Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AIS Electronic

Out of the various motivations and intentions for outsourcing information technology, customers’ expectations of innovative IT products and services for business advantage have only recently become an emerging issue among IT service providers and their customers. But little is known about IT-enabled innovation in IS outsourcing settings and how to manage such outsourcing relationships. Do customers who strive for innovation through outsourcing have other governance mechanisms in place than customers who do not expect innovation potentials from their outsourcing vendor? Based on 268 responses from chief information officers and IT executives, this paper shows that innovation-seeking customers manage their outsourcing relationship differently from those who do not associate innovation opportunities with their outsourcing relationship. In innovation-seeking outsourcing settings informal relationship mechanisms have a significantly stronger impact than in non-innovation seeking settings. However, contractual governance was found to be important regardless of the outsourcing intent. These findings call for further research on the relation and mutual impact of contractual and relational governance, e.g. by formalizing experience and mutual learning gathered through relational governance of the outsourcing partners in a contract.
Document Classification Using a Finite Mixture Model

We propose a new method of classifying documents into categories. We define for each category a finite mixture model based on soft clustering of words. We treat the problem of classifying documents as that of conducting statistical hypothesis testing over finite mixture models, and employ the EM algorithm to efficiently estimate parameters in a finite mixture model. Experimental results indicate that our method outperforms existing methods.
Specification of Neuronal Identities by Feedforward Combinatorial Coding

Neuronal specification is often seen as a multistep process: earlier regulators confer broad neuronal identity and are followed by combinatorial codes specifying neuronal properties unique to specific subtypes. However, it is still unclear whether early regulators are re-deployed in subtype-specific combinatorial codes, and whether early patterning events act to restrict the developmental potential of postmitotic cells. Here, we use the differential peptidergic fate of two lineage-related peptidergic neurons in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord to show how, in a feedforward mechanism, earlier determinants become critical players in later combinatorial codes. Amongst the progeny of neuroblast 5–6 are two peptidergic neurons: one expresses FMRFamide and the other one expresses Nplp1 and the dopamine receptor DopR. We show the HLH gene collier functions at three different levels to progressively restrict neuronal identity in the 5–6 lineage. At the final step, collier is the critical combinatorial factor that differentiates two partially overlapping combinatorial codes that define FMRFamide versus Nplp1/DopR identity. Misexpression experiments reveal that both codes can activate neuropeptide gene expression in vast numbers of neurons. Despite their partially overlapping composition, we find that the codes are remarkably specific, with each code activating only the proper neuropeptide gene. These results indicate that a limited number of regulators may constitute a potent combinatorial code that dictates unique neuronal cell fate, and that such codes show a surprising disregard for many global instructive cues.
Analysis of Astroglial K+ Channel Expression in the Developing Hippocampus Reveals a Predominant Role of the Kir4.1 Subunit

Astrocytes in different brain regions display variable functional properties. In the hippocampus, astrocytes predominantly express time- and voltage-independent currents, but the underlying ion channels are not well defined. This ignorance is partly attributable to abundant intercellular coupling of these cells through gap junctions, impeding quantitative analyses of intrinsic membrane properties. Moreover, distinct types of cells with astroglial properties coexist in a given brain area, a finding that confused previous analyses. In the present study, we investigated expression of inwardly rectifying (Kir) and two-pore-domain (K2P) K+ channels in astrocytes, which are thought to be instrumental in the regulation of K+ homeostasis. Freshly isolated astrocytes were used to improve space-clamp conditions and allow for quantitative assessment of functional parameters. Patch-clamp recordings were combined with immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, and semiquantitative transcript analysis. Comparative measurements were performed in different CA1 subregions of astrocyte-targeted transgenic mice. While confirming weak Ba2+ sensitivity in situ, our data demonstrate that in freshly isolated astrocytes, the main proportion of membrane currents is sensitive to micromolar Ba2+ concentrations. Upregulation of Kir4.1 transcripts and protein during the first 10 postnatal days was accompanied by a fourfold increase in astrocyte inward current density. Hippocampal astrocytes from Kir4.1−/− mice lacked Ba2+-sensitive currents. In addition, we report functional expression of K2P channels of the TREK subfamily (TREK1, TREK2), which mediate astroglial outward currents. Together, our findings demonstrate that Kir4.1 constitutes the pivotal K+ channel subunit and that superposition of currents through Kir4.1 and TREK channels underlies the “passive” current pattern of hippocampal astrocytes.
Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis Working Paper Series Monetary Policy and Heterogeneous Expectations

