Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Challenges of Enterprise Integration: Cycles of Integration and Disintegration Over Time

In recent years enterprise integration has become an important theme in information systems research and practice. Enterprise integration pervades enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), and customer resource management (CRM) systems and applications. However, much IS research in this area seems to assume that enterprise integration is inevitable and that enterprise integration is strategically necessary. These assumptions appear to have held sway until now, probably because most IS researchers have studied the life cycle of just one single enterprise systems project. Our research throws into question these assumptions. Using critical ethnography, we studied a small-tomedium sized company within the context of a large conglomerate over a seven-year period in total, from mid 1996 to early 2004. This company was one of many subsidiaries within a large conglomerate in the AsiaPacific region (one of the global 500 companies with annual revenues of more than US$4 billion). Looking at the broader context (the conglomerate as a whole), and seen over a sufficiently long time scale, our findings suggest that enterprise integration is not inevitable, nor is it always strategically necessary. Rather, enterprise integration is perhaps best described as a cycle: as one or more cycles of integration, disintegration, and (perhaps) reintegration. This paper can be seen as one response to the call for more empirical in-depth case studies concerning enterprise systems.
Integrating BlackBerry wireless devices into computer programming and literacy courses

In this paper we describe our experience in integrating the RIM's BlackBerry handheld wireless device into programming and literacy courses at the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber. The courses are lab-intensive where students experiment with the devices, and develop and deploy applications for them. We believe that teaching computer programming in the context of simple wireless mobile applications provides a motivating framework for students and inspires them to work hard due to the practical experience they get that allows them to program their own cellular phones. In addition, many of our students who spend their co-operative work terms or internships at RIM value this experience very much as it offers them an advantage over students from other institutions. More importantly, students learn about the programming models for developing applications for wireless devices and appreciate the unique opportunities such devices offer, but also become aware of the development challenges they present.
Validation of the abrupt change in GPCP precipitation in the Congo River Basin

The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly precipitation exhibits a significant negative trend during 1979–2004 over southern tropical Africa from the Congo River Basin to the east coast. This trend appears as a more than 20% drop beginning in 1992 in the 6‐year and 9‐year averages of the areal mean GPCP satellite‐gauge precipitation, whose magnitude is largely determined by the gauge analyses. This paper's analysis of satellite precipitation estimates, gauge precipitation analyses, and gauge coverage information suggests that the negative precipitation trend is only true in part of southern tropical Africa but the magnitude is much smaller than that calculated from the GPCP. In the eastern portion of the region, the precipitation drop in the GPCP is confirmed by the satellite‐only estimates but the decrease of more than 16% is amplified by a change in gauge coverage. In the western portion of the region, basically the southern Congo River Basin, all gauge dependent products show a negative precipitation trend, which is much larger in the GPCP merged satellite‐gauged data set, but not supported by the satellite‐only precipitation estimates. In this study we conclude that for the Congo River Basin, where both the mean precipitation and its spatial gradient are high, the spurious negative trend detected in the GPCP precipitation is caused by a significant change in local gauge coverage and the methodology used by the GPCP to merge satellite and gauge data during the analysis period. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
A Critical Review of the Integration of Geographic Information System and Building Information Modelling at the Data Level

The benefits brought by the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being proved by more and more research. The integration of the two systems is difficult for many reasons. Among them, data incompatibility is the most significant, as BIM and GIS data are created, managed, analyzed, stored, and visualized in different ways in terms of coordinate systems, scope of interest, and data structures. The objective of this paper is to review the relevant research papers to (1) identify the most relevant data models used in BIM/GIS integration and understand their advantages and disadvantages; (2) consider the possibility of other data models that are available for data level integration; and (3) provide direction on the future of BIM/GIS data integration.
Analysis of the Arabidopsis Shoot Meristem Transcriptome during Floral Transition Identifies Distinct Regulatory Patterns and a Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein That Promotes Flowering[C][W][OA]

Laser microdissection combined with Solexa sequencing of cDNA was used to analyze the transcriptome of the shoot meristem during the floral transition. Activated genes were placed in pathways downstream or parallel to the inductive signal encoded by FLOWERING LOCUS T. Flowering of Arabidopsis thaliana is induced by exposure to long days (LDs). During this process, the shoot apical meristem is converted to an inflorescence meristem that forms flowers, and this transition is maintained even if plants are returned to short days (SDs). We show that exposure to five LDs is sufficient to commit the meristem of SD-grown plants to flower as if they were exposed to continuous LDs. The MADS box proteins SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1) and FRUITFULL (FUL) play essential roles in this commitment process and in the induction of flowering downstream of the transmissible FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) signal. We exploited laser microdissection and Solexa sequencing to identify 202 genes whose transcripts increase in the meristem during floral commitment. Expression of six of these transcripts was tested in different mutants, allowing them to be assigned to FT-dependent or FT-independent pathways. Most, but not all, of those dependent on FT and its paralog TWIN SISTER OF FT (TSF) also relied on SOC1 and FUL. However, this dependency on FT and TSF or SOC1 and FUL was often bypassed in the presence of the short vegetative phase mutation. FLOR1, which encodes a leucine-rich repeat protein, was induced in the early inflorescence meristem, and flor1 mutations delayed flowering. Our data contribute to the definition of LD-dependent pathways downstream and in parallel to FT.
Origin of tufa (cool‐water carbonate) and related terraces in the Antalya area, SW Turkey

