Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing survival prognostication in patients with choroidal melanoma by integrating pathologic, clinical and genetic predictors of metastasis

Survival in choroidal melanoma was modelled using accelerated failure time models. We combined pathological, clinical and genetic data, using imputation techniques. Performance was assessed using n-fold cross-validation. Using data from 3653 patients, we generated two models; the first using clinical data only and the second using clinical and laboratory data. The c-index of discrimination was 0.75 for the clinical model and 0.79 for the laboratory model. Calibration showed good correlation between predicted and observed mortality (p-value: 0.699 for clinical model and 0.801 for laboratory model). We conclude that our model provides reasonably reliable prognosis relevant to individual patients.
Performance of the public electric power industry: Evidence from Pakistan

The study investigates the performance of electric power sector of Pakistan at the firm level, as well as the sector as a whole. It identifies and attempts to quantify the extent of inefficiencies. Since either physical or financial or productivity indicators alone are not able to explain the duality of public infrastructure purposes and the complexity of their multi-dimensional goals, a set of relevant physical, financial, and productivity indicators have been used in evaluating the performance of this sector. Further, a CobbDouglas production function has also been used to calculate the trend in the growth of total factor productivity. Economies of scale have also been studied in the case of electric power generation.
DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES AFTER THE EU ENLARGEMENT

Considering the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in the sustainable development of a country, the main aim of this paper is to identify some macroeconomic factors that positively or negatively influence FDI in Visegrad group countries after the European Union (EU) enlargement in 2004. We employed two types of approaches in our analysis: i) time series and ii) panel data approach. According to the generalized ridge regressions estimated in Bayesian framework, the perceived corruption was a factor that influenced FDI in all the countries. In Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia corruption came through as a serious obstacle for FDIs since 2005, but this was not the case for Hungary. Even if Hungary is perceived as a country with high influence, foreign investors seem no to care about this fact and are more interested in the quality of human resources and the possibility to increase exports. Our panel approach based on a panel ARDL model identified a significant relationship between FDI, corruption index and labour force with advanced education however this causality was only detected in the long run. According to the Granger causality in panel, the attraction of FDI inflows succeeded in generating changes in total tax rate, but the issues related to corruption were not reduced at an acceptable level for foreign investors in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Impacts of industrial heterogeneity and technical innovation on the relationship between environmental performance and financial performance

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between environmental performance (EP) and financial performance (FP) from the perspective of technical innovation in Chinese industrial sectors. We also consider industrial heterogeneity and take temporal variations of the link into account. We collect the required data from different Chinese statistical yearbooks from 2004 to 2015. We use an aggregated index of environmental pollutants as a proxy for EP and return on assets as a proxy for FP, and we employ research and development expenditure to capture technical innovation. The empirical results indicate that industrial heterogeneity exists and the EP–FP link varies in different industrial groups. There is no evidence that the EP–FP link becomes more positive and more significant over time. Furthermore, the mediation effect of technical innovation and environmental pressures can jointly affect the link. Finally, technical innovation partially mediates the EP–FP link but only in Chinese light-polluting sectors not in heavy-polluting sectors. The mediating role of technical innovation has a great impact on shaping the EP–FP link. When technical innovation partially mediates the focal link, apart from the indirect link, the direct EP–FP link is likely to be positive. If not, the direct EP–FP link is likely to be negative.
Uncoupling safety and design : designing large screen displays for petroleum control rooms

In complex organizations as in the oil industry, it is crucial that safety is adequately addressed at every point of the design and production process. This industry operates with a highly dynamic and tightly coupled technological system, which requires extensive safety assessments in order to avoid malfunctions and prevent accidents. Unfortunately, there are many examples of how things can go wrong: the loss of Sleipner A in 1991, the Alexander Kielland disaster, and several others. When engineers design a subunit of a complex system it is necessary to consider how each component is integrated with the rest of the system both in loosely and tightly coupled situations. In the development of a new system, the design task is divided into subunits which companies with special expertise are engaged to manufacture. In these companies there are different actors and different situational demands which contribute to form the result of the subtask. This means that in most companies there is some deviation between the project set by the operator of the system, and the subcontractor’s actual result. In complex systems which consist of many components made by different subcontractors these deviances can affect each other in unexpected manners when they interact. In order to decrease this tendency there are regulations and industrial standards to regulate the interaction, but these static tools do not always correspond to the task at hand and may therefore be inefficient. This is the problem of central concern in this thesis.
The historical Jesus : a comprehensive guide