This paper studies the implications for monetary policy of heterogeneous expectations in a New Keynesian model. The assumption of rational expectations is replaced with parsimonious forecasting models where agents select between predictors that are underparameterized. In a Misspecification Equilibrium agents only select the best-performing statistical models. We demonstrate that, even when monetary policy rules satisfy the Taylor principle by adjusting nominal interest rates more than one for one with inflation, there may exist equilibria with Intrinsic Heterogeneity. Under certain conditions, there may exist multiple misspecification equilibria. We show that these findings have important implications for business cycle dynamics and for the design of monetary policy.
The size variance relationship of business firm growth rates

The relationship between the size and the variance of firm growth rates is known to follow an approximate power-law behavior σ(S) ≈ S−β(S) where S is the firm size and β(S) ≈ 0.2 is an exponent that weakly depends on S. Here, we show how a model of proportional growth, which treats firms as classes composed of various numbers of units of variable size, can explain this size-variance dependence. In general, the model predicts that β(S) must exhibit a crossover from β(0) = 0 to β(∞) = 1/2. For a realistic set of parameters, β(S) is approximately constant and can vary from 0.14 to 0.2 depending on the average number of units in the firm. We test the model with a unique industry-specific database in which firm sales are given in terms of the sum of the sales of all their products. We find that the model is consistent with the empirically observed size-variance relationship.
Renovascular Hypertension in Black Patients

In a 10-year period, 7200 of 19,000 black hypertensive adults in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center were referred to the Hypertension Service. In selected patients, intravenous urograms (1038) and renal arteriograms (238) were performed; 47 cases of renovascular hypertension (0.65% of the referred group and 0.25% of the entire sample) were identified. Atherosclerosis (32 patients) and flbromuscular dysplasia (11) were the most common causes of renal artery obstruction. Other lesions included traumatic thrombosis (2), Leriche syndrome (1), and postrenal transplant anastamotic thrombosis (1). Twenty-four patients were operated on (6 cured, 14 improved, 4 dead) and 23 treated medically (18 improved, 2 unimproved, 3 dead). Surgical mortality was 0. Follow-up exceeded 5 years in 25 patients. Extrarenal vascular lesions were found in 30 patients and accounted for six of seven deaths. Renal vein renin ratios S 1.5:1 (affected to unaffected side) predicted successful surgery in 14 patients, but eight of nine operated patients with ratios < 1.5:1 also had favorable results. Factors in addition to renin assay were weighed before surgery was recommended. Since renovascular hypertension is rare in adult blacks, intensive investigation for this entity is justified only in patients with distinct suggestive findings. Treatment results in blacks are similar to those in white cohorts. (Hypertension 4: 438–443, 1982)
The Origins of Ethnolinguistic Diversity: Theory and Evidence

This research examines theoretically and empirically the economic origins of ethnolinguistic diversity. The empirical analysis constructs detailed data on the distribution of land qualtiy and elevation across contiguous regions, virtual and real countries, and shows that variation in elevation and land quality has contributed significantly to the emergence and persistence of ethnic fractionalization. The empirical and historical evidence support the theoretical analysis, according to which heterogenous land endowments generated region specific human capital, liminting population mobility and leading to the formation of localized ethnicities and languages. The research contributes to the understanding of the emergence of ethnicities and languages. The research contributes to the understanding of the emergence of ethnicities and their spatial distribution and offers a distinction between the natural, georgraphically driven, versus the artificial, man-made, components of contemporary ethnic diversity.
An adaptive system for real-time scalable video streaming with end-to-end QOS control

