Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of angiogenesis in tissue-engineered scaffolds designed for bone repair: A combined gene therapy–cell transplantation approach

One of the fundamental principles underlying tissue engineering approaches is that newly formed tissue must maintain sufficient vascularization to support its growth. Efforts to induce vascular growth into tissue-engineered scaffolds have recently been dedicated to developing novel strategies to deliver specific biological factors that direct the recruitment of endothelial cell (EC) progenitors and their differentiation. The challenge, however, lies in orchestration of the cells, appropriate biological factors, and optimal factor doses. This study reports an approach as a step forward to resolving this dilemma by combining an ex vivo gene transfer strategy and EC transplantation. The utility of this approach was evaluated by using 3D poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA) sintered microsphere scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. Our goal was achieved by isolation and transfection of adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) with adenovirus encoding the cDNA of VEGF. We demonstrated that the combination of VEGF releasing ADSCs and ECs results in marked vascular growth within PLAGA scaffolds. We thereby delineate the potential of ADSCs to promote vascular growth into biomaterials.
The roles of USH1 proteins and PDZ domain‐containing USH proteins in USH2 complex integrity in cochlear hair cells

&NA; Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common cause of inherited deaf‐blindness, manifested as USH1, USH2 and USH3 clinical types. The protein products of USH2 causative and modifier genes, USH2A, ADGRV1, WHRN and PDZD7, interact to assemble a multiprotein complex at the ankle link region of the mechanosensitive stereociliary bundle in hair cells. Defects in this complex cause stereociliary bundle disorganization and hearing loss. The four USH2 proteins also interact in vitro with USH1 proteins including myosin VIIa, USH1G (SANS), CIB2 and harmonin. However, it is unclear whether the interactions between USH1 and USH2 proteins occur in vivo and whether USH1 proteins play a role in USH2 complex assembly in hair cells. In this study, we identified a novel interaction between myosin VIIa and PDZD7 by FLAG pull‐down assay. We further investigated the role of the above‐mentioned four USH1 proteins in the cochlear USH2 complex assembly using USH1 mutant mice. We showed that only myosin VIIa is indispensable for USH2 complex assembly at ankle links, indicating the potential transport and/or anchoring role of myosin VIIa for USH2 proteins in hair cells. However, myosin VIIa is not required for USH2 complex assembly in photoreceptors. We further showed that, while PDZ protein harmonin is not involved, its paralogous USH2 proteins, PDZD7 and whirlin, function synergistically in USH2 complex assembly in cochlear hair cells. In summary, our studies provide novel insight into the functional relationship between USH1 and USH2 proteins in the cochlea and the retina as well as the disease mechanisms underlying USH1 and USH2.
Importing 'Investors in People' standard : the implications of adopting an international HR initiative in Oman

In spite of its rapid economic development there has been little research on human resource practices in Oman. This study aims to fill this gap. It examines the human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD) practices; explores their implementation; and identifies obstacles that affect such practice. Specifically, it focuses on an attempt to introduce a generic model of HRM lIP and attempts to determine whether this model can succeed in a context very different from its origins in the UK. The research focused on the experiences of both employers and employees in Omani organisations', using a large scale survey combined with semi-structured interviews. This produces a mix of qualitative and quantitative data that throws light on the Omani employment situation. Statistical analysis of the data shows clear differences between organisations with and without lIP in terms of employees' experiences ofHR practices. This difference which represents more positive responses in lIP companies is maintained when other variables are controlled. It is argued that lIP appears to support a more coherent fit of HR practices. The one partial exception is in the public sector where age of employees seems to adversely effect experience of HR. Although good HR practice is evident in companies without lIP, this is most prevalent in those with international connections. Small and medium Omani organisations appear to have the least development HR practice. This is confirmed by qualitative interviews. It is concluded that generic HR models are transferable between different cultures but that this is influenced by the organisation culture of the adopting organisation which, itself is shaped be international exposure. Thus, the benefits of such schemes in terms of HR gains cannot be assumed to be automatic culture change at organisation level may be required. A model of this is provided and the implications for Oman are explored.
MIS Students Perception of Most Wanted MIS Job Market Skills

The rapid advancements in information technology and the global economic crisis have affected the MIS job market. Recruiters are no longer looking for Grade Point Average as a hiring criterion. New skill sets has been adapted by human resource departments with respect to hiring new MIS graduates. Keeping up to date with these new changing and rapidly growing skills is a continuous and challenging process for MIS curriculum developers at academic institutions. There is a growing need for a study to investigate the skills gap between MIS recruiters in Jordan and MIS graduates from Jordanian universities. This study is going to highlight the most important skills needed for entry level positions as perceived by MIS students at Applied Science University.
The innovation value chain and export performance:a study of Taiwanese manufacturing industries

