Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Believing Is Seeing: Joint Ventures and Organization Learning*

This paper develops a conceptual framework for the study of organization learning and applies it to learning in joint ventures (JVs). the framework presents a multilevel view of the phenomenon, suggesting that learning in organizations occurs at the individual, group and organization levels. the framework integrates behavioural and cognitive perspectives of organization learning and delineates both learning processes and outcomes. Four key elements of organization learning are addressed: the nature of managerial learning experiences, the sharing and integration of managerial learning within an organization, the insti-tutionalization of learning, and the relationship between organization learning and performance. In applying the framework to a study of learning and JVs, we observed firms with explicit learning objectives unable to put into place the appropriate mechanisms and systems to transfer knowledge from the JV to the parent. While individual managers in the JVs were often enthusiastic and positive about their learning experiences, integration of the learning experience at the parent firm level was problematic, limiting the institutionalized learning. the fundamental position in this paper is that a rigid set of managerial beliefs associated with an unwillingness to cast off or unlearn past practices can severely limit the effectiveness of organization learning.
Decentralized Constraint Satisfaction

We show that several important resource allocation problems in wireless networks fit within the common framework of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). Inspired by the requirements of these applications, where variables are located at distinct network devices that may not be able to communicate but may interfere, we define natural criteria that a CSP solver must possess in order to be practical. We term these algorithms decentralized CSP solvers. The best known CSP solvers were designed for centralized problems and do not meet these criteria. We introduce a stochastic decentralized CSP solver, proving that it will find a solution in almost surely finite time, should one exist, and also showing it has many practically desirable properties. We benchmark the algorithm's performance on a well-studied class of CSPs, random k-SAT, illustrating that the time the algorithm takes to find a satisfying assignment is competitive with stochastic centralized solvers on problems with order a thousand variables despite its decentralized nature. We demonstrate the solver's practical utility for the problems that motivated its introduction by using it to find a noninterfering channel allocation for a network formed from data from downtown Manhattan.
Altered renal sodium handling in men with abdominal adiposity: a link to hypertension

Objectives Central adiposity, insulin resistance and hypertension are clearly interrelated but the mechanisms underlying this association have not been thoroughly elucidated. As renal sodium handling plays a central role in salt-sensitive forms of hypertension, we investigated the relation of renal tubular sodium handling to abdominal adiposity, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity. Design Population-based study. Participants Five hundred and fifty-five untreated Olivetti male workers, aged 25–75 years. Setting Olivetti factory medical centers in Pozzuoli and Marcianise (Naples, Italy) Main outcome measures Anthropometric indices, serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment index of insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, fractional excretions of uric acid and exogenous lithium (as markers of renal tubular sodium handling). Results In univariate analysis, measures of central adiposity (i.e. sagittal abdominal diameter and umbilical circumference) were directly correlated with serum insulin (P < 0.001) and blood pressure levels (P < 0.001) and inversely associated with the fractional excretions of uric acid and lithium (P = 0.01–0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, the same anthropometric indices but not the measures of peripheral adiposity (arm circumference and tricipital skinfold thickness), were significant predictors of the fractional excretion of uric acid and lithium, independently of age, blood pressure and serum insulin levels (P = 0.01–0.001). Conclusions Abdominal adiposity was associated with altered renal tubular sodium handling apart from insulin resistance and high blood pressure. The data indicate that men with prevalent abdominal adiposity have an enhanced rate of tubular sodium reabsorption, mainly at proximal sites. These findings provide a possible mechanistic link between central adiposity and salt-dependent hypertension.
An Examination of Adolescents' Salary Expectations and Gender-Based Occupational Stereotyping

This study investigated the effect of gender on salary estimates and judgments about occupational suitability. The questionnaires, 1,300 in total, were distributed to randomly selected high schools in Newfoundland and Labrador for administration to students in Grades 10 and 12. The response rate was 82%. Results indicated that females provided lower salary estimates than males and were less likely to stereotype occupations on the basis of gender. In addition, academic achievement was negatively correlated with gender-based occupational stereotyping. An effect for religiosity was not observed.
Crohn's Disease–associated Escherichia coli Survive in Macrophages by Suppressing NF&kgr;B Signaling

