Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dismantling the Environmental Context - the Role of Environmental Characteristics in the Organizational Adoption of Open Standard-Based Inter-Organizational Information Systems

Open standard-based inter-organizational information systems play a critical role in today’s organizations and their relationships with business partners. However, theoretical understanding of organizational adoption of such systems in existing research is limited. Prior studies highlight the role of the external business environment in influencing organizational adoption of such systems, but lack focus on the various environmental context characteristics influencing organizational adoption decisions. This study conducts a structured analysis of scientific literature on factors of the organizational, technological, and environmental contexts that are able to influence the organizational adoption of open standard-based inter-organizational information systems. Using the results of the literature analysis, this study focuses on the critical role of the business environment in influencing organizational adoption of such systems and derives a typology of environmental context characteristics exhibiting inherently differing types of business environment related influence on organizational adoption decisions. The derived typology leads to a better theoretical understanding of organizational adoption of such systems and provides practitioners with a structured view on the external forces operating in the business environment of their organization. Finally, the study discusses important implications for future research in this context as well as for decision makers considering the adoption of particular systems.
A Survey of Skyline Query Processing

Living in the Information Age allows almost everyone have access to a large amount of information and options to choose from in order to fulfill their needs. In many cases, the amount of information available and the rate of change may hide the optimal and truly desired solution. This reveals the need of a mechanism that will highlight the best options to choose among every possible scenario. Based on this the skyline query was proposed which is a decision support mechanism, that retrieves the valuefor- money options of a dataset by identifying the objects that present the optimal combination of the characteristics of the dataset. This paper surveys the state-of-the-art techniques for skyline query processing, the numerous variations of the initial algorithm that were proposed to solve similar problems and the application-specific approaches that were developed to provide a solution efficiently in each case. Aditionally in each section a taxonomy is outlined along with the key aspects of each algorithm and its relation to previous studies.
Nearby early-type galaxies with ionized gas: I. Line-strength indices of the underlying stellar population

With the aim of building a data-set of spectral properties of well studied early-type galaxies showing emission lines, we present intermediate resolution spectra of 50 galaxies in the nearby Universe. The sample, which covers several of the E and S0 morphological sub-classes, is biased toward objects that might be expected to have ongoing and recent star formation, at least in small amounts, because of the presence of the emission lines. The emission is expected to come from the combination of active galactic nuclei and star formation regions within the galaxies. Sample galaxies are located in environments corresponding to a broad range of local galaxy densities, although predominantly in low density environments. Our long-slit spectra cover the 3700–7250 A wavelength range with a spectral resolution of ≈ 7.6 A at 5550 A. The specific aim of this paper, and our first step in the investigation, is to map the underlying galaxy stellar population by measuring, along the slit positioned along the galaxy major axis, line-strength indices at several, homogeneous galacto-centric distances. For each object we extracted 7 luminosity-weighted apertures (with radii 1.5´´, 2.5´´, 10´´, r e /10, r e /8, r e /4 and r e /2) corrected for the galaxy ellipticity and 4 gradients ($0 \leq r \leq r_{\rm e}$/16, $r_{\rm e}/16 \leq r \leq r_{\rm e}$/8, $r_{\rm e}/8 \leq r \leq r_{\rm e}$/4 and $r_{\rm e}/4 \leq r \leq r_{\rm e}$/2). For each aperture and gradient we measured 25 line-strength indices: 21 of the set defined by the Lick-IDS “standard” system (Trager et al. [CITE], ApJS, 116, 1) and 4 introduced by Worthey & Ottaviani ([CITE], ApJS, 111, 377). Line-strength indices have been transformed to the Lick-IDS system. Indices derived then include H β , Mg 1 , Mg 2 , Mgb, MgFe, Fe5270, Fe5335 commonly used in classic index-index diagrams. The paper introduces the sample, presents the observations, describes the data reduction procedures, the extraction of apertures and gradients, the determination and correction of the line-strength indices, the procedure adopted to transform them into the Lick-IDS System and the procedures adopted for the emission correction. We finally discuss the comparisons between our dataset and line-strength indices available in the literature. A significant fraction, about 60%, of galaxies in the present sample has one previous measurement in the Lick-IDS system but basically restricted within the r e /8 region. Line-strength measures obtained both from apertures and gradients outside this area and within the r e /8 region, with the present radial mapping, are completely new.
Does the Masters Hypothesis Explain Recent Food Price Spikes

