Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation of Genes Associated with Developmentally Competent Bovine Oocytes and Quantitation of Their Levels During Development1

Abstract We have performed suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) of populations of developmentally competent and incompetent bovine oocytes from large (≥5-mm) and small (≤2-mm) follicles to isolate messenger RNA associated with the attainment of developmental competency. RNA was amplified in a linear fashion and then subjected to the SSH procedure to produce a library enriched for genes associated with competency. One thousand clones of this library were subjected to a differential screening approach to identify 31 potentially upregulated isolates. Sequencing revealed these to represent 21 genes. To rigorously identify the degree of upregulation and reproducibility thereof, we examined the expression of these genes in three separate pools of developmentally competent and incompetent oocytes by quantitative real-time PCR. Results indicated that upregulation varied from zero to threefold, showing that accurate quantification is essential for the interpretation of such differential screening experiments. Furthermore, it appears that the molecular causes for poor developmental capacity may be highly complex and be reliant on many small changes. We further characterized a selection of these novel and known maternally expressed genes for their absolute expression levels during maturation in the presence or absence of an inhibitor of transcription and during preattachment development. Last, the effect of nuclear transfer on the levels of these genes was assayed. Nuclear transfer was found to differentially affect transcript levels of genes expressed after embryonic genome activation but did not prevent the degradation of maternal transcripts or result in activation of maternal genes that are silent at blastocyst stages.
Learning judgment and decision making from feedback

Introduction In this chapter, I first discuss mechanisms of skill learning. Then I focus on the role of feedback. I discuss this in the context of various types of judgment and decision-making tasks. Provision of outcome feedback facilitates learning in relatively simple tasks, but it appears to have no effect or to impair performance in more complex tasks. However, in these latter cases, it is important to distinguish its detrimental effects on performance during learning and possible beneficial effects it has on learning itself (as measured by later performance after feedback has been removed). Processing feedback from previous judgments and decisions may compete with the processing needed to make current judgments and decisions for available cognitive resources. Thus, people may have to decide how to share these resources between using feedback to develop new knowledge (exploration) and using their extant knowledge to formulate the judgments and decisions currently required of them (exploitation). Mechanisms of skill learning This book is about instances of judgment and decision making that can be regarded as skills. In the past, the domain over which the term ‘‘skill’’ can be applied was a matter of some dispute. Eventually, Bartlett’s (1948) view that it should be used to cover both mental and motor activities came to be accepted over Pear’s (1948) argument that it should be reserved for “muscular performances. ” Nowadays, a physician making a clinical decision is regarded as exercising a skill just as much as a cricket player. This approach implies that skills have common properties that are shared across the different domains in which they are studied. We should expect that what we have learnt from studying motor skills generally holds true for cognitive skills. Thus, in what follows, I will not limit my discussion to research into the cognitive skills underlying judgment and decision making but, where appropriate, I shall also draw on research into motor skills.
Indirect cost-effectiveness analyses of abatacept and rituximab in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in the United States

Abstract Objective: To estimate the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for abatacept and rituximab, in combination with methotrexate, relative to methotrexate alone in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: A patient-level simulation model was used to depict the progression of functional disability over the lifetimes of women aged 55–64 years with active RA and inadequate response to a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonist therapy. Future health-state utilities and medical care costs were based on projected values of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Patients were assumed to receive abatacept or rituximab in combination with methotrexate until death or therapy discontinuation due to lack of efficacy or adverse events. HAQ-DI improvement at month 6, after adjustments for control drug (methotrexate) response, was derived from two clinical trials. Costs of medical care and biologic drugs, discounted at 3% annually, were from the perspective of a US third-party payer and expressed in 2007 US dollars. Results: Relative to methotrexate alone, abatacept/methotrexate and rituximab/methotrexate therapies were estimated to yield an average of 1.25 and 1.10 additional QALYs per patient, at mean incremental costs of $58,989 and $60,380, respectively. The incremental cost-utility ratio relative to methotrexate was $47,191 (95% CI $44,810–49,920) per QALY gained for abatacept/methotrexate and $54,891 (95% CI $52,274–58,073) per QALY gained for rituximab/methotrexate. At an acceptability threshold of $50,000 per QALY, the probability of cost effectiveness was 90% for abatacept and 0.0% for rituximab. Conclusion: Abatacept was estimated to be more cost effective than rituximab for use in RA from a US third-party payer perspective. However, head-to-head clinical trials and long-term observational data are needed to confirm these findings.
Analysing factors that influence eBidding adoption in Malaysian public sector