Extensive tufa deposits covering 600 km2 of the terraced Plio‐Quaternary Antalya coastal plain were deposited from cool karstic spring waters, reaching a total thickness of up to 250 m. The tufa formed within the Aksu Basin, a large N–S‐trending half‐graben bordered by the Taurus Mountains. The tufa is exposed on two main levels: an upper terrace at c. 300 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and a lower terrace at 100–200 m a.s. l. An additional terrace is reported to be submerged offshore at −50 to −100 m below sea level. Tufa deposition was preceded by Late Pliocene regression of a shallow sea. Initial tufa deposition occurred in and around small lakes ponded by N–S extensional fault blocks. The tufa was mainly precipitated in shallow lakes, marshes and sluggish streams, resulting in complex facies associations. Radiometric dating of the lower terrace yielded ages of >600 ka (the maximum resolution of the method). A climatically favourable time for maximum tufa formation was 2.0–1.5 Ma (latest Pliocene), representing a prolonged period of cool, but seasonally variable climate. This favoured carbonate dissolution, aquifer recharge and profuse, uninterrupted spring activity. Basin‐wide tufa deposition ended when the lakes and marshes shrank. Afterwards mid‐Late Quaternary climatic conditions were unsuitable for large‐scale tufa deposition. Pre‐existing tufa was then eroded, dissolved and karstified, while terra rossa soils formed. Gradual tectonic uplift continued during Quaternary time. Glacio‐eustatic sea‐level fluctuations during the mid‐Quaternary, coupled with localized stream erosion, created the second main terrace, backed by irregular cliffs and promontories. The submarine terrace possibly formed in response to Late Quaternary sea‐level fall, followed by post‐glacial submergence and sculpting of coastal cliffs. Relatively small volumes of spring water continued to flow at different levels of the terrace system, depositing high‐energy tufa in waterfalls, cascades and areas of sloping run‐off. This tufa locally forms veneers on escarpments, gorges and cliffs eroded into the pre‐existing sub‐horizontal lacustrine/paludal tufa. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Symptom perception in children with asthma: cognitive and psychological factors.

OBJECTIVE This study tested the differential effects of several cognitive and psychological variables on children's perception of asthma symptoms by use of an Asthma Risk Grid. Children's subjective and objective assessments of PEFR (peak expiratory flow rate) were characterized as representing perceptual accuracy, symptom magnification, and/or underestimation of asthma symptoms. DESIGN The study included 270 children with asthma (ages 7-17) and their primary caregivers who completed measures assessing cognitive and psychological factors and a 5 to 6 week symptom perception assessment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Children's symptom perception scores by use of the Asthma Risk Grid. RESULTS Children's attentional abilities had more of a bearing on their symptom monitoring abilities than their IQ estimates and psychological symptoms. The more time children took on Trails and Cancellation Tasks and the fewer errors they made on these tasks, the more likely they were to perceive their asthma symptoms accurately. More time on these tasks was associated with more symptom magnification scores, and fewer errors were related to fewer symptom magnification scores. More errors and higher total scores on the Continuous Performance Task were associated with a greater proportion of scores in the danger zone. CONCLUSION Statistical support was provided for the utility of attentional-based instruments for identifying children who may have problems with perceptual accuracy, and who are at risk for asthma morbidity.
Determination of Cathepsins B and H in Sera and Synovial Fluids of Patients with Different Joint Diseases

Synovial fluids and sera of patients with inflammatory and metabolic joint diseases contain different cysteine proteinases. The quantities of cathepsins B and H were determined by newly developed specific enzyme-linked immunoassay tests (ELISA), with detection limits of 0.5 microgram/l for cathepsin B and 3 micrograms/l for cathepsin H. The values of cathepsin B in normal sera ranged from 0.6 microgram/l to 2 micrograms/l, whereas in sera of patients with joint diseases they ranged from 1.7 micrograms/l to 18 micrograms/l. Cathepsin H was not found in sera (values below 3 micrograms/l), but was measurable in patients' synovial fluids. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have on average the highest values of cathepsin B in synovial fluids, whereas patients with undifferentiated arthritis have the highest values of cathepsin H. The results show that cathepsins B and H are present in arthritic synovial fluids, where they may be implicated in destructive processes. There is yet no clear correlation between the quantity of each cathepsin released in synovia and the clinical diagnosis or the stage of the disease.
High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Mapping of the Surface Rupture and Slip Distribution of the Mw ∼7.8, 14 November 2001 Kokoxili Earthquake, Kunlun Fault, Northern Tibet, China

