Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Customer Input in the Development of Very New Products

This research explores the acquisition of customer input and its importance in the development of very new products. Data were gathered on 55 product development projects from the computer telephony integration industry - a new industry experiencing rapid technological change. The data were used to test hypotheses concerning the relationships between product newness, the importance of customer input in the development process, and the use of customer intensive market research methods. We found that the importance of customer input increases with market newness of a product up to a point and then drops off for very new products, whereas, the importance of customer input increases with technological newness of a product without dropping off. We also found that the importance of customer input significantly increases the use of customer intensive market research methods; whereas, neither market nor technological product newness in themselves had much direct effect on research methods.
Prices as Signals of Product Quality

This paper is concerned with the provision of quality in markets in which consumers have only imperfect information. The analysis focuses on a market for a product that can be produced at different quality levels. All consumers prefer higher to lower quality, but they may differ in their willingness to pay for quality. Producers can produce any quality they like, but higher qualities are more costly to produce. The information in this market is imperfect in the sense that the exact quality chosen by a firm is known only to the firm itself; some information about the quality of a firm's product will, however, reach its potential customers, even if they do not make any special effort to acquire it. Within the framework suggested here, two conclusions are drawn. First, prices may serve as signals which exactly differentiate the available quality levels. That is, there exists a fulfilledexpectations equilibrium at which each price signals a unique quality level. Second, the pricesignals are not arbitrary. Each price-signal exceeds the marginal cost of producing the quality it signals. Such a mark-up depends on the nature of the product-specific information received by consumers—the poorer the information, the higher the mark-up.
The Effects of Intermittent Insulin Therapy on the Autonomic Neuropathy in the Streptozotocin Diabetic Rat

SUMMARY: An ultrastructural study of the dorsal sympathetic ganglia, chain, and myenteric plexus is described in the streptozotocin diabetic rat after intermittent insulin treatment. The observations described cover the first two weeks following induction of diabetes in which insulin was administered subcutaneously twice daily. Significant regenerative changes were seen with marked axonal sprouting noted at three days. Degenerative changes were seen to be less severe than those in untreated animals. It is concluded that the improvement in the neuropathic changes with insulin treatment supports a transient primary role of the streptozotocin in causing the neuropathy — but that the subsequent improvement seems to be related to the partial control of the diabetes.
Explaining the Global Pattern of Current Account Imbalances

This paper assesses some of the explanations that have been put forward for the global pattern of current account imbalances that has emerged in recent years: in particular, the large U.S. current account deficit and the large surpluses of the Asian developing economies. Based on the approach developed by Chinn and Prasad (2003), we use data for 61 countries during 1982-2003 to estimate panel regression models for the ratio of the current account balance to GDP. We find that a model that includes as its explanatory variables the standard determinants of current accounts proposed in the literature-? per capita income, relative growth rates, the fiscal balance, demographic variables, and economic openness-? can account for neither the large U.S. deficit nor large Asian surpluses of the 1997-2003 period. However, when we include a variable representing financial crises, which might be expected to restrain domestic demand and boost the current account balance, the model explains much of developing Asia? s swing into surplus since 1997. Even so, the model cannot explain why the capital outflows associated with Asia? s current account surpluses were channeled primarily into the U.S. economy. Observers have pointed to strong growth performance and a favorable institutional environment as elements attracting foreign investment into the United States, and we found strong evidence that good performance in these areas significantly reduces the current account balance. While a model incorporating these factors still fails to predict the large U.S. current account deficit (and, in fact, predicts a slight surplus), it does predict a U.S. current account balance that is relatively weaker than the aggregate balance of developing Asia.
A Pseudomonas aeruginosa hepta‐acylated lipid A variant associated with cystic fibrosis selectively activates human neutrophils

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease causes airway neutrophilia and hyperinflammation without effective bacterial clearance. We evaluated the immunostimulatory activities of lipid A, the membrane anchor of LPS, isolated from mutants of PA that synthesize structural variants, present in the airways of patients with CF, to determine if they correlate with disease severity and progression. In a subset of patients with a severe late stage of CF disease, a unique hepta‐acylated lipid A, hepta‐1855, is synthesized. In primary human cell cultures, we found that hepta‐1855 functioned as a potent TLR4 agonist by priming neutrophil respiratory burst and stimulating strong IL‐8 from monocytes and neutrophils. hepta‐1855 also had a potent survival effect on neutrophils. However, it was less efficient in stimulating neutrophil granule exocytosis and also less potent in triggering proinflammatory TNF‐α response from monocytes. In PA isolates that do not synthesize hepta‐1855, a distinct CF‐specific adaptation favors synthesis of a penta‐1447 and hexa‐1685 LPS mixture. We found that penta‐1447 lacked immunostimulatory activity but interfered with inflammatory IL‐8 synthesis in response to hexa‐1685. Together, these observations suggest a potential contribution of hepta‐1855 to maintenance of the inflammatory burden in late‐stage CF by recruiting neutrophils via IL‐8 and promoting their survival, an effect presumably amplified by the absence of penta‐1447. Moreover, the relative inefficiency of hepta‐1855 in triggering neutrophil degranulation may partly explain the persistence of PA in CF disease, despite extensive airway neutrophilia.
Household participation in waste recycling: Some national survey evidence from Scotland

