Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retrieval Demands Adaptively Change Striatal Old/New Signals and Boost Subsequent Long-Term Memory

The striatum is a central part of the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and contributes both to the encoding and retrieval of long-term memories. In this regard, the co-occurrence of striatal novelty and retrieval success effects in independent studies underlines the structure's double duty and suggests dynamic contextual adaptation. To test this hypothesis and further investigate the underlying mechanisms of encoding and retrieval dynamics, human subjects viewed pre-familiarized scene images intermixed with new scenes and classified them as indoor versus outdoor (encoding task) or old versus new (retrieval task), while fMRI and eye tracking data were recorded. Subsequently, subjects performed a final recognition task. As hypothesized, striatal activity and pupil size reflected task-conditional salience of old and new stimuli, but, unexpectedly, this effect was not reflected in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), medial temporal lobe, or subsequent memory performance. Instead, subsequent memory generally benefitted from retrieval, an effect possibly driven by task difficulty and activity in a network including different parts of the striatum and SN/VTA. Our findings extend memory models of encoding and retrieval dynamics by pinpointing a specific contextual factor that differentially modulates the functional properties of the mesolimbic system. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The mesolimbic system is involved in the encoding and retrieval of information but it is unclear how these two processes are achieved within the same network of brain regions. In particular, memory retrieval and novelty encoding were considered in independent studies, implying that novelty (new > old) and retrieval success (old > new) effects may co-occur in the striatum. Here, we used a common framework implicating the striatum, but not other parts of the mesolimbic system, in tracking context-dependent salience of old and new information. The current study, therefore, paves the way for a more comprehensive understanding of the functional properties of the mesolimbic system during memory encoding and retrieval.
How organisations generate and use customer insight

Abstract The generation and use of customer insight in marketing decisions is poorly understood, partly due to difficulties in obtaining research access and partly because market-based learning theory views knowledge as a fixed asset. However, customer insight takes many forms, arrives at the organisation from increasingly diverse sources and requires more than mere dissemination if it is to be useful. A multiple case study approach is used to explore managerial practices for insight generation and use. Multiple informants from each of four organisations in diverse sectors were interviewed. Findings reveal the importance of value alignment and value monitoring across the insight demand chain, to complement the information processing emphasis of extant research. Within the firm, the study suggests the importance of customer insight conduct practices including insight format, the role of automation and insight shepherding, to complement the much-researched process perspective. The study provides a basis for assessing the effectiveness of insight processes by both practitioners and scholars.
Changes in left ventricular mass index in children and adolescents after renal transplantation

Abstract: Recent reports indicate a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in children on dialysis and after renal transplantation (Tx), as identified by cross‐sectional analysis. However, the evolution of LVH in pediatric patients with end‐stage renal disease after renal Tx is not well established. To assess changes of left ventricular mass (LVM), we prospectively performed echocardiography in 23 children and adolescents between November 1998 and July 2000. Each patient had an echocardiographic evaluation while on dialysis (for at least 6 weeks) and a follow‐up evaluation at least 6 months after successful renal Tx (i.e. with a measured glomerular filtration rate [GFR] of at least 40 mL/min/1.73 m2). The LVM index was estimated by indexing LVM to height2.7. Sixteen patients had a cadaveric transplant and seven had a live donor transplant; the mean duration between the two studies was 1.9 ± 1.6 yr; and the mean GFR was 55.0 ± 21.4 mL/min/1.73 m2. There was no significant difference in the mean values of the LVM index while on dialysis and after renal Tx (43.9 ± 17.8 g/m2.7 and 39.3 ± 12.0 g/m2.7, respectively, p = 0.19), or in the prevalence of LVH (52% and 56%, respectively). Interval changes in the LVM index in individual subjects between the two studies were significantly associated with interval changes in indexed systolic (r = 0.42, p = 0.04) and diastolic (r = 0.42, p = 0.05) blood pressures. Interval changes in hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and duration after Tx did not correlate with changes in the LVM index. There was no significant difference in LVM index change according to the type of dialysis, donor source, and the cause of renal failure. In multivariate analysis, the baseline LVM index and changes in indexed SBP were independent predictors for LVM index change after renal Tx. We conclude that LVH persists in children and adolescents after renal Tx. Control of blood pressure might be an important factor in regression or prevention of progression of LVH in these patients.
Corporate Financing Policy under Large Shareholder's Control: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies

