Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the role of knowledge in alliance performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that following from the premise that knowledge comprises the fundamental source of competitive advantage, this study provides results of a meta‐analysis that examines whether and how alliance performance is influenced by the role knowledge plays in a strategic alliance.Design/methodology/approach – Meta‐analysis is employed as the driving methodology in this study. The meta‐analysis approach permits the literature on interfirm knowledge management to be reviewed and synthesized such that the role of knowledge in the alliance, environmental risk, and alliance performance can be thoroughly and validly investigated.Findings – The findings suggest that the level of risk associated with the environment in which the alliance partners join forces does not moderate the relationship between the various “roles” of knowledge and alliance performance, whereas the magnitude and type of interfirm cohesiveness enjoyed or endured by the alliance participants does materially .
The Efficacy of Galaxy Shape Parameters in Photometric Redshift Estimation: A Neural Network Approach

We present a determination of the effects of including galaxy morphological parameters in photometric redshift estimation with an artificial neural network method. Neural networks, which recognize patterns in the information content of data in an unbiased way, can be a useful estimator of the additional information contained in extra parameters, such as those describing morphology, if the input data are treated on an equal footing. We use imaging and five band photometric magnitudes from the All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). It is shown that certain principal components of the morphology information are correlated with galaxy type. However, we find that for the data used the inclusion of morphological information does not have a statistically significant benefit for photometric redshift estimation with the techniques employed here. The inclusion of these parameters may result in a tradeoff between extra information and additional noise, with the additional noise becoming more dominant as more parameters are added.
Hypersonic Flow over a Cylinder with a Nanosecond Pulse Electrical Discharge

A computational study of Mach 5 airflow over a cylinder with a dielectric barrier discharge actuator was performed. The actuator was pulsed at nanosecond time scales and it rapidly added thermal energy to the flow, creating a shock wave that traveled away from the pulse source. As the shock wave traveled upstream, it interacted with the standing bow shock, and temporarily increased the bow shock standoff distance. This phenomenon was also observed experimentally through phase-locked schlieren photography. This paper aims to reproduce flow phenomena observed in the experiment using high-fidelity computations in order to provide additional insight into the shock–shock interaction, and subsequent effect on the cylinder, through a reduced-order phenomenological model of the actuator. A three-dimensional simulation of the experiment was able to accurately capture the complex cylinder/tunnel-sidewall interaction, and to replicate the changes in the flow produced by the nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge. T.
Dynamics of Obscurin Localization During Differentiation and Remodeling of Cardiac Myocytes: Obscurin as an Integrator of Myofibrillar Structure

Obscurin is a newly identified giant muscle protein whose functions remain to be elucidated. In this study we used high-resolution confocal microscopy to examine the dynamics of obscurin localization in cultures of rat cardiac myocytes during the assembly and disassembly of myofibrils. Double immunolabeling of neonatal and adult rat cells for obscurin and sarcomeric α-actinin, the major protein of Z-lines, demonstrated that, during myofibrillogenesis, obscurin is intensely incorporated into M-band areas of A-bands and, to a lesser extent, in Z-lines of newly formed sarcomeres. Presarcomeric structural precursors of myofibrils were intensely immunopositive for α-actinin and, unlike mature myofibrils, weakly immunopositive or immunonegative for obscurin. This indicates that most of the obscurin assembles in developing myofibrils after abundant incorporation of α-actinin and that massive integration of obscurin occurs at more advanced stages of sarcomere assembly. Immunoreactivity for obscurin in the middle of A-bands and in Z-lines of sarcomeres bridged the gaps between individual bundles of newly formed myofibrils, suggesting that this protein appears to be directly involved in their primary lateral connection and registered alignment into larger clusters. Close sarcomeric localization of obscurin and titin suggests that they may interact during myofibril assembly. Interestingly, the laterally aligned striated pattern of obscurin formed at a stage when desmin, traditionally considered as a molecular linker responsible for the lateral binding and stabilization of myofibrils at the Z-bands, was still diffusely localized. During the disassembly of the contractile system in adult myocytes, disappearance of the cross-striated pattern of obscurin preceded the disorganization of registered alignment and intense breakdown of myofibrils. The cross-striated pattern of desmin typical of terminally differentiated myocytes disappeared before or simultaneously with obscurin. During redifferentiation, as in neonatal myocytes, sarcomeric incorporation of obscurin closely followed that of α-actinin and occurred earlier than the striated arrangement of desmin intermediate filaments. The presence of obscurin in the Z-lines and its later assembly into the A/M-bands indicate that it may serve to stabilize and align sarcomeric structure when myosin filaments are incorporated. Our data suggest that obscurin, interacting with other muscle proteins and possibly with the sarcoplasmic reticulum, may have a role as a flexible structural integrator of myofibrils during assembly and adaptive remodeling of the contractile apparatus.
The Effect of Changes in Index Constitution: Evidence from the Korean Stock Market

