Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and localization of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the ocular tissues of the chick

The purpose of this study was to characterize the distribution of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in the ocular tissues of hatched chicks. In the chick, different isoforms of these receptors have been detected in the brain, heart, and retina, and mAChRs in ocular tissues have been implicated in the pathogenesis of form‐deprivation myopia. However, the precise anatomical distribution of mAChRs within the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, choroid, ciliary body, and ciliary ganglion remains unknown. We used affinity‐purified, type‐specific antibodies directed to three different chick mAChR subtypes (cm2, cm3, and cm4) to detect receptor immunoreactivity in sections and extracts of these ocular tissues. We found cm2, cm3, and cm4 in the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, choroid, and ciliary body. Within the retina, cm2 was expressed in numerous amacrine and ganglion cells; cm3 was expressed in many bipolar cells and small subsets of amacrine cells; and cm4 was found in most, if not all, amacrine and ganglion cells. Each mAChR was localized to distinct strata within the inner plexiform layer that cumulatively form three broad bands that closely match previously described localizations of subtype‐nonspecific muscarinic ligand binding. Only cm3 was detected in the outer plexiform layer, and only cm4 was detected in the ciliary ganglion. We propose that each mAChR subtype has unique functions in each ocular tissue. J. Comp. Neurol. 392:273–284, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Low-Complexity Uncertainty-Set-Based Robust Adaptive Beamforming for Passive Sonar

Recent work has highlighted the potential benefits of exploiting ellipsoidal uncertainty-set-based robust Capon beamformer (RCB) techniques in passive sonar. Regrettably, the computational complexity required to form RCB weights is cubic in the number of adaptive degrees of freedom, which is often prohibitive in practice. For this reason, several low-complexity techniques for computing RCB weights, or equivalent worst case robust adaptive beamformer weights, have recently been developed. These techniques, whose complexities are only quadratic in the number of adaptive degrees of freedom, use gradient-based, reduced-dimension Krylov-subspace or Kalman-filtering methods. In this work, we review these techniques for passive sonar, analyzing their complexities and evaluating them initially on simulated data. The best performing methods are then evaluated on two in-water recorded passive sonar data sets. One set, containing a strong controlled acoustic source, demonstrates the ability of the algorithms to protect against signal cancellation when pointing at the source, and their ability to reject the source when pointing away from it. The other data set, recorded during a period when the boat was accelerating, demonstrates the ability of the algorithms to operate in the presence of speed-induced noises.
University—Industry Collaboration in a Triple Helix Setting on a US Medical Campus

The Triple Helix framework focuses attention on institutional interactions within innovation systems. In particular, it is important to understand the nature of university–industry interactions such as the translation of university expertise to clinically and commercially viable innovations. This paper examines university and industry collaboration practices in the context of the innovative, entrepreneurial and translational research environment at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and at the University at Buffalo–State University of New York. The findings highlight the importance of funding opportunities and networks. Collaboration predominantly assumes the form of consultancy, contract research and joint research. The benefits of consulting and contract research are increased knowledge production through publications, grant applications and patenting activities among BNMC scientists. Collaboration with industry through joint research is more likely to lead to entrepreneurial outcomes than any other effort to engage industry.
Consumer Preferences and Customer Satisfaction Analysis: A New Method Proposal

This study analyses a form of commercialisation and consumption of organic produce: the box scheme. Under this system there is a medium-term (six months) or long-term (one year) contract between one or more farmers and a group of consumers, usually living close to the farms. A package (or box) containing a set amount of fresh organic produce is delivered to the consumer's home or collected through a collection centre. In order to analyse the potential of this consumption model a new methodological proposal for customer satisfaction analysis was made. Compared with other methodologies, the one suggested is different in terms of the approach to consumers' questioning. It adopts a new statistical analysis for elaborating responses. This is based on a three-stage econometric model: the first to test for consistency of data collected; the second and the third to identify product or service characteristics that influence most customer satisfaction. In this case study the method suggested identified fairly clearly that the box scheme key identifies which consumers are usually attentive.
The use of guidelines for the empirical treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND Several practice guidelines for the empirical antimicrobial treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) have been developed, but the acceptance and use of such guidelines are unknown. OBJECTIVE To assess physicians' use of empirical HAP guidelines published by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and by The University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario. DESIGN A retrospective assembly and chart review. SETTING A university teaching hospital. PATIENTS One hundred fifteen consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with pneumonia more than 48 h after admission to hospital over a 10-month period. RESULTS The charts of 115 patients were reviewed. Seventy-five patients (65%) were treated empirically. Forty patients (35%) were treated based on microbiological data that were available before the initiation of antibiotics. Patients who received nonempirical treatment for HAP had a significantly greater acuity of illness than the empirically treated group. Thirty-seven patients (49%) who received empirical therapy were treated according to either ATS or hospital guidelines for HAP. The use of guideline-concordant antimicrobial therapy had no measurable effect on in-hospital mortality (eight of 37 patients [21.6%] versus seven of 38 patients [18.4%], P=0.96) or median length of stay (19 days versus 21 days, P=0.30). Patients whose treatment did not follow guideline recommendations tended to receive appropriate antimicrobial coverage more often than did those patients whose treatment was guideline concordant (15 of 18 patients [83%] versus six of 11 patients [55%], P=0.49). CONCLUSIONS Institutional and ATS guidelines for the empirical treatment of HAP are less widely used than would be predicted by chance at The University Health Network. The clinical utility of these guidelines remains to be proven.
Cross-Sectional Asset Pricing with Individual Stocks: Betas versus Characteristics