This study analysed the use of eBidding system by Malaysian government agencies, which, despite its obvious benefits in cutting down red-tape and lessening workloads among the agencies officials, is plagued by low usage. As such, the objectives of the study are to examine the factors that affect system utilisation by Malaysian public sector procuring officials and to understand their behavior toward adopting the eBidding system. A self-administrated questionnaire was utilised and responses from 150 officers from various Malaysian government ministries were gathered and evaluated using structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions and information quality significantly influence the adoption behaviour toward eBidding. Satisfaction, on the other hand, is concluded to have a mediating influence on the relationships between system quality, information quality and service quality with eBidding adoption. Given the significant impact of the behavioural factors of officials in eBidding adoption and role satisfaction, organisational administrators and managers can introduce key changes in the workplace to increase satisfaction among those using the eBidding system.
Leukemia following low-dose total body irradiation and chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE Low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) is used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and several other malignancies. Large volumes of bone marrow and other tissue receive considerable exposure, but few studies have quantified late carcinogenic sequelae. PATIENTS AND METHODS A cohort of 61 2-year survivors of NHL treated initially with low-dose TBI was monitored for second cancer occurrence. Data on primary and subsequent therapy were collected, and cumulative dose of radiation to active bone marrow (ABM) (median, 5.2 Gy) was reconstructed. RESULTS Thirteen second primary cancers occurred. Four patients developed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), which represents a relative risk (RR) of 117 (95% confidence interval [CI], 31.5 to 300) compared with population rates. A fifth patient was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). All five patients with secondary hematologic malignancies subsequently received salvage treatment, with either alkylating agents alone (n = 1) or combined modality therapy (CMT) (n = 4). Overall, eight solid tumors were observed (RR = 2.0; 95% CI, 0.9 to 4.0). The 15-year cumulative risks of all second cancers and secondary ANLL were 37% and 17%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Despite the small number of subjects, a considerable risk of leukemia was observed among patients treated with low-dose TBI in combination with CMT including alkylating agents. Based on these results, approximately eight to nine excess ANLLs might be expected to occur among 100 NHL patients treated with low-dose TBI and salvage treatment and followed-up for 15 years.
Jurusan Akuntansi Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis Universitas Diponegoro

Starting from agency theory and develop good corporate governance principles of transparency accountability, responsibility, independence and fairness, this study aimed to examine the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on financial performance. The population of this study are all companies listed on the stock exchanges of Indonesia, which reported annual reports from 2010-2012 , the total study observation was 77. This research is a quantitative study using multiple regression analysis and descriptive analysis . Multiple regression analysis was used to test the mechanisms of good corporate governance ( institutional ownership , the board , audit committee and audit quality ) on financial performance . While the descriptive analysis is used to see the tendency of each of the study variables . In this study using ROA to analyze the performance of the company(financial). The results show that institutional ownership , board size and independent directors has no effect on the financial performance while managerial ownership and board size significantly influence financial performance .
Testing of a Dual-Mode Microwave Care Regimen for Hydrogel Lenses

Purpose. To test the design of a patient care regimen for soft lenses that aims to provide the highest standards of disinfecting through use of domestic microwave cookers, while also providing storage equipment and solution that enable patients to follow a conventional cold disinfecting regimen when traveling. The cleaning efficacy of surfactant agents during microwave treatment was also considered. Methods. The microbiologic performance of the regimen and its disinfecting apparatus was tested according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protocols for contact lens heat disinfectors. Subsequently, a prospective pilot clinical trial of the regimen involving 15 subjects was carried out to the protocols of the FDA and International Standards Organization 11,980:1997. Results. Lenses inoculated with 107 colony-forming units (cfu) of Enterococcus faecalis were disinfected to 0 cfu by a 12-s irradiation of a compact disinfecting case that held the lenses suspended in 12 ml saline. A proof of operation indicator performed correctly for all 10 cases tested. No adverse reactions were found in the pilot patient trial, using Renu multipurpose (Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY) as the test solution, and no statistically significant difference was found between test and control groups in respect of any sign. However, the greater incidence of edema, palpebral hyperemia, and lens front-surface deposition in the microwave test group may be clinically significant. Conclusions. The design of the test care regimen proved easy for patients to follow in either hot or cold disinfecting mode. The greater incidence of certain signs in the microwave test group suggests the need to continue using a rub and rinse step for the microwave mode and for additional investigation into the choice of an appropriate multipurpose solution formulation for this proposed regimen, preferably one that does not use a block copolymer-type surfactant agent.
Essays on Social Media, Hiring Networks and Firm Performance

