Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multilevel Determinants of Forecasting Effectiveness: Individual, Dyadic, and System Level Predictors and Outcomes

This dissertation offers a conceptual framework capturing forecasting related activities in a formal organizational context, and it empirically assesses how and how well an organization utilizes forecasting tools and results. Specifically, a multilevel model is formulated that suggests that forecasting capabilities and forecasting processes predict forecasting effectiveness. The model is tested through a field study utilizing a qualitative and quantitative research design. The findings suggest that there are great differences in how forecasting is done among mangers within the same organization, and that in the absence of process congruency (i.e., similar procedures for similar forecasters), the use of a bottom-up approach to forecasting contributes to inconsistent forecasting results. Further, the findings suggest that when it is difficult to establish solid market information, managers often look to competitors in order to establish pseudo-estimates of supply and demand. With respect to content congruency (i.e., the imposition of higher level forecasts onto lower level entities), the dissertation examines the consequences of making decisions based on data from different levels of analyses (and with different geographic scopes). The results highlight the consequences of relying on higher level forecasts when a mismatch exists between organizational and national “footprints”. Using various economic variables to predict housing starts across levels, the analyses found disparate results for the lower level of analysis. The results also reveal great differences in the strength of the forecasting models between different levels of analysis and between different entities at the same level. Different combinations of variables contribute toward predicting the key dependent variable, housing starts, at different levels, and even between geographic markets at the same level of analysis. The findings suggest that traditional organizational forecasting performed at the national level presents decision makers with a “hit or miss” scenario when trying to predict housing demand in the local markets. The inability to generate strong forecasts utilizing the same variables in different markets appears to be problematic. Thus, a “bottoms-up” approach to the technical generation of forecasts is desirable Recommendations for both future research and practice are suggested.
A MEG Study Of Gamma Oscillations During Unilateral Movement

Recent studies have found the consistent contralateral high gamma activities in sensorimotor cortex in adults during a unilateral finger movement. However, no study has ever reported the same phenomenon in children. We hypothesized that the contralateral high gamma activities also exist in children during a unilateral finger movement. Sixty normal children (6-17 years old) were studied with a 275-channel MEG system combined with synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM). Sixty participants displayed consistently contralateral event-related synchronization (C-ERS) within high gamma band (65-150Hz) in primary motor cortex (M1) of both hemispheres. Interestingly, nineteen younger children displayed ipsilateral event-related synchronization (I-ERS) within the high gamma band (65-150Hz) just during their left finger movement. Both I-ERS and C-ERS were localized in M1. The incidence of I-ERS showed a significant decrease with age. Males had significantly higher odds of having ipsilateral activity compared to females. Noteworthy, high gamma C-ERS appeared consistently, while high gamma I-ERS changed with age. The asymmetrical patterns of neuromagnetic activities in the children's brain might represent the maturational lateralization and/or specialization of motor function. In conclusion, the present results have demonstrated that contralateral high-gamma neuromagnetic activities are the potential biomarkers for the accurate localization of the primary motor cortex in children. In addition, the interesting finding of the ipsilateral high-gamma neuromagnetic activities open a new window for us to understand the development changes of the hemispherical functional lateralization in the motor system.
Development and Evaluation of One-Step TaqMan Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays Targeting Nucleoprotein, Matrix, and Hemagglutinin Genes of Equine Influenza Virus

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate new TaqMan real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) assays by the use of the minor groove binding probe to detect a wide range of equine influenza virus (EIV) strains comprising both subtypes of the virus (H3N8 and H7N7). A total of eight rRT-PCR assays were developed, targeting the nucleoprotein (NP), matrix (M), and hemagglutinin (HA) genes of the two EIV subtypes. None of the eight assays cross-reacted with any of the other known equine respiratory viruses. Three rRT-PCR assays (EqFlu NP, M, and HA3) which can detect strains of the H3N8 subtype were evaluated using nasal swabs received for routine diagnosis and swabs collected from experimentally inoculated horses. All three rRT-PCR assays have greater specificity and sensitivity than virus isolation by egg inoculation (93%, 89%, and 87% sensitivity for EqFlu NP, EqFlu M, and EqFlu HA3 assays, respectively). These assays had analytical sensitivities of ≥10 EIV RNA molecules. Comparison of the sensitivities of rRT-PCR assays targeting the NP and M genes of both subtypes with egg inoculation and the Directigen Flu A test clearly shows that molecular assays provide the highest sensitivity. The EqFlu HA7 assay targeting the H7 HA gene is highly specific for the H7N7 subtype of EIV. It should enable highly reliable surveillance for the H7N7 subtype, which is thought to be extinct or possibly still circulating at a very low level in nature. The assays that we developed provide a fast and reliable means of EIV diagnosis and subtype identification of EIV subtypes.
Analysis of mercury‐induced immune activation in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice

In susceptible mice, the heavy metal ion mercury is able to induce a strong immune activation, which resembles a T helper 2 (Th2) type of immune response and is characterized by a polyclonal B cell activation, formation of high levels of IgG1 and IgE antibodies, production of autoantibodies of different specificities and development of renal IgG deposits. In the present study, we analysed the in vivo effects of mercury in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, which is believed to develop a spontaneous Th1 cell‐mediated autoimmune diabetes similar to type 1 diabetes in humans. Three weeks of treatment with mercury induced a strong Th2 like immune/autoimmune response in NOD mice. This response was characterized by an intensive increase in splenic IgG1 antibody secreting cells, a marked elevation in serum IgE levels, a substantial increase in splenic IL‐4 mRNA, but a significant decrease in splenic IFN‐γ mRNA. Mercury‐induced IgG1 antibodies were mainly against ssDNA, TNP and thyroglobulin, but not against nucleolar antigen. Moreover, mercury‐injected NOD mice developed high titres of IgG1 deposits in the kidney glomeruli. We further tested if the generated Th2 response could interfere with the development of insulitis and diabetes in NOD mice. We found that three weeks of treatment with mercury was also able to significantly suppress the development of insulitis and postpone the onset of diabetes in these mice. Thus, mercury‐induced immune activation can counter‐regulate the Th1 cell‐mediated autoimmune responses and confer a partial protection against autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.
TEMPTATION AND SELF-CONTROL IN A MONETARY ECONOMY

We construct a microfounded model of money with Gul–Pesendorfer preferences. In each period, agents are tempted to spend all their money by the end of the period, and they suffer from the forgone utility that could have been obtained by adopting the tempting choice. We find that the Friedman rule may not be optimal. A positive nominal interest rate improves welfare because it reduces the real money balances and renders the temptation less attractive. The welfare gained by deviating from the rule is equivalent to 0.67% of consumption.
Financial deepening, private sector, institutions and economic growth in Guyana: a cointegration assessment

There is wide acceptance that pursuit of financial deepening that promotes the role of the private sector is good for developing countries. This paper applies alternative time series techniques, Engle-Granger two-step method and the Hendry’s GETS method to estimate the long-run relationship between real per capita GDP, and a set of financial deepening indicators in Guyana over the period of 1960-2012. All techniques determine that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship in which a long-run positive and significant relationship exists between credit to private sector and per capita income growth; and a significant but mixed one for official development assistance. If sustainable per capita income growth is desired, measures to enhance institutional and organizational reforms in the socioeconomic and political sectors of Guyana must be encouraged.
Genetic analysis of absolute growth measurements, relative growth rate and restricted selection indices in red Angus cattle.

Performance records on 41,184 Red Angus cattle were analyzed and estimates of parameters calculated for absolute growth rate, relative growth rate and restricted selection indices. Heritability estimates for birth weight, 205-d weight, 365-d weight and postweaning gain were . 46 +/- . 02, . 39 +/- . 02, . 40 +/- . 02 and . 36 +/- . 02, respectively. Heritability estimates for preweaning, postweaning and postnatal relative growth rates were identical (.33 +/- .02). Heritability estimates for restricted selection indices were . 31 +/- . 02, . 33 +/- . 02 and . 31 +/- . 02 for weaning index, yearling index and postweaning index, respectively. The genetic correlation between preweaning and postweaning absolute growth rate was . 15. The genetic correlation between consecutive measurements of relative growth rate (RGR) was -. 33. Genetic correlations of birth weight with preweaning RGR and postnatal RGR were -. 68 and -. 71, respectively. Correlations among measures of relative growth rate using simulated data were similar to correlations of actual data, indicating that these relationships are the result of numerator/denominator relationships and not biological causes. The genetic correlation between weaning and postweaning indices was near zero. Small genetic coefficients of variation for preweaning and postnatal relative growth rates indicate further problems with the expression of growth in this manner. Restricted selection indices exhibited much larger genetic coefficients of variation than measurements of RGR. Genetic standard deviations were 7.8%, 7.2% and 13.7% of the means for weaning, yearling and postweaning indices, respectively.
The enigma of the lower gut‐associated lymphoid tissue (GALT)