Background:Epidemiological and genetic studies suggest a role for enteric flora in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). Crohn's disease–associated Escherichia coli (CDEC) is characterized by their ability to invade epithelial cells and survive and induce high concentration of TNF-&agr; from infected macrophages. However, the molecular mechanisms of CDEC survival in infected macrophages are not completely understood. Methods:Intracellular survival of CDEC strain LF82 isolated from inflamed ileum tissue, 13I isolated from inflamed colonic tissue, and control E. coli strains were tested in the murine macrophage cell line, J774A.1 by Gentamicin protection assay. Modulation of intracellular cell signaling pathways by the E. coli strains were assessed by western blot analysis and confocal microscopy. Results:13I demonstrated increased survival in macrophages with 2.6-fold higher intracellular bacteria compared with LF82, yet both strains induced comparable levels of TNF-&agr;. LF82 and 13I differentially modulated key mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways during the acute phase of infection; LF82 activated all 3 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, whereas 13I activated ERK1/2 pathway but not p38 and JNK pathways. Both 13I and LF82 suppressed nuclear translocation of NF&kgr;B compared with noninvasive E. coli strains during the acute phase of infection. However, unlike noninvasive E. coli strains, 13I and LF82 infection resulted in chronic activation of NF&kgr;B during the later phase of infection. Conclusions:Our results showed that CDEC survive in macrophages by initially suppressing NF&kgr;B activation. However, persistence of bacterial within macrophages induces chronic activation of NF&kgr;B, which correlates with increased TNF-&agr; secretion from infected macrophages.
The cardiac output from blood pressure algorithms trial.

OBJECTIVE The value of different algorithms that estimate cardiac output (CO) by analysis of a peripheral arterial blood pressure (ABP) waveform has not been definitively identified. In this investigation, we developed a testing data set containing a large number of radial ABP waveform segments and contemporaneous reference CO by thermodilution measurements, collected in an intensive care unit (ICU) patient population during routine clinical operations. We employed this data set to evaluate a set of investigational algorithms, and to establish a public resource for the meaningful comparison of alternative CO-from-ABP algorithms. DESIGN A retrospective comparative analysis of eight investigational CO-from-ABP algorithms using the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II database. SETTING Mixed medical/surgical ICU of a university hospital. PATIENTS A total of 120 cases. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS CO estimated by eight investigational CO-from-ABP algorithms, and CO(TD) as a reference. MAIN RESULTS All investigational methods were significantly better than mean arterial pressure (MAP) at estimating direction changes in CO(TD). Only the formula proposed by Liljestrand and Zander in 1928 was a significantly better quantitative estimator of CO(TD) compared with MAP (95% limits-of-agreement with CO(TD): -1.76/+1.41 L/min versus -2.20/+1.82 L/min, respectively; p < 0.001, per the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). The Liljestrand method was even more accurate when applied to the cleanest ABP waveforms. Other investigational algorithms were not significantly superior to MAP as quantitative estimators of CO. CONCLUSIONS Based on ABP data recorded during routine intensive care unit (ICU) operations, the Liljestrand and Zander method is a better estimator of CO(TD) than MAP alone. Our attempts to fully replicate commercially-available methods were unsuccessful, and these methods could not be evaluated. However, the data set is publicly and freely available, and developers and vendors of CO-from-ABP algorithms are invited to test their methods using these data.
“I look like a mess….am I needed in the profit-oriented society?” The Labour Market and Employment Situation of Some Vulnerable Categories of Unemployed and Inactive People in Slovenia