This dissertation includes three essays that examine the impact of information technology on organizational performance. In the first essay, we examine the impact of network structure in the hiring of IT versus non-IT labor on firm performance. We find that hiring IT workers from a structurally-diverse network of firms has a positive effect on firm productivity, while there is no similar effect for non-IT labor in general. We attribute this to the different nature of knowledge diffused through the two types of labor: IT labor enables the transfer of new and innovative firm practices which benefits from diversity, while non-IT labor flows are associated with implementation of organizational practices, which may benefit from hiring more employees with a common knowledge base. In the second essay, we examine the economic value of social media investments and identify the organizational complements. We argue that social media brings in large amounts of real-time data, requiring a sufficient amount of data analytical skills for organizations to effectively process the information and integrate it into organizational decision making. We find evidence that the value of social media investments is higher in firms with a larger pool of data analytic skills in the labor force. In addition, social media’s positive impact on firm performance extends beyond the marketing department, and is further increased when the data analytic skills are dispersed throughout the firm. In the third essay, we investigate whether startup firms’ use of social media is associated with increased success in raising venture capital. We find that an active social media presence and strong Twitter influence increase a startup’s chances of receiving more funding and from a larger pool of investors. Specifically, social media improves startup funding success through two channels: reducing the search cost for investors to discover new investment opportunities and providing an additional channel of information for investors to better evaluate startup quality. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Operations & Information Management First Advisor Lorin M. Hitt Second Advisor Lynn Wu
THE EFFECT OF COMPETENCY, MOTIVATION, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON THE EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT THE JAYAKARTA HOTEL, BANDUNG, INDONESIA

Human resources in a company is an asset that can realize the achievement of the company’s mission to obtain benefits. The Jayakarta Bandung Hotel has 90% of employees who are competent and certified, but there are still complaints about the services provided. Therefore, this study was done to determine the influence of competence on performance, motivation on performance, and organizational culture on performance; and the influence of the competence, motivation, and work culture on the employee performance. This study used a quantitative research method approach with descriptive statistics, the data collection tool of questionnaires. The population was all employees of The Jayakarta Bandung Hotel with a purposive sample of 66 employees. The results showed that: employees’ competence tended to be at a sufficient value (a significant effect on the performance); employees’ motivation tended to be at a good value (a significant effect on the performance); and work culture tendency tended to be at a sufficient value to affect the performance. In conclusion, statistical hypotheses were accepted, indicating direct influence of X1 on Y was 9.61%. The value of indirect effect of X1 through X2 on Y was 9.85%, and that of X1 through X3 on Y was 5.39%. The total effect of X1 was 24.80%.
CLASH: WEAK-LENSING SHEAR-AND-MAGNIFICATION ANALYSIS OF 20 GALAXY CLUSTERS