Abstract Increasing levels of household waste have raced up national, regional and municipal environmental policy agendas around the world, especially as heavy reliance on landfill and incineration is becoming prohibitively expensive and also a high profile source of local voter dissent or vociferous NIMBY behaviour. In an attempt to reduce reliance on these options, UK local authorities have increasingly been forced to turn to recycling. This paper reports on a broad empirical study of household recycling, utilizing national survey-based evidence (drawn from over 31 000 interviews in Scotland). Hitherto, very few published empirical studies have addressed the household recycling decision using national survey data to furnish baseline evidence. For this purpose logit analysis is undertaken, using data extracted from the Scottish Household Surveys of 2000 and 2001. This work also serves as the basis for further detailed modelling of a selection of illustrative household types. After consideration of particular waste streams and the availability of different recycling schemes, the effects on the probability of recycling participation of age, income level, household composition, car ownership and local authority were analysed. While there are clear income effects, the picture regarding the impact of household composition and some other factors is more complex.
Energy Intensity in Light of China's Economic Transition

Two economic geographers examine the impacts of economic transition on the efficiency of energy use in China, the second-largest energy consumer in the world. Following a brief review of reform and deregulation in China's energy sector, they proceed to systematically test the relationship between economic transition (conceptualized as a triple process of marketization, decentralization, and globalization) and energy intensity using a panel data set. The statistical units of analysis are China's 30 provincial-level administrative regions, facilitating the investigation of spatial variations in energy intensity. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O53, P20, Q40, Q43. 9 figures, 5 tables, 62 references.
The Role of Volatility Shocks and Rare Events in Long-Run Risk Models

We generalize and extend the long-run risk model by Drechsler and Yaron (201'7 by separating the processes for the jump intensity and the stochastic conditional variance. Furthermore we replace their Ornstein-Uhlenbeck specification for the long-run mean of the conditional variance by a square-root process. Although these two modifications seem mainly technical at first sight they have major economic implications and change fundamental characteristics of the model. First they substantially improve the performance of the model in predictive regressions of future excess returns on the current price-dividend ratio and lead to an equity risk premium which is increasing not only with short-run but also with long-run uncertainty. Second, the decoupling of jump intensity and conditional variance permits a detailed analysis which of the effects first shown by Drechsler and Yaron (201'7 are due to the role of the conditional variance as a diffusive factor and which are caused by its second job, namely to control the likelihood of jumps. We find that for most effects generated by the model time-variation in the jump intensity is much more important than diffusive volatility risk.
Comparative evaluation of methylene blue and demeclocycline for enhancing optical contrast of gliomas in optical images

Abstract. Contrast agents have shown to be useful in the detection of cancers. The goal of this study was to compare enhancement of brain cancer contrast using reflectance and fluorescence confocal imaging of two fluorophores, methylene blue (MB) and demeclocycline (DMN). MB absorbs light in the red spectral range and fluoresces in the near-infrared. It is safe for in vivo staining of human skin and breast tissue. However, its safety for staining human brain is questionable. Thus, DMN, which absorbs light in the violet spectral range and fluoresces between 470 and 570 nm, could provide a safer alternative to MB. Fresh human gliomas, obtained from surgeries, were cut in half and stained with aqueous solutions of MB and DMN, respectively. Stained tissues were imaged using multimodal confocal microscopy. Resulting reflectance and fluorescence optical images were compared with hematoxylin and eosin histopathology, processed from each imaged tissue. Results indicate that images of tissues stained with either stain exhibit comparable contrast and resolution of morphological detail. Further studies are required to establish the safety and efficacy of these contrast agents for use in human brain.
Inmate Perceptions of Mental Health Services

With the increasing rise in the U.S. prison population, meeting the mental health needs of inmates before, during, and after incarceration remains an obstacle. What are the mental health experiences of inmates? For what types of problems are inmates willing to seek help, and what are the barriers to their service utilization? This study investigated inmates' attitudes and perceptions toward mental health services and examined whether these attitudes and perceptions vary with respect to ethnic group membership or among inmates of differing security levels. Implications of these findings for psychologists, including psychologists not employed in correctional settings, are highlighted.
The Hidden Costs of IT Outsourcing

