Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Value of Information Technology in E-Business Environments: The Missing Links in the Renewed IT Value Debate

After more than a decade of intensive studies, business value of information technology continues to generate interest and debate among both academics and practitioners. Drawing upon the IT value literature and the resource-based view of the firm, we develop a process-oriented model of IT value creation in the context of electronic business. Instead of a dichotomous measure of “adoption vs. non-adoption” as typically found in the literature, this model incorporates three stages (investment–usage–value) of the diffusion process at the firm level, with actual usage being an important mediating variable. The model also includes both IT resources and organizational factors, and tests the complementarity between them. A large-scale international dataset, involving 2,139 firms from 10 countries, is used to test the theoretical model. After controlling for firm size and industry effects, our empirical analyses based on structural equation modeling have shown that the investment–usage–value linkages are significant (although the direct link between investment and value is weak), suggesting that usage would be a “missing link” if not included. Another finding is that, while IT still matters (especially deeper use of IT such as back-end integration), complementary organizational resources (e.g., management support and external relationships) are found to be highly significant in creating value from e-business investment. On the other hand, these relationships tend to be moderated by environmental factors. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate over IT value—in this case, the value of Internet technologies in the e-business environment. They also offer important implications for the way firms approach IT investment and management in the post-bubble Internet era.
A greedy blind calibration method for compressed sensing with unknown sensor gains

The realisation of sensing modalities based on the principles of compressed sensing is often hindered by discrepancies between the mathematical model of its sensing operator, which is necessary during signal recovery, and its actual physical implementation, which can amply differ from the assumed model. In this paper we tackle the bilinear inverse problem of recovering a sparse input signal and some unknown, unstructured multiplicative factors affecting the sensors that capture each compressive measurement. Our methodology relies on collecting a few snapshots under new draws of the sensing operator, and applying a greedy algorithm based on projected gradient descent and the principles of iterative hard thresholding. We explore empirically the sample complexity requirements of this algorithm by testing its phase transition, and show in a practically relevant instance of this problem for compressive imaging that the exact solution can be obtained with only a few snapshots.
Readmission for Acute Exacerbation within 30 Days of Discharge Is Associated with a Subsequent Progressive Increase in Mortality Risk in COPD Patients: A Long-Term Observational Study

Background and Objective Twenty per cent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are readmitted for acute exacerbation (AECOPD) within 30 days of discharge. The prognostic significance of early readmission is not fully understood. The objective of our study was to estimate the mortality risk associated with readmission for acute exacerbation within 30 days of discharge in COPD patients. Methods The cohort (n = 378) was divided into patients readmitted (n = 68) and not readmitted (n = 310) within 30 days of discharge. Clinical, laboratory, microbiological, and severity data were evaluated at admission and during hospital stay, and mortality data were recorded at four time points during follow-up: 30 days, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years. Results Patients readmitted within 30 days had poorer lung function, worse dyspnea perception and higher clinical severity. Two or more prior AECOPD (HR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.51–4.05) was the only variable independently associated with 30-day readmission. The mortality risk during the follow-up period showed a progressive increase in patients readmitted within 30 days in comparison to patients not readmitted; moreover, 30-day readmission was an independent risk factor for mortality at 1 year (HR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.10–5.59). In patients readmitted within 30 days, the estimated absolute increase in the mortality risk was 4% at 30 days (number needed to harm NNH, 25), 17% at 6-months (NNH, 6), 19% at 1-year (NNH, 6) and 24% at 3 years (NNH, 5). Conclusion In conclusion a readmission for AECOPD within 30 days is associated with a progressive increased long-term risk of death.
Formation of nanostructured biomaterials in lab-on-a-chip microsystems

The development of a microfluidic-based process is presented for the production of nanomaterials in continuous-flow microreactors. A flow focusing configuration was used enabling a controllable mixing process to assist the formation of the nanomaterials through precipitation, which was triggered by a solvent exchange process. Initially, Pluronic® tri-block copolymers were used as model polymeric biomaterials, relating to drug delivery applications, to investigate the production of empty polymeric micelles (PMs). Following the production of empty PMs, the production of copolymer stabilized organic ? -carotene nanopartilces (NPs) was also investigated. The formation of both PMs and NPs, within microfluidic reactors, was further analysed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models in order to gain more insight into the nanoprecipitation process. It has been shown that, besides the important role played by the width of the focused stream, the combined effect of reactor dimension, fluid properties, and flow condition significantly influenced the mixing condition and therefore the nucleation and growth process. When low water soluble molecules were co-precipitated together with polymeric stabilizer, competitive reactions resulted in the formation of two types of NPs, i.e., either with or without loading drug. The obtained results were interpreted by taking into consideration a new parameter representing the mismatching between the aggregations of the two precipitant species (polymer and drug), which played a decisive role in determining the size and polydispersity of the obtained NPs. Finally, the established microfluidic production procedure was examined from a drug delivery point of view, by encapsulating a clinically relevant drug in PMs. PMs containing mithramycin were prepared and tested in vitro as a therapeutic protocol for beta-thalassemia. In conclusion, the results of this study had demonstrated that microfluidics could facilitate the production of nanostructures for drug delivery purposes, and offer a novel method to control their properties including particle size, size distribution and pharmaceutical efficacy.
Breaking the Curse of Dimensionality with Convex Neural Networks

