU. Finally, we are concerned with the incidence of nonresident interest withholding taxes in the international 3-month Treasury bill market and the international 5-year government debt market.
Theme Park Investments: How to Beat the Average - A Case Study from the Netherlands

: European theme parks invest approximately 10 percent of their yearly turnover into new rides and park improvements. Without these investments these parks assume not to be a very competitive and appealing daytrip for their target audiences. However, the impact of investments in attracting new visitors is not well-known and seems to differ dramatically between parks. This paper presents a case study from the Netherlands in which a small amusement park applied a suggested, not yet proven, investment method. The results of the investment are discussed in (a) the form of return on investment and (b) the success of the predictions with regard to this investment. Suggestions for future research are presented.
Cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer risk in Germany: A population‐based case–control study

Studies have shown fairly consistent positive relationships between smoking and risk of colorectal adenomas, but have yielded inconsistent results for colorectal cancer. Issues relating to the duration, cumulative dose of smoking and the effect of smoking cessation on colorectal cancer risk still need clarification. In a population‐based case–control study in Germany, we recruited 540 incident cases of colorectal cancer and 614 controls matched to cases by sex, 5‐year age groups and county of residence from January 2003 to June 2004. Subjects were aged ≥30 years, and provided information on risk factors of colorectal cancer, including lifetime cigarette smoking habits, in personal interviews. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using conditional logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with nonsmokers, there was an increased risk for smoking for ≥30 years (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.90–1.75) and a significant risk increase for ≥40 pack‐years of smoking (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.13–3.28). Stratification by sex yielded higher risk estimates among females than that among males, with adjusted ORs of 3.5 (95% CI: 1.29–9.52) and 1.15 (0.69–1.91) for women and men, respectively, following ≥30 pack‐years of smoking (pinteraction = 0.18). Among smokers, risk reduction was observed after ≥20 years of quitting smoking and was significant for ≥40 years (OR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.21–0.98), when compared to current smokers (p for linear trend = 0.05). This study supports the hypothesis that smoking for a long duration at a high cumulative dose increases the risk for colorectal cancer, particularly among women, and suggests that there is risk reduction after longterm smoking cessation. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microbiological factors associated with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: protective effect of early antibiotic treatment

Aim: The incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) strongly increased in an neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 1997 and 1998 compared with previous years, which coincided with increased incidence of nosocomial sepsis. Specific risk factors related to this NICU and a possible relationship between NEC and nosocomial sepsis were studied retrospectively, including all patients with NEC since 1990 and matched controls. Methods: Clinical and bacteriological data from the period before the development of NEC and a similar period for the controls were collected retrospectively and corrected for birthweight and gestational age. Statistical analysis was performed by a stepwise regression model. Results: Data of 104 neonates with NEC and matched controls were analysed. The median day of onset of NEC was 12 d (range 1–63 d). Significant risk factors for NEC were: insertion of a peripheral artery catheter [odds ratio (OR) 2.3, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3‐3.9] and a central venous catheter (OR 5.6, 95% CI 3.1‐10.1), colonization with Klebsiella sp. (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5‐7.5) and Escherichia coli (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.CM1.5), and the occurrence of sepsis, in particular due to coagulase‐negative staphylococci (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4‐5.1). The risk for NEC was decreased after the early use (<48h after birth) of amoxicillin‐clavulanate and gentamicin (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2‐0.6).
An Analysis of the Valuation Practices in Sell-Side Equity Analyst Reports Regarding the Banking & Pharmaceutical Sectors in United Kingdom

This study employs a structured, positive approach to investigating the choices of financial analysts for valuation models in their reports on firms drawn from the banking and pharmaceutical sectors in UK. It examines 141, sell-side analysts’ equity reports issued by international brokerage houses, covering 9 banking and 15 pharmaceutical firms listed on the London Stock Exchange. It provides a descriptive analysis of the range of valuation models appearing in these reports and the factors that drive analysts’ choices. It postulates and tests four, discrete hypotheses related to their preferences for specific valuation methods and the variations of these across the two sectors. The statistical analysis performed on these hypotheses leads to the following conclusions: firstly, valuation by single-period comparatives is more often in the banking than the pharmaceutical industry. The valuation models financial analysts most often adopt as dominant are the PE multiple and the multi-period DCF model. Analysts do not include dividends in the value-relevant features of banking firms they seek to predict and base their valuations on; the dividend yield along with the DDM and GGM models only seldom appear as dominant in analysts’ banking reports. Finally, the different nature of assets comprising the firms of the two sectors does not seem to induce a variation in the methodologies analysts adopt when valuing them; it is their expertise as well as investors’ familiarity with certain valuation models that appear to lead their choices instead. These findings shed additional light on the available knowledge on this topic area so far and constitute the basis for further and deeper research on analysts’ valuation methodologies.
Network power: an international study of strengthening housing association capacity