The cost of information-technology outsourcing involves more than vendor fees, but how much of that additional cost is really necessary? A survey of 50 outsourcing efforts shows that companies are largely unaware of costs associated with such activities as transitioning to a new vendor and so tend not to take measures to reduce them. Jerome Barthelemy of Audencia Nantes graduate school of management in France looks at four kinds of hidden costs that can erode the benefits a company anticipates from outsourcing. Drawing on lessons from company interviews, he provides anecdotes that show how the choices that a company makes can lead to high hidden costs. When searching for a vendor, for example, companies often try to spend as little as possible. However, spending more at the search stage reduces hidden costs throughout the outsourcing effort and saves considerable expense later. Companies should include certain clauses in the contract, select a trustworthy vendor and be certain about the vendor's role. Another hidden cost is the expense of transitioning activities to the vendor. This cost is elusive, because it is incurred as long as the vendor has not completely taken over from the internal IT department ? something that is often hard to judge. The nature of the outsourced activities determines much of this cost. The cost to manage the outsourcing effort can be considerable, but companies tend to overlook it. Experience is the best way to avoid high management costs. Even spending money to hire consultants with IT-outsourcing experience can be cheaper than enduring the high cost of contract renegotiation and dogging the vendor to get the desired performance. The last hidden cost category is the expense to switch vendors or reintegrate the outsourced activities. Many managers view the end of an outsourcing agreement that involves strategic activities as a failure and are uncomfortable preparing for that cost. Simple precautions such as including a reversibility clause in the contract can help reduce problems.
The application of computer-assisted translation tools to the teaching of scientific and technological translation English to Chinese

1 Declaration of Originality . 2 Copyright Declaration . 3 Acknowledgements . 4 List of Tables . 9 List of Figures . 11 Chapter One: Introduction . 12 1.1 Background for the current study . 12 1.2 Research aims and procedures . 16 1.3 Thesis outline . 18 Chapter Two: Features of Scientific and Technological Texts . 20 2.1 Scientific, technological and technical translation . 20 2.1.1 The concepts of ‘science’ and ‘scientific’ . 22 2.1.2 The concepts of ‘technology’ and ‘technological’ . 23 2.1.3 The concepts of ‘technique’ and ‘technical’ . 24 2.1. 4 Scientific-technological vs. technical . 25 2.2 Features of English scientific and technological texts . 31 2.2.1 Grammatical features . 33 2.2.2 Syntactical features . 40 2.2.3 Lexical features . 44 2.2. 4 Linguistic features based on the function of scientific-technological texts . 49 2.2. 5 Linguistic features based on the genre of scientific-technological texts . 51 2.3 Features of Chinese scientific and technological texts . 58 2.3. 1 Grammatical features of Chinese scientific and technological texts . 62 2.3. 1.1 Classifiers and numeral classifiers . 63 2.3. 1.2 Aspect markers in Chinese . 70 2.3. 1.3 Passive voice in English and Chinese scientific and technological texts. 76 2.3. 2 Syntactic features of Chinese scientific and technological texts. 83
A Crowdsourcing-Based Framework for Improving Geo-spatial Open Data

Nowadays, more and more people rely on freely available user-generated spatial content, known as Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). Therefore, spatial data creation is no more exclusively in the hands of professionals and Linked Open Data (LOD) techniques have a role in promoting such online and freely accessible spatial information. However, the volume of VGI data is constantly growing so evaluating its quality is a basic need, especially in urban environments where Points of Interest change frequently and human feedbacks are crucial to get frequent updates of their descriptions. In this context, we propose a crowd sourcing-based framework, relying on linked data principles and devised to collect, organize and rank user-generated content in order to improve accuracy and completeness of geo-spatial LOD. To this purpose, metrics have been defined for evaluating both users and contents.
Workplace learning and the employment relationship in the public sector

Training that is relevant to employers is not necessarily enriching for employees, especially those on the lower salary scales. The authors argue that the analysis of training and development needs to be understood in the context of the employment relationship. Drawing on reasearch evidence from six case studies in the public sector, the article examines the impact of changes in work organisation on workplace learning, managers' and employees' own strategies towards it and the limitations of tools such as appraisal. Since employees' existing qualifications are poorly utilised and their development needs often frustrated, issues concerning job design, occupational progression routes and employee entitlements need to be addressed.
Recognizing Clothing Colors and Visual Textures Using a Finger-Mounted Camera: An Initial Investigation