We consider neural networks with a single hidden layer and non-decreasing homogeneous activa-tion functions like the rectified linear units. By letting the number of hidden units grow unbounded and using classical non-Euclidean regularization tools on the output weights, we provide a detailed theoretical analysis of their generalization performance, with a study of both the approximation and the estimation errors. We show in particular that they are adaptive to unknown underlying linear structures, such as the dependence on the projection of the input variables onto a low-dimensional subspace. Moreover, when using sparsity-inducing norms on the input weights, we show that high-dimensional non-linear variable selection may be achieved, without any strong assumption regarding the data and with a total number of variables potentially exponential in the number of ob-servations. In addition, we provide a simple geometric interpretation to the non-convex problem of addition of a new unit, which is the core potentially hard computational element in the framework of learning from continuously many basis functions. We provide simple conditions for convex relaxations to achieve the same generalization error bounds, even when constant-factor approxi-mations cannot be found (e.g., because it is NP-hard such as for the zero-homogeneous activation function). We were not able to find strong enough convex relaxations and leave open the existence or non-existence of polynomial-time algorithms.
NMR analysis of the structure and metal sequestering properties of metallothioneins.

113Cd-NMR studies have been used to elucidate the structure of the metal-binding sites in mammalian and invertebrate ( Scylla serrata) metallothioneins (MTs). Chemical shift data have shown that all Cd ions are tetrahedrally coordinated to four cysteine thiolate ligands with single cysteinyl sulfurs bridging adjacent metals. Homonuclear decoupling experiments have shown that the 7 g-atoms of metal bound per mole of mammalian protein are located in a three- and a four-metal cluster while the 6 g-atoms of metal in the invertebrate MT are located in two three-metal clusters. The different metal binding affinities of the two mammalian clusters have been determined by 113Cd-NMR. The three-metal cluster prefers Cu greater than Zn greater than Cd whereas exactly the reverse order applies in the four-metal cluster. Proteolytic cleavage of the protein produced a 32-residue fragment which contained the four-metal cluster and demonstrated the presence of two separate domains in the protein. 500 MHz 1H-NMR has been employed to elucidate the arrangement of these metal clusters in the tertiary structure of the protein. The 1H resonances were assigned from their scalar and dipolar connectivities obtained from extensive one and two-dimensional NMR experiments. A specific application of 2D correlation spectroscopy ( COSY ) to the assignment of the 1H resonances in crab MT-1 is discussed. A molecular model, representing the three-dimensional solution structure of this protein, has been constructed based on an analysis of all these data. Detailed structural features of this model are discussed, with particular emphasis on their relationship to the function and evolution of the protein. ImagesFIGURE 8.
The X-Ray and Radio Emission from SN 2002ap: The Importance of Compton Scattering

The radio and X-ray observations of the Type Ic supernova SN 2002ap are modeled. We find that inverse Compton cooling by photospheric photons explains the observed steep radio spectrum, and also the X-ray flux observed by XMM-Newton. Thermal emission from the shock is insufficient to explain the X-ray flux. The radio-emitting region expands with a velocity of ~70,000 km s-1. From the ratio of X-ray to radio emission, we find that the energy densities of magnetic fields and relativistic electrons are close to equipartition. The mass-loss rate of the progenitor star depends on the absolute value of ϵB, and is given by ≈ 1 × 10-8(vw/1000 km s-1)ϵ M☉ yr-1.
Practical study on wireless transmission of power and information for autonomous decentralized manufacturing system

In previous papers, the authors have already introduced the idea of an autonomous decentralized manufacturing system (ADMS), in which machines receive electrical energy through wireless power transmission and also are decentrally controlled through wireless transmission of the control and feedback data. With this idea, the degree of freedom in motion control is enlarged, and the system has the capability of adaptive reconfiguration to product variation as a result. In this paper, the practical problems for realization of wireless transmission of power and information (WTPI) needed for the proposed ADMS are clarified, and the practical solutions to these problems are presented. Several industrial applications of the WTPI are also introduced.
Expression of a uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) inhibitor in mammalian cells: varicella-zoster virus can replicate in vitro in the absence of detectable UNG activity.

Uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) functions as a DNA repair or proofreading enzyme. The UNG gene is present in nearly all prokaryotes and eukaryotes screened to date and is found in herpesviruses and poxviruses. Prior studies showed that viral UNG is essential for poxvirus replication. Although viral UNG is not required for herpesvirus replication, cellular UNG was thought to be essential for virus replication. To study the role of UNG in herpesvirus replication, we first showed that varicella-zoster virus (VZV) ORF59 encodes a functional UNG. We then constructed a VZV mutant with a deletion in the UNG gene and showed that the mutant was unimpaired for replication in vitro. Because cultured cells express their own endogenous UNG, we next inserted a bacteriophage UNG inhibitor UGI gene into the VZV genome. Infection of cells with VZV lacking viral UNG and expressing UGI completely abrogated detectable cellular UNG activity in vitro. Parental VZV, VZV lacking viral UNG, and VZV expressing UGI all grew to similar titers in cell culture, indicating that VZV can replicate in vitro in the absence of detectable viral or cellular UNG activity.
Real-time monitoring of redox changes in the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum

Redox-sensitive GFPs with engineered disulphide bonds have been used previously to monitor redox status in the cytosol and mitochondria of living cells. The usefulness of these redox probes depends on the reduction potential of the disulphide, with low values suiting the cytosol and mitochondrion, and higher values suiting the more oxidising environment of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here, we targeted a modified redox-sensitive GFP (roGFP1-iL), with a relatively high reduction potential, to the ER of mammalian cells. We showed that the disulphide is partially oxidised, allowing roGFP1-iL to monitor changes in ER redox status. When cells were treated with puromycin, the redox balance became more reducing, suggesting that the release of nascent chains from ribosomes alters the ER redox balance. In addition, downregulating Ero1α prevented normal rapid recovery from dithiothreitol (DTT), whereas downregulating peroxiredoxin IV had no such effect. This result illustrates the contribution of the Ero1α oxidative pathway to ER redox balance. This first report of the use of roGFP to study the ER of mammalian cells demonstrates that roGFP1-iL can be used to monitor real-time changes to the redox status in individual living cells.
Bone Plate Fixation: Its Relationship with Implant Induced Osteoporosis

Summary The use of internal fixation devices for fracture repair induces profound changes in the affected bone. The factors implicated in the development of implant induced osteoporosis have been extensively studied. The processes following bone plate fixation which results in vascular and structural changes to the bone have not been accurately described. There are many inconsistencies in the design of experimental studies and in data interpretation which confound the issue. Implant induced osteoporosis appears to be a biphasic phenomenon following the application of rigid internal fixation, with an early-onset osteonecrosis (8-12 weeks) elicited through cortical vascular insufficiency, followed by osteoporosis (24-36 weeks) induced by stress redistribution. The development of implant induced osteoporosis appears to involve mechanical factors (surgical trauma, screw placement, rigidity of the fixation device), acting in conjunction with vascular insufficiencies related to the bone-plate interface contact area and pressure distribution. Whatever the pathogenesis, the end result is a thinning of the diaphyseal cortices. Should implant removal be deemed necessary such osteoporosis is a cause for concern in view of the bones predisposition to refracture following plate removal. The degree of cortical osteoporosis observed appears to be time-dependent following internal fixaton and as such the clinical outcomes, after implant removal, are also related to the timing of removal. Numerous factors have been implicated in the development of the vascular and structural changes that follow the plating of bone. It appears that implant induced osteoporosis has a multifactorial pathogenesis involving surgical trauma, screw placement and the rigidity of the fixation device. Elements involved in the interface between plate and bone, such as interface contact area and pressure, are also implicated in the pathogenesis.
Retinal Oxygen Saturation Correlates With Visual Acuity but Does Not Predict Outcome After Anti-VEGF Treatment in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion.

Purpose Occlusion of the central retinal vein (CRVO) is a frequent cause of visual loss. The occlusion induces hypoxia in the retina and the larger retinal veins, but the significance of retinal oxygen saturation for visual acuity at diagnosis and after anti-VEGF treatment for CRVO has not been studied in detail. Methods Retinal oximetry was performed in 91 patients consecutively referred for specialist evaluation of CRVO. The correlation between oxygen saturation in larger retinal vessels and visual acuity at the primary examination and the predictive value of oxygen saturation for visual prognosis after three monthly intravitreal injections with anti-VEGF medication were studied. Results At referral, the oxygen saturation in larger retinal vessels of the affected eye was significantly higher in arterioles (100.7 ± 1.4% vs. 96.3 ± 0.6%) and significantly lower in venules (37.8 ± 2.6% vs. 58.2 ± 1.3%) than in the unaffected eye (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) showed a significant negative correlation with the oxygen saturation in retinal arterioles (P = 0.002) and a significant positive correlation with the saturation in retinal venules (P = 0.013). Multiple linear regression showed that BCVA, but not oxygen saturations, contributed significantly to predicting visual outcome after three monthly intravitreal injections with VEGF inhibitor. Conclusions The correlation between retinal oxygen saturation and BCVA at the time of diagnosis of CRVO may help understanding hemodynamic and visual changes in the acute stages of the disease. However, retinal oximetry cannot replace measures of retinal function as a predictive parameter for the visual outcome in CRVO after three monthly intravitreal anti-VEGF injections.
DSD-Crasher: A hybrid analysis tool for bug finding