The Masters Hypothesis is the claim that unprecedented buying pressure in recent years from commodity index investors created massive bubbles in food and energy prices. A number of recent studies investigate the empirical relationship between index investment and price movements in agricultural futures markets. One line of research uses time-series regression tests, such as Granger causality tests, to investigate the relationship between price movements and index positions. This research provides very little evidence supporting the Masters Hypothesis in agricultural futures markets. A second line of research uses cross-sectional regression tests and studies in this area also provide very limited evidence in favor of the Masters Hypothesis for agricultural futures markets. A third line of research investigates whether there is a significant relationship between commodity index trading and the difference, or spread, between futures prices of different contract maturities. These studies provide a range of results depending on the type of test. However, the bulk of the evidence indicates either no relationship or a negative relationship, which is once again inconsistent with the Masters Hypothesis. Overall, this growing body of literature fails to find compelling evidence that buying pressure from commodity index investment in recent years caused a massive bubble in agricultural futures prices. The Masters Hypothesis is simply not a valid characterization of reality.
Quorum sensing modulatory effect of sound stimulation on Serratia marcescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Effect of nine different mono-frequency sound stimuli on two gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens) was investigated. Frequency of the test sound ranged from 100 Hz to 2,000 Hz. Both the test bacteria responded differently to sonic stimulation. Sound corresponding to 600 HZ caused a notable reduction in quorum sensing (QS) regulated production of the pigment pyoverdine by P. aeruginosa. 400 Hz sound affected prodigiosin production by S. marcescens the most. 500 Hz sound could enhance prodigiosin production without affecting growth of the producing bacterium, suggesting the effect purely to be QS modulatory. This study has demonstrated the capacity of the sound waves of affecting bacterial growth and quorum sensing regulated metabolite production.
Using Remote Vision: The Effects of Video Image Frame Rate on Visual Object Recognition Performance

The process of using remote vision was simulated in order to determine the effects of video image frame rate on the performance in visual recognition of stationary environmental hazards in the dynamic video footage of the pedestrian travel environment. The recognition performance was assessed against two different video image frame rate variations: 25 and 2 fps. The assessment included a range of objective and subjective criteria. The obtained results show that the effects of the frame rate variations on the performance are statistically insignificant. This paper belongs to the process of development of a novel system for navigation of visually impaired pedestrians. The navigation system includes a remote vision facility, and the visual recognition of the environmental hazards by the sighted human guide is a basic activity in aiding the visually impaired user of the system in mobility.
Globality and Multiple Modernities: Comparative North American and Latin American Perspectives

Contents: Approaching Multiple Modernities in the Americas The First Multiple Modernities: Collective Identity, Public Spheres and Political Order in the Americas Latin America as a Mausoleum of Modernities Fragment of Europe or Historical Innovation? The Emergence of Modernity in the United States after Independence Global Immersion: Latin America and its Multiple Modernities The Multiple Modernities Argument and Societies in the Americas Constitutional Development in the United States and Argentina Constitutional Perspectives on Modernity: The Canadian Experience The Generation of Public Spheres in Brazil: The Role of Abolitionism The Meaning of Territory: Colonial Standards and Modern Questions in Ecuador Globalisation and Limited Democracy through the Mirror of History in Chile Modernity and Canadian Civilisation: The Ideas of Harold A. Innis The Counter-Hegemonic Discourse of Brazilian and Argentinean Intellectuals, 1920--1940 Collective Identities and Citizenship in Quebec Modes of Citizenship in Mexico Latin American Migrant Writers: Nomadic, Decentred, Contrapuntal' Index.
Abnormal Cingulate Modulation of Fronto-Temporal Connectivity in Schizophrenia

Functional neuroimaging provides a novel means of exploring neurophysiological function in schizophrenia. However, most of the studies that have been carried out report their findings in terms of regionally localized abnormalities. In this paper we propose an alternative method of data analysis that emphasizes global integration rather than isolated regional changes in response to psychological tasks. In doing so, we suggest that brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are best characterized as a disturbance in the integration of activity across a number of brain regions. Using a hypothesis-led analysis, we show that the condition is associated with a disruption of the normal anterior cingulate modulation of prefronto-temporal integration. This analytical technique, we suggest, provides a conceptually powerful approach to the imaging of abnormal brain function in psychopathological conditions.
Impact of ESD strategy on EMC performances: Conducted emission and DPI immunity

In particular cases, system level stresses such as EMC stress (Direct Power Injection, Bulk Current Injection, and Radiated Field) and ESD gun stress are directly applied to the integrated circuits with no external protections [1]. Consequently, the integrated circuits have to be optimized to survive against severe external aggressions but also to ensure normal operations during the electromagnetic stress. The ESD strategy as well as the architecture of the ESD protections can significantly impact on the EMC performances. Unfortunately, the simulation of functional performances during EMC and ESD events remains very challenging for analogue products due the frequency domain and to the high injection mechanisms. This paper describes two case studies where the ESD protections significantly impact the conducted emission (CE 150ohm: first case study) and the conducted immunity (DPI: second case study) performances. Failure mechanisms will be explained and design optimizations fixing EMC issues will be presented. Benefits of the new design solutions will be quantified with EMC test measurements.
The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America