iii Acknowledgements . iv List of Figures . viii List of Tables. ix List of Boxes . xi Chapter 1: Introduction . 2 Purpose & Importance . 2 Research Questions . 4 Overview & Methods . 4 Literature Review & Contribution . 7 Chapter 2: Context . 9 2.1 Housing Association Origins . 10 Early Organisations . 11 Community Initiatives . 13 State Funding & Coordination . 15 2.2 Market-Orientated Expansion . 18 Public Sector Reform . 19 Innovative Financing . 21 Sector Restructuring . 26 Regulatory Controls . 28 2.3 Categorising Housing Associations . 36 The Third Sector . 37 Hybrid Models . 40 2.4 Conclusions . 42 Chapter 3: City Regions . 44 3.1 San Francisco Bay Area . 46 Affordability Challenges . 48 Public housing & HOPE VI . 49 Tenure Mix . 50 Housing Associations . 51 3.2 Metropolitan Melbourne.56 Housing Affordability . 58 Partnership Working at VicUrban . 59 Public Housing Renewal. 60
Peripheral prostanoid levels and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug analgesia: Replicate clinical trials in a tissue injury model

Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) analgesia is generally attributed to peripheral suppression of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, leading to decreased products of the arachidonic acid cascade. This study evaluated the in vivo relationship between levels of prostanoids at the site of tissue injury and analgesia aftersystemic or local NSAID administration in a clinical model of tissue injury.
Innovative technologies for point‐of‐care testing of viral hepatitis in low‐resource and decentralized settings

According to the Global Burden of Diseases, chronic viral hepatitis B and C are one of the most challenging global health conditions that rank among the first causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Low‐ and middle‐income countries are particularly affected by the health burden associated with HBV or HCV infection. One major gap in efficiently addressing the issue of viral hepatitis is universal screening. However, the costs and chronic lack of human resources for using traditional screening strategies based on serology and molecular biology preclude any scaling‐up. Point‐of‐care tests have been deemed a powerful potential solution to fill the current diagnostics gap in low‐resource and decentralized settings. Despite high interest resulting from their development in recent years, very few point‐of‐care devices have reached the market. Scaling down and automating all testing steps in 1 single device (eg, sample preparation, detection and readout) is indeed challenging. But innovations in multiple disciplines such as nanotechnologies, microfluidics, biosensors and synthetic biology have led to the creation of chip‐sized laboratory systems called “lab‐on‐a‐chip” devices. This review aims to explain how these innovations can overcome technological barriers that usually arise for each testing step while developing integrated point‐of‐care tests. Point‐of‐care test prototypes rarely meet the requirements for mass production, which also hinders their large‐scale production. In addition to logistical hurdles, legal and economic constraints specific to the commercialization of in vitro diagnostics, which have also participated in the low transfer of innovative point‐of‐care tests to the field, are discussed.
Evidence of Credit Risk Contagion Between Corporate and Financial Sectors

 We propose a copula-GARCH framework to analyze the credit risk dependence structure between the European corporate and financial sectors. Empirical study is conducted on two representative iTraxx indices. In order to better capture the dynamic behavior of dependence we allow copula parameters to be time-varying by specifying them as a function of past values and standardized score of the copula log-likelihood. The results obtained indicate a time-varying dependence structure with statistically significant tail dependence coefficients supporting the existence of credit risk contagion effects. Goodness-of-fit tests are used to indicate which model is closest to the true conditional copula. Our findings provide further evidence supporting the interconnectivity of credit risk between corporates and financial institutions operating on the European
Spontaneous Differentiation of Murine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Adipocytes without Malignant Transformation after Long-Term Culture