The Mw 7.8 Kokoxili earthquake of 14 November 2001, which ruptured a 450-km-long stretch of the sinistral Kunlun strike-slip fault, at the northeastern edge of the Tibet plateau, China, ranks as the largest strike-slip event ever recorded instrumentally in Asia. Newly available high-resolution satellite HRS images (pixel size 1 m) acquired in the months following the earthquake proved a powerful tool to complement field investigations and to produce the most accurate map to date of the coseismic displacements along the central Kusai Hu segment of the rupture. The coseismic rupture geometry south and west of Buka Daban Feng, near the earthquake epicenter, was also investigated in detail. Along the Kusai Hu segment, slip parti- tioning is for the first time observed to occur simultaneously during a single event, with two parallel strands, 2 km apart, localizing almost pure strike-slip and normal faulting. In all, 83 new HRS coseismic offset measurements, some of which calibrated by field work, show large, well-constrained variations (100%) of the slip function over distances of only25 km. Tension cracks opening ahead of the shear dislocation and later offset by the upward propagating strike-slip rupture were observed, dem- onstrating that the rupture front propagated faster at depth than near the surface. The triple junction between the central Kusai Hu segment, the Kunlun Pass fault, where the rupture ended, and the Xidatan-Dongdatan segment, which could be the next segment to fail along the main Kunlun fault, acted as a strong barrier, implying that direct triggering of earthquake rupture on the Xidatan-Dongdatan segment by Kokoxili-type earthquakes may not be the rule.
A qualitative comparison study of data structures for large line segment databases

A qualitative comparative study is performed of the performance of three popular spatial indexing methods - the R-tree, R+-tree, and the PMR quadtree-in the context of processing spatial queries in large line segment databases. The data is drawn from the TIGER/Line files used by the Bureau of the Census to deal with the road networks in the US. The goal is not to find the best data structure as this is not generally possible. Instead, their comparability is demonstrated and an indication is given as to when and why their performance differs. Tests are conducted with a number of large datasets and performance is tabulated in terms of the complexity of the disk activity in building them, their storage requirements, and the complexity of the disk activity for a number of tasks that include point and window queries, as well as finding the nearest line segment to a given point and an enclosing polygon.
The role of interest rates and productivity shocks in emerging market fluctuations

In this paper we use a quantitative model to explore the potential frictions that distinguish emerging market business cycles from developed small open economies. Following Aguiar and Gopinath (2007) we allow total factor productivity (TFP) to have a stationary and an integrated component. We also allow for shocks to the consumption and investment Euler Equations that operate through the interest rate. These “wedges” represent changes in the intertemporal marginal rate of transformation, which may be due to changes in observed interest rates, unobserved borrowing constraints, or other financial frictions. We estimate the model using data from Mexico and Canada. We show that interest rate shocks orthogonal to domestic TFP fail to explain the behavior of emerging markets. We then allow for interest rates to respond to/co-vary with productivity shocks. We find that emerging market business cycles appear to be driven by large shocks to trend income combined with relatively small transitory shocks tha co-vary with the interest rate.
Lack of association of ankylosing spondylitis with the most common NOD2 susceptibility alleles to Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the 3 most common mutations in the NOD2 gene that confer susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD) are also associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS DNA from 112 patients with AS and 168 controls of homogenous Spanish ancestry were studied. The frequencies of the pathogenic alleles of NOD2 (3020insC, 2722G>C, and 2104C>T) were determined by analysis of the melting curves after hybridization with FRET probes on a Light Cycler real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system. Results. NOD2 allelic frequencies in controls (3020insC, 0.009; 2722G>C, 0.009; 2104C>T, 0.042) did not significantly differ from patients with AS (3020insC, 0.009; 2722G>C, 0.004; 2104C>T, 0.031). CONCLUSION The 3 most common CD NOD2 mutations do not contribute to disease susceptibility to AS, and therefore do not explain the susceptibility locus for AS in chromosome 16q.
Breastfeeding practices, beliefs, and social norms in low-resource communities in Mexico: Insights for how to improve future promotion strategies

Introduction Breastfeeding is recommended exclusively for the first 6 months after birth, with continued breastfeeding for at least 2 years. Yet prevalence of these recommendations is low globally, although it is an effective and cost-effective way to prevent serious infections and chronic illness. Previous studies have reported that social support greatly influences breastfeeding, but there is little evidence on perceived social norms in Mexico and how they affect actual behavior. Objective Our objective was to investigate breastfeeding intention, practices, attitudes, and beliefs, particularly normative, among low-resource communities in central and southern Mexico. Methods We performed a secondary analysis using the theory of planned behavior with cross-sectional data, which included semi-structured individual interviews with fathers (n 10), 8 focus groups with mothers (n 50), and 8 focus groups with women community leaders (n 44) with a total of 104 participants. Our data also included a quantitative survey among pregnant women and mothers (n 321). Results Women reported supplementing breast milk with water and teas soon after birth, as well as introducing small bites of solid food a few months after birth. Social norms appeared to support breastfeeding, but not exclusive breastfeeding or breastfeeding for periods longer than about a year. This may be partially explained by: a) behavioral beliefs that for the first 6 months breast milk alone is insufficient for the baby, and that water in addition to breast milk is necessary to hydrate an infant and b) normative beliefs related to the appropriateness of breastfeeding in public and as the child gets older. Conclusions Future strategies should focus on positively influencing social norms to support recommended practices, and emphasize the specific reasons behind the recommendations. Future efforts should take a multi-pronged approach using a variety of influences, not only directed at healthcare providers but close family members, including fathers.
Decadal Change in the Correlation Pattern between the Tibetan Plateau Winter Snow and the East Asian Summer Precipitation during 1979–2011

AbstractObservational evidence indicates that the correlation between Tibetan Plateau (TP) winter snow and East Asian (EA) summer precipitation changed in the late 1990s. During the period 1979–99, the positive correlation between the TP winter snow and the summer precipitation along the Yangtze River valley (YRV) and southern Japan was disrupted by the decadal climate shift. In contrast, the summer precipitation over the Huaihe River valley (HRV) and the Korean Peninsula showed a strong positive correlation with the preceding winter snow over the TP during the period 2000–11.The radiosonde temperature measurements over the TP show a pronounced warming since the late 1990s. This warming is associated with the significant increase in surface sensible heat flux and longwave radiation into atmosphere. The latter is closely related to the decrease of surface albedo and the soil hydrological effect of melting snow due to the decadal decrease in the preceding winter and spring snow over the TP. The TP warming i.
Influence of Curbs on Traffic Crash Frequency on High-Speed Roadways

Objective: Curbs are commonly used on roadways for drainage management, access control, and other positive functions. However, curbs may also bring about unfavorable effects on drivers’ behavior and vehicle stability when hitting curbs, especially for high-speed roadways. The objective of this article is to investigate whether the presence of curbs along outside shoulders has produced adverse effects on traffic safety on high-speed roadways and whether increasing speed limits has created any further harmful effects. Methods: In this study, the Illinois Highway Safety Database from 2003 to 2007 was selected to evaluate the effects of curbs over traffic safety on 2-lane and 4-lane non-freeways with speed limits of 45, 50, and 55 mph. Wilcoxon/Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests were conducted to compare the road-segment crash rates between 3 types of outside shoulders (curbed shoulder, soft flush shoulder, and hard flush shoulder) and 3 speed limits. In addition, the zero-inflated negative binomial models were developed for all of the roadway segments combined, as well as the curbed outside shoulder–only segments. The models were used to estimate the influences of curbed outside shoulder, speed limit level, as well as other roadway characteristics on crash frequency. Results: It was found that road segments with different types of outside shoulders were from different populations in terms of the distribution of crash rates, so did segments with different speed limits. Further, the crash frequency analysis indicates that the curbed outside shoulders did not induce a higher crash frequency compared to the other 2 types of outside shoulders. In addition, there was no evidence that a decrease in speed limit results in reduction in crash frequencies for road segments with curbed outside shoulders. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the employment of curbed outside shoulders on high-speed roadways would not pose any significantly harmful effect on the occurrence of crashes, and on high-speed roadways with curbed outside shoulders, reducing the speed limit from 55 to 45 mph would not achieve any safety benefit.
Some Systems of Multivariable Orthogonal Askey-wilson Polynomials

X iv :m at h/ 04 10 24 9v 1 [ m at h. C A ] 1 0 O ct 2 00 4 Some Systems of Multivariable Orthogonal Askey-Wilson Polynomials George Gasper* and Mizan Rahman† Abstract In 1991 Tratnik derived two systems of multivariable orthogonal Wilson polynomials and considered their limit cases. q-Analogues of these systems are derived, yielding systems of multivariable orthogonal Askey-Wilson polynomials and their special and limit cases.