Why do certain cultural groups achieve extraordinary and disproportionate amounts of success in United States? Chua and Rubenfeld’s book focuses on this question and attempts to answer it through a cultural lens. According to the thesis developed in the book, a unique configuration of cultural traits possessed by certain groups directs their members through a path of high achievement; defined in its most “vulgar sense” as the “gaining of money and position” (Chua & Rubenfeld, 2014, p.7). The focal question draws on factual data pertaining to the superior economic performance of certain cultural groups; some of which are relatively well-known (e.g. Jewish Americans) and some of which are less so (e.g. Nigerian Americans). The thesis developed in the book is of great relevance to the international business scholar with an interest in cross-cultural studies; though the thesis does not necessarily draw from or integrate well-established cultural theories familiar to JIBS readership (e.g. Hofstede, 2001; House et al., 2004). Among international business scholars, there also has been a renewed and timely interest in high-skilled immigrants (e.g. Cerdin, Dine, & Brewster, 2014); and Chua and Rubenfeld’s book certainly speaks to that interest as well. More than anything else, the book does an excellent job deciphering the psychology of high-skilled immigrants as a generic cultural group, and why they almost have to become successful to survive, given the context in which they end up living and working.
Design and Synthesis of a Biotinylated Chemical Probe for Detecting the Molecular Targets of an Inhibitor of the Production of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence Factor Pyocyanin

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a human pathogen associated with a variety of life-threatening nosocomial infections. This organism produces a range of virulence factors which actively cause damage to host tissues. One such virulence factor is pyocyanin, known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa infections. Previous studies had identified a novel compound capable of strongly inhibiting the production of pyocyanin. It was postulated that this inhibition results from modulation of an intercellular communication system termed quorum sensing, via direct binding of the compound with the LasR protein receptor. This raised the possibility that the compound could be an antagonist of quorum sensing in P. aeruginosa, which could have important implications as this intercellular signaling mechanism is known to regulate many additional facets of P. aeruginosa pathogenicity. However, there was no direct evidence for the binding of the active compound to LasR (or any other targets). Herein we describe the design and synthesis of a biotin-tagged version of the active compound. This could potentially be used as an affinity-based chemical probe to ascertain, in a direct fashion, the active compound’s macromolecular biological targets, and thus better delineate the mechanism by which it reduces the level of pyocyanin production.
Title A diffusion tensor imaging study of structural dysconnectivity innever-medicated , first-episode schizophrenia

Background. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to investigate cerebral structural connectivity in never-medicated individuals with first-episode schizophrenia. Method. Subjects with first-episode schizophrenia according to DSM-IV-R who had never been exposed to anti-psychotic medication (n=25) and healthy controls (n=26) were recruited. Groups were matched for age, gender, best parental socioeconomic status and ethnicity. All subjects underwent DTI and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Voxel-based analysis was performed to investigate brain regions where fractional anisotropy (FA) values differed significantly between groups. A confirmatory region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of FA scores was performed in which regions were placed blind to group membership. Results. In patients, FA values significantly lower than those in healthy controls were located in the left fronto-occipital fasciculus, left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, white matter adjacent to right precuneus, splenium of corpus callosum, right posterior limb of internal capsule, white matter adjacent to right substantia nigra, and left cerebral peduncle. ROI analysis of the corpus callosum confirmed that the patient group had significantly lower mean FA values than the controls in the splenium but not in the genu. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for independent ROI measurements was 0.90 (genu) and 0.90 (splenium). There were no regions where FA values were significantly higher in the patients than in the healthy controls. Conclusions. Widespread structural dysconnectivity, including the subcortical region, is already present in neuro-leptic-naive patients in their first episode of illness.
Proving the Correctness of Program Transformations

Given a formal specification S of a problem, we wish to obtain a computer program that solves this problem. The traditional approach used to obtain such a program has been to give the formal specification to a programmer. The programmer’s task is to study the specification, and after he fully understands it, to write a computer program satisfying the specification. For critical applications, formally proving that the program satisfies the specification is highly desirable. Unfortunately, proving that a program satisfies a formal specification is very difficult, especially when the program is obtained from the formal specification in the traditional manner. In this thesis we explore a paradigm that allows one to obtain programs from formal specifications through automatable transformations. In this paradigm, if the transformations can be shown to be correctness preserving then it follows that the program satisfies the specification.
Multiple Justicable Problems in Bulgaria

