Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Gathering, Team Capabilities, and Project Performance in Challenging Work Environments

Knowledge gathering can create problems as well as benefits for project teams in work environments characterized by overload, ambiguity, and politics. This paper proposes that the value of knowledge gathering in such environments is greater under conditions that enhance team processing, sensemaking, and buffering capabilities. The hypotheses were tested using independent quality ratings of 96 projects and survey data from 485 project-team members collected during a multimethod field study. The findings reveal that three capability-enhancing conditions moderated the relationship between knowledge gathering and project quality: slack time, organizational experience, and decision-making autonomy. More knowledge gathering helped teams to perform more effectively under favorable conditions but hurt performance under conditions that limited their capabilities to utilize that knowledge successfully. Implications for theory and research on knowledge and learning in organizations, team effectiveness, and organizational design are discussed.
Proteolytic Activity of Human Osteoclast Cathepsin K

Human cathepsin K is a recently identified protein with high primary sequence homology to members of the papain cysteine protease superfamily including cathepsins S, L, and B and is selectively expressed in osteoclasts (Drake, F. H., Dodds, R., James, I., Connor, J., Debouck, C., Richardson, S., Lee, E., Rieman, D., Barthlow, R., Hastings, G., and Gowen, M.(1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 12511-12516). To characterize its catalytic properties, cathepsin K has been expressed in baculovirus-infected SF21 cells and the soluble recombinant protein isolated from growth media was purified. Purified protein includes an inhibitory pro-leader sequence common to this family of protease. Conditions for enzyme activation upon removal of the pro-sequence have been identified. Fluorogenic peptides have been identified as substrates for mature cathepsin K. In addition, two protein components of bone matrix, collagen and osteonectin, have been shown to be substrates of the activated protease. Cathepsin K is inhibited by E-64 and leupeptin, but not by pepstatin, EDTA, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, or phenanthroline, consistent with its classification within the cysteine protease class. Leupeptin has been characterized as a slow binding inhibitor of cathepsin K (k/[I] = 273,000 M•s). Cathepsin K may represent the elusive protease implicated in degradation of protein matrix during bone resorption and represents a novel molecular target in treatment of disease states associated with excessive bone loss such as osteoporosis.
An Improved Quasi-Saturation and Charge Model for SOI-LDMOS Transistors

In this paper, we report an accurate quasi-saturation model and a nodal charge model for silicon-on-insulator lateral double-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (SOI-LDMOS) transistors. First, a model of a 2-D SOI resistor under velocity saturation is developed, which is subsequently incorporated into the drift region of an LDMOS transistor to predict the quasi-saturation effect. The gate-voltage dependence of the quasi-saturation current is also modeled. Second, we propose a new nodal charge model to describe the dynamic behavior of the device. Comparisons of modeling results with device simulation data show that the proposed model is accurate over a wide range of bias. Scalability of the model with respect to the length of the drift region under the field oxide is also demonstrated. Finally, the model is validated under device self-heating conditions and by comparing it with the experimental data.
FPGA Implementation of a LDPC Decoder using a Reduced Complexity Message Passing Algorithm

In this paper, a simplified message passing algorithm for decoding Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes is proposed with a view to reduce the implementation complexity. The algorithm is based on simple hard-decision decoding techniques while utilizing the advantages of soft channel information to improve decoder performance. It has been validated through simulation using LDPC code compliant with Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN – IEEE 802.11n) standard. The results show that theproposed algorithm can achieve significant improvement in bit error rate (BER) performance and average decoding iterations compared to fully hard-decision based decoding algorithms. The proposed algorithm has been implemented and tested on Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA. With significantly reduced hardware resources, the implemented decoder can achieve an average throughput of ~16.2 Gbps with a BER performance of 10-5 at an Eb/No of 6.25 dB.
VOLATILITY AND COMMODITY PRICE DYNAMICS

Commodity prices are volatile, and volatility itself varies over time. Changes in volatility can affect market variables by directly affecting the marginal value of storage, and by affecting a component of the total marginal cost of production, the opportunity cost of producing the commodity now rather than waiting for more price information. I examine the role of volatility in short-run commodity market dynamics and the determinants of volatility itself. I develop a structural model of inventories, spot, and futures prices that explicitly accounts for volatility, and estimate it using daily and weekly data for the petroleum complex: crude oil, heating oil, and gasoline. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:1029–1047, 2004
The Mildiomycin Biosynthesis: Initial Steps for Sequential Generation of 5‐Hydroxymethylcytidine 5′‐Monophosphate and 5‐Hydroxymethylcytosine in Streptoverticillium rimofaciens ZJU5119

Mildiomycin (MIL) is a peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic with strong activity against powdery mildew disease of plants. We have cloned the MIL biosynthetic gene cluster in Streptoverticillum rimofaciens ZJU5119 and shown that this organism also produces the related antifungal compound, deshydroxymethyl mildiomycin (dHM‐MIL). A cosmid genomic library was screened for a putative nucleotide hydrolase gene that is related to blsM from the blasticidin S cluster. Six cosmids were identified that contained a 3.5 kb DNA fragment that harbors a homologue of blsM. The sequence of the fragment revealed two open‐reading frames that are likely to function in MIL formation: milA is a CMP hydroxymethylase gene and milB is the homologue of the CMP hydrolase gene blsM. Insertional disruption of milA abolished the production of MIL but not dHM‐MIL, whereas a milB knockout strain did not produce either of the peptidyl nucleosides. Recombinant MilA was produced in E. coli and shown to specifically introduce a C‐5 hydroxymethyl group on CMP, but it did not accept cytosine or dCMP as a substrate. MilB was also expressed and purified from E. coli and shown to efficiently hydrolyze both hydroxymethyl‐CMP (HMCMP) and could accept CMP as an alternative substrate. The ratio of free HMC and cytosine released by MilB was ca. 9:1 in in vitro assays, and is consistent with the higher levels of MIL compared to dHM‐MIL that are produced by Streptoverticillum rimofaciens.
Prion reduction of red blood cells: impact on component quality

BACKGROUND: A filter has been developed (P‐Capt, MacoPharma) to remove infectious prions from red blood cells (RBCs). We sought to assess 1) its operational use, 2) the quality of filtered components, and 3) whether filtration resulted in any significant changes to blood group antigens.
Streaming Balanced Graph Partitioning Algorithms for Random Graphs

With recent advances in storage technology, it is now possible to store the vast amounts of data generated by cloud computing applications. The sheer size of 'big data' motivates the need for streaming algorithms that can compute approximate solutions without full random access to all of the data. In this paper, we consider the problem of loading a graph onto a distributed cluster with the goal of optimizing later computation. We model this as computing an approximately balanced k-partitioning of a graph in a streaming fashion with only one pass over the data. We give lower bounds on this problem, showing that no algorithm can obtain an o(n) approximation with a random or adversarial stream ordering. We analyze two variants of a randomized greedy algorithm (looking at the distribution of edges from the vertex to be assigned, one prefers the partition that is the arg max and one that assigns the vertex proportional to the edge distribution) on random graphs with embedded balanced k-cuts and are able to theoretically bound the performance of each algorithms - the arg max algorithm is able to recover the embedded k-cut while the proportional variant can not. This matches the experimental results in [30].
The degradation of cellulose and the production of cellulase, xylanase, mannanase and amylase by woodattacking microfungi

Thirty-six species of wood-inhabiting microfungi have been assayed for cellulase, xylanase, mannanase and amylase activity by the use of different test methods. The wood-degrading capabilities of the test organisms were previously known. Three of the species were unable to degrade birch wood. The other species represented three different degradation patterns, viz. 1) formation of soft rot cavities (Type 1 attack); 2) erosion of the wood cell walls (Type 2 attack);and 3) simultaneous Type 1 and Type 2 attack. With one exception, all species were able to degrade starch. The production of the enzymes cellulase, xylanase and mannanase was demonstrated for twenty of the wood-degrading species. Five of the wood-degrading species, which all produced soft rot cavities in birch wood, failed to exhibit any of the enzyme activities. The remaining wood-degrading species could be shown to produce one or two of the enzymes. One of the species which was unable to degrade birch wood produced xylanase. Cellulase and mannanase were not produced by any of these species. Twelve of the wood-degrading species appeared unable to degrade pure cellulose substrates when grown on agar media or in liquid cultures. Their only exhibition of cellulolytic activity was found in solid birch wood, where they formed soft rot cavities. These species have been referred to as "non-cellulolytic" soft rot fungi. Various explanations of the anomalous behaviour of these species are discussed.
Emergency department overcrowding and mortality after the introduction of the 4‐hour rule in Western Australia