Artiodactyls possess GALT that appears in fetal life and is located at the extreme end of the ileum. These IPP contain mostly B cells and involute early in postnatal life. Rabbits have a similarly located lymphoid organ, called the sacculus rotundus. Studies in sheep and rabbits have led to the concept that the lower hindgut GALT represents primary lymphoid tissue for B cells and is necessary for normal B cell development, analogous to the bursa of Fabricius. This review traces the history of the observations and theories that have led to the existing concept concerning the role of lower GALT. We then review recent data from piglets with resected IPP that challenges the concept that the IPP is primary B cell lymphoid tissue and that artiodactyls and rabbits are members of the GALT group in the same context as gallinaceous birds. Eliminating the IPP as the primary lymphoid tissue for B cells leads to the hypothesis that the IPP acts as first‐responder mucosal lymphoid tissue.
The Effectiveness of the Dutch Leniency Program

Competition authorities around the world have implanted leniency programs with the aim to detect and destabilise existing cartels and deter the formation of new ones. However, the effects of leniency programs, as predicted by the theoretical literature, are ambiguous. Therefore, scholars have developed theoretical models of cartel behaviour that provide empirical predictions on the effectiveness of such programs. Empirical studies so far mainly focused on the European leniency program and its US counterpart. This study evaluates the Dutch leniency program by applying the theoretical models of Miller (2009) and Harrington Jr. and Chang (2009) to a set of cartels, investigated and convicted by the NMa/ACM between 1998 and 2015. The statistical tests are in accordance with the view that leniency improves cartel detection and helps destabilising cartels. They also provide partial evidence of enhanced cartel deterrence. Results may therefore help to justify the implementation of the Dutch leniency program. Whilst this study is the first one on a national European leniency program, the aim is to offer incentives to further research other leniency programs, implanted by individual European member states. The cross-sectional variation provided by the leniency introduction at individual European member states is important to better infer the causal effect of leniency and the different factors influencing its effectiveness
Adaptations of Energy Metabolism Associated with Increased Levels of Mitochondrial Cholesterol in Niemann-Pick Type C1-deficient Cells*

Background: Endosomal cholesterol storage in Niemann-Pick type C1 deficiency is associated with elevated mitochondrial cholesterol and alterations in energy metabolism. Results: Blocking endosomal cholesterol transport to mitochondria prevented the metabolic alterations in NPC1-deficient cells. Conclusion: Mitochondrial cholesterol accumulation increases oxidative stress and alters energy metabolism. Significance: Mitochondrial cholesterol is a regulator of energy metabolism and mitochondrial function. Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) is a late endosomal transmembrane protein, which, together with NPC2 in the endosome lumen, mediates the transport of endosomal cholesterol to the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. Loss of function of NPC1 or NPC2 leads to cholesterol accumulation in late endosomes and causes neuronal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Recent studies indicate that cholesterol also accumulates in mitochondria of NPC1-deficient cells and brain tissue and that NPC1 deficiency leads to alterations in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism. Here, we have investigated the effects of increased mitochondrial cholesterol levels on energy metabolism, using RNA interference to deplete Chinese hamster ovary cells of NPC1 alone or in combination with MLN64, which mediates endosomal cholesterol transport to mitochondria. Mitochondrial cholesterol levels were also altered by depletion of NPC2 in combination with the expression of NPC2 mutants. We found that the depletion of NPC1 increased lactate secretion, decreased glutamine-dependent mitochondrial respiration, and decreased ATP transport across mitochondrial membranes. These metabolic alterations did not occur when transport of endosomal cholesterol to mitochondria was blocked. In addition, the elevated mitochondrial cholesterol levels in NPC1-depleted cells and in NPC2-depleted cells expressing mutant NPC2 that allows endosomal cholesterol trafficking to mitochondria were associated with increased expression of the antioxidant response factor Nrf2. Antioxidant treatment not only prevented the increase in Nrf2 mRNA levels but also prevented the increased lactate secretion in NPC1-depleted cells. These results suggest that mitochondrial cholesterol accumulation can increase oxidative stress and in turn cause increased glycolysis to lactate and other metabolic alterations.
Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate levels in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa during induction and carbon catabolite repression of histidase synthesis

Inducibility of histidase (histidine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.3) in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was observed to be strongly affected by succinate-provoked catabolite repression, but this did not occur as a consequence of reduced intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate levels, and repression could not be alleviated by exogenously added cyclic adenosine 3,'5'-monophosphate. Milder repression of histidase by lactate was also not reversed by the addition of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate. These results, along with data showing intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate levels remained essentially constant during growth on such diverse carbon sources as histidine, acetamide, glucose, and succinate, indicated that catabolite repression of histidase synthesis by efficient carbon sources was not mediated through variations in internal cyclic adenosine 3,'5'-monophosphate.
An evolutionary perspective on caching by corvids