This paper examines the effect of changes in the KOSPI 200 index. We find evidence of permanent price effects and partial return reversal for the event stocks. Trading volumes tend to significantly increase during the event period and remain relatively higher than before the event. We also find some evidence of the existence of anticipatory trading effect before the effective dates and volatility effect. The results show that the abnormal return still exists even after adopting factor models and excluding newly added stocks. The indexing methodology of KOSPI 200 conveys the valuable information that the added stocks showed good performance and better earnings relative to the market average and the deleted stocks showed vice versa. In conclusion, member changes in the KOSPI 200 index are not information-free events.
NetBill: An Internet commerce system optimized for network delivered services

NetBill is a business model, set of protocols, and software implementation for supporting commerce in information goods and other network delivered services. It has very low transaction costs for micropayments (around 1 cent for a 10cent item), protects the privacy of the transaction, and is highly scalable. Of special interest is our new certified delivery mechanism which delivers information goods if and only if the customer has payed for them. This paper discusses the design of the NetBill protocol and our World Wide Web (WWW) prototype implementation.
EFFECT OF DUST ON THE RESPIRATORY HEALTH OF STREET SWEEPERS IN BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACTAim: To determine the effects of dust on the respiratory health of street sweepers in Benin City.Methodology: The study was carried out in Benin City. A total of 46 sweepers were interviewed using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using statistical package for scientific solution (IBM-SPSS version 21.0). Chi square test and fisher’s exact test were used where appropriate and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Results were presented in tables and charts.Result: It was found that 80.5% of the sweepers were in the age group 20-49 years. About two-third of the respondents were females and the majority of the sweepers have primary level of education or lesser.Majority of the respondents suffered from cough and catarrh, while other symptoms had by the respondents include phlegm production, chest pain, sneezing, difficulty in breathing, noisy breathing, and nose irritation. In addition, about two-third of the respondents had good knowledge of respiratory problems. Also the majority of the respondents used PPEs, though the usage was found to be irregular and infrequent.Conclusion: The high prevalence of respiratory symptoms among the street sweepers could be attributable to undue dust inhalation while sweeping.
Pengaruh Pendapatan Murabahah dan Ijarah Terhadap Profitabilitas

This study aims to determine the development of the income murabahah, ijarah and profitability to research the influence of it at PT. Bank Syariah Mandiri. The method are used as descriptive and verification methods. The data are used secondary of financial statements in 2013-2015 with documendation data and literature study. In this design, it tests hypothesis using normality test, multocoloniarity, heterokedastisitas test, aoutocorrelation test, multiple linear regression equation, correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, t-test and F test. The results of this study has multiple linear regression equation Y = 1,661 – 0,038 X1 + 0,0015 X2, the correlation of value shows 53,5% which indicates between the income murabahah and ijarah to profitability. Income of Murabahah is negative effects of the profitabilitiy and it is not significant in a partial while ijarah influences positive effects and it is not significant in a patial of the profitability. TheIncome murabahah and ijarah affects the profitability simultan eously by 28,6% while the remaining is 71,4% whic is influenced by other factor not examined. For further research, it is recommended to conduct research in other factors that affects to the profitability.
Wigner time delay in photodetachment

This work was supported by the infrastructure and hospitality provided by the Director, IIT Tirupati. S.S. is thankful to IIT Patna for the hospitality and support he received during his visit to IIT Patna to do one part of the work. J.J. acknowledges the support provided by SERB through Project No. ECR/2016/001564. S.T. M. acknowledges the support provided by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, Grant No. DE-FG02- 03ER15428.
Governance Mechanisms in Global Development Environments

Governance has emerged in the last few years as critical to the success of software development, a result of an increased focus on team work. Governance of software teams includes practices of defining and executing decision rights and mechanisms to empower the development process to be governed. We report on an empirical survey of team members of global development projects in six companies. Using factor analysis, we classify four governance mechanisms as follows: governance definition, governance enactment, business awareness, and goal achievement. The results reveal among others that high levels of governance definition and goal achievement in a team are related to a lower level of team conflict. These significant relationships as well as the lack of significant relationships between the other governance mechanisms and team conflict, offers important insight into enhancing the effectiveness of global teams through governance.
The isotopic discrimination of copper in soil-plant systems: examining sources, uptake and translocation pathways