TO THE EDITOR: I refer to Geelhoed and de Klerk’s article1 and related correspondence.2,3 While concerned with the rise in the overall rate of emergency department (ED) presentations, I am alarmed by the disproportionate increase in the ED admission rate (24% increase, from 3960 admissions per 10 000 ED presentations in July 2007 to June 2008, to 4910 admissions per 10 000 ED presentations in July 2010 to June 2011) since the introduction of the 4-hour rule in Western Australia. The authors have failed to comment on this worrying trend. Incidentally, the staff at all three tertiary WA hospitals in Geelhoed and de Klerk’s study should be commended on accommodating up to 28 767 extra ED admissions annually, without an increase in mortality.1 The often misquoted study by Sprivulis and colleagues4 did not manage to uncouple the effects of ED access block from hospital overcrowding (> 90% bed occupancy) when analysing mortality rates. The authors stated that there were an estimated “120 deaths per annum associated with overcrowding in metropolitan Perth hospitals”, but that “[their] study did not examine the mechanisms by which overcrowding is associated with increased mortality”. 1 Therefore, hospital-wide overcrowding should still be the target in any drive to reduce avoidable deaths. Alternative mechanisms (other than the 4-hour rule) may account for reduced access block. Access block rates had been declining for 5 months before the 4-hour rule program was introduced, and for 12 months before “solution implementation” (Box). 5 The reasons for this decline may include better medical handover (especially interhospital transfer), better staff education and protocol-driven patient care, as well as transient increases in hospital staffing (or beds). With the introduction of new hospital programs (including rapidresponse systems for clinical deterioration, statewide e-health and the Complex Needs Coordination Team), it will be difficult to attribute any future decline in hospital mortality in WA (after 2012) solely to access block reduction resulting from the 4-hour rule.
Reduced Incorporation of Fatty Acids Into Triacylglycerol in Myotubes From Obese Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

Altered skeletal muscle lipid metabolism is a hallmark feature of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated muscle lipid turnover in T2D versus BMI-matched control subjects (controls) and examined whether putative in vivo differences would be preserved in the myotubes. Male obese T2D individuals (n = 6) and BMI-matched controls (n = 6) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, VO2max test, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, underwater weighing, and muscle biopsy of the vastus lateralis. 14C-palmitate and 14C-oleate oxidation rates and incorporation into lipids were measured in muscle tissue as well as in primary myotubes. Palmitate oxidation (controls: 0.99 ± 0.17 nmol/mg protein; T2D: 0.53 ± 0.07 nmol/mg protein; P = 0.03) and incorporation of fatty acids (FAs) into triacylglycerol (TAG) (controls: 0.45 ± 0.13 nmol/mg protein; T2D: 0.11 ± 0.02 nmol/mg protein; P = 0.047) were significantly reduced in muscle homogenates of T2D. These reductions were not retained for palmitate oxidation in primary myotubes (P = 0.38); however, incorporation of FAs into TAG was lower in T2D (P = 0.03 for oleate and P = 0.11 for palmitate), with a strong correlation of TAG incorporation between muscle tissue and primary myotubes (r = 0.848, P = 0.008). The data indicate that the ability to incorporate FAs into TAG is an intrinsic feature of human muscle cells that is reduced in individuals with T2D.
A combined analysis of cluster mass estimates from strong lensing, X‐ray measurement and the universal density profile

(Abridged)We present a combined analysis of mass estimates in the central cores of galaxy clusters from the strong lensing, the X-ray measurements and the universal density profile (NFW). Special attention is paid to the questions (1)whether the previously claimed mass discrepancy between the strong lensing and X-ray measurements is associated with the presence of cooling/non-cooling flows, (2)whether the cusped NFW density model can provide a consistent cluster mass with the strong lensing result and (3)whether a non-zero cosmological constant can be of any help to reducing the strong lensing - X-ray mass ratios. We analyse a sample of 26 arc-like images among 21 clusters. The X-ray and NFW cluster masses are obtained by assuming that the intracluster gas is isothermal and in hydrostatic equilibrium with the underlying gravitational potential of the clusters. A statistical comparison of these three mass estimates reveals that the mass discrepancies for all the events are well within a factor of 2. We confirm the result of Allen that the larger mass discrepancy is only detected in the intermediate cooling, especially non-cooling flow clusters, thus attributing the mass discrepancy to the local dynamical activities in the central regions. We show that the NFW profile yields a consistent cluster mass with the conventional X-ray measurement, and any difference between these two models must occur at even smaller radii (e.g. within the arc-like images) or at large radii. Finally, a non-zero cosmological constant is able to moderately reduce the mass ratios of m_lens to m_xray.
Instructional efficiency of different discussion approaches in an outreach laboratory: Teacher-guided versus student-centered