The ownership concentration and insider control by large shareholders is currently the only corporate governance mechanism in Chinese stock market, and no effective corporate governance mechanisms have emerged as a counterbalance power to restrict the expropriation of outsider investors by these controlling shareholders. So our central hypothesis is that most of Chinese listed companies with ownership concentrated in hands of large shareholders use the stock market just as a source of capital, irrespective of improving corporate performance or financing subsequent investment and growth. In other words, mere purpose of these SOEs going to stock market is nothing but for controlling shareholders to maximize the proceeds from outsider individual investors. We test this hypothesis through examining the behaviors of capital structure and dividend policies, based on a full sample of all listed Chinese companies for a period 1995-2001, using pooled Ordinary Least Square (OLS) models and pooled Logit model. The results support our central hypothesis. We find that there is a U-shaped relationship between largest shareholding and leverage, and there is a reverse U-shaped relationship between largest shareholding and dividend policies. This demonstrates that before threshold level of the largest shareholding, the expropriation effect of largest shareholders dominates and only after a high threshold level of the largest shareholding, the alignment effect begins to dominate. We also have other findings, which help to understand the features of corporate financing policies of Chinese listed companies.
Hedge fund activism and corporate innovation

This paper investigates the impact of hedge fund activism on corporate innovating activities. It finds that innovative firms, those in high-tech industries or with positive R&D, are as likely to be targeted by activist hedge funds as non-innovative firms. Activist hedge funds tend to target innovative firms with poor innovation efficiency. Hedge fund interventions are associated with significant improvements in innovation output in both high and low competitive industries. The improvement is more pronounced in active intervention events. Moreover, hedge fund activists deliver positive abnormal returns to shareholders of target innovative firms during the 5-year period following the intervention. Overall, our results suggest that activist hedge funds are not myopic investors and their interventions enhance innovative activities that benefit shareholders of innovative firms in the long term.
Feasibility of utilising an infrared-thermographic technique for early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy camels (Camelus dromedarius)

Despite the proven ability of infrared thermography (IRT) technology for early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows/sheep/goats, studies on its diagnostic feasibility in dairy camels are lacking. Sixty-five lactating camels in mid lactation, machine milked twice-daily and managed under intensive conditions were screened to evaluate the feasibility of utilising IRT compared with other routine indicators in detecting subclinical mastitis. Immediately before the morning milking, a portable infrared camera was used to obtain thermograms in duplicate for the front and rear left quarters to determine the udder surface temperature (UST). Thereafter, milk samples from quarters were collected, and processed for California mastitis test (CMT) score and somatic cell count (SCC). In the present study, CMT score was used to define subclinical mastitis and the feasibility of IRT to detect subclinical mastitis was compared with CMT and SCC. According to CMT score, subclinical mastitic udders had an average UST of 1·42 °C greater (P<0·0001) than healthy udders. The relationship between UST and CMT was found to be highly correlated (r=0·77; P<0·001), and UST was linearly increased as the CMT increased [UST (°C)=34·86+0·66×CMT score; R 2=0·65; P<0·001]. Additionally, high correlations were obtained between UST and SCC score (r=0·75; P<0·001) and the relationship between UST and SCC was fitted best to a logarithmic equation [UST, °C=33·39+0·88×Log (SCC, ×103 cells/ml), R 2=0·61, P<0·001]. The cut-off value, sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for UST were 35·15 °C, 0·90, 0·98, and 0·95, respectively, when subclinical mastitis was defined according to CMT score, and were 35·70 °C, 0·89, 0·96 and 0·94, respectively, when categorised according to the obtained SCC threshold (SCC=432 000 cells/ml). In conclusion, IRT, as an indirect non-invasive screening method, was highly feasible for distinguishing subclinical mastitic udders in dairy camels, which is crucial to treat mastitis early and efficiently.
The Occurrence and Speciation of Hookworms Among Residents Of An Urban Community In Calabar South Local Government Area Of Cross River State, Nigeria.

The occurrence of hookworms was studied among residents of Bayside in Calabar South from April to July, 2012. A total of 450 volunteers with an age range of 1 to 40 years participated in the study, from whom fresh stool samples were collected for microscopy. The overall prevalence of hookworm infections was 3.3% (15 v 450), with Necator americanus as the only species. Females were more infected with hookworms (1.7%) than males (1.5%). There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of hookworms among male and female subjects (x 2 = 4.012; P > 0.05). Eggs of hookworm were cultured for 10 days using the Harada – Mori technique. Only filariform larvae of N. americanus were detected and identified using morphologic characteristics. Apart from hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides (18.7%) and Trichuris trichiura (1.3%) were also detected. This study has established a low association of N. americanus with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura as sympatric parasites within the study area.
Model selection for weakly dependent time series forecasting