This paper presents a real-time adaptive video streaming system based on the latest standardized video codec H.264/MPEG-4 AVC scalable extension (SVC). The system provides a full MPEG-21 media access framework over heterogeneous networks and terminals with end-to-end QoS control and multimedia adaptation based on SVC. This adaptive streaming system is composed of a server with a real-time SVC encoder, an adaptive network node, and a terminal with appropriate feedback of perceptual quality, network conditions and user preferences for adaptation support. The system facilitates a general content adaptation solution to achieve the end-to-end QoS control.
The influence of cycloheximide on Na,K-ATPase activity in cultured human lens epithelial cells.

PURPOSE Earlier studies from this laboratory demonstrated the ability of lens epithelium to synthesize new Na,K-adenosine triphosphatase (Na,K-ATPase) catalytic subunit (alpha) polypeptide under conditions of increased ion permeability. In the present study, the authors considered whether continuous synthesis of Na,K-ATPase protein is necessary for maintenance of Na,K-ATPase activity in lens cells. METHODS Na,K-ATPase activity was measured by quantifying the ouabain-sensitive rate of ATP hydrolysis in cultured human lens epithelial cells (HLE-B3) permeabilized with digitonin. The abundance of Na,K-ATPase alpha subunit was determined by Western blot analysis. Synthesis of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 polypeptide was investigated by measuring 35S-methionine incorporation. RESULTS Na,K-ATPase activity was reduced to less than 20% of the control level in HLE-B3 cells exposed to 100 microM cycloheximide for 24 hours. However, as judged by Western blot density, the abundance of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 and alpha3 subunit in cycloheximide-treated cells was 90% and 84% of the control level, respectively. 35S-methionine incorporation experiments revealed detectable labeling of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 subunit polypeptide within 30 minutes, consistent with alpha1 polypeptide synthesis. Na,K-ATPase alpha1 polypeptide labeling was also detected in the epithelium of intact rat lenses that had been allowed to incorporate 35S-methionine. Cycloheximide abolished 35S-methionine incorporation into Na,K-ATPase alpha1 subunit polypeptide of HLE-B3 cells. When added during the chase phase of the experiment, cycloheximide was found to slow the disappearance of labeled alpha1 polypeptide, consistent with a reduced rate of polypeptide degradation. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that a continuous cycle of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 synthesis and degradation may occur in lens epithelial cells. Cycloheximide appeared to inhibit Na,K-ATPase protein synthesis and degradation. The observed reduction of Na,K-ATPase activity after treatment with cycloheximide indicates that even though Na,K-ATPase remains abundant, Na,K-ATPase becomes inactivated when protein synthesis is inhibited.
CXCR6 Promotes Atherosclerosis by Supporting T-Cell Homing, Interferon-&ggr; Production, and Macrophage Accumulation in the Aortic Wall