We develop a methodology for bias-corrected return-premium estimation from cross-sectional regressions of individual stock returns on betas and characteristics. Over the period from July 1963 to December 2013, there is some evidence of positive beta premiums on the profitability and investment factors of Fama and French (2014), a negative premium on the size factor and a less robust positive premium on the market, but no reliable pricing evidence for the book-tomarket and momentum factors. Firm characteristics consistently explain a much larger proportion of variation in estimated expected returns than factor loadings, however, even with all six factors included in the model.
White light interferometry to characterize the hydrogel contact lens surface

Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize, qualitatively and quantitatively, the surface morphology of four unworn conventional hydrogel contact lenses (Omafilcon, Hioxifilcon‐based, Nefilcon A and Ocufilcon B) by White Light Optical Profiling (WLOP). WLOP is an ideal technique for sampling larger areas as well as for higher measurement speed compared with other topography techniques used in contact lens studies.
A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs

A critical element in the evolution of a fundamental body of knowledge in marketing, as well as for improved marketing practice, is the development of better measures of the variables with which marketers work. In this article an approach is outlined by which this goal can be achieved and portions of the approach are illustrated in terms of a job satisfaction measure.
Technology Diffusion: An Empirical Test of Competitive Effects

The authors provide an empirical test of the effects of competition on the adoption of technological innovations by organizations. They follow the conceptualization developed in the model they proposed previously in the Journal of Marketing. An empirical study of the factors accounting for the adoption or rejection of a high technology innovation is reported. The results suggest that firms most receptive to innovation are in concentrated industries with limited price intensity and that supplier incentives and vertical links to buyers are important in achieving adoption. The results also suggest that adopters can be separated from nonadopters by their information-processing characteristics.
Perceived risk and trust as antecedents of online purchasing behavior in the USA gemstone industry

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to seek to investigate the impact that perceived risk and trust have on online purchasing behavior, in particular the nature of purchasing associations within the expensive, complex, high risk and credence products such as gemstones.Design/methodology/approach – An online survey of purchases of Thai gemstones was used to collect the data. Partial Least Squares was used to test the conceptual model of the study.Findings – The results of this study suggest that the type of internet marketing strategy used by the seller (the place strategy) and the buyer's privacy and security practices influence a buyer's perceived risk to purchase gemstones online. Furthermore, the study showed that perceived risk reduces trust and perceived risk reduces online purchases.Research limitations/implications – The implications of these results are that privacy and security concerns of online buyers must be addressed in order to reduce perceived risk and thereby increase trust which is fun.
DETERMINANTS OF AQUACULTURE FISH SEED PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system worldwide and is particularly important in bridging the gap between fish demand and supply in Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine factors affecting aquaculture fish seed production and management in Ogun State, Nigeria, an important coastal and fish producing state. Through structured questionnaire and personal interviews, data were collected from 58 hatcheries and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Major challenges identified by this study include lack of good quality brood stock, high mortalities during larval development, high costs of hatchery inputs and equipment, water quality maintenance and energy-related problems. It is recommended that government should offer low-interest loans for continuous training of fish hatchery operators, who should be mandated to train regularly to update their knowledge on new developments in the industry. These steps should result in enhanced fish seed production for viable and sustainable aquaculture development in Nigeria.
A unified approach for drawdown (drawup) of time-homogeneous Markov processes