U Sloveniji je malo informacija dostupno o tržistu rada i situaciji u zaposljavanju u kojoj se nalaze neke od najuskracenijih kategorija nezaposlenih osoba. Ovaj clanak prikazuje razvijenu metodologiju istraživanja i najznacajnije rezultate u pogledu tržista rada i situacije u zaposljavanju u kojoj se nalaze neke od najranjivijih kategorija dobivene unutar istraživackog projekta pod pokroviteljstvom Ministarstva rada, obitelji i socijalne skrbi. Usredotocili smo se na sedam ranjivih kategorija: beskucnike, osobe s dusevnim bolestima, osobe ovisne o drogama, osobe ovisne o alkoholu, osobe s povijescu nasilja, osobe ukljucene u programe nakon izdržavanja zatvorske kazne i osobe bez dozvole za rad. Usprkos uvriježenom misljenju strucnjaka da pojedinci iz ranjivih kategorija nisu motivirane za traženje posla i radnog odnosa, osobe iz ranjivih kategorija tvrde da žele posao, ali pod razumnim okolnostima. Stoga bi se mnoge prepreke prvo trebale ukloniti kako bi se posboljsala situacija na tržistu rada i u zaposljavanju.
A theoretician's analysis of the supernova data and the limitations in determining the nature of dark energy

Current cosmological observations show a strong signature of the existence of a dark energy component with negative pressure. The most obvious candidate for this dark energy is the cosmological constant (with the equationof state w X = p/ρ = -1), which, however, raises several theoretical difficulties. This has led to models for a dark energy component that evolves with time. We discuss certain questions related to the determination of the nature of the dark energy component from observations of high-redshift supernovae. The main results of our analysis are as follows. (i) Even if the precise value of w X is known from observations, it is not possible to determine the nature of the unknown dark energy source using only kinematical and geometrical measurements. We have given explicit examples to show that different types of sources can give rise to a given w X . (ii) Although the full data set of supernova observations (which are currently available) strongly rule out models without dark energy, the high- (z > 0.25) and low- (z < 0.25) redshift data sets, individually, admit decelerating models with zero dark energy. Any possible evolution in the absolute magnitude of the supernovae, if detected, might allow the decelerating models to be consistent with the data. (iii) We have introduced two parameters, which can be obtained entirely from theory, to study the sensitivity of the luminosity distance on w X . Using these two parameters, we have argued that although one can determine the present value of w X accurately from the data, one cannot constrain the evolution of w X .
Character Is Not “Dead” in Management Research: A Review of Individual Character and Organizational-Level Virtue†

We propose that strength of character is a potentially important organizational research topic, one that has been largely untapped in applied research. Character (ethos) refers to those inter-penetrable habitual qualities within individuals and applicable to organizations that constrain and lead them to desire and pursue personal and societal good. In our review, we first provide an initial conceptualization of character, partly by distinguishing it from virtue and values. Second, starting with the Old Testament, we examine how character has traditionally been considered across time and culture. Next, we discuss the extant research on strength of character and organizational virtue. We conclude with promising research directions involving individual character strength and organizational virtue.
ShiDianNao: Shifting vision processing closer to the sensor

In recent years, neural network accelerators have been shown to achieve both high energy efficiency and high performance for a broad application scope within the important category of recognition and mining applications. Still, both the energy efficiency and peiformance of such accelerators remain limited by memory accesses. In this paper, we focus on image applications, arguably the most important category among recognition and mining applications. The neural networks which are state-of-the-art for these applications are Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and they have an important property: weights are shared among many neurons, considerably reducing the neural network memory footprint. This property allows to entirely map a CNN within an SRAM, eliminating all DRAM accesses for weights. By further hoisting this accelerator next to the image sensor, it is possible to eliminate all remaining DRAM accesses, i.e., for inputs and outputs. In this paper, we propose such a CNN accelerator, placed next to a CMOS or CCD sensor. The absence of DRAM accesses combined with a careful exploitation of the specific data access patterns within CNNs allows us to design an accelerator which is 60x more energy efficient than the previous state-of-the-art neural network accelerator. We present a fult design down to the layout at 65 nm, with a modest footprint of 4.86 mm2 and consuming only 320 mW, but still about 30x faster than high-end GPUs.
Value creation in Portugal