s textbook by Germany's most interesting New Testament scholar and his assistant is likely to become a standard work on Jesus. After surveying the quest for the historical Jesus, it assesses the sources, non-Christian and Christian, for Jesus. Then it examines the historical, chronological, geographical and social setting of his activity and some of his major characteristics-as charismatic, prophet, healer, poet, and teacher. All this leads on to studies of the passion and resurrection and the beginnings of Christology. Each section discusses a specific topic in the clearest possible terms, using tables and diagrams where relevant. The main results of scholarly research are given with explanations of how they relate to a wider whole. Subdivisions clarify some of the more complex issues. The main parts of the book end in summaries. Throughout, suggestions are made for further study in the form of projects and problems to be solved. And there are full bibliographies, anglicized for this edition by Robert Morgan.
The spatial distribution and source of arsenic, copper, tin and zinc within the surface sediments of the Fal Estuary, Cornwall, UK

ABSTRACT Estuarine sediments commonly form major sinks for contaminants released during industrial activity. Many industrial processes lead to the release of metals initially in solution, which can then be adsorbed on to, for example, Fe hydroxides or clay minerals. However, in the mining industry, there are two major contaminant waste streams: (1) metals discharged in solution via mine drainage; and (2) particulate grains of the ore‐forming or related minerals released after ore processing. The release of particulate waste can have a major long‐term impact on environmental geochemistry. In this study, we have mapped the distribution of arsenic, copper, tin and zinc within the surficial sediments of the Fal Estuary, Cornwall, UK, an area that drains a historically important polymetallic mining district. There are clear spatial variations in the contaminants, with the highest levels (> 2800 p.p.m. As, > 5000 p.p.m. Cu, > 3000 p.p.m. Sn and > 6000 p.p.m. Zn) within Restronguet Creek on the western side of the estuary. Mineralogical studies show that small (< 20 µm) grains of detrital arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, cassiterite and sphalerite are very abundant within the surface sediments. Most of the sulphide grains are fractured, but mineralogically unaltered, although some grains show alteration rims caused by oxidation of the sulphides. The geochemistry and mineralogy are indicative of sediment supply from the discharge of particulate waste into the estuary during historical mining activity. Subsequently, this particulate waste has been largely physically and biologically reworked within the surface sediments. Although considerable effort has been made to minimize contaminants released via mine drainage into the estuary, the potential flux of contaminants present within the intertidal and subtidal sediments has not been addressed. Benthic invertebrates living within the area have adapted to be metal tolerant, and it is likely that the dominant source of bioavailable metals is a result of alteration of the particulate mine waste present within the intertidal and subtidal sediments.
Reliability cost/worth assessment of distribution network formed by underground cables and overhead lines. Case study of Latvia

The increasing number of severe weather occurrences that influence the number of large scale outages, especially in rural distribution networks, makes the question on the need of increasing reliability level of power supply of the distribution network even more actual. Distribution system operators and national regulators shall not only find a reliable but also a cost-effective solution for further distribution network development: the optimal reliability level of power supply. One of the reliability improvement solutions that allows effectively dealing with the reduction of the number of outages in rural distribution networks is the cablification of network. Construction costs of the aforementioned solution are quite high in comparison to other network line types, and due to that, the implementation of the solution always raises discussions on cost-effectiveness. The paper presents approaches for the cost/worth assessment of power line lifetime costs in the distribution network and for the assessment of customer costs of reliability that takes into account time-varying loads and outage costs (previously developed by authors of this paper [6, 7]) as well as for the assessment of traders’ losses due to electrical energy not supplied. The case study included in the paper is performed for Latvian conditions and takes into account information on the real customer costs of reliability of Latvian customers (information from the study of the Institute of Physical Energetics), fault statistics of Latvian underground cables and overhead lines, information with a high level of details on the capital costs, operational and fault elimination costs of distribution lines in Latvia.
Statistical Optimization of Process Variables for L-lysine Production by Corynebacterium Glutamicum (Corynebacterium Glutamicum Tarafindan Üretilen L-lizin için İşlem Değişkenlerinin İstatistiksel Optimizasyonu) Araştirma Makalesi (Research Article)