Background— T lymphocytes are thought to be important in atherosclerosis, but very little is known about the mechanisms of lymphocyte recruitment into atherosclerosis-prone aortas. In this study we tested the hypothesis that CXCR6, a chemokine receptor that is expressed on a subset of CD4+ T helper 1 cells and natural killer T cells, is involved in lymphocyte homing into the aortic wall and modulates the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— To investigate the role of CXCR6 in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, we bred CXCR6-deficient (CXCR6GFP/GFP) mice with apolipoprotein E–deficient (ApoE−/−) mice. We found that CXCR6GFP/GFP/ApoE−/− mice fed a Western diet for 17 weeks or a chow diet for 56 weeks had decreased atherosclerosis compared with ApoE−/− controls. Flow cytometry analysis of the aortas from CXCR6GFP/GFP/ApoE−/− mice showed that the reduction of atherosclerosis was accompanied by a decreased percentage of CXCR6+ T cells within the aortas. Short-term homing experiments demonstrated that CXCR6 is involved in the recruitment of CXCR6+ leukocytes into the atherosclerosis-prone aortic wall. The reduced percentage of CXCR6+ T cells within the aortas resulted in significantly diminished production of interferon-&ggr; and reduction of CD11b+/CD68+ macrophages in the aorta. Conclusions— These data provide evidence for a proatherosclerotic role of CXCR6. Absence of CXCR6 alters the recruitment of CXCR6+ leukocytes and modulates the local immune response within the aortic wall.
Terminal Oxidases Are Essential To Bypass the Requirement for ResD for Full Pho Induction in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT The Bacillus subtilis Pho signal transduction network, which regulates the cellular response to phosphate starvation, integrates the activity of three signal transduction systems to regulate the level of the Pho response. This signal transduction network includes a positive feedback loop between the PhoP/PhoR and ResD/ResE two-component systems. Within this network, ResD is responsible for 80% of the Pho response. To date, the role of ResD in the generation of the Pho response has not been understood. Expression of two terminal oxidases requires ResD function, and expression of at least one terminal oxidase is needed for the wild-type Pho response. Previously, our investigators have shown that strains bearing mutations in resD are impaired for growth and acquire secondary mutations which compensate for the loss of the a-type terminal oxidases by allowing production of cytochrome bd. We report here that the expression of cytochrome bd in a ΔresDE background is sufficient to compensate for the loss of ResD for full Pho induction. A ctaA mutant strain, deficient in the production of heme A, has the same Pho induction phenotype as a ΔresDE strain. This demonstrates that the production of a-type terminal oxidases is the basis for the role of ResD in Pho induction. Terminal oxidases affect the redox state of the quinone pool. Reduced quinones inhibit PhoR autophosphorylation in vitro, consistent with a requirement for terminal oxidases for full Pho induction in vivo.
The Dynamics of Reinforcement Learning in Cooperative Multiagent Systems

Reinforcement learning can provide a robust and natural means for agents to learn how to coordinate their action choices in multi agent systems. We examine some of the factors that can influence the dynamics of the learning process in such a setting. We first distinguish reinforcement learners that are unaware of (or ignore) the presence of other agents from those that explicitly attempt to learn the value of joint actions and the strategies of their counterparts. We study (a simple form of) Q-leaming in cooperative multi agent systems under these two perspectives, focusing on the influence of that game structure and exploration strategies on convergence to (optimal and suboptimal) Nash equilibria. We then propose alternative optimistic exploration strategies that increase the likelihood of convergence to an optimal equilibrium.
Acinetobacter Peritoneal Dialysis Peritonitis: A Changing Landscape over Time

Background Acinetobacter species are assuming an increasingly important role in modern medicine, with their persistent presence in health-care settings and antibiotic resistance. However, clinical reports addressing this issue in patients with peritoneal dialysis (PD) peritonitis are rare. Methods All PD peritonitis episodes caused by Acinetobacter that occurred between 1985 and 2012 at a single centre were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical features, microbiological data, and outcomes were analysed, with stratifications based upon temporal periods (before and after 2000). Results Acinetobacter species were responsible for 26 PD peritonitis episodes (3.5% of all episodes) in 25 patients. A. baumannii was the most common pathogen (54%), followed by A. iwoffii (35%), with the former being predominant after 2000. Significantly more episodes resulted from breaks in exchange sterility after 2000, while those from exit site infections decreased (P = 0.01). The interval between the last and current peritonitis episodes lengthened significantly after 2000 (5 vs. 13.6 months; P = 0.05). All the isolates were susceptible to cefepime, fluoroquinolone, and aminoglycosides, with a low ceftazidime resistance rate (16%). Nearly half of the patients (46%) required hospitalisation for their Acinetobacter PD-associated peritonitis, and 27% required an antibiotic switch. The overall outcome was fair, with no mortality and a 12% technique failure rate, without obvious interval differences. Conclusions The temporal change in the microbiology and origin of Acinetobacter PD-associated peritonitis in our cohort suggested an important evolutional trend. Appropriate measures, including technique re-education and sterility maintenance, should be taken to decrease the Acinetobacter peritonitis incidence in PD patients.
Resource allocation in D2D-enabled cellular networks using hierarchical game