This study aims to quantify the value creation in Portugal, comparing it to the value creation in other European countries. After a state of the art review, an algorithm was identified that computes the created value as the difference between Gross Value Added and the replacement needs of the stock of value. It was applied to long term data of economic sectors in Portugal and in other European countries. The results show a sensitive indicator of short-term changes, and very dependent on the established minimum rate of return.
The Health Impact of Symptomatic Adult Spinal Deformity: Comparison of Deformity Types to United States Population Norms and Chronic Diseases

Study Design. A retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter database. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health impact of symptomatic adult spinal deformity (SASD) by comparing Standard Form Version 2 (SF-36) scores for SASD with United States normative and chronic disease values. Summary of Background Data. Recent data have identified radiographic parameters correlating with poor health-related quality of life for SASD. Disability comparisons between SASD patients and patients with chronic diseases may provide further insight to the disease burden caused by SASD. Methods. Consecutive SASD patients, with no history of spine surgery, were enrolled into a multicenter database and evaluated for type and severity of spinal deformity. Baseline SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) values for SASD patients were compared with reported U.S. normative and chronic disease SF-36 scores. SF-36 scores were reported as normative-based scores (NBS) and evaluated for minimally clinical important difference (MCID). Results. Between 2008 and 2011, 497 SASD patients were prospectively enrolled and evaluated. Mean PCS for all SASD was lower than U.S. total population (ASD = 40.9; US = 50; P < 0.05). Generational decline in PCS for SASD patients with no other reported comorbidities was more rapid than U.S. norms (P < 0.05). PCS worsened with lumbar scoliosis and increasing sagittal vertical axis (SVA). PCS scores for patients with isolated thoracic scoliosis were similar to values reported by individuals with chronic back pain (45.5 vs 45.7, respectively; P > 0.05), whereas patients with lumbar scoliosis combined with severe sagittal malalignment (SVA >10 cm) demonstrated worse PCS scores than values reported by patients with limited use of arms and legs (24.7 vs 29.1, respectively; P < 0.05). Conclusions. SASD is a heterogeneous condition that, depending upon the type and severity of the deformity, can have a debilitating impact on health often exceeding the disability of more recognized chronic diseases. Health care providers must be aware of the types of SASD that correlate with disability to facilitate appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and research efforts. Level of Evidence: 3.
Implicit Attitudes Toward Green Consumer Behaviour

The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of implicit (automatic) attitudes to explain the weak attitude-behaviour relationships often found in green consumer behaviour research. Therefore, not only explicit but also implicit attitudes toward green consumer behaviour were measured by means of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Explicit measures revealed positive attitudes, while the IAT showed more positive attitudes toward the ecological than toward the traditional product (Experiment 1) or no differences in these attitudes (Experiment 2 and follow-up study). When existing products were involved, implicit attitudes related to behavioural intention, even where the explicit attitude measure did not.
Neural characteristics of successful and less successful speech and word learning in adults

A remarkable characteristic of the human nervous system is its ability to learn to integrate novel (foreign) complex sounds into words. However, the neural changes involved in how adults learn to integrate novel sounds into words and the associated individual differences are largely unknown. Unlike English, most languages of the world use pitch patterns to mark individual word meaning. We report a study assessing the neural correlates of learning to use these pitch patterns in words by English‐speaking adults who had no previous exposure to such usage. Before and after training, subjects discriminated pitch patterns of the words they learned while blood oxygenation levels were measured using fMRI. Subjects who mastered the learning program showed increased activation in the left posterior superior temporal region after training, while subjects who plateaued at lower levels showed increased activation in the right superior temporal region and right inferior frontal gyrus, which are associated with nonlinguistic pitch processing, and prefrontal and medial frontal areas, which are associated with increased working memory and attentional efforts. Furthermore, we found brain activation differences even before training between the two subject groups, including the superior temporal region. These results demonstrate an association between range of neural changes and degrees of language learning, specifically implicating the physiologic contribution of the left dorsal auditory cortex in learning success. Hum Brain Mapp 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Areca nut components stimulate ADAM17, IL-1α, PGE2 and 8-isoprostane production in oral keratinocyte: role of reactive oxygen species, EGF and JAK signaling

