Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inventory Dynamics and Business Cycles: What Has Changed?

To what extent can information-technology led improvements in inventory management account for the apparent moderation of economic fluctuations in the United States since the mid-1980s? We argue that changes in inventory dynamics played a reinforcing-rather than a leading-role in the reduction of output volatility. Since the mid-1980s, inventory dynamics have changed in a manner consistent with a faster resolution of inventory imbalances. However, these changes appear to be a consequence of changes in the response of industry-level sales and aggregate economic activity to monetary policy shocks. Our results suggest that it is the interaction between the changes in inventory behavior at the industry level and the macroeconomic environment-where the latter likely includes changes in the conduct of monetary policy and the responses of the economy to policy disturbances-rather than any single factor, that has contributed importantly to the observed decline in economic volatility. Copyright 2007 The Ohio State University.
Influence of Specific AR Capabilities on the Learning Effectiveness and Efficiency

Augmented reality (AR) is a promising technology for improving the application and comprehension skills of students. The ARiSE project developed an Augmented Reality Teaching Platform (ARTP) for secondary schools. A Chemistry learning scenario was implemented that is based on the interaction paradigm “building with guidance”. This study aims at assessing the extent to which specific capabilities of the ARTP are supporting the understanding Chemistry concepts as well as their contribution to the perceived utility. The results of a multiple-regression analysis shows that the specific features of the Chemistry scenario are supporting a better understanding and learning with less effort. Overall, the interaction paradigm proved to have a positive influence on the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process.
Low Cost Sensors Ego Localization with IMM Approach for unusual Maneuvers

This paper presents the problematic of outdoor vehicle localization in unusual maneuvers under the IMM (interacting multiple model) approach. The IMM, contrary to the non modular methods, is based on the discretization of the vehicle evolution space into simple maneuvers, represented each by a simple dynamic model such as constant velocity or constant turning etc. This allows the method to be optimized for highly dynamic vehicles. In this work, we focus on the various vehicle dynamics identification in some special driving situations, including very strong accelerations, turning with a high speed (more than 15 mldrs-1) or backward driving with stops. The presented results are based on real measurements collected from different scenarios. These results show a real interest in using the IMM method in order to reach our goal.
Non-Simian Foamy Viruses: Molecular Virology, Tropism and Prevalence and Zoonotic/Interspecies Transmission

Within the field of retrovirus, our knowledge of foamy viruses (FV) is still limited. Their unique replication strategy and mechanism of viral persistency needs further research to gain understanding of the virus-host interactions, especially in the light of the recent findings suggesting their ancient origin and long co-evolution with their nonhuman hosts. Unquestionably, the most studied member is the primate/prototype foamy virus (PFV) which was originally isolated from a human (designated as human foamy virus, HFV), but later identified as chimpanzee origin; phylogenetic analysis clearly places it among other Old World primates. Additionally, the study of non-simian animal FVs can contribute to a deeper understanding of FV-host interactions and development of other animal models. The review aims at highlighting areas of special interest regarding the structure, biology, virus-host interactions and interspecies transmission potential of primate as well as non-primate foamy viruses for gaining new insights into FV biology.
DMBA induced mouse mammary tumors display high incidence of activating Pik3caH1047 and loss of function Pten mutations

Controversy always existed on the utility of chemically induced mouse mammary carcinogenesis models as valid equivalents for the study of human breast cancer. Here, we performed whole exome and RNA sequencing on long latency mammary tumors (218 ± 27 days) induced by the carcinogen 7,12-Dimethylbenzathracene (DMBA) and short latency tumors (65 ± 11 days) induced by the progestin Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (MPA) plus DMBA in CD2F1 mice. Long latency tumors displayed a high frequency of Pi3kca and/or Pten mutations detected in 11 of 13 (85%) long latency cases (14/22, 64% overall). Eighty-two percent (9/11) of tumors carried the Pik3ca H1047L/R hot-spot mutation, as frequently found in human breast cancer. These tumors were luminal-like and mostly ER/PR+, as in humans. Transcriptome profiling indicated a significant activation of the PI3K-Akt pathway (p=3.82e-6). On the other hand MPA+DMBA induced short latency tumors displayed mutations in cancer drivers not commonly found mutated in human breast cancer (e.g. Hras and Apc). These tumors were mostly basal-like and MPA exposure led to Rankl overexpression (60 fold induction) and immunosuppressive gene expression signatures. In summary, long latency DMBA induced mouse mammary tumors reproduce the molecular profile of human luminal breast carcinomas representing an excellent preclinical model for the testing of PIK3CA/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitory therapies and a good platform for the developing of additional preclinical tools such as syngeneic transplants in immunocompetent hosts.
An examination into the role of knowledge management and computer security in organizations

