LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of alliance portfolio complexity and its effect on innovative performance of companies

Alliance formation is often described as a mechanism used by firms to increase voluntary knowledge transfers. Access to external knowledge has been increasingly recognized as a main source of a firm’s innovativeness. In this paper we examine decisions to form alliance portfolios of foreign and domestic partners by three groups of firms: innovators (firms that are successful in introducing new products to the market), imitators (firms that are successful at introducing new products, which are not new to the market) and product non-innovators. We consider an alliance portfolio that includes different partnership types (competitor, customer, supplier, university/research center). We develop a measure of portfolio complexity which we define as the number and diversity of elements of the alliance portfolio with which a firm must interact. We then estimate models that explain portfolio complexity and its impact on firm’s innovative performance. Using panel data on more than 1800 firms in the Netherlands we find that foremost innovators have a strong propensity to form portfolios consisting of international alliances. Being an innovator or imitator also increases the propensity to form a portfolio of domestic alliances, relative to non-innovators; but this propensity is not stronger for innovators. Innovators appear to derive benefit from both intensive (exploitative) and broad (explorative) use of external information sources. The former sourcing is more important for innovators, while the latter for imitators. Finally, alliance complexity is found to have an inverse U-shape relationship to innovative performance.
n + p → d + γ in effective field theory

Abstract The radiative capture process n + p → d + γ provides clear evidence for meson exchange currents in nuclear physics. We compute this process at low energies using a recently developed power counting for the effective field theory that describes nucleon-nucleon interactions. The leading order contribution to this process comes from the photon coupling to the nucleon magnetic moments. At subleading order there are other contributions. Among these are graphs where the photon couples directly to pions, i.e. meson exchange currents. These diagrams are divergent and require the presence of a local four-nucleon-one-photon counterterm. The coefficient of this operator is determined by the measured cross section, σ expt = 334.2±0.5 mb, for incident neutrons with speed | v | = 2200 m/s.
Alterations in protein-DNA interactions in the gamma-globin gene promoter in response to butyrate therapy.

The mechanisms by which pharmacologic agents stimulate gamma-globin gene expression in beta-globin disorders has not been fully established at the molecular level. In studies described here, nucleated erythroblasts were isolated from patients with beta-globin disorders before and with butyrate therapy, and globin biosynthesis, mRNA, and protein-DNA interactions were examined. Expression of gamma-globin mRNA increased twofold to sixfold above baseline with butyrate therapy in 7 of 8 patients studied. A 15% to 50% increase in gamma-globin protein synthetic levels above baseline gamma globin ratios and a relative decrease in beta-globin biosynthesis were observed in responsive patients. Extensive new in vivo footprints were detected in erythroblasts of responsive patients in four regions of the gamma-globin gene promoter, designated butyrate-response elements gamma 1-4 (BRE-G1-4). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays using BRE-G1 sequences as a probe demonstrated that new binding of two erythroid-specific proteins and one ubiquitous protein, alphaCP2, occurred with treatment in the responsive patients and did not occur in the nonresponder. The BRE-G1 sequence conferred butyrate inducibility in reporter gene assays. These in vivo protein-DNA interactions in human erythroblasts in which gamma-globin gene expression is being altered strongly suggest that nuclear protein binding, including alphaCP2, to the BRE-G1 region of the gamma-globin gene promoter mediates butyrate activity on gamma-globin gene expression.
Factors governing diffusing molecular signals in brain extracellular space

Volume transmission involving the migration of chemical signals through brain extracellular space is primarily mediated by diffusion. This review summarizes the biophysical basis of diffusion in the brain and describes how tortuosity and volume fraction of the extracellular space modify the process. Recent work using both Monte Carlo simulation and experimental measurements suggests that the extracellular space may consist of both well-connected regions and dead-space microdomains. The review concludes with a brief overview of previous work on diffusion in the aging rat brain.
Nested Dilation Network (NDN) for Multi-Task Medical Image Segmentation

The deep convolutional network has shown excellent performance in medical image analysis. However, almost all network variants are presented for one specific task, e.g., segment pancreas on computerized tomography (CT). In this paper, we propose a nested dilation network (NDN) which is applied to multiple segmentation tasks even for different modalities, including CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and endoscopic images. We design residual blocks nested with dilations (RnD Blocks) that catch larger receptive field in the first few layers to boost shallow semantic information. Besides, we apply the modified focal loss to help the network to provide more accurate segmentation results. We evaluate our method on five subtasks from medical segmentation decathlon challenge and GIANA2018, and the results show that our method achieves a better performance than the latest methods in each task. A lot of research works have been done recently to strengthen the learning power of the convolutional neural network (CNN) to get better performance.
Modelling the light quark vacuum