Observing a stationary time series, we propose a two-step procedure for the predictionof the next value of the time series. The first step follows machine learning theory paradigmand consists in determining a set of possible predictors as randomized estimators in (possiblynumerous) different predictive models. The second step follows the model selection paradigmand consists in choosing one predictor with good properties among all the predictors of the firststeps. We study our procedure for two different types of observations: causal Bernoulli shifts andbounded weakly dependent processes. In both cases, we give oracle inequalities: the risk of thechosen predictor is close to the best prediction risk in all predictive models that we consider. Weapply our procedure for predictive models such as linear predictors, neural networks predictorsand non-parametric autoregressive predictors.
Evaluating the technical efficiency of Turkish commercial banks : An Application of DEA and Tobit Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of Turkish (TR) commercial banking sector. We evaluate the technical efficiency of individual TR banks using the nonparametric frontier methodology, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). To investigate the determinants of efficiency, we use the Tobit model. This analysis aims to explain the variation in calculated efficiencies to a set of explanatory variables, i.e. banks size, number of branches, profitability, ownership, and capital adequacy ratio. The analysis covers the year, 1998. We find that larger and profitable banks are more likely to operate at higher levels of technical efficiency. Also another finding reveals that the capital adequacy ratio has a statistically significant adverse impact on the performance of banks, which may reflect a risk-return tradeoff in the sector.
W-Band, Broadband 2W GaN MMIC

This paper reports the first high-power GaN MMIC covering 70 percent of W-band (75-110 GHz). Using an on-chip traveling-wave power combiner circuit, it achieves power levels of greater than 1 W CW over the 80 to 100 GHz band and a peak power of 2 W CW at 84 GHz. Operating in a pulsed mode (10% duty), this MMIC produces a peak power of 3.2 W at 86 GHz. This work represents the first application of an on-chip combining network to simultaneously achieve high power levels and wide bandwidths at W-band frequencies.
An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Market Orientation on Perceived Ownership, Location and Internalization Advantages and Level of Foreign Direct Investments by Small and Medium Enterprises:

Organizational learning and innovation capabilities are widely regarded as important sources of competitive advantage as they enhance a firm’s capacity to create, maintain, expand, and renew its bases of strategic resources, and as a result increase its chances of success in the marketplace (Dibella, Nevis et al. 1996; Grant, 1996; Makadok, 2001). Despite this recognition, the rational choice assumption implicit in Dunning’s (1980) ownership, location and internalization [OLI] advantages model of foreign direct investment [FDI] has led researchers to assume away firm-level differences in knowledge management capability [KMC] such as market orientation that influence how small and medium enterprise [SME] acquires knowledge and use the insights gained to assess and respond to both host market opportunities and uncertainties. The present study addresses this theoretical gap in FDI research by exploring three related issues: (1) How does a SME’s market orientation influence its competitiveness in a foreign market? (2) What is the effect of a SME’s knowledge related competitive advantages on the level of FDI it chooses to have in its operations in its most important foreign market, and (3) how does a SME’s investment readiness [a proxy for financial capital adequacy] moderate the link between a SME’s perceived competitiveness and its level of FDI in a foreign market. The study contributes to FDI analysis in three significant respects. First, it shows that market orientation enhances a SME’s international competitiveness by increasing its knowledge-related competitive advantages such as technological, product and human capital advantages. Market orientation also increases a SME’s competitiveness as the xiii higher learning and innovation capabilities inherent in a market oriented culture increase the capacity of market oriented SMEs to adapt and thus reduce the extent to which host market uncertainties are perceived to limit their capacity to compete in a foreign market. The study also shows that inadequate access to finance limits a SMEs’ FDI options, but this financial constraint is more severe for SMEs that are either unwilling and/or unable to access and utilize external sources of both debt and equity. The study’s findings suggest that strategic considerations such as the need for strategic flexibility and a SME’s rationale for FDI are probably more important than transaction cost considerations in explaining FDI decisions at the individual SME level. Overall the study shows that adopting an organizational capability perspective that focuses on an individual SME’s capabilities and incorporating strategic considerations in FDI analysis complements the industry-based OLI model that appears better suited for explaining broad patterns of FDI flows at the industry level.
Celebrity and foreign brand name as moderators of country-of-origin effects

Whereas most recent country-of-origin (COO) research has focused on multi-cue designs to overcome weaknesses associated with single-cue models by incorporating both extrinsic and intrinsic cues other than the COO cue in evaluating consumer responses, few studies have been reported that address the issue of whether a foreign celebrity or a foreign brand name can enhance or diminish consumer attitude, product quality perception and purchase intention in another country. This study shows that in a country (Austria) where consumers speak a different language with very different cultural heritage, the use of a foreign (US) celebrity and an English brand name can be a liability. Consumer ethnocentrism is a plausible explanation for this observation.
The entrepreneur and small business financial problem solver

The Legal Aspects of Going into Business. Sources of Capital and How to Get a Loan. Business Insurance. Buying a Business. Leasing or Buying Equipment. Financial Management. Credit and Credit Collection. Record Keeping. Appendices: SBA Field Offices Minority Business Development Agency Directory Small Business Organizations and Contacts Directory of Operating Small Business Investment Companies Business Services Directory SBA Business Plan and Qualifications Resume Guide to Free Tax Services Provided by the IRS.
Bullous pemphigoid: interaction of interleukin 5, anti-basement membrane zone antibodies and eosinophils. A preliminary observation. .

