Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental changes in the effect of dimensional salience on the discriminability of object relations.

Two experiments explored three issues regarding the nature of perceptual development in 5- and 10-year-old children and adults: (a) the role of featural discriminability, (b) the facilitatory role of identity relations, and (c) the role of salience in a task context designed to minimize the likelihood of attention-switching between dimensions during perceptual processing. In Experiment 1, perceptual salience for size and achromatic color dimensions was determined for each participant based on their best-fitting triad classification task response pattern. These same persons participated in Experiment 2, which employed a speeded visual discrimination task. The primary finding was that preassessed salience significantly influenced the 5-year-olds' ability to discriminate between two objects, while salience did not affect 10-year-olds' or adults' response times. The results of both experiments support Odom & Cook's (1992) differential-sensitivity view of perceptual development, but these data contribute important information by showing that salience effects in perceptual processing occur even when the observer is selectively attending to a particular dimension, likely during early component processes prior to classification.
Postdocs' perceptions of work environment and career prospects at a US academic institution

The data about postdoctoral researchers' careers are scarce. This study aims to characterize postdoctoral fellows (postdocs) at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) and to understand how their training might be improved. A postdoctoral survey was performed at the UT Southwestern in April 2005 to generate more information about the profile, employment, training and career outlook of postdocs. Surveys were returned by 51% (301/586) of the postdocs. The survey revealed that individuals stay in postdoctoral positions longer than they would like because it is difficult to get a faculty position. The top priorities are job placement, salary and training opportunities, and majority of the postdocs would like to remain in science, despite the discouraging employment possibilities in academia. Results from this study indicate that the postdocs may not be provided with adequate training and employment opportunities, which is something that the academic institution should pay more attention to. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Aztreonam for febrile neutropenia in patients with beta‐lactam allergy

Beta‐lactam antibiotics are the mainstay of empiric therapy for febrile neutropenia. Aztreonam may benefit certain patients because of a lack of cross‐hypersensitivity to penicillins and cephalosporins. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to evaluate the efficacy of aztreonam as monotherapy for febrile neutropenia (FN).
Optimal insurance policy indemnity schedules

We focus on two commonly observed insurance policy provisions: upper limits on coverage and deductibles. We suggest that upper limits on coverage result from the effective limited liability obtained through the bankruptcy statutes. We show that absent moral hazard, if the administrative cost structure has fixed costs and scale economies, deductibles are not optimal. But the optimal contractual form leads to a moral hazard problem, which deductibles control.
From design driven innovation to meaning strategy

Purpose – In the stream of works showing the semantic dimension as a core concept of the product innovation (e.g. design driven innovation), the paper aims to present a new business modeling approach driven by design and meanings. Similarly to the concept that the product is not represented only by form and function but also by meaning, the entire business model of a company does not transmit economic and technological value only, but tells a lot of the company from a semantic point of view. The work seeks to point out that companies can focus on the management of meanings to “make sense” of their entire business model moulded in building blocks, and realize what the authors called meaning strategy.Design/methodology/approach – After a detailed overview of the theoretical background grounded in the strategy literature and design one, to support the authors' perspective, an in‐depth study of meaning strategy performed by illycaffe is presented.Findings – The value of the work lies in underlining that the d.
Effect of guanxi and ethical orientations on Chinese auditors' ethical reasoning

Purpose - – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Chinese auditors' personal values ( Design/methodology/approach - – This study is based on a field survey of 191 auditors working in Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms that operate in the People's Republic of China (China). Findings - – The main findings indicate that Originality/value - – This study contributes the literature by investigating the ethical reasoning of auditors in a country with a relatively weak legal system that relies on
Functional single-walled carbon nanotubes based on an integrin αvβ3 monoclonal antibody for highly efficient cancer cell targeting

The application of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in the field of biomedicine is becoming an entirely new and exciting topic. In this study, a novel functional SWNT based on an integrin αvβ3 monoclonal antibody was developed and was used for cancer cell targeting in vitro. SWNTs were first modified by phospholipid-bearing polyethylene glycol (PL–PEG). The PL–PEG functionalized SWNTs were then conjugated with protein A. A SWNT–integrin αvβ3 monoclonal antibody system (SWNT–PEG–mAb) was thus constructed by conjugating protein A with the fluorescein labeled integrin αvβ3 monoclonal antibody. In vitro study revealed that SWNT–PEG–mAb presented a high targeting efficiency on integrin αvβ3-positive U87MG cells with low cellular toxicity, while for integrin αvβ3-negative MCF-7 cells, the system had a low targeting efficiency, indicating that the high targeting to U87MG cells was due to the specific integrin targeting of the monoclonal antibody. In conclusion, SWNT–PEG–mAb developed in this research is a potential candidate for cancer imaging and drug delivery in cancer targeting therapy.
Restriction of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus by Equine APOBEC3 Cytidine Deaminases