Abstract Drawdown (respectively, drawup) of a stochastic process, also referred as the reflected process at its supremum (respectively, infimum), has wide applications in many areas including financial risk management, actuarial mathematics, and statistics. In this paper, for general time-homogeneous Markov processes, we study the joint law of the first passage time of the drawdown (respectively, drawup) process, its overshoot, and the maximum of the underlying process at this first passage time. By using short-time pathwise analysis, under some mild regularity conditions, the joint law of the three drawdown quantities is shown to be the unique solution to an integral equation which is expressed in terms of fundamental two-sided exit quantities of the underlying process. Explicit forms for this joint law are found when the Markov process has only one-sided jumps or is a Lévy process (possibly with two-sided jumps). The proposed methodology provides a unified approach to study various drawdown quantities for the general class of time-homogeneous Markov processes.
Generic and Specific Social Learning Mechanisms in Foreign Entry Location Choice

We combine economic and institutional theories of clustering in foreign entry location choice in an overarching social learning conceptualisation. Prospective entrants learn about the attractiveness of alternative locations by observing the entry choices of previous investors ("models"). We distinguish two types of learning which differ in observational focus width but can and do operate simultaneously. With assessment learning, firms judge the economic feasibility and agglomeration benefits of entering a location by observing and following a broad set of models. With bandwagon learning, firm-level uncertainty narrows attention to, and prompts the following of, specific models, with recentness of model behavior an important moderator. We find broad support for our conceptualization in an analysis of 692 Japanese electronics firms' entries into Chinese provinces during 1979-2001.
The Benefits of Logistics Investments: Opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean

Transportation is an inherently crucial factor in supporting economic activities as well as providing opportunities for economic development. As such, the provision of transport infrastructures is a common priority in capital investment, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean where infrastructural capabilities are often lacking. The purpose of this report is to underline the key dimensions behind the benefits of logistics investments. It particularly focuses on port / hinterland supply chains in which the setting of logistics zones, transport and logistics corridors and inland ports provide a salient example of the multiplying effects of transport infrastructure and freight logistics investments.
Bacterial Genome Instability

SUMMARY Bacterial genomes are remarkably stable from one generation to the next but are plastic on an evolutionary time scale, substantially shaped by horizontal gene transfer, genome rearrangement, and the activities of mobile DNA elements. This implies the existence of a delicate balance between the maintenance of genome stability and the tolerance of genome instability. In this review, we describe the specialized genetic elements and the endogenous processes that contribute to genome instability. We then discuss the consequences of genome instability at the physiological level, where cells have harnessed instability to mediate phase and antigenic variation, and at the evolutionary level, where horizontal gene transfer has played an important role. Indeed, this ability to share DNA sequences has played a major part in the evolution of life on Earth. The evolutionary plasticity of bacterial genomes, coupled with the vast numbers of bacteria on the planet, substantially limits our ability to control disease.
Numerical analysis for Spread option pricing model of markets with finite liquidity: first-order feedback model

In this paper, we discuss the numerical analysis and the pricing and hedging of European Spread options on correlated assets when, in contrast to the standard framework and consistent with a market with imperfect liquidity, the option trader's trading in the stock market has a direct impact on one of the stocks price. We consider a first-order feedback model which leads to a linear partial differential equation. The Peaceman–Rachford scheme is applied as an alternating direction implicit method to solve the equation numerically. We also discuss the stability and convergence of this numerical scheme. Finally, we provide a numerical analysis of the effect of the illiquidity in the underlying asset market on the replication of an European Spread option; compared to the Black–Scholes case, a trader generally buys less stock to replicate a call option.
Elevated serum ceruloplasmin levels in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a population-based study.

Serum ceruloplasmin was reported to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether serum ceruloplasmin level is elevated in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS, insulin resistance syndrome) in a community-based population. A total 883 subjects over 40 years of age were studied among a population of the Chongup district, a rural area of South Korea. Serum ceruloplasmin levels were measured, and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed. Known cardiovascular risk factors, such as serum lipids, fasting insulin level, and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), were also measured. Serum ceruloplasmin levels in the subjects with MS (n = 167, 325 +/- 141 mg/L) were significantly higher than in those without MS (278 +/- 93 mg/L, P <.001). The mean ceruloplasmin level also increased as the glucose tolerance worsened (278 +/- 95 mg/L in normal glucose tolerance [NGT], 303 +/- 108 mg/L in impaired glucose regulation, and 328 +/- 148 mg/L in diabetes; P <.001). Serum ceruloplasmin level was positively correlated with age, fasting glucose, postload 2-hour glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and UAER and negatively with high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. In multiple regression analysis, serum ceruloplasmin level was independently associated with age, fasting glucose, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and UAER. In conclusion, serum ceruloplasmin level is elevated in the subjects with MS, as well as in subjects with impaired glucose regulation or diabetes mellitus. In addition, serum ceruloplasmin level is associated with various cardiovascular risk factors. These results suggest that elevated serum ceruloplasmin level can be a marker for metabolic stresses associated with MS.
The Diversification Discount: It's All Cash Flows