i Declaration.v Acknowledgements.vi Publications Arising from this Thesis.viii Statement of Authorship.ix Structure of Thesis.xi Chapter 1 Review of the Literature.1 Copper in the Soil Environment.2 Copper in Plants.7 Plant copper uptake and transport.7 Toxicity of copper in plants.14 Stable Isotopes.16 Background on stable isotopes and fractionation.16 Copper isotopic fractionation in the natural environment. 18 Stable isotopes as a tool for environmental forensics.22 The use of stable isotope fractionation to understand metal uptake mechanisms.24 Copper Isotopes in Soil-Plant Systems: A Conceptual Model.30 Conclusions.33 References.35 Chapter 2: Optimisation of Sample Preparation, Column Purification and Isotope Ratio Analysis Procedures.49 Introduction.50 Plant Digestion.52 Procedure 1.52 Procedure 2.53 Procedure 3.54 Summary.55 Copper Column Purification.56 Column purification procedure 1.60 Column purification procedure 2.66 Summary.69 Isotope Analysis by MC-ICP-MS.70 MC-ICP-MS methodology.71 Accuracy and precision of analysis.73 Interferences.74 Summary.76 Conclusions.78 References. 80 Chapter 3: Copper Isotope Fractionation during Equilibration with Natural and Synthetic Ligand.84 Abstract.86 Introduction.86 Materials and Methods.87 Chemicals and reagents.87 Free Cu separation using Donnan dialysis.87 Copper purification.88 Isotope analysis.88 Copper mass balance.88 Results and Discussion.88 References.91 Supporting Information.93 Chapter 4: Copper Isotope Fractionation during Adsorption to Root Cell Walls.95 Abstract.99 Introduction.100 Methods.104 Plant growth.104 Adsorption to seedling roots.104 Adsorption to four-week old plant roots.105 Assessment of root washing methods.106 Copper purification.107 Isotope analysis.108 Statistical analyses.110 Results and Discussion.110 Root adsorption.110 Root washing methods.113 References.116 Tables.121 Figures.123 Chapter 5: Copper Speciation and Isotopic Fractionation in Plants: Uptake and Translocation Mechanisms.126 Summary.129 Introduction.129 Materials and Methods.130 Hydroponic plant growth.130 Digestion of plant tissues.130 Copper purification.131 Copper isotope measurements.131 X-ray absorption spectroscopy.132 Statistical analysis.
Implementation of NICE Clinical Guideline 95 for assessment of stable chest pain in a rapid access chest pain clinic reduces the mean number of investigations and cost per patient

Objective In 2010, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK published Clinical Guideline 95 (CG95) advocating risk stratification of patients using ‘CADScore’ to guide appropriate cardiac investigations for chest pain of recent onset. Implementation of the guideline in the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was evaluated to see if it led to a reduction in the average cost of the diagnostic journey per patient and fewer investigations per patient in order to confirm a diagnosis. Methods This was a single centre study at a Tertiary Centre in Central London. The investigative journey for each patient presenting to the Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic (RACPC) at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was recorded. Retrospective analysis on this data was performed. Results Data for 4968 patients presenting to the RACPC from 2004 to 2012 was analysed and a size-matched cohort of 1503 patients preimplementation and postimplementation of the guidelines was compared. The mean cost of investigations postimplementation was £291.83 as compared to £319.54 preimplementation of the guidelines despite higher costs associated with some of the recommended initial investigations. The mean number of tests per patient postguidelines was 0.78 compared to 0.97 for preguidelines. An approximate twofold increase in patients not requiring tests was seen post-CG95 implementation (245 pre-CG95 vs 476 post-CG95). Conclusions The implementation of the NICE guidelines in our trust has reduced the average cost of the investigative journey and the number of investigations required per patient.
Surface Charge and the Association of Liposomes with Colon Carcinoma Cells

Abstract Interaction between the plasma membrane and aggregate lipid surface determines how efficiently the encapsulated drug will be delivered into the cell. Electrostatic interactions are one of the main forces affecting liposome and aggregate association with the charged cell surface. In this study, the effect of surface charge on the association of liposomes with human colon CX-1.1 cancer cells was studied. When phosphatidylserine was incorporated into a lipid bilayer, the amount of liposomes associated with cells tended to increase along with the amount of negatively charged lipid present in the liposomal lipid bilayer. When the cationic lipid dioleoyl-1,2-diacyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) was included into the liposome formula, their uptake by the cells was also increased. Maximum binding occurred when the amount of positively charged lipids in liposomes was about 10 mol% of lipids.
Mesothelin Overexpression Promotes Mesothelioma Cell Invasion and MMP-9 Secretion in an Orthotopic Mouse Model and in Epithelioid Pleural Mesothelioma Patients