ABSTRACT The mammalian APOBEC3 (A3) proteins comprise a multigene family of cytidine deaminases that act as potent inhibitors of retroviruses and retrotransposons. The A3 locus on the chromosome 28 of the horse genome contains multiple A3 genes: two copies of A3Z1, five copies of A3Z2, and a single copy of A3Z3, indicating a complex evolution of multiple gene duplications. We have cloned and analyzed for expression the different equine A3 genes and examined as well the subcellular distribution of the corresponding proteins. Additionally, we have tested the functional antiretroviral activity of the equine and of several of the human and nonprimate A3 proteins against the Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), the Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and the Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2). Hematopoietic cells of horses express at least five different A3s: A3Z1b, A3Z2a-Z2b, A3Z2c-Z2d, A3Z2e, and A3Z3, whereas circulating macrophages, the natural target of EIAV, express only part of the A3 repertoire. The five A3Z2 tandem copies arose after three consecutive, recent duplication events in the horse lineage, after the split between Equidae and Carnivora. The duplicated genes show different antiviral activities against different viruses: equine A3Z3 and A3Z2c-Z2d are potent inhibitors of EIAV while equine A3Z1b, A3Z2a-Z2b, A3Z2e showed only weak anti-EIAV activity. Equine A3Z1b and A3Z3 restricted AAV and all equine A3s, except A3Z1b, inhibited SIV. We hypothesize that the horse A3 genes are undergoing a process of subfunctionalization in their respective viral specificities, which might provide the evolutionary advantage for keeping five copies of the original gene.
Modeling determinants of agricultural production cooperatives' performance in Iran

The purpose of this article is to identify the fundamental factors that are key determinants in promoting effective operation of Agricultural Production Cooperatives (APCs). A theoretical framework “determinants of APCs' performance” was used to analyze the links between the webs of factors. A survey method was used to collect data from two southern provinces in Iran. Data were collected from 52 managers and 260 member farmers in 52 APCs using a stratified random sampling method. It is concluded that the theoretical model can to a great extent predict the performance of APCs. Cooperative structure and government support factors are the most important factors explaining the performance of APCs. Also, policy strategies need to focus on conditioning variables that affect the performance of APCs.
Regaining Missed Opportunities: The Role of Tourism in Post-war Development in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had the opportunity to become one of the best tourism countries (TCs) in Asia immediately after independence in 1948. However, it missed opportunities on a number of occasions due to inappropriate economic policies, continuous political violence and war. Between 1983 and May 2009 the Sri Lankan tourism sector was seriously affected by nearly three decades of separatist war. Immediately after the end of the war, tourism in Sri Lanka bounced back and it has now become one of the main engines of economic growth in post-war Sri Lanka. In this article, a historical analysis has been undertaken to demonstrate how, despite its large tourism potential, Sri Lanka missed opportunities and fell far behind its Asian counterparts on a number of occasions. This article demonstrates that opportunities exist for the Sri Lankan tourism sector to play a vital role in the current post-war inclusive development strategy in terms of generating much needed foreign exchange, poverty alleviation via employment generation, accelerating economic growth and uplifting living standards of all Sri Lankans.
Corelation of serum alpha fetoprotein and tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation of elevated serum Alpha feto-protein with tumour size in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS A cross-sectional analytical study was done at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Medical Unit-III, Ward-7 from January 2009 to June 2010. Patients enrolled in study were known cases of chronic liver disease and were complicated by development of hepatocellular carcinoma; those having metastasis in liver from any where were excluded. Demographic data such as age, gender, residence, were recorded. Detailed clinical history and examination were carried out and recorded in a preformed Performa. Complete blood count, liver function test, total protein, Albumin/Globulin (A/G) ratio, serum Albumin, HBsAg, anti HCV, alpha fetoprotein, ultrasound guided liver biopsy, ultrasound whole abdomen and/or CTscan Abdomen for size and number of tumour were also done. On the basis of alfa fetoprotein level patients were divided in to 3 groups; Group I with normal AFP (< or = 20IU/ml), Group II with moderately elevated AFP (20-399IU/ml), and Group III with markedly elevated AFP (> or =400 iu/ml). On the basis of tumour size patients were also divided in to 3 groups; group A <3 cm, group B 3-5 cm and group C >5 cm. Correlation of serum AFP levels with tumor size was analyzed by applying Spearman's rank correlation with r-values of 0.01 being considered significant. RESULTS Review of the clinical data of 98 patients male 69 (70.4%) and female were 29 (29.6%) with mean age of 53.89 +/- 12.511 ranging from 32 to 82 years was done. Of these there were 22 (22.4%), 25 (25.5%), 51(52%) cases in group 1, 2, 3 respectively. While in tumour size groups, 17 (17.3%) were in group A, 35 (35.7%) in group B and 46 (46.9%) in group C. There was a significant correlation of serum AFP level with tumour size in hepatocellular carcinoma. (r=0.472, 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that serum AFP has significant correlation with the size of tumour. AFP level may serve as a useful marker for detection of Hepatocellular carcinoma and to differentiate between early and advance stage. On the basis of this proper treatment strategy can be planned.
Optimal Investment Financing Decisions and the Value of Confidentiality