The triumphs of the Standard Model of Particle Physics call attention upon an old idea, that the so-called vacuum is an accessible physical medium, and not just a tautology. 
I take this idea as a serious working hypothesis, and I suggest a new way of trying to define and understand the structure of the light quark vacuum within the general framework of the Standard Model.
Temporal similarity by measuring possibilistic uncertainty in CBR

Similarity is an essential concept in case-based reasoning (CBR). In domains in which time plays a relevant role, CBR systems require good temporal similarity measures to compare cases. Temporal cases are traditionally represented by a set of temporal features, defining time series and temporal event sequences. In the particular situation where these features are not homogeneous (i.e. combination of qualitative and quantitative information), systems find difficulties in performing the CBR cycle. Furthermore, temporal similarity measures cannot directly apply the efficient time series techniques, requiring new approaches to deal with these heterogeneous sequences. To this end, recent proposals are focused on direct matching between pairs of features within sequences, mainly based on classical distances. However, three limitations to the traditional approaches have been identified: (1) they do not consider the implicit temporal relations amongst all features of the sequence (ignoring a large amount of temporal information); (2) they ignore the uncertainty produced in any process of analogy; (3) they are designed to compare pairs of sequences, limiting their use to basic aspects of the Retrieval step of CBR (no benefits on other CBR steps). Temporal constraint networks have proved to be useful tools for temporal representation and reasoning, and can be easily extended to manage imprecision and uncertainty. An approach to solve similarity problems could be the transformation of these heterogeneous sequences into uncertain temporal relations, obtaining a temporal constraint network. The overall uncertainty of this network can be considered as an effective indicator of the sequences similarity. Therefore, this paper proposes a non-classical approach to measure temporal similarity of cases which are heterogeneous temporal event sequences. Given two or more sequences, the temporal similarity is measured by describing a unique temporal scenario of possibilistic temporal relations and calculating the uncertainty produced. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Carbon Nanotube Chemical and Mechanical Sensors

A single-walled carbon nanotube (SW-CNT) is a nano scale tube formed by a cylindrical shell of single atomic layer of carbon atoms. Nanotubes have diameter of a few nm and length up to 100μm so that they form extremely thin wires. The atomic structure of SWCNT can be formed by wrapping a stripe of single atomic layer of graphite sheet along a certain direction, and this direction determines the diameter and chirality of the nanotubes. Experimental and theoretical studies have found that these nano-meter sized CNTs have novel electronic properties, which can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on their radius or chiralities [1-6]. Nanotubes can be used as electronic wire between two metal electrodes as shown in Fig. 1, and the conductance between the electrodes can be measured as a function of the gate bias voltage. Since the nanotube electronic property is a strong function of its atomic structure, mechanical deformations [7-8] or chemical doping can induce strong changes in conductance. Such changes can be easily detected by electron current signals, and these properties make CNTs extremely small sensors sensitive to their chemical and mechanical environments. In this paper, we present our theoretical and experimental studies on the subject of using SW-CNT as chemical and mechanical sensors.
Value of age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF score) in assessing risk in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions in the 'All-Comers' LEADERS trial.

BACKGROUND
The age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score (age/left ventricular ejection fraction+1 if creatinine >2.0 mg/dL) has been established as an effective predictor of clinical outcomes in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery; however, its utility in "all-comer" patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention is yet unexplored.


METHODS AND RESULTS
The ACEF score was calculated for 1208 of the 1707 patients enrolled in the LEADERS trial. Post hoc analysis was performed by stratifying clinical outcomes at the 1-year follow-up according to ACEF score tertiles: ACEF(low) ≤1.0225, 1.0225< ACEF(mid) ≤1.277, and ACEF(high) >1.277. At 1-year follow-up, there was a significantly lower number of patients with major adverse cardiac event-free survival in the highest tertile of the ACEF score (ACEF(low)=92.1%, ACEF(mid)=89.5%, and ACEF(high)=86.1%; P=0.0218). Cardiac death was less frequent in ACEF(low) than in ACEF(mid) and ACEF(high) (0.7% vs 2.2% vs 4.5%; hazard ratio=2.22, P=0.002) patients. Rates of myocardial infarction were significantly higher in patients with a high ACEF score (6.7% for ACEF(high) vs 5.2% for ACEF(mid) and 2.5% for ACEF(low); hazard ratio=1.6, P=0.006). Clinically driven target-vessel revascularization also tended to be higher in the ACEF(high) group, but the difference among the 3 groups did not reach statistical significance. The rate of composite definite, possible, and probable stent thrombosis was also higher in the ACEF(high) group (ACEF(low)=1.2%, ACEF(mid)=3.5%, and ACEF(high)=6.2%; hazard ratio=2.04, P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
ACEF score may be a simple way to stratify risk of events in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention with respect to mortality and risk of myocardial infarction.
Design and evaluation of Mina: A robotic orthosis for paraplegics