This thesis involves the secondary data of 1806 innovative manufacturing firms derived from the database of 2nd Taiwanese Innovation Survey. Three topics are researched. The first topic investigates the innovation value chain (IVC) in Taiwanese manufacturing firms. Previous IVC studies are all done in developed countries such as UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Switzerland, and it leaves the gap of those non-developed countries. The result shows the overall knowledge sourcing pattern of Taiwanese manufacturing firms presenting a complementary relationship which is consistent to the previous IVC studies. The main innovation input is still derived from internal RD (2) how you define ‘sector’ matters i.e. the nature of the high-tech and low-tech differences varies depending on whether the technology definition is carried out at the industry or firm level; and (3) the high uncertainty of innovation cause the difficulty to predict firm performance especially for those firms with high intensity of innovation. The third topic investigates the innovation-exporting relationship and explores the determinants of export performance. Product innovation enhances export performance once a firm enters international markets while process innovation affects negatively on a firm’s likelihood of being an exporter. Furthermore, IP protection is found to affect directly export performance positively.
'Reactive gliosis' in the medulla oblongata of victims of the sudden infant death syndrome.

A current hypothesis that the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a sleep apnea syndrome precipitated by defective control of involuntary respiration prompted the present study in which "reactive gliosis" in sections of the medulla oblongata of 45 SIDS victims was quantitated and compared with that in 20 control infants. Six anatomic regions were studied; five are related and one is unrelated to neural control of involuntary respiration. Increased numbers of "reactive" astrocytes were found in the SIDS group when the counts for all regions were combined (P = .04). Counts were also significantly higher in the SIDS victims for each of three regions alone: (1) the hilum of the inferior olivary nucleus (P = .01); (2) a lateral region (P = .02); and (3) the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (P = .03). The region with the greatest statistical difference, the inferior olivary hilum, has no recognized role in the control of involuntary respiration. There were no consistent associations between reactive astrocyte counts and specific clinical, socioeconomic, and pathologic variables. Characterization of the SIDS group whose counts exceeded that of the highest control infant also did not uncover distinguishing features. This study reinforces previous observations that, at least statistically, an abnormality of the brainstem occurs in a group of SIDS victims in contrast to a group of control infants, but also discloses considerable overlap in the numbers of such cells between these two groups.
Ploidy and proliferation in human bladder tumors as measured by flow‐cytofluorometric DNA‐analysis and its relations to histopathology and cytology

Biopsies from bladder tumors of 41 patients were investigated by flow‐cytofluorometric DNA analysis and compared with exfoliated cells. The degrees of ploidy and proliferation were determined. Good agreement was found between the degrees of ploidy and proliferation in the biopsies and the exfoliated cell material. Tumors Grade I‐II were either euploid or aneuploid. All Grade III tumors were aneuploid. The S‐phase fractions were about 6% in the diploid tumors and 17% with large variations in the aneuploid tumors. The histological grading was well correlated to the number of S‐phase cells and the occurrence of aneuploidy. When the Grade II tumors were divided into two groups having lesser and more pronounced atypia, the two groups differed significantly with regard to their degrees of proliferation. In addition to aneuploidy as an important criterium for malignancy, the degree of proliferation appears to be of major biological significance.
Determinants of Banking Profitability Before and During the Financial Crisis of 2007: The Case of Tunisian Banks

The purpose of the study is to examine the profitability indicators of commercial banks of Tunisian explored in 2003-2010. The net interest margin (NIM) is used as profitability measure to determine the affect of bank-specific, macroeconomic indicators, financial development indicators and bank concentration and crisis on profitability. The descriptive, correlation and regression analysis results are derived with the help of STATA 11. We used the generalized least squares to estimate the panel model who measure the bank profitability. Thus, profitability seems to have been positively influenced by the size, composition of assets, credit risk, concentration, market capitalization and the crisis if the profitability is measured by the net interest margin (NIM).
Promoting Mobile Financial Transactions : A Case Study Zain Sierra Leone