We investigate clothing color and visual texture recognition using images from a finger-mounted camera to support people with visual impairments. Our approach mitigates issues with distance and lighting that can impact the accuracy of existing color and texture recognizers and allows for easy touch-based interrogation to better understand clothing appearance. We classify image textures by combining two off-the-shelf techniques commonly used for object recognition achieving 99.4% accuracy on a dataset of 520 clothing images across 9 texture categories. We close with a discussion of potential applications, user evaluation plans, and open questions.
IgG-Mediated Immune Suppression to Erythrocytes by Polyclonal Antibodies Can Occur in the Absence of Activating or Inhibitory Fcγ Receptors in a Full Mouse Model

Polyclonal anti-D has been used to prevent RhD-negative mothers from becoming immunized against RhD positive fetal erythrocytes, and this mechanism has been referred as Ab or IgG-mediated immune suppression (AMIS). Although anti-D has been highly successful, the inhibitory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Two major theories behind AMIS involve the binding of IgG to activating or inhibitory FcγR, which can induce either erythrocyte clearance or immune inhibition, respectively. In this work, we explored the absolute role of activating and inhibitory FcγR in the AMIS mechanism using the HOD mouse model of RBC immunization. HOD mice contain a RBC-specific recombinant protein composed of hen egg lysozyme (HEL), OVA and human transmembrane Duffy Ag, and erythrocytes from HOD mice can stimulate an immune response to HEL. To assess the contribution of activating and inhibitory FcγR to AMIS, C57BL/6 versus FcRγ-chain−/− or FcγRIIB−/− mice were used as recipients of HOD-RBC alone or together with anti-HEL Abs (i.e., AMIS) and the resulting immune response to HEL evaluated. We show that anti-HEL polyclonal Abs induce the same degree of AMIS effect in mice lacking these IgG binding receptors as compared with wild-type mice. In agreement with this, F(ab′)2 fragments of the AMIS Ab also significantly reduced the Ab response to the HOD cells. In conclusion, successful inhibition of in vivo Ab responses to HOD-RBC by polyclonal IgG can occur independently of activating or inhibitory FcγR involvement. These results may have implications for the understanding of RhD prophylaxis.
Landmark of ethmoid arteries in adult Thai cadavers: application for sinus surgery.

BACKGROUND Ethmoid arteries, branches of the ophthalmic artery, are crucial structures supplying ethmoid mucosa. Its locations are important during ethmoid sinus surgery. There has been no study in Thais before. OBJECTIVE To determine the number and locations of ethmoid arteries in relation to important surrounding structures. MATERIAL AND METHOD A prospective, descriptive study in 42 Thai cadaveric adult half-heads was conducted at departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Meticulous dissections were performed to identify number of ethmoid arteries branching from ophthalmic artery and site of entrance of the arteries into ethmoid sinus. Relationships of these arteries with anterior ethmoid crest, optic foramen, bulla lamella and middle third of basal lamella of middle turbinate were studied. OUTCOMES Types of ethmoid arteries, distances between ethmoid arteries and their relations to important surrounding structures: anterior lacrimal crest, optic foramen, superior aspects of bulla lamella, middle third of basal lamella of middle turbinate and the superior aspect of anterior wall of sphenoid sinus. RESULTS All specimens had anterior and posterior ethmoid arteries. The prevalence of tertiary ethmoid artery was 36% (95% CI22-52%). The mean distance between the anterior ethmoid artery and anterior lacrimal crest, anterior ethmoid artery and posterior ethmoid artery and the distance between posterior ethmoid artery and optic foramen were 24.3, 13.5 and 6.4 millimeters respectively. Most of the entry of anterior ethmoid artery into the ethmoid sinus was in the posterior half of the distance between the bulla lamella and middle third of basal lamella of middle turbinate, 85.7%. CONCLUSION This is the first study of location of ethmoid arteries in Thai adult cadavers. The information of the present study may be useful for sinus surgeon.
Similarity measures of object selection in interactive applications based on smooth pursuit eye movements

Gaze-based interaction in various digital technologies is a rapidly growing research area. Eye tracking provides an alternative input modality to control interactive contents in computers. Nowadays, eye tracking is not only expected to be a personal assistive technology, but also to be a controller for interactive contents in a public display. Instead of fixational eye movement, smooth pursuit eye movement has been used for object selection in gaze-based interactive applications. However, previous works did not consider various similarity measures for spontaneous object selection. Hence, no information on how different similarity measures affect performance of object selection. To fill this gap, we compared two similarity measures — Euclidean distance and Pearson's product moment coefficient — for object selection. We presented simple interactive applications containing four dynamic objects, each of which was presented subsequently or simultaneously. The participants were asked to select the objects by gazing and following the trajectory of the moving objects. Our results show that object selection with Euclidean distance achieved superior accuracy (78.65%) compared with object selection with Pearson's product moment coefficient (57.38%). In future, our results maybe used as a guideline for development of spontaneous gaze-based interactive application.