Mobility options for persons suffering from paraplegia or paraparesis are limited to mainly wheeled devices. There are significant health, psychological, and social consequences related to being confined to a wheelchair. We present the Mina, a robotic orthosis for assisting mobility, which offers a legged mobility option for these persons. Mina is an overground robotic device that is worn on the back and around the legs to provide mobility assistance for people suffering from paraplegia or paraparesis. Mina uses compliant actuation to power the hip and knee joints. For paralyzed users, balance is provided with the assistance of forearm crutches. This paper presents the evaluation of Mina with two paraplegics (SCI ASIA-A). We confirmed that with a few hours of training and practice, Mina is currently able to provide paraplegics walking mobility at speeds of up to 0.20 m/s. We further confirmed that using Mina is not physically taxing and requires little cognitive effort, allowing the user to converse and maintain eye contact while walking.1
Routine versus selective abdominal computed tomography scan in the evaluation of right lower quadrant pain: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the role of abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain. The authors hypothesized that selective use of abdominal CT would reduce imaging without increasing the rates of negative appendectomy and perforated appendicitis.


METHODS
A prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted in a community teaching emergency department. Adult patients with acute RLQ abdominal pain with suspected acute appendicitis were included. Patients were randomized to mandatory (all patients) or selective (based on clinical evaluation) abdominal CT imaging. The primary outcome was the negative appendectomy rate.


RESULTS
A total of 152 patients were randomized to selective (n = 80) and mandatory (n = 72) intervention groups. The mean (+/-SD) age was 34.1 (+/-3.5) years, and 48% were female. CT imaging was performed in 54 of 80 patients (68%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 56% to 78%) in the selective group and in 70 of 72 patients (97%; 95% CI = 90% to 100%) in the mandatory group. There was a trend to a decreased rate of negative appendectomy in the mandatory group (1/39 [2.6%]; 95% CI = 0.5% to 13.2%) as compared with the selective group (6/43 [13.9%]; 95% CI = 6.6% to 27.3%), with a difference in prevalence rates of 11.3% (95% CI = -3.5% to 26.3%). There was also a trend to a decreased perforated appendix rate in the mandatory group (4/39 [10.3%]) as compared with the selective group (7/38 [18.4%]), with a difference in prevalence rates of 8.2% (95% CI = -8.0% to 24.4%).


CONCLUSIONS
In this small sample of adult patients with RLQ abdominal pain and suspected acute appendicitis, CT imaging was performed less frequently in the selective group and there was a trend with mandatory CT imaging to reduced rates of negative appendectomy and perforated appendices.
Aortic atherosclerosis at middle age predicts cerebral white matter lesions in the elderly.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
MRI scans of the brains of elderly people frequently show white matter lesions. Clinically, these lesions are associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. A relation between atherosclerosis and white matter lesions was found in some small cross-sectional studies. However, atherosclerosis is a gradual process that starts early in life. We investigated the longitudinal association between aortic atherosclerosis assessed during midlife and late life and cerebral white matter lesions.


METHODS
We randomly sampled subjects between 60 and 90 years old from 2 population-based follow-up studies in which subjects had their baseline examinations in 1975 to 1978 (midlife) and in 1990 to 1993 (late life). In 1995 to 1996, subjects underwent 1.5-T MRI scanning; white matter lesions were rated in the deep subcortical and periventricular regions separately. Aortic atherosclerosis was assessed on abdominal radiographs that were obtained from 276 subjects in midlife and 531 subjects in late life.