Title – Promoting Mobile Financial Transactions: A Case study of Zain Sierra Leone Author – Kesiena Atuyota-Ejughemre Supervisor - Anders Hederstierna Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of Technology Course: Master’s thesis in business administration, 15 credits (ECTS). Background and Problem Discussion: There are challenges associated with overly cash based societies. The use of mobile financial systems could address some of these challenges. Understanding the factors that influence people’s willingness to use mobile systems for financial transactions could be significant in developing strategies to transition from traditional payment systems to mobile financial transaction systems. Purpose – The purpose of this is to assess contribution of customer trust and perception of customer focus to the willingness of GSM subscribers to use the mobile system for financial transactions and how the understanding derived from these factors can be used to develop strategies to promote a transition from cashed based society to mobile financial transactions. Method- Quantitative and deductive approach was used. 300 GSM respondents who were selected with a multistage sampling method in three locations were surveyed. Interviewers were used to get data on perceived customer focus level, customer trust and willingness to engage in mobile financial transactions. Theory – Theory section looks at the concepts relating to customer trust and customer perception of customer focus and pertinent subconstructs applicable to the engagement in mobile financial transactions. Analysis – I have used correlational analysis to verify the level of association between customer trust, customer focus perception, socio demographic factors and the willingness to engage in mobile financial transactions. In order to verify the influence of income, a non parametric test was done. Conclusions – The analysis of the data results showed that there is a strong positive association between the willingness to use mobile for financial transactions. Also, the analysis revealed a positive correlation between the perception of customer focus by subscribers and the willingness to engage in mobile financial transactions. There was no significant influence by demographic factors such as age and gender on the willingness to engage in mobile financial transactions. A 3 phased implementation strategy was proposed for the deployment of a mobile financial transaction system.
Acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy independently predict mortality in neonatal and pediatric noncardiac patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Objective: To determine the independent impact of acute kidney injury (AKI) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) in infants and children who receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Despite continued expertise/technological advancement, patients who receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have high mortality. AKI and RRT portend poor outcomes independent of comorbidities and illness severity in several critically ill populations. Design: Retrospective cohort study. The primary variables explored are AKI (categorical complication code for serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Revision 9 for acute renal failure), and RRT (complication/Current Procedural Terminology code for dialysis or hemofiltration). Multiple variables previously associated with mortality in this population were controlled, using logistic stepwise regression. Decision tree modeling was performed to determine optimal variables and cut points to predict mortality. Patients: Critically ill neonates (0–30 days old) and children (>30 days but <18 yrs old) in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Neonatal mortality was 2175 (27.4%) of 7941. Nonsurvivors experienced more AKI (413 [19%] of 2175 vs. 225 [3.9%] of 5766, p < .0001), and more received RRT (863 [39.7%] of 2175 vs. 923 [16.0%] of 5766, p < .0001) than survivors. Pediatric mortality was 816 (41.6%) of 1962. Pediatric nonsurvivors similarly experienced more AKI (264 [32.3%] of 816 vs. 138 [12.0%] of 1146, p < .0001) and RRT (487 [58.9%] of 816 vs. 353 [30.8%] of 1146, p < .0001) than survivors. After adjusting for confounding variables, the adjusted odds ratio for neonatal group was 3.2 (p < .0001) post AKI and 1.9 (p < .0001) given RRT. Similarly, the pediatric adjusted odds ratio for mortality was 1.7 (p < .001) post AKI and 2.5 (p < .0001) given RRT. AKI and RRT were essential in the neonatal and pediatric mortality decision trees. Conclusions: After adjusting for known predictors of mortality, AKI and RRT independently predict mortality in neonates and children, who receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Ascertainment of AKI risk factors, testing novel therapies, and optimizing the timing/delivery of RRT may positively impact survival.
Exporting, foreign direct investment and firm heterogeneity in Thailand

This thesis presents an empirical investigation of the relationship between exporting, foreign direct investment (FDI) and firm heterogeneity in Thailand using a firm-level data from the Annual Survey of Thailand’s manufacturing industry between 2001 and 2004. We first examine the factors affecting the export participation decision of a firm by emphasising the importance of sunk entry costs, structure of ownership and other firm-specific characteristics. If a firm has export experience, the probability of exporting is likely to increase in the current period. Other firm-specific characteristics such as ownership, productivity, firm size, training and establishment location also significantly determine the probability of exporting. Second, we consider the role of the financial factors and the export participation decision. The internal finance of a firm as a measure of financial health is used to explain the capability to invest in order to enter export markets. The liquidity ratio has a positive and significant effect on the probability of exporting whilst the leverage ratio has the opposite effect. Third, we make a distinction between single- and multi-product firms and examine the characteristics associated with a multi-product firm. Being a multi-product firm and the number of products produced are associated with various firm-specific characteristics such as productivity, firm size and research and development (R&D). Finally, we emphasise on an indirect impact of FDI inflows in the host economy by investigating spillover effects from foreign to domestic firms. The positive and significant results for horizontal productivity spillovers and vertical export spillovers confirm that foreign firms do generate some positive externalities to domestically-owned firms.
The PedsQL™: Reliability and Validity of the Short-Form Generic Core Scales and Asthma Module