We consider a scenario that device-to-device (D2D) communication is enabled in a cellular network. The licensed spectrum of the macro-cell operator is divided into sub-bands, which are able to be leased to the unlicensed subscribers to perform D2D communication. The licensed subscribers of the macro-cell in the shared sub-bands are protected by the maximum tolerable interference level constraint, while the unlicensed subscribers seek chances to transmit in multiple sub-bands with a limited amount of power. We propose a hierarchical game framework to investigate the distributed solution of the resource allocation problems in this scenario. The hierarchical game contains a Stackelberg game which is imposed to protect the licensed subscribers and an overlapping coalition formation game (OCF-game) to jointly allocate the power and sub-bands to the unlicensed subscribers. Distributed algorithm to achieve the Stackelberg Equilibrium (SE) of the proposed game is provided.
Operator‐based interpolation for bootstrap algebraic multigrid

Bootstrap algebraic multigrid (BAMG) is a multigrid‐based solver for matrix equations of the form Ax=b. Its aim is to automatically determine the interpolation weights used in algebraic multigrid (AMG) by locally fitting a set of test vectors that have been relaxed as solutions to the corresponding homogeneous equation, Ax=0, and are then possibly improved later using a multilevel eigensolver. This paper introduces a flexible variant of BAMG that determines the interpolation weights indirectly by ‘collapsing’ the unwanted connections in ‘operator interpolation’. Compared to BAMG, this indirect BAMG approach (iBAMG) is more in the spirit of classical AMG, which collapses unwanted connections in operator interpolation based on the (restrictive) assumption that smooth error is locally constant. This paper studies the numerical performance of iBAMG and establishes an equivalence, under certain assumptions, between it and a slightly modified (standard) BAMG scheme. To focus on camparing BAMG and iBAMG and exposing their behavior as the problem size grows, the numerical experiments concentrate on Poisson‐like scalar problems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia

[Purpose] Musculoskeletal disorders are common causes of work-related disability in different professions involving the frequent practice of lifting, stooping, twisting, prolonged sitting, or standing. The dental profession is one such profession. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia, the factors associated with them, and their consequences and to propose preventive measures for them. [Subjects and Methods] A self-administered online questionnaire was sent to 225 members of the Saudi Dental Association. It included questions on demographic and professional characteristics, general medical history, and history of work-related musculoskeletal disorders before and after joining the dental profession. [Results] The questionnaire was completed by 65% of the respondents. Among them 85% reported that they had developed some pain due to work after joining the dental profession, and 42% reported that they were suffering pain at the time of the survey. Besides lower back, shoulder, and neck regions, the hands, upper back, and other regions like the elbows, buttocks, thighs, leg, and feet were areas in which they pain. [Conclusion] The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia is high, affecting their daily activities, sometimes even forcing them to change their work setting. Age, gender, specialty of work, work setting, number of contact hours with patients, etc., were all found to be related to their work-related pain. We need to emphasize the role of ergonomics, counseling, proper techniques of patient handling, etc., during the training of dental professionals so that they can work efficiently.
The natural channels of absorption evoking the chemical mechanism of gastric secretion

THE object of the following investigation was to inquire into the effectiveness of certain substances occurring in the course of digestion, as regards their power to bring about gastric secretion when their presence was restricted to limited parts of the alimentary canal. Previous experiments by one of us had suggested that the pyloric. end of the stomach probably furnished a channel for such absorption as evoked secretion for the fundus mucous membrane, by means of the liberation of a hormone, gastrin, from the pyloric mucous membrane. At that time one was unable to satisfactorily restrict the presence of food substances to the pyloric end of the stomach, so that it was impossible to put the above suggestion to the direct test. We were able later to devise a method which overcame these difficulties, whicb we will first describe.