Objectives: Response Surface Methodology was used to optimize the fermentation variables for enhancing the L-lysine production by a mutant strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum AeC-2. Methods: Among the eight independent variables studied by using Plackett-Bur man design, only four variables like, the level of sugar in molasses, ammonium sulphate, incubation temperature and inoculum size were found to be significantly affecting variable for L-lysine production. f urther, 2 4 factorial central composite design was used to determine the optimal levels of significant variables. A second order polynomial regression model was applied on the experimental data. Results: The predicted optimal levels of these variables were as follows, sugar concentration: 95.777 g/L, ammonium sulphate concentration: 24.223 g/L, tem perature 30.317 °C and inoculum size: 6 % with 18.689 g/L predicted lysine value. There was 2.6 fold increase in L-lysine production as compared with lysine value obtained at original levels of these components.
Accounting for the Effect of Exogenous Non-Economic Variables on Natural Gas Demand in Oil Producing African Countries

With less than 50% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa having access to modern forms of energy and the desire to minimize the impact of energy consumption on the environment, there is a need to invest in an energy source that is affordable, available and environmentally clean. Natural gas is therefore the preferred choice of energy since it has minimum impact on the environment among the fossil fuels and is relatively affordable. In this study, the generalized methods of moments (GMM), a dynamic panel two stage least squares and the general unrestricted model (GUM) through AutometricsTM are employed to estimate the demand for natural gas in oil producing African countries. The GUM suggests that oil producing African countries have been consuming excessive natural gas that seems to offset improved technical efficiency of appliances. The study finds that both economic and technical factors are important drivers of natural gas consumption. In particular, output exerts a positive and significant influence on natural gas demand, whereas energy price and energy resource depletion have a negative and significant effect. It is recommended that energy efficiency measures should be implemented in these countries.
The Impact of Commodity Price Risk on Firm Value -- An Empirical Analysis of Corporate Commodity Price Exposures

Commodity prices are more volatile than exchange rates and interest rates. Hence, a priori, commodity price risk represents a more important source of risk to corporations. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic commodity price exposure of a large sample of nonfinancial firms. The results indicate that corporations exhibit net exposures with regard to several commodity prices. Even though commodity prices are highly volatile, commodity price risk is, however, not found to be of greater importance than other financial risks. The results are consistent with few cash flows being affected by commodity price movements, and with corporate hedging of commodity price risk
Synchronizing Global Supply Chains: Advance Purchase Discounts

We study the economics of sharing demand information between a dual sourcing firm and its network of retailers. Our analysis demonstrates that employing Advance Purchase Discount (APD) contracts in these supply chains removes significant impediments to information sharing. Essentially, these contracts synchronize the timeline of the dual sourcing firm's decisions with the actions of its network of retailers. This enables accurate, timely, and self-enforcing information sharing, which reduces the demand - supply mismatches, and improves the profitability of each of the agents in the supply chain. We provide prescriptions on the appropriate design of contracts that enable this Pareto-improving information sharing. Next, we extend this analysis to incorporate realistic constraints on the dual sourcing firm's limited knowledge of its retailers' operational costs and information quality. We characterize “certainty-equivalent” values of the unknown retailer parameters, which facilitate analogous prescriptions for the design of APD contracts in these realistic settings. It is interesting that the unobservability of retailer parameters leads to an asymmetric and “degree-of-unobservability dependent” departure from the full-observability design of the APD contract. If the uncertainty in the unobserved parameter is small, then the optimal discount is higher compared to the case of full observability; conversely, when the uncertainty is large, the optimal discount is lower. It is significant that, despite the departure in the design of the APD contract, this analysis reiterates that the benefits of APDs persist even under this practical constraint. Finally, we report on the application of our prescription to a U.S.-based apparel wholesaler. Using data derived from the operations of this firm, we estimate that APD-enabled improved information sharing can increase net profits by about 17%.
Is There A Relationship Between Visfatin Level and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Obese And Non Obese Patients

Background: Visfatin is a newly discovered cytokine that is highly expressed in visceral fat with a direct relationship to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present study was conducted to demonstrate the relationship between plasma visfatin level and T2DM whether in obese or non obese patients. Subjects and methods: This prospective study was carried out on 74 subjects divided into 4 groups. Group I: Twenty obese non diabetic patients, Group II: Twenty obese diabetic patients, Group III: Twenty non obese diabetic patients and Group IV: Fourteen age and gender matched apparently healthy subjects to serve as controls. All patients and controls were subjected to full history taking, complete clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, fasting serum insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) and serum visfatin level. Results: Serum visfatin level was significantly increased in the obese subjects and in the diabetics with the highest rise in the obese diabetics suggesting that serum visfatin level has a link between obesity and T2DM. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between serum visfatin level and body mass index (BMI), serum insulin & HOMAIR. Conclusion: There may be a possible role of visfatin in the Pathophysiology of insulin resistance, T2DM and obesity.
PERSON-JOB FIT, PERSONALITY, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND INTENTION TO STAY AMONG EMPLOYEES IN MARKETING DEPARTMENTS