Objective:We sought to assess the reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15, a shortened version of the 23-item PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales, which is a pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument, and the PedsQL™ 3.0 SF22 Asthma Module, a short-form of the PedsQL™ 3.0 Asthma Module. Methods:The PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15 and the PedsQL™ 3.0 SF22 Asthma Module were administered by telephone to 125 adolescents (aged 12–18) and 338 parents of children with asthma (aged 2–11). Healthy (n = 451) and chronically ill (n = 422) children, matched by age, respondent status, and ethnicity to the asthma sample, provided data for selected validity tests. Results:The Total Score from the PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15 and the Asthma Symptoms scale and Treatment Problems scale from the PedsQL™ 3.0 SF22 Asthma Module were sufficiently reliable for group comparisons (alpha ≥ 0.70 across all age groups) in the asthma sample. The PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15 and the PedsQL™ 3.0 SF22 Asthma Module were able to distinguish between children of different clinical status and correlated as expected with measures of productivity and family functioning in the asthma sample. The psychometric properties of the PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15 were generally comparable to those of the original instrument. Conclusion:The Total Score of the PedsQL™ 4.0 SF15 and the Asthma Symptoms scale of the PedsQL™ 3.0 SF22 Asthma Module demonstrated the best reliability and validity and should be suitable for group-level comparisons of generic and asthma-specific HRQoL in clinical research studies of children with asthma.
Capital Ideas: Optimal Capital Reserve Strategies for a Bank and Its Regulator

We formulate a continuous-time model of a deposit taking bank, operating subject to capital adequacy regulation, where the bank's loans are exposed to default risk. The bank's objective is to maximise their market value of equity by appropriately controlling loan and equity issuance, dividend payments, and endogenous closure. We show how the bank responds to the span of capital adequacy requirements and default variances. Of interest to regulators, we also show how to find the capital requirement for which the probability of early closure (through either insolvency or endogenous closure) is minimised, and a level at which lending is maximised. An analytical formula is provided to help approximate the location of these points. Furthermore, we find that, whilst the bank's optimal capital structure varies in a non-monotonic fashion with default variance, the level of capital requirement that minimises the probability of early closure and maximises lending is fairly robust to changes in the bank's default variance/risk.
Peripartum anesthetic management of renal transplant patients – a multicenter cohort study

Abstract As the number and success of renal transplantation has grown, there has been an increase in the number of renal transplant patients giving birth. To date, there has been no data on obstetric anesthesia management of these patients. The purpose of this study was to build an Israeli national database on parturients after renal transplant. A sixteen-year (calendar years 1996–2011) retrospective study was conducted at three major tertiary centers with a combined current birth rate of approximately 25 000 deliveries annually. We found 83 labors in 64 women. Forty-two percent of this population suffered from hypertension while 12.5% had diabetes. Forty-seven percent of women had a vaginal delivery while 53% of women had a cesarean section. The rate of epidural analgesia for labor was 59%, and rate of regional anesthesia during cesarean section was 75%. There were no anesthetic complications in any cases. Standard ASA monitoring was used in all cases except for one woman with severe hypertension who required an arterial line during her cesarean section. Forty-seven percent of newborn were under 37 weeks with average gestational week 36 ± 3 days and birth weight 2.5 ± 0.7 kg. Average Apgar was 8.4 ± 1.3 at one minute and 9.3 ± 0.7 at five minutes. There was one neonatal death in the CS group due to placental abruption. Patients after renal transplant can safely undergo birth and obstetric analgesia.
Control Under Disagreement

In this paper, I study the e¤ects of disagreement in an investment-decision agency setting. Principal and agent contract on some investment rule which is based on a public signal. In a standard common-priors setting, the optimal contract provides full insurance to the agent: the principal pays a xed wage to the agent and implements the e¢ cient investment rule. When the agent overestimates his ability (the expected revenue of the project following a decision to invest), however, he is willing to wageron success against the relatively pessimistic principal and hence bears some project risk in equilibrium. In addition, because what the principal considers to be the optimal investment rule is too conservative according to the agents beliefs and the agent holds some stake in the project, he will accept a lower xed payment in exchange for a more liberal investment rule. An intuitive interpretation of this result is that the principal is transferring some control to the agent. Interestingly, the principal will surrender more control to an agent with whom she disagrees more sharply. Keywords: heterogeneous beliefs, control, risk-sharing. JEL Classi cation: D81, D83, D86. School of Economics and Management, Aarhus University. I am very grateful to Benjamin Hermalin, Botond K1⁄2oszegi, Terrance Odean, Matthew Rabin, Timo Terasvirta, seminar participants at the University of Aarhus, and participants at the Oxford Business and Economics Conference 2007, the 3rd SFB Workshop in Bonn, and the 3rd Nordic Conference on Behavioral and Experimental Economics for helpful comments and discussion. The initial idea behind this paper made up Chapter 2 of my dissertation at UC Berkeley. An early version of the paper circulated under the title Expert Advice, Control, and Heterogeneous Beliefs. 