Organisations develop their computer security procedures based on external guidelines such as ISO 17799 with very little provision to incorporate organisational knowledge in their security procedures. While these external guidelines make recommendations as to how an organisation should develop and implement best practices in computer security they often fail to provide a mechanism that links the security process to the organisational knowledge. The result is that often, security policies, procedures and controls are implemented that are neither strong nor consistent with the organisation's objectives. This study has examined the role of Knowledge Management in organisational Computer Security in 19 Australian SMEs. The study has determined that although the role of knowledge management in organisational computer security is currently limited, there appears to be evidence to argue that the application of knowledge management systems to organisational computer security development and management processes will considerably enhance performance and reduce costs. The study supports that future research is warranted to focus on how existing computer security standards and practices can be improved to allow for a stronger integration with organisational knowledge through the application of knowledge management systems.
Spoken language interaction in a goal-directed task

To study the spoken language interface in the context of a complex problem-solving task, a group of users are asked to perform a spreadsheet task, alternating voice and keyboard input. A total of 40 tasks are performed by each participant, the first 30 in a group (over several days), the remaining ones a month later. The voice spreadsheet program is extensively instrumented to provide detailed information about the components of the interaction. These data, as well as analysis of the participant's utterances and recognizer output, provide a fairly detailed picture of spoken language interaction. Although task completion by voice takes longer than by keyboard, analysis shows that users would be able to perform the spreadsheet task faster by voice, if two key criteria could be met: recognition occurs in real-time, and the error rate is sufficiently low. This initial experience with a spoken language system also allows the identification of several metrics, beyond those traditionally associated with speech recognition, that can be used to characterize system performance. <<ETX>>
THE ACQUISITION OF L2 LISTENING COMPREHENSION SKILLS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SETTINGS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN CLIL AND NON-CLIL STUDENT PERFORMANCE

espanolEste estudio explora el impacto del AICLE (Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenido y Lengua) en el desarrollo de la comprension oral en ingles en Educacion Primaria y Secundaria en Espana. Para ello se compararon las destrezas receptivas orales de alumnos de AICLE (n=2790) y no AICLE (n=17,070) de 4o de Educacion Primaria (9-10 anos), y las de estudiantes de AICLE (n=2680), y no AICLE (n=17,638) de 2o de Educacion Secundaria Obligatoria (13-14 anos). Los resultados mostraron que no existian diferencias entre el grupo AICLE y el grupo no AICLE en la Educacion Primaria, mientras que en la Educacion Secundaria, el grupo AICLE supero significativamente al grupo no AICLE, no solo en los resultados globales, sino tambien en cada una de las destrezas de la comprension oral evaluadas, y las diferencias fueron mayores en las tareas mas complejas. Estos hallazgos parecen sugerir que el AICLE es mas efectivo para promover la adquisicion de habilidades de comprension oral en la lengua meta en la escuela secundaria que en la escuela primaria. La edad de los estudiantes junto con otras diferencias contextuales entre el programa CLIL en Educacion Primaria y en Educacion Secundaria podrian explicar estos resultados. EnglishThis study explores the impact of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) on the development of listening skills in English both in Primary and Secondary Education in Spain. To do this, CLIL (n=2,790) and non-CLIL learners (n=17,070) enrolled in the 4th grade of Primary Education (9-10 years old), and CLIL (n=2,680), and nonCLIL students (n=17,638) in the 2nd year of Secondary Education (13-14 years old) were compared regarding their oral comprehension skills. Results showed no differences between CLIL and non-CLIL groups in Primary Education, while in Secondary School, the CLIL group significantly outperformed the non-CLIL group in the overall results of listening and in every oral comprehension subskill evaluated, and differences were higher in the most complex listening tasks. These findings seem to suggest that CLIL programs are more effective to promote the acquisition of listening skills in the target language in secondary than in primary school settings. The age of students, along with other contextual differences between the CLIL programme in Primary and in Secondary School might explain these results.
Relative risk reduction , absolute risk reduction and number needed to treat