In his 1976 Presidential Address to the American Finance Association, Merton Miller provided a compelling argument that there currently exists no viable theory of the optimal capital structure of an individual firm. This argument follows from the critique he presented of existing models of capital structure and from the theory he outlined of the optimal aggregate capital structure of the economy as a whole. That theory depends on the existence of different marginal tax rates for individuals and a tax-free security. Professor Miller pointed out that he was motivated to develop his hypothesis by the apparent inadequacy of a (if not the most) popular explanation for capital structure at both the micro and the aggregate level: the tradeoff between the tax advantages of debt and the cost to the firm's security holders of the bankruptcy process. He observed that neither the tax advantage of debt nor the costs of bankruptcy may be quite what they seem at first glance. When the corporate income tax and the differential taxation of regular income and capital gains are taken into account, then the tax advantage of debt is reduced. Moreover, the limited empirical evidence from actual bankruptcies suggests that the real costs to security holders of bankruptcy may be really rather low. And the recent discussion by Haugen and Senbet [6] suggests that most of the costs attributed to bankruptcy are really costs of liquidation of the firm's assets and not relevant to the capital structure decision.
Manual dishwashing habits: an empirical analysis of UK consumers

This study presents an overview of the washing up behaviour of consumers in the UK. Peoples' individual attitudes were observed as were the amount of water and energy used, the time taken and the cleaning performance. Additionally, manual dishwashing was compared with the use of automatic dishwashers. Participants were recruited to represent all geographic regions of the UK as well as forming a representative cross-section of the population. Each of the 150 participants washed a full load of soiled tableware based on the standard EN 50242 ‘Electric Dishwashers for Household Use – Methods for Measuring the Performance’. For comparison, the best selling dishwasher in the UK in 2007 was tested under the same conditions as those in the consumer trial. Additionally, consumers who owned a full-size dishwasher were asked to load it to the point when they decided that the dishwasher was full. The study shows that these consumers, on average, used 49 l of water and 1.7 kWh of energy, whereas the dishwasher used 13 l of water and 1.3 kWh of energy on average for the same amount of dishes under the conditions tested. Statistical analysis showed that these differences are significant. The dishes washed by hand were found to be slightly less clean than dishes washed in a dishwasher. For washing a full dishwasher load by hand, the participants needed, on average, 60 min, while they only took 9 min on average to load and unload the same amount of dishes in a dishwasher. The average participants were able to fill almost the full load into the dishwasher (96% of the items as used in a test following EN 50242).
Candidal Suppurative Peripheral Thrombophlebitis Recognition, Prevention, and Management

Abstract Candida species are seldom considered as a cause of suppurative peripheral thrombophlebitis. During a 15-month period in a 291-bed acute-care hospital, candidal suppurative peripheral thrombophlebitis developed in seven patients. All patients had fever, a tender palpable cord, and Candida species isolated from resected veins and/or pus expressed at the catheter entrance site. Four patients had candidemia. None were neutropenic or recipients of corticosteroids. All had concomitant or preceding bacterial infections, and had received a median of 5 antibiotics (range 3 to 9) for at least 2 weeks. Five of seven had documented preceding candidal colonization associated with broad spectrum antibiotic therapy. Catheter sites had not been routinely rotated and local catheter site care was deficient. Risk factors of antibiotics and duration of hospitalization were fewer in patients with bacterial suppurative thrombophlebitis. Combined segmental venous resection and intravenous amphotericin B appears to be the most rational therapy for this nosocomial fungal infection.
Risk‐Minimizing Reinsurance Protection for Multivariate Risks

type="main" xml:lang="en"> In this article, we study the problem of optimal reinsurance policy for multivariate risks whose quantitative analysis in the realm of general law-invariant convex risk measures, to the best of our knowledge, is still absent in the literature. In reality, it is often difficult to determine the actual dependence structure of these risks. Instead of assuming any particular dependence structure, we propose the minimax optimal reinsurance decision formulation in which the worst case scenario is first identified, then we proceed to establish that the stop-loss reinsurances are optimal in the sense that they minimize a general law-invariant convex risk measure of the total retained risk. By using minimax theorem, explicit form of and sufficient condition for ordering the optimal deductibles are also obtained.
A Comparison of Acute Toxicity of Biodiesel, Biodiesel Blends, and Diesel on Aquatic Organisms