Betel quid (BQ) chewing is an etiologic factor of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) and oral cancer. There are 600 million BQ chewers worldwide. The mechanisms for the toxic and inflammatory responses of BQ are unclear. In this study, both areca nut (AN) extract (ANE) and arecoline stimulated epidermal growth factor (EGF) and interleukin-1α (IL-1α) production of gingival keratinocytes (GKs), whereas only ANE can stimulate a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 8-isoprostane production. ANE-induced EGF production was inhibited by catalase. Addition of anti-EGF neutralizing antibody attenuated ANE-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), mature ADAM9 expression and PGE2 and 8-isoprostane production. ANE-induced IL-1α production was inhibited by catalase, anti-EGF antibody, PD153035 (EGF receptor antagonist) and U0126 (MEK inhibitor) but not by α-naphthoflavone (cytochrome p450-1A1 inhibitor). ANE-induced ADAM17 production was inhibited by pp2 (Src inhibitor), U0126, α-naphthoflavone and aspirin. AG490 (JAK inhibitor) prevented ANE-stimulated ADAM17, IL-1α, PGE2 production, COX-2 expression, ADAM9 maturation, and the ANE-induced decline in keratin 5 and 14, but showed little effect on cdc2 expression and EGF production. Moreover, ANE-induced 8-isoprostane production by GKs was inhibited by catalase, anti-EGF antibody, AG490, pp2, U0126, α-naphthoflavone, Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) and aspirin. These results indicate that AN components may involve in BQ-induced oral cancer by induction of reactive oxygen species, EGF/EGFR, IL-1α, ADAMs, JAK, Src, MEK/ERK, CYP1A1, and COX signaling pathways, and the aberration of cell cycle and differentiation. Various blockers against ROS, EGF, IL-1α, ADAM, JAK, Src, MEK, CYP1A1, and COX can be used for prevention or treatment of BQ chewing-related diseases.
Hedgehog Pathway Blockade Inhibits Melanoma Cell Growth in Vitro and in Vivo

Previous reports have demonstrated a role for hedgehog signaling in melanoma progression, prompting us to explore the therapeutic benefit of targeting this pathway in melanoma. We profiled a panel of human melanoma cell lines and control melanocytes for altered expression of hedgehog pathway members and determined the consequences of both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the hedgehog pathway activator Smoothened (SMO) in melanoma, both in vitro and in vivo. We also examined the relationship between altered expression of hedgehog pathway mediators and survival in a well-characterized cohort of metastatic melanoma patients with prospectively collected follow up information. Studies revealed that over 40% of the melanoma cell lines examined harbored significantly elevated levels of the hedgehog pathway mediators SMO, GLI2, and PTCH1 compared to melanocytes (p < 0.05). SMO inhibition using siRNA and the small molecule inhibitor, NVP-LDE-225, suppressed melanoma growth in vitro, particularly in those cell lines with moderate SMO and GLI2 expression. NVP-LDE-225 also induced apoptosis in vitro and inhibited melanoma growth in a xenograft model. Gene expression data also revealed evidence of compensatory up-regulation of two other developmental pathways, Notch and WNT, in response to hedgehog pathway inhibition. Pharmacological and genetic SMO inhibition also downregulated genes involved in human embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Finally, increased SMO expression and decreased expression of the hedgehog pathway repressor GLI3 correlated with shorter post recurrence survival in metastatic melanoma patients. Our data demonstrate that hedgehog pathway inhibition might be a promising targeted therapy in appropriately selected metastatic melanoma patients.