ABSTRACT Given the rapid development of modern biotechnology, attention to socioscientific issues in educational contexts is crucially important to support students in becoming responsible citizens. The authors' research focused on the impact of discussing socioscientific issues during biology lessons under 3 different treatments (teacher guided, student centered, text only), comparing these treatments with regard to cognitive achievement, cognitive load, and instructional efficiency. The biology lessons were part of an educational intervention with Bavarian 10th-grade students (N = 583) in an out-of-school laboratory on plant genetic engineering. The teacher-guided group performed significantly better regarding knowledge increase, while the cognitive load of the student-centered group was significantly higher. Accordingly, teacher-guided discussion led to the highest instructional efficiency, suggesting an enhanced cognitive achievement through the teacher's guidance. However, a student-centered approach allows students to contribute more of their own opinions, making further research in this area desirable. Finally, we discuss potential implications for teaching and teacher education.
Unit Connuitment Solution Methodology Using Genetic Algorithm

Solution methodology of unit commitment using genetic algorithms (Gas) is presented. Problem formulation of the unit commitment takes into consideration the minimum up and down time constraints, start-up cost, and spinning reserve, which is defined as minimization of the total objective function while satisfying the associated constraints. Problem-specific operators are proposed for the satisfaction of time-dependent constraints. Problem formulation, representation, and the simulation results for a 10-generator-scheduling problem are presented.
Triple HIV-1 infection.

To the Editor: Dual infection with different strains of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) is reported with increasing frequency, attributed mostly to coinfection at the time of the primary infection. However, some patients were superinfected with a second virus after the original seroconversion,1 which generally accelerated disease progression.2 We encountered a case of serial HIV-1 superinfection resulting in a triple infection in a Dutch patient who was originally infected with a subtype B virus. A 35-year-old homosexual man was found to be HIV-1–seropositive in March 2001 and was referred for follow-up. Early in July 2003, the patient presented with acute onset .
Tectotectal connectivity in goldfish

The vertebrate optic tectum is a functionally coupled bilateral structure which plays a major role in the generation of motor commands for orienting responses. However, the characteristics of the tectotectal connectivity are unknown in fish, and have been reported only to a limited extent in other vertebrates. The purpose of the present study was to determine the anatomical basis underlying the functional coupling between tecta in goldfish, and to identify both similarities and differences to those features reported in other vertebrate species. The present experiments used the bidirectional tracer biotinylated dextran amine to map the distribution of labeled cells and synaptic boutons in the contralateral tectum following injections into identified tectal sites. Fibers that interconnect both tecta coursed through the tectal commissure. The cells of origin of these fibers, the tectotectal cells, and their synaptic endings were located in the deep layers, mainly in the strata periventricular and griseum central, respectively. Corresponding sites throughout the two tecta were interconnected in a symmetrical point‐to‐point fashion. The tectal commissure was composed of at least two distinct bundles of axons, which differed in their dorsoventral location, fiber diameter, and projection targets. The dorsal axons were tectotectal axons, they were thinner in diameter and profusely branched, and gave off en passant and terminal boutons in the deep layers of the contralateral tectum. The ventral axons were thicker in diameter, and formed the contralateral tectofugal‐descending tract. Such fibers had few axon collaterals and boutons in the contralateral tectum. Boutons adjacent to retrogradely labeled tectotectal cells were very scarce. The data are discussed in terms of the coupling between tecta generating the motor commands required for orienting movements. J. Comp. Neurol. 411:455–471, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Recanalization on Ischemic Stroke Outcome: A Meta-Analysis

Background and Purpose— For a biomarker to serve as an auxiliary or surrogate outcome measure, it must be tightly correlated with and causally related to functional clinical outcome. Vessel recanalization is a potential surrogate outcome marker for functional outcome in trials of thrombolytic and mechanical recanalization therapies in acute stroke, but the correlation of recanalization and clinical outcome has not been previously systematically reviewed. Methods— Through Medline search, we identified and abstracted recanalization and outcome data from all articles published between 1985 and 2002 that assessed vessel recanalization, either spontaneous or therapeutically induced, in acute ischemic stroke. Results— Fifty-three studies encompassing 2066 patients reported recanalization rates. Recanalization rates categorized according to intervention were: spontaneous (24.1%), intravenous fibrinolytic (46.2%), intra-arterial fibrinolytic (63.2%), combined intravenous–intra-arterial (67.5%), and mechanical (83.6%). Clinical outcome data categorized by success or failure in achieving recanalization was available from 33 articles encompassing 998 patients. Good functional outcomes at 3 months were more frequent in recanalized versus nonrecanalized patients with odds ratio of 4.43 (95% CI, 3.32 to 5.91). Three-month mortality was reduced in recanalized patients (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.35). Rates of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation did not differ between the 2 groups (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.74). Conclusions— Formal meta-analysis confirms a strong correlation between recanalization and outcome in acute ischemic stroke. Recanalization is strongly associated with improved functional outcomes and reduced mortality. These findings suggest that recanalization is an appropriate biomarker of therapeutic activity in early phase trials of thrombolytic treatment in acute ischemic stroke.