The paper reports results from research of justiciable events in Bulgaria, carried out in 2007. Prevalence of legal problems and legal needs is measured through the proxy concept of justiciable events. Despite the expanding legal infrastructure which assumes linear increase of legal needs, the public policies in Bulgaria are negligent to the unmet legal needs in the civil and administrative legal fields. The study finds that 45.31% of the respondents in the sample have experienced one or more serious and difficult to resolve problems with potential legal solutions. Consumer related issues are the most frequently occurring problem category, followed by problems with the neighbors. 18.5% of the respondents who had one problem reported experience with two or more problems. The analysis shows that experiencing a justiciable problem has an additive effect on the probability that additional justiciable problems will be reported by the respondent. Occurrence of multiple legal problems is strongly correlated with criminal victimization rate and the level of distrust in the justice system.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Celiac Disease: A Study Based on the Critical Incident Technique

Celiac Disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disease triggered by dietary gluten. Gluten avoidance, which is the only available treatment for CD, could impact on quality of life of children with CD. We present the results of a qualitative study on the emotional impact of gluten free diet (GFD) on the everyday life of children affected with CD. We investigated 76 celiac patients aged 2–18 years (average age: 9.5 years). By using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), we defined emotions related to difficulties and awkward situations experienced by the patients. Written answers to open-ended questions from either children (older than 8 years) and parents (children younger than 8 years) were analyzed qualitatively. We found 80 dilemmas experienced in three different arenas (food situations at school, meals at home, meals outside) and characterized lived experiences of children with CD in everyday life (specific emotions, difficulties in relationships and in management of daily life). Children with CD experience strong emotions related to the GFD, permeating several aspects of everyday life. These dilemmas may be missed by a conventional, questionnaire-based approach to the psycho-social consequences of CD treatment.
Handbook of Islamic Banking

Contents:1. Islamic Banking: An Introduction and OverviewM. Kabir Hassan and Mervyn K. LewisPART I: FOUNDATIONS OF ISLAMIC FINANCING2. Development of Islamic Economic and Social Thought Masudul Alam Choudhury 3. Islamic Critique of Conventional FinancingLatifa M. Algaoud and Mervyn K. Lewis 4. Profit-and-loss Sharing Contracts in Islamic Finance Abbas Mirakhor and Iqbal Zaidi5. Comparing Islamic and Christian Attitudes to Usury Mervyn K. Lewis PART II: OPERATIONS OF ISLAMIC BANKS6. Incentive Compatibility of Islamic Financing Humayon A. Dar7. Operational Efficiency and Performance of Islamic BanksKym Brown, M. Kabir Hassan and Michael Skully8. Marketing Islamic Financial Products Said M. Elfakhani, Imad J. Zbib and Zafar U. Ahmed9. Governance of Islamic Banks Volker Nienhaus 10. Risk Management in Islamic Banking Habib Ahmed and Tariqullah KhanPART III: INSTRUMENTS AND MARKETS11. Islamic Money Market Instruments Sam R. Hakim 12. Trade Financing in Islam Ridha Saadallah 13. Securitization in Islam Mohammed Obaidullah 14. Islamic Project Finance Michael J.T. McMillen 15. Islam and Speculation in the Stock ExchangeSeif El-Din Tag El-Din and M. Kabir Hassan16. Islamic Mutual Funds Said M. Elfakhani, M. Kabir Hassan and Yusuf M. SidaniPART IV: ISLAMIC SYSTEMS17. Islamic Banks and Economic Development Monzer Kahf 18. Islamic Methods for Government Borrowing and Monetary ManagementM. Fahim Khan 19. Accounting Standards for Islamic Financial Services Simon Archer and Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim 20. Mutualization of Islamic BanksMahmoud A. El-Gamal 21. Challenges Facing the Islamic Financial Industry M. Umer Chapra PART V: GLOBALIZATION OF ISLAMIC BANKING22. International Islamic Financial Institutions Munawar Iqbal 23. Islamic Financial Centres Ricardo Baba 24. Islamic Banking and the Growth of Takaful Mohd Ma'sum Billah 25. Islamic Banking in the West Rodney Wilson Index
Association of hair iron levels with creativity and psychological variables related to creativity

Creativity generally involves the conception of original and valuable ideas. Previous studies have suggested an association between creativity and the dopaminergic system, and that physical activity facilitates creativity. Iron plays a key role in the dopaminergic system and physical activity. Here, we newly investigated the associations between hair iron levels and creativity, dopamine-related traits and states [novelty seeking, extraversion, and vigor (motivational state)], as well as the physical activity level. In the present study, we addressed this issue by performing a hair mineral analysis to determine iron levels and a behavioral creativity test of divergent thinking and related psychological measures among young adults (254 men, 88 women; mean age 20.79 ± 2.03 years). Iron levels did not show any significant association with creativity but displayed significant positive associations with novelty seeking, extraversion, and physical activity level. These results may be partly congruent with the notion that iron plays a key role in the dopaminergic system and imply that iron is important for traits and physical activity, which facilitate creativity. Future interventional or longitudinal studies are warranted to identify any causal effects.