Abstract While studies have shown person-organization fit on organizational commitment, the present study aims to investigate if person-job fit plays the same role, and the effect of their role with the presence of personality factors (i.e. extraversion and agreeableness). The current study utilized a cross-sectional method among 153 employees in various marketing departments in Malaysia. It is hypothesized that organizational commitment mediates the relationship between P-J fit and intention to stay; and personality interacts with P-J fit on organization commitment. Results showed significant relationships between P-J Fit, organizational commitment and intention to stay. Though personality (i.e. extraversion and agreeableness) significantly affects employees’ P-J fit and organizational commitment, results showed that there was no interaction effect between personality and P-J fit on organizational commitment. Conversely, the study highlighted the importance of fit and personality of an individual in a marketing department. Keywords : person-job fit, personality, organizational commitment, intention to stay
Two kinds of stem-family system? Traditional Japan and Europe compared

In 1935 John Embree, an American student of Radcliffe-Brown, entered Suye mura, a village in the Kyushu island of Japan. He was to live in that village for a year and a half to conduct a field survey for his Ph.D. dissertation. During his stay there he determined that ‘The primary social unit in buraku [hamlet] life is the household’, and that ‘This household includes the small family, perhaps a retired grandfather or grandmother, and one or two servants to help in the household and farm labor. ’ Since by the ‘small family’ he meant a group of ‘master, wife, eldest son (own or adopted), eldest son's wife, any unmarried children of the master, and eldest son's children (own or adopted)’, what he described is a stem family household. Being a Radcliffe-Brownian anthropologist, Embree was more interested in the functions of various forms of interaction between households than in statistical analysis of the size and composition of the households of the village. His published monograph includes no table showing a classification of the households there, nor does it contain any information from which we can calculate, for example, the mean number of a particular kin group living within the households of Suye. Nonetheless, his account merits attention for two reasons.
Lithoglyphus naticoides (Pfeiffer) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia): distribution in France, population dynamics and life cycle in the Saône river at Lyon (France)

Lithoglyphus naticoides was observed for the first time in the north of France at the beginning of the 19th century, but since then this gastropod has only succeeded in colonising the eastern half of this country. A map showing its distribution in France is proposed. In the Saone river, L. naticoides is an annual species: spawning occurs from March to June and the juveniles that generally appear in May grow rapidly during the summer then spawn and disappear in the spring of the following year. Different observations suggest that increased water temperatures occurring in the context of global warming and potential/possible interspecific competition are the main reasons for the disappearance of L. naticoides in the Saone river at Lyon since November 2004.
Anticonvulsant Activity of Folklore: Pithecellobium Dulce Benth.

Ethanolic and aqueous leaf extract of Pithecellobium dulce were studied for its anticonvulsant activity using maximal electroshock-induced seizure (MES) in rats. Both extracts showed significant anticonvulsant activity by lowering the duration of extension phase at the tested dose level. The aqueous extract showed more than the ethanol extract which was comparable to phenytoin sodium, a standard antiepileptic drug.
Impacts of Garlic Mustard Invasion on a Forest Understory Community

Abstract To assess the community-level responses of a New England forest to invasion by the Eurasian biennial Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard), we conducted a vegetation census at twenty-four plots ranging from low to high invasive cover, and experimentally removed 0, 50, or 100% of garlic mustard from adjacent highly invaded plots at the same study site. Species richness did not respond to natural or experimental levels of invasion, but the Shannon diversity and equitability indices declined with increasing in situ densities of garlic mustard, and increased in response to removal of garlic mustard at the experimental plots. Individual species demonstrated variable responses to high-, intermediate-, and low-level invasion. Of all plant functional groups, tree seedlings declined most notably with increasing in situ levels of invasion. This functional group, and seedlings of three key canopy tree species within the group, increased in response to partial, but not full eradication of garlic mustard. Our results demonstrate that the effectiveness of full or partial removal depends on management priorities for promoting overall diversity, species richness, native species composition, and/or individual species performance within native communities.