Abstract The increased demand of alternative energy sources has created interest in biodiesel and biodiesel blends; biodiesel is promoted as a diesel substitute that is safer, produces less harmful combustion emissions, and biodegrades more easily. Like diesel spills, biodiesel can have deleterious effects on the aquatic environments. The effect of neat biodiesel, biodiesel blends, and diesel on Oncorhynchus mykiss and Daphnia magna was evaluated using acute toxicity testing. Static nonrenewal bioassays of freshwater organisms containing B100, B50, B20, B5, and conventional diesel fuel were used to compare the acute effects of biodiesel to diesel. Mortality was the significant end point measured in this study; percent mortality and lethal concentration (LC50) at different exposure times were determined from the acute toxicity tests performed. Trials were considered valid if the controls exhibited >90% survival. Based on percentage of mortality and LC50 values, a toxicity ranking of fuels was developed.
Revisiting the Gospel: Appointed Political Staffs and Core Executive Policy Coordination

This article argues appointed political staffs are important, yet understudied, mechanisms for core executive policy coordination. It suggests revisions to update core executive theory to better accommodate the increasingly systematic use of political staffs throughout core executives. An analytical framework for political staffs’ core executive policy coordination is set out to specify important distinctions related to the type, and nature, of their likely policy coordination. The article concludes by returning to six established modes of executive politics to update them by integrating the policy coordination functions of political staffs in each variant.
Serum amylase level on admission in the diagnosis of blunt injury to the pancreas: its significance and limitations.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to elucidate the significance and limitations of serum amylase levels in the diagnosis of blunt injury to the pancreas. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Several recently published reports of analyses of patients with blunt abdominal trauma have indicated that determination of the serum amylase level on admission seemed to be of little value in the diagnosis of acute injury to the pancreas. Few previous reports have described clearly the significance and the limitations of the serum amylase level in diagnosing injury to the pancreas. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 73 patients with blunt injury to the pancreas during 16-year period from February 1980 to January 1996 was performed. The factors analyzed in the current study included age, gender, time elapsed from injury to admission, hypotension on admission, type of injury to the pancreas, intra-abdominal- and intracranial-associated injuries, and death. RESULTS The serum amylase level was found to be abnormal in all patients admitted more than 3 hours after trauma. Various comparisons between patients with elevated (n = 61, 83.6%) and nonelevated (n = 12, 16.4%) serum amylase levels showed the statistical significance solely of the time elapsed from injury to admission (7 +/- 1.5 hours vs. 1.3 +/- 0.2 hour, p < 0.001). The major factor that influences the serum amylase level on admission appeared to be the time elapsed from injury to admission. Determination of the serum amylase level is not diagnostic within 3 hours or fewer after trauma, irrespective of the type of injury. CONCLUSIONS To avoid failure in the detection of pancreatic injury, the authors advocate determination of serum amylase levels more than 3 hours after trauma.
Option Implied Dividends Predict Dividend Cuts: Evidence from the Financial Crisis

The large number of dividend cuts and omissions in 2008 and 2009 provides the opportunity to study the predictability of dividend cuts in a controlled environment. We employ the information contained in forward-looking option prices in an attempt to predict dividend cuts. We provide evidence that implied dividends, calculated from put and call prices on a firm’s stock, are significantly related to a firm’s propensity to cut or omit its dividend. Option traders made clear their anticipation of these events through price adjustments reflected in implied dividends that allow us to successfully identify firms more likely to reduce or omit dividend payments.
Exploitation and Exploration Networks in Open Source Software Development: An Artifact-Level Analysis

Abstract Open source software (OSS) development is an increasingly important paradigm of software development. However, key aspects of OSS such as the determinants of project success and motivations of developers in joining these projects are not well understood. Based on organizational theory, we propose that OSS activities of patch development and feature request can be classified as exploitation (implementation-oriented) and exploration (innovation-oriented) activities, respectively. We empirically examine how the structure of social network affects the success of patch-development and feature-request networks in OSS projects, using a data set collected from the SourceForge database. Our results provide empirical support for the view that patch development and feature request are exploitation and exploration activities, respectively. Network structures differ due to team formation differences and have a differential impact on development success based on the type of activity. The concepts of ambidextrous developers and ambidexterity are explored in the context of OSS projects. Collectively, our results indicate that studying OSS projects at the artifact level could improve our understanding of OSS project success and team formation. This, in turn, could lead to better management of OSS projects.