DSD-Crasher is a bug finding tool that follows a three-step approach to program analysis: D. Capture the program's intended execution behavior with dynamic invariant detection. The derived invariants exclude many unwanted values from the program's input domain. S. Statically analyze the program within the restricted input domain to explore many paths. D. Automatically generate test cases that focus on reproducing the predictions of the static analysis. Thereby confirmed results are feasible. This three-step approach yields benefits compared to past two-step combinations in the literature. In our evaluation with third-party applications, we demonstrate higher precision over tools that lack a dynamic step and higher efficiency over tools that lack a static step.
Continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation affects brain functional connectivity

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role in the emotional processing as well as in the functional brain network. Hyperactivity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would be found in anxious participants. However, it is still unclear what the role of PFC played in a resting functional network. Continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) is an effective tool to create virtual lesions on brain regions. In this paper, we applied cTBS over right prefrontal area, and investigated the effects of cTBS on the brain activity for functional connectivity by the method of graph theory. We recorded 64-channels EEG on thirteen healthy participants in the resting condition and emotional tasks before and after 40 s of cTBS. This work focused on the effect of cTBS on cortical activities in the resting condition by calculating the coherence between EEG channels and building functional networks before and after cTBS in the delta, theta, alpha and beta bands. Results revealed that 1) The functional connectivity after cTBS was significantly increased compared with that before cTBS in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the resting condition; 2) The efficiency-cost reached the maximum before and after cTBS both with the cost about 0.3 in the bands above, which meant that the information transmission of functional brain network with this cost was highly efficient; 3) the clustering coefficient and path length after cTBS was significantly increased in delta, theta and beta bands. In conclusion, cTBS over PFC indeed enhanced the functional connectivity in the resting condition. In addition, the information transmission in the resting brain network was highly efficient with the cost about 0.3.
Cell size is positively correlated between different tissues in passerine birds and amphibians, but not necessarily in mammals

We examined cell size correlations between tissues, and cell size to body mass relationships in passerine birds, amphibians and mammals. The size correlated highly between all cell types in birds and amphibians; mammalian tissues clustered by size correlation in three tissue groups. Erythrocyte size correlated well with the volume of other cell types in birds and amphibians, but poorly in mammals. In birds, body mass correlated positively with the size of all cell types including erythrocytes, and in mammals only with the sizes of some cell types. Size of mammalian erythrocytes correlated with body mass only within the most taxonomically uniform group of species (rodents and lagomorphs). Cell volume increased with body mass of birds and mammals to less than 0.3 power, indicating that body size evolved mostly by changes in cell number. Our evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms determining cell size relationships in tissues are conservative in birds and amphibians, but less stringent in mammals. The patterns of cell size to body mass relationships we obtained challenge some key assumptions of fractal and cellular models used by allometric theory to explain mass-scaling of metabolism. We suggest that the assumptions in both models are not universal, and that such models need reformulation.
The Barium Site in a Potassium Channel by X-Ray Crystallography

X-ray diffraction data were collected from frozen crystals (100°K) of the KcsA K+ channel equilibrated with solutions containing barium chloride. Difference electron density maps (Fbarium − Fnative, 5.0 Å resolution) show that Ba2+ resides at a single location within the selectivity filter. The Ba2+ blocking site corresponds to the internal aspect (adjacent to the central cavity) of the “inner ion” position where an alkali metal cation is found in the absence of the blocking Ba2+ ion. The location of Ba2+ with respect to Rb+ ions in the pore is in good agreement with the findings on the functional interaction of Ba2+ with K+ (and Rb+) in Ca2+-activated K+ channels (Neyton, J., and C. Miller. 1988. J. Gen. Physiol. 92:549–567). Taken together, these structural and functional data imply that at physiological ion concentrations a third ion may interact with two ions in the selectivity filter, perhaps by entering from one side and displacing an ion on the opposite side.
In Vitro Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Anthrone and Chromone from the Latex of Aloe harlana Reynolds

In the search for new antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds from plants, the latex of the medicinal plant Aloe harlana Reynolds from Ethiopia was subjected to bioassay‐guided fractionation, which led to the isolation of two known compounds, anthrone (aloin) and chromone (7‐O‐methylaloeresin A). The latex and its two constituents were assessed for their possible antimicrobial activities against 23 bacterial and four fungal strains using the disc diffusion method and their antioxidant activity by two complementary test systems, namely 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2‐deoxyribose degradation assay methods.