Review Synthèse P hysicians, patients and policy-makers are affected not only by the results of studies but also by how authors present the results. 1-4 An adequate understanding of how to use quantitative estimates of effect is important for clinicians who seek to apply the results of clinical trials and systematic reviews to patient care. However, many physicians find the concepts, language and formulas of relative risk reduction, risk difference (absolute risk reduction) and number needed to treat daunting. Furthermore , depending on which measures of effect are presented in a given study, the impact of an intervention may appear very large or quite small, even though the underlying data are the same. In this article we present scripts that teachers of evidence-based medicine can use to help clinical learners understand these principles. For these " teaching scripts " to be useful, the teacher must have a basic understanding of the relevant concepts. We have framed this article primarily for clinical teachers who already have a grasp of critical appraisal and some experience in teaching this type of material to clinical learners. Clinical teachers may use the approaches we offer with a broad range of clinical learners, including medical students , residents and practising physicians. However, it is not our primary goal to instruct novices in evidence-based medicine in the teaching of critical appraisal to any level of learner. The " tips " in this article are adapted from approaches developed by educators with experience in teaching evidence-based medicine skills to clinicians. 5,6 A related article, intended for people who are learning these concepts , has been published in CMAJ. 7 For each of the 3 tips covered in this article, we have provided guidance on when to use the tip, the teaching script for the tip, a " bottom line " section and a summary card. Tip 1 presents a method of introducing learners to the importance of specific measures of effect, including relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction (also called the " risk difference ") and the number needed to treat. In tip 2, the teacher helps learners to use these " measures of association " to quantify the magnitude of benefit and harm for patients at various risks of a poor outcome. In tip 3, the teacher helps learners to derive estimates of clinically important benefit with respect to standard therapeutic interventions. For each tip, we identify …
Gut Colonization by Methanogenic Archaea Is Associated with Organic Dairy Consumption in Children

The gut microbiota represents a complex and diverse ecosystem with a profound impact on human health, promoting immune maturation, and host metabolism as well as colonization resistance. Important members that have often been disregarded are the methanogenic archaea. Methanogenic archaea reduce hydrogen levels via the production of methane, thereby stimulating food fermentation by saccharolytic bacteria. On the other hand, colonization by archaea has been suggested to promote a number of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases such as colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and obesity. Archaea have been shown to be absent during infancy while omnipresent in school-aged children, suggesting that colonization may result from environmental exposure during childhood. The factors that determine the acquisition of methanogenic archaea, however, have remained undefined. Therefore, we aimed to explore determinants associated with the acquisition of the two main gastrointestinal archaeal species, Methanobrevibacter smithii and Methanosphaera stadtmanae, in children. Within the context of the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, fecal samples from 472 children aged 6–10 years were analyzed for the abundance of M. smithii and M. stadtmanae using qPCR. Environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle, hygiene, child rearing, and medication were recorded by repeated questionnaires. The relationship between these determinants and the presence and abundance of archaea was analyzed by logistic and linear regression respectively. Three hundred and sixty-nine out of the 472 children (78.2%) were colonized by M. smithii, and 39 out of the 472 children (8.3%) by M. stadtmanae. The consumption of organic yogurt (odds ratio: 4.25, CI95: 1.51; 11.95) and the consumption of organic milk (odds ratio: 5.58, CI95: 1.83; 17.01) were positively associated with the presence of M. smithii. We subsequently screened raw milk, processed milk, and yogurt samples for methanogens. We identified milk products as possible source for M. smithii, but not M. stadtmanae. In conclusion, M. smithii seems present in milk products and their consumption may determine archaeal gut colonization in children. For the first time, a large variety of determinants have been explored in association with gut colonization by methanogenic archaea. Although more information is needed to confirm and unravel the mechanisms in detail, it provides new insights on microbial colonization processes in early life.
Political Determinants of Government Loans in Japan

This paper examines the political determinants of government banks’ lending decisions using prefecture‐level panel data on Japan’s government loans from 1975 to 1992. It finds that the size of government loans is positively correlated with two political factors: (1) the electoral vulnerability of politicians who belong to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and (2) their seniority. These political effects are statistically robust to the inclusion of prefecture fixed effects, year fixed effects, and other socioeconomic factors and, more important, are present only in government loans, and not in private loans. These results suggest that self‐interested LDP members (ab)used government loans for political purposes as implied by the “political view” of government banks.
Likelihood Expansion for Panel Regression Models with Factors Supplementary Material (Not for Publication)

An improved thermal ink jet recording paper, incorporating heat aged precipitated calcium carbonate ("PCC") and a binder, is disclosed. Heat aging the PCC in the presence of an organophosphonate produces discrete particles of PCC with a surface morphology and chemistry that enhances the ability of the PCC to bind to ink jet ink without binding so strongly that the color of the ink is changed. Ink jet recording papers incorporating the PCC and binders of the present invention have reduced feathering, spreading, and penetration or backside showthrough, as well as improved optical density, dry time, and water fastness.
Measuring Migrants' Educational Attainment: The CAMCES Tool in the IAB-SOEP Migration Samples