RESULTS
The presence of aortic atherosclerosis during midlife was significantly associated with the presence of periventricular white matter lesions approximately 20 years later (adjusted relative risk, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.0); the relative risks increased linearly with the severity of aortic atherosclerosis. No association was found between midlife aortic atherosclerosis and subcortical white matter lesions (adjusted relative risk, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.5 to 2.3) or between late-life aortic atherosclerosis and white matter lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
The pathogenetic process that leads to cerebral periventricular white matter lesions starts already in or before midlife. The critical period for intervention directed at prevention of white matter lesions and its cognitive consequences may be long before these lesions become clinically detectable.
Greedy Strikes Back: Improved Facility Location Algorithms

A fundamental facility location problem is to choose the location of facilities, such as industrial plants and warehouses, to minimize the cost of satisfying the demand for some commodity. There are associated costs for locating the facilities, as well as transportation costs for distributing the commodities. Thii problem is commonly referred to as the uncapacitated facility location problem. Applications to bank account location and clustering, as well as many related pieces of work, are discussed by Cornuejols, Nemhauser, and Wolsey [2]. Recently, the first constant factor approximation algorithm for this problem was obtained by Shmoys, Tardos and Aardal [14]. We show that a simple greedy heuristic combined with the Shmoys, Tardos and Aardal algorithm [14], can be used to derive a better approximation guarantee. We discuss a few variants of the problem, demonstrating better approximation factors for restricted versions of the problem. We also show that the problem is Max SNP-hard. However, the inapproximability constants derived from the Max SNP hardness are very close to one. By relating this problem to Set Cover, we can prove a better lower bound on the best possible approximation ratio.
Active Ankle Movements Prevent Formation of Lower-Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis After Orthopedic Surgery

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the preventive value of active ankle movements in the formation of lower-extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT), attempting to develop a new method for rehabilitation nursing after orthopedic surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly assigned 193 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery in the lower limbs into a case group (n=96) and a control group (n=97). The control group received routine nursing while the case group performed active ankle movements in addition to receiving routine nursing. Maximum venous outflow (MVO), maximum venous capacity (MVC), and blood rheology were measured and the incidence of DVT was recorded. RESULTS On the 11th and 14th days of the experiment, the case group had significantly higher MVO and MVC than the control group (all P<0.05). The whole-blood viscosity at high shear rate and the plasma viscosity were significantly lower in the case group than in the control group on the 14th day (both P<0.05). During the experiment, a significantly higher overall DVT incidence was recorded in the control group (8 with asymptomatic DVT) compared with the case group (1 with asymptomatic DVT) (P=0.034). During follow-up, the case group presented a significantly lower DVT incidence (1 with symptomatic DVT and 4 with asymptomatic DVT) than in the control group (5 with symptomatic DVT and 10 with asymptomatic DVT) (P=0.031). CONCLUSIONS Through increasing MVO and MVC and reducing blood rheology, active ankle movements may prevent the formation of lower-extremity DVT after orthopedic surgery.
Interactive Read Alouds: Teachers and Students Constructing Knowledge and Literacy Together.

Interactive read alouds are important learning opportunities for emergent readers because teachers and peers can actively model and scaffold comprehension strategies, engage readers, and cultivate a community of learners. Using data from a 9 month ethnographic study in an urban kindergarten classroom, this article describes how the teacher’s approach facilitated rich interaction in the classroom as students read and made sense of stories together. Findings of this study demonstrate how interactive read alouds were important learning opportunities for emergent readers because they provided opportunities for open-ended responses combined with specific reading instruction. The interactive read alouds created a space where meaning was constructed through dialogue and classroom interaction, providing an opportunity for children to respond to literature in a way that builds on their strengths and extends their knowledge.
The analgesic effect of morphine on postoperative pain in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND
Many clinical and experimental studies have suggested that diabetes or hyperglycemia alter opioid responsiveness. However, little information is available on the effects of diabetes mellitus on opioid requirements in the postoperative period.


METHODS
Sixty-four patients scheduled for elective, total abdominal hysterectomy were included into this prospective study to evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus on morphine requirement in the postoperative period. A loading dose of morphine (50 micro g kg(-1)) was administered in the perioperative period. Postoperative analgesia consisted of intravenous morphine-PCA. No analgesic other than morphine was allowed during the study. In cases of inadequate analgesia intravenous 1 mg of morphine was given as a rescue analgesic. Cumulative morphine consumption, pain scores and morphine-related adverse effects were recorded.


RESULTS
A total of 60 patients were evaluated: Group D, 30; and Group ND, 30. Patients in Group D received more morphine than those in Group ND (54.12 +/- 25.09 and 42.66 +/- 20.67, respectively). The difference in cumulative morphine consumption was higher in the first hour (P = 0.037) in diabetic patients and they required significantly more morphine in the last 24 h (P = 0.015). Postoperative pain scores were higher in the diabetic group. More patients in the diabetic group required rescue medication (26 vs. 19) and felt nauseous (25 vs. 14; P = 0.003).


CONCLUSION
The findings of the study appear to support experimental and clinical impressions that the analgesic effect of morphine is attenuated in hyperglycemic conditions. Therefore, larger doses of morphine may be administered to diabetic patients for effective postoperative analgesia.