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies to normal components of the hemidesmosome (BPAg1 and BPAg2). Histology of skin lesions demonstrate a subepidermal vesicle and a predominantly eosinophilic dermal cellular infiltrate. Interleukin 5 (IL-5) plays a major role in eosinophil recruitment and function. Using an ELISA, we investigated the levels of IL-5 in the sera and blister fluid of BP patients with active disease and those in prolonged clinical remission treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, and compared it to that in normal controls. Significantly increased levels of IL-5 were detected in the serum and particularly the blister fluid of patients with active disease (P=0.0043) when compared to levels in normal controls. There was no significant difference in IL-5 levels in patients in prolonged clinical remission compared to normal control serum. In an immunoblot assay, using bovine gingival lysate as substrate, we determined the presence of IgG and IgE autoantibodies specific to basement membrane zone proteins in blister fluid and serum of BP patients. IgG autoantibodies to BPAg1 and BPAg2 were detected in both blister fluid and serum of patients, whereas IgE autoantibodies, in much lower titers, were detected to only BPAg1. Elevated levels of blood and tissue eosinophilia were observed in these patients. Based on these data, we present a preliminary hypothesis for the initiation, progression and localization of blister formation in BP.
Building a theory about change in Australian software firms

VIII 1. PURPOSE AND CONTEXT 1 1.1 Background to the study 2 1.2 Research Question and Study Approach 7 1.3 The study in context 7 1.3. 1 Australian software firms 8 1.3. 2 The Australian software industry in an international context 8 1.3. 3 The literature pertaining to this study 13 1.4 Overview of the study 15 2. METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCES 19 2.1 Methodology 20 2.1.1 Closeness to the studied world 21 2.1.2 Data Collection 22 2.1.3 Analysis 23 2.1.4 The collection and analysis process 28 2.2 Data Sources 29 2.2.1 Sensemaking 29 2.2.2 Self-Ethnography 31 2.2. 3 Studies on the Australian information technology industry 33 2.2. 4 Specific studies on Australian software firms 42
A Compact and Wide-Band Passive Equalizer Design Using a Stub With Defected Ground Structure for High Speed Data Transmission

A compact wide-band passive equalization design using a stub with defected ground structure is proposed. The proposed design, based on reflections under a slow wave effect, compensates for inter-symbol interference with wide bandwidth, compact size, remarkable compensation capability with few manufacturing limitations, and high design flexibility, compared to previous equalization design. Significant improvements in eye-opening and timing jitter are successfully demonstrated for a data rate of 8 Gbps for a 60 cm transmission line on a printed circuit board.
Prognostic value of preoperative mean corpuscular volume in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM To evaluate whether preoperative mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is a prognostic indicator in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS A total of 298 consecutive, prospectively enrolled patients with histologically diagnosed ESCC who underwent surgery with curative intent from 2001 to 2011 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were excluded if they had previous malignant disease, distant metastasis at the time of primary treatment, a history of neoadjuvant treatment, had undergone non-radical resection, or had died of a non-tumor-associated cause. Survival status was verified in September 2011. Pathological staging was performed based on the 2010 American Joint Committee on Cancer criteria. Preoperative MCV was obtained from blood counts performed routinely within 7 d prior to surgery. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine a cutoff for preoperative MCV. RESULTS The 298 patients consisted of 230 males and 68 females, with a median follow-up of 30.1 mo. ROC analysis showed an optimal cutoff for preoperative MCV of 95.6 fl. Fifty-nine patients (19.8%) had high (> 95.6 fl) and 239 (80.2%) had low (≤ 95.6 fl) preoperative MCV. Preoperative MCV was significantly associated with gender (P = 0.003), body mass index (P = 0.017), and preoperative red blood cell count (P < 0.001). The predicted 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 72%, 60% and 52%, respectively. Median OS was significantly longer in patients with low than with high preoperative MCV (27.5 mo vs 19.4 mo, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that advanced pT (P = 0.018) and pN (P < 0.001) stages, upper thoracic location (P = 0.010), lower preoperative albumin concentration (P = 0.002), and high preoperative MCV (P = 0.001) were negative prognostic factors in patients with ESCC. Preoperative MCV also stratified OS in patients with T3, N1-N3, G2-G3 and stage III tumors. CONCLUSION Preoperative MCV is a prognostic factor in patients with ESCC.