We examine why some diversified firms trade at a discount and others at a premium. Specifically, we examine if the value premium (discount) of premium (discount) diversified firms can be explained by lower (higher) risk exposures and, hence, expected returns, relative to a portfolio of matching focused firms. Using a four-factor conditional asset-pricing model, we find that premium firms have higher expected returns while discount firms have lower expected returns than their corresponding portfolios of matching focused firms. This indicates that the value premium (discount) of premium (discount) diversified firms is due entirely to higher (lower) expected cash flows. In addition, we find that the average diversified firm has significantly lower mean risk exposures and expected returns than a portfolio of matching focused firms. This means that its value discount is due entirely to lower expected cash flows. This is in contrast to Lamont and Polk (2001) who attribute just over 50% of the variation in excess values to future cash flows. Our results also indicate that the value discount of the average diversified firm can be attributed entirely to the expected cash-flow dissipation of discount diversified firms.
Biology of a leaf miner (Coleoptera) on Liaoningocladus boii (Coniferales) from the Early Cretaceous of northeastern China and the leaf-mining biology of possible insect culprit clades

Specimens of the broad-leaved conifer, Liaoningocladus boii Sun, Zheng & Mei 2000 were evaluated from the mid Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation occurring overwhelmingly at Dawangzhangzi, Liaoning Province, NE China. Arthropod-mediated plant damage types (DTs) were categorized for 343 specimens of this host; one of these DTs represented a distinctive leaf-mine, DT280, established as Fossafolia offae Ding, Labandeira & Ren, ichnogen. et ichnosp. nov. A comparison of DT280 to analogous modern leaf mines was based on: (1) leaf-mine features observed in modern leaf mines; (2) likelihood of a particular leaf-mine culprit lineage being present, given phylogenetic evidence; and (3) body fossils of the candidate culprit occurring in the same or a spatiotemporally proximal deposit. Evidence from these three and other sources of information indicate the most likely miner of F. offae was an extinct species of Buprestidae (Coleoptera), perhaps similar to modern leaf-mining tribe Trachyini. Much less likely affiliations were Mordellidae, Chrysomelidae and Curculionoidea. Fossafolia offae leaf mines were produced by a larva that consisted of four instars, engaged in full-depth tissue feeding, partitioned into a linear, earlier-phase mine with a distinctive frass trail and a more blotch-like, later-phase mine. Adults of this leaf miner likely fed on L. boii, producing linear patches of intercostal window feeding, assigned to DT103, or less likely, may have been a pollinator. The adult female likely laid eggs singly into leaf tissues between adjacent major veins, resulting in DT101 ovipositional damage. This study provides for the use of multiple damage-types to document life-history feeding traits for a single herbivore species. Consequently, we introduce the damage-type suite concept to refer to two or more different damage types genetically linked to the same culprit herbivore that issue from different developmental stages (larvae, adult), or are produced by different tissue-penetrating insect organs (ovipositors, mouthparts). In addition, we provide a basis for using three types of general evidence necessary to elucidate identification of the culprit.
The Structure of Generic Strategies and Their Impact on Business-Unit Performance.

This study examined the competitive methods of 97 manufacturing firms across six industries and found four distinct patterns of strategic behavior ("generic" strategies). Strategic orientations incorporating "efficiency" and "differentiation" patterns were associated with significantly higher performance. Firms with inconsistent or nonexistent patterns were the lowest performers. Planning sophistication was found to moderate the strategy-performance relationship.
Relationship Between Mission Statement and Scope of Business: Evidence From Finland

The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection of a businessâ€™ mission statement to its corporate strategy. The literature review presents the concepts of the core competence, the mission statement, focus strategy and competitive advantage. The findings of the literature review indicate that these concepts have consistent contextual linkages and can be placed in the perspectives of the balanced scorecard. The case study reveals the complexities and details that illustrate the role of the mission statement, focus strategy and competitive advantage. Empirical evidence is presented from Neste Oy which aimed for growth with new products and customers, but failed to diversify. The results of this study are useful for those who are involved in the strategy process, want to define a mission statement and succeed with diversification