Some observations have suggested that extensive culture of adult stem cells can lead to malignant transformation. Therefore, it has become commonplace to use stem cells undergoing little or no in vitro culture to circumvent this presumptive limitation. Recently, a detailed study documented that malignant transformation of adult neural stem cells can be avoided under suitable culture conditions. Here, we report the first demonstration that murine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bMSCs) were propagated in vitro for up to 50 passages without any transformation sign under suitable conditions. However, it must be noted that although the long-term cultured bMSCs were comparable with short-term cultured bMSCs in proliferation, migration and invasion, they lost their pluripotent potential. The long-term cultured bMSCs could only differentiate into adipocytes but not into osteocytes or chondrocytes. In conclusion, murine bMSCs can be propagated in vitro for up to 50 passages with no malignant transformation sign under suitable conditions, but how to sustain their pluripotent potential requires further investigation.
Confianza in Peru overcomes adversity by diversifying loan portfolio

Confianza is a small regulated microfinance institution in central Peru that today provides agricultural loans alongside a range of rural, urban, small business, housing, and consumer loans to low-income clients. From its beginnings as an Inter-American Development Bank-funded NGO program in 1993 until becoming a regulated microfinance provider in 1999, Confianza's loan portfolio was almost exclusively devoted to solidarity group loans for agricultural purposes. When a combination of factors, including plunging commodity prices, led to an arrears rate of over 50 percent in 1999, Confianza was forced to make a set of swift, substantial changes in order to survive.
Effects of 25-Hydroxycholesterol on Cholesterol Esterification and Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein Processing Are Dissociable

The regulatory pool of cholesterol is located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is key to how mammalian cells sense and respond to changes in cellular cholesterol levels. The extent of cholesterol esterification by the ER-resident protein, acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyl-transferase (ACAT), has become the standard method for monitoring cholesterol transport to the ER and is assumed to reflect the regulatory pool of ER cholesterol. The oxysterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), is thought to trigger intracellular cholesterol transport to the ER. In support of this contention, we confirmed previous reports that 25HC activates cholesterol esterification and is a potent suppressor of the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) pathway. Processing of the ER membrane-bound SREBP into a soluble transcription factor is controlled by cholesterol levels in the ER. In this study, we addressed whether or not cholesterol esterification necessarily reflects cholesterol movement to the cholesterol homeostatic machinery in the ER as determined by SREBP processing. We found that three agents that inhibited the ability of 25HC to induce cholesterol esterification (progesterone, nigericin, and monensin) did not have a corresponding effect on 25HC suppression of SREBP processing. Moreover, ACAT inhibition did not alter the sensitivity of SREBP processing to 25HC. Therefore, cholesterol esterification by the ER-resident protein ACAT is dissociable from cholesterol transport to the cholesterol homeostatic machinery in the ER. In light of our results, we question the security of previous work that has inferred cholesterol transport to the ER regulatory pool based solely on cholesterol esterification.
Toxic Effects of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate on Metabolic Activity, Growth Rate, and Microcolony Formation ofNitrosomonas and Nitrosospira Strains

ABSTRACT Strong inhibitory effects of the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) on four strains of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are reported. TwoNitrosospira strains were considerably more sensitive to LAS than two Nitrosomonas strains were. Interestingly, the two Nitrosospira strains showed a weak capacity to remove LAS from the medium. This could not be attributed to adsorption or any other known physical or chemical process, suggesting that biodegradation of LAS took place. In each strain, the metabolic activity (50% effective concentration [EC50], 6 to 38 mg liter−1) was affected much less by LAS than the growth rate and viability (EC50, 3 to 14 mg liter−1) were. However, at LAS levels that inhibited growth, metabolic activity took place only for 1 to 5 days, after which metabolic activity also ceased. The potential for adaptation to LAS exposure was investigated with Nitrosomonas europaea grown at a sublethal LAS level (10 mg liter−1); compared to control cells, preexposed cells showed severely affected cell functions (cessation of growth, loss of viability, and reduced NH4+ oxidation activity), demonstrating that long-term incubation at sublethal LAS levels was also detrimental. Our data strongly suggest that AOB are more sensitive to LAS than most heterotrophic bacteria are, and we hypothesize that thermodynamic constraints make AOB more susceptible to surfactant-induced stress than heterotrophic bacteria are. We further suggest that AOB may comprise a sensitive indicator group which can be used to determine the impact of LAS on microbial communities.