A principal finding in the food-caching literature is that species differences in hoarding propensity are positively correlated with species differences in degree of adaptations to caching behaviour, such as performance on spatial memory tasks and hippocampal volume. However, there are examples that do not fit this pattern. We argue that these examples can be better understood by considering the phylogenetic relatedness between species. We reconstruct the ancestral state for caching behaviour in corvids and assess when transitions in caching behaviour occurred within the corvid phylogeny. Our analysis shows that the common ancestor of all corvids was a moderate cacher. This result suggests that corvids followed a bi-directional evolutionary trajectory in which caching was secondarily lost twice and there were at least two independent transitions from moderate to specialized caching. The independent evolution of specialized cachers in the two groups must, therefore, be a case of convergent evolution. This is exemplified by the fact that specialized cachers show structurally different adaptations serving the same function to intense caching, such as different pouches to transport food. Finally, we argue that convergent evolution may have led to adaptations in memory and hippocampus that serve the same function but differ in design, and that these different adaptations may explain the examples that do not fit the pattern predicted by the adaptive specialization hypothesis.
Does Cross-cultural communication competence facilitate Expatriates' assignment in MNCs in Foreign Subsidiaries?

The present study was designed to understand the importance of expatriates’ cross-cultural communication competence. The researchers surveyed various expatriates assigned to the Sub-Saharan African state of Ghana. Multiple regression was ulilised to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that cross-cultural competence; interpersonal skills in host cultural values; and cross-cultural training were positively related to expatriates’ cross-cultural communication competence. Pre-departure training of expatriates also correlated positively with expatriates’ cross-cultural communication competence. Implications for future research are presented.
T-type channel blockade impairs long-term potentiation at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapse and cerebellar learning

Significance T-type calcium channels are present in the spines of a number of principal neurons. In absence of specific antagonists, their function has been difficult to elucidate. At the cerebellar synapse between parallel fiber (PF) and Purkinje cell (PC), postsynaptic Ca2+ signaling is not the result of ionotropic glutamatergic receptor activation, while T-type CaV3.1 channels are abundantly expressed in PCs. We show that they are required for long-term potentiation but not for long-term depression at PF–PC synapses. Because plasticity at this site has long been proposed to be important for cerebellar forms of motor learning, we have checked the behavioral incidence of acute or chronic blockade of T-type channels. In this condition, we show impairment of demanding cerebellar motor learning tasks. CaV3.1 T-type channels are abundant at the cerebellar synapse between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells where they contribute to synaptic depolarization. So far, no specific physiological function has been attributed to these channels neither as charge carriers nor more specifically as Ca2+ carriers. Here we analyze their incidence on synaptic plasticity, motor behavior, and cerebellar motor learning, comparing WT animals and mice where T-type channel function has been abolished either by gene deletion or by acute pharmacological blockade. At the cellular level, we show that CaV3.1 channels are required for long-term potentiation at parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapses. Moreover, basal simple spike discharge of the Purkinje cell in KO mice is modified. Acute or chronic T-type current blockade results in impaired motor performance in particular when a good body balance is required. Because motor behavior integrates reflexes and past memories of learned behavior, this suggests impaired learning. Indeed, subjecting the KO mice to a vestibulo-ocular reflex phase reversal test reveals impaired cerebellum-dependent motor learning. These data identify a role of low-voltage activated calcium channels in synaptic plasticity and establish a role for CaV3.1 channels in cerebellar learning.
Evaluation of the Use of Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin in Neonates

Controversies exist over the currently recommended guidelines for the use of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in neonates. We retrospectively studied 30 neonates treated with LMWH and found a poor therapeutic response to recommended doses as measured by anti-Xa levels. Sixty percent of the study participants required their doses to be increased because of subtherapeutic anti-Xa levels during the initial course of their treatment. The mean starting enoxaparin dose was 1.53 ± 0.38 mg/kg. The mean enoxaparin dose, once therapeutic anti-Xa levels had been achieved, was 1.86 ± 0.50 mg/kg. Preterm and term infants required doses of 2.06 ± 0.61 mg/kg and 1.67 ± 0.26 mg/kg, respectively, to achieve therapeutic anti-Xa levels. In summary, our results suggest that higher initial doses are required to achieve therapeutic anticoagulation in neonates.