Education is one of the most frequently used variables in social science research. However, it is challenging to measure educational attainment with a high degree of validity and comparability in migrant surveys. In migrant surveys, respondents were educated in various different educational systems. Rather than providing specific response options for the qualifications available in every country of origin, migrant surveys often use generic response options (such as “secondary education”) that supposedly work equally well for respondents educated in all kinds of educational systems. Given the lack of universal understanding of such generic categories, we have doubts whether this approach leads to reliable, valid, and comparable data. To improve the measurement of educational qualifications obtained abroad, GESIS has developed a new tool in the project “Computer-assisted measurement and coding of education in surveys” (CAMCES). In this paper, we present how migrants’ education is usually measured in the German IAB-SOEP Migration Samples and the alternative measurement using the CAMCES tool implemented in the IAB-SOEP Migration Samples 2015 and 2016. We analyze the coverage of educational systems in the CAMCES tool, compare the level of item nonresponse and non-coded responses affecting the standard and the CAMCES instruments, and examine the consistency of the resulting education variables. The paper concludes by discussing benefits and limitations of either measurement approach, and by giving an outlook of possible applications of the CAMCES tool.
A Literature Review of Organizational Behavior Management Interventions in Human Service Settings from 1990 to 2016

ABSTRACT We reviewed the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (JOBM), and Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP) from 1990 to 2016, to identify articles that evaluated organizational behavior management interventions in a human service setting. Of those articles, 75 articles met the inclusion criteria for the review, 44 from JABA (1990 to 2016), 22 from JOBM (1990 to 2016), and 7 from BAP (2008 to 2016). We categorized each selected article by setting, employee population, client population, assessment, dependent variable, independent variable, and outcome measures. Results from the review are discussed for all three journals. Recommendations are made to broaden the scope of population and dependent variable targets, include more assessments, and include outcome data when applicable.
A study of limited-precision, incremental elicitation in auctions

Day-to-day business transactions have come to rely on the computer networks that link market participants by providing fast, seamless communication and negotiation channels. This move to online negotiation has led to the development of more and more sophisticated software agents that mediate such transactions. However, since the interests of the parties on whose behalf such agents act generally conflict, ideally such agents should reason strategically according to the well-studied principles of game theory and economics. As such, recent research in computer science and economics has focused on the design of economic agents and the mechanisms through which they interact. Mechanism design [3] has played a central role in much of this research. Recently, limitations of standard approaches to mechanism design have been identified, and are starting to be addressed. Chief among these is the computational complexity of the problems faced by interacting software agents. For instance, mechanisms based on the revelation principle must reveal their type (often, the utility function) accurately. This presents a problem in circumstances where utility functions are large and difficult to communicate effectively and/or hard to compute accurately. Recent research has begun to examine methods involving limited or incremental elicitation of types to circumvent some of these difficulties [1, 2, 5, 4], specifically in the context of (single-good or combinatorial) auctions. In this paper, we pursue the same line of research. Specifically, in the context of single-good auctions, we analyze mechanisms that allow bids with limited precision and that elicit bids by allowing bidders to sequentially refine their bids. We propose various natural constraints on such incremental mechanisms and show that any mechanism satisfying these constraints, and having dominant strategy equilibria, must have a very restricted form. We then present one sample mechanism of this form and show that it can be optimized for various social objectives.
Lower Serum Vitamin D Metabolite Levels in Relation to Circulating Cytokines/Chemokines and Metabolic Hormones in Pregnant Women with Hypertensive Disorders

The aim of this study was to investigate whether lower serum vitamin D metabolite levels were associated with altered cytokine/chemokine and metabolic hormone levels in three different hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP). Healthy pregnancy (n = 30) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) (n = 30), i.e., gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia (PE), and eclampsia (EC) subjects were enrolled. Vitamin D metabolites were measured by UPLC/APCI/HRMS method. Circulatory 27 cytokines/chemokines and 10 metabolic hormones were measured. Significantly decreased 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D levels were observed in HDP. The levels of 25(OH)D were significantly lower in PE and EC, whereas the serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D significantly decreased only in EC subjects. Serum 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D levels were negatively correlated with systolic- and diastolic blood pressure, creatinine, and uric acid levels. Serum interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-13 decreased, and GIP levels were increased in gestational hypertensive subjects. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB and IL-8 levels were increased and macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta levels were decreased in EC subjects. IL-8 and IL-10 increased, and rantes and GIP levels decreased in the EC group as compared with the GH group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that eotaxin, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, 25(OH)D, and 1,25(OH)2D were predictors of HDP. Our analyses suggest that lower vitamin D metabolites are associated with altered cytokines/chemokines and metabolic hormones in HDP.