Purpose: Mesothelin (MSLN) is a tumor-associated antigen, being investigated as a biomarker and therapeutic target in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The biologic function of MSLN overexpression in MPM is unknown. We hypothesized that MSLN may promote tumor invasion in MPM, a tumor characterized primarily by regional aggressiveness and rare distant metastases. Experimental Design: Human and murine MPM cells with MSLN forced expression and short hairpin RNA knockdown were examined for proliferation, invasion, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion. The influence of MSLN overexpression on MPM cell invasion was assessed in an orthotopic mouse model and in patient samples. Results: MSLN expression promotes MPM cell invasion and MMP secretion in both human and murine MPM cells. In an orthotopic MPM mouse model characterized by our laboratory, MPM cells with MSLN overexpression preferentially localized to the tumor invading edge, colocalized with MMP-9 expression, and promoted decreased survival without an increase in tumor burden progression. In a tissue microarray from epithelioid MPM patients (n = 139, 729 cores), MSLN overexpression correlated with higher MMP-9 expression at individual core level. Among stage III MPM patients (n = 72), high MSLN expression was observed in 26% of T2 tumors and 51% of T3 tumors. Conclusions: Our data provide evidence elucidating a biologic role for MSLN as a factor promoting tumor invasion and MMP-9 expression in MSLN expressing MPM. As regional invasion is the characteristic feature in MSLN expressing solid cancers (MPM, pancreas, and ovarian), our observations add rationale to studies investigating MSLN as a therapeutic target. Clin Cancer Res; 18(9); 2478–89. ©2012 AACR.
Impact of helminth infection on childhood allergic diseases in an area in transition from high to low infection burden

Background The effect of helminth infections on allergic diseases is still inconclusive. Furthermore, the effect of helminth infections on childhood allergic diseases in a tropical area where prevalence of helminth infections has undergone dramatic changes is not well documented. Objective To investigate the relationship between allergic diseases and helminth infection in a cohort of schoolchildren in an area that has undergone dramatic changes in intensity of helminth infections. Methods Children attending grade 5 were recruited from 17 schools in Western Province of Sri Lanka. They were assessed for allergic diseases using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. Their serum total IgE (tIgE) and allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) for five common aeroallergens were measured by ImmunoCAP® method and stools were examined for the presence of helminth infections. Results A total of 640 children (mean age 10 years) were recruited to the study. Of them, 33.7% had evidence of allergic disease and 15.5% had helminth infections. Majority of infections (68.9%) were of low intensity. A significant relationship between allergic disease and helminth infections was not observed, however, a trend toward protective role of helminth infections against allergic diseases was noted. Multivariate analysis showed helminth infections to be an independent predictor of high tIgE levels whereas allergic disease was not. Allergic sensitization (atopy) was a significant risk factor for allergic disease only among non-infected children (odds ratio 3.025, p = 0.022) but not in infected children. The ratio of sIgE to tIgE was higher in non-infected children. Conclusion Though not significant, a reduced risk of allergy in helminth-infected children was observed in this population. A Decrease in intensity of helminth infections may have contributed to the reduced capacity of immune-modulation by helminths in this paediatric population.
Comparison of the Mason and KLM equivalent circuits for piezoelectric resonators in the thickness mode

The parameters of the KLM and Mason's equivalent circuits in the thickness mode are presented to include dielectric, elastic and piezoelectric loss. The models are compared under various boundary conditions with and without acoustic layers to the analytical solutions of the wave equation. We show that in all cases equivalence is found between the analytical solution and the KLM and Mason's equivalent circuit models. It is noted that in order to maintain consistency with the linear equations of piezoelectricity and the wave equation care is required when applying complex coefficients to the models. The effect of the piezoelectric loss component on the power dissipated in the transducer is presented for loaded and unloaded transducers to determine the significance of the piezoelectric loss to transducer designers. The effect of the piezoelectric loss on the insertion loss was found to be small.
EMPOWERING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA THROUGH APPROPRIATE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION POLICY

Development is a noticeable growth from one state or stage to another which is higher, desirable, or more advanced than the previous. For any nation to attain a desirable or laudable level of development there must be effective use of communication which has been severally identified as a major tool of mobilization. For development programs to be planned, implemented and rated at the end as successful, it must be all inclusive i.e. it must be spread across board to include both the rural and the urban areas. For this reason it is imperative to understand the nature of these two settings as it can be a major guide in achieving the nationally established developmental plans and goals. Any reasonable growth and desirable development may be an elusive fantasy without a good communication policy in place. For this reason this paper examines how national development can be improved through the effective application of the national communication policies.