We present a joint shear-and-magnification weak-lensing analysis of a sample of 16 X-ray-regular and 4 high-magnification galaxy clusters at 0.19 ≲ z ≲ 0.69 selected from the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). Our analysis uses wide-field multi-color imaging, taken primarily with Suprime-Cam on the Subaru Telescope. From a stacked-shear-only analysis of the X-ray-selected subsample, we detect the ensemble-averaged lensing signal with a total signal-to-noise ratio of ≃ 25 in the radial range of 200–3500 kpc h−1, providing integrated constraints on the halo profile shape and concentration–mass relation. The stacked tangential-shear signal is well described by a family of standard density profiles predicted for dark-matter-dominated halos in gravitational equilibrium, namely, the Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW), truncated variants of NFW, and Einasto models. For the NFW model, we measure a mean concentration of at an effective halo mass of . We show that this is in excellent agreement with Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) predictions when the CLASH X-ray selection function and projection effects are taken into account. The best-fit Einasto shape parameter is , which is consistent with the NFW-equivalent Einasto parameter of ∼0.18. We reconstruct projected mass density profiles of all CLASH clusters from a joint likelihood analysis of shear-and-magnification data and measure cluster masses at several characteristic radii assuming an NFW density profile. We also derive an ensemble-averaged total projected mass profile of the X-ray-selected subsample by stacking their individual mass profiles. The stacked total mass profile, constrained by the shear+magnification data, is shown to be consistent with our shear-based halo-model predictions, including the effects of surrounding large-scale structure as a two-halo term, establishing further consistency in the context of the ΛCDM model.
Online Trust: Strategies to build confidence from a business perspective

This paper examines the current problems associated with consumer trust in online purchasing. Research shows that trusting web sites is a major problem for consumers and distrust on web sites leads to a high number of consumers' abandoning shopping carts and therefore not purchasing products online. We identify the major reasons for online distrust and suggest ways of overcoming distrust in an online shopping environment by culminating previous research.
Exposed: Venture Capital, Competitor Ties, and Entrepreneurial Innovation

This study investigates the impact of early relationships on innovation at entrepreneurial firms. Prior research has largely focused on the benefits of network ties, documenting the many advantages that accrue to firms embedded in a rich network of inter-organizational relationships. In contrast, we build on research emphasizing potential drawbacks to examine how competitive exposure, enabled by powerful intermediaries, can inhibit innovation. We develop the concept of competitive information leakage, which occurs when firms are indirectly tied to their competitors via shared intermediary organizations. To test our theory, we examine every relationship between entrepreneurial firms and their venture capital investors in the minimally-invasive surgical segment of the medical device industry over a 22-year period. We find that indirect ties to competitors impede innovation, and that this effect is moderated by several factors related to the intermediary’s opportunities and motivation to leak important information.
Organizational ambidexterity as a new research paradigm in strategic management

Long-term survival and growth depends on the firm’s ability to exploit its current competencies while exploring fundamentally new ones. Finding the balance between exploration and exploitation is called ambidexterity in the literature. This paper is a comprehensive review of organizational ambidexterity theory. Creating and maintaining the capacity to simultaneously pursue these contradictory activities is an extremely difficult managerial challenge. Although, several aspects are well-researched, especially structural and leadership solutions in large, multinational enterprises, but little is known about: (1) how ambidexterity forms in earlier growth stages? (2) What are the key drivers and elements of organizational context that makes organizations able to become ambidextrous? (3) What is the role of different managerial levels in this formation process? Reviewing the literature, in this article the author would like to introduce the paradox of exploration and exploitation, the tensions and different aspects of ambidexterity, the fields current stage and some important research gaps.
Pragmatic review of the globe’s largest sovereign wealth fund management prudence : empirical analysis of Norway’s the Government Pension Fund Global (“the oil fund”) management

There exists a possibility that the management of Norway’s the Government Pension Fund Global (“the Oil Fund”) is not doing its job well due to the fund’s large size and a number of other challenges. The fund’s historic data were tested for opportunistic conduct and examined for the diligence of execution of the strategy assigned by the fund’s investment mandate. Firstly, the performance results disclosed for 2001-2012 were tested for excessively high returns around reporting dates. Then, the data were tested for probability of buying stocks due to stocks’ earlier performance, characteristics of size, investment style, sector, economy of origin, and previous decision to buy. The dynamics of odds for buying and selling stocks were also compared over time. No evidence for the fund’s management window-dressing the results of their performance or deviating from the investment mandate was found. ∗ The author is grateful to Trond Døskeland, Liam Brunt, Jørgen Haug, Aksel Mjøs, Thorsten Hens, Klaus Reiner Schenk-Hoppé, and Mikalai Mikhnikau for useful discussions, and to Dmytro Fisinchuk, Ivan Belik, Bård Fyhn, Ruben Østrem, and Salt Bergen for invaluable support during the work on the research.
A prospective study on the dimensions of global brands, brand equity and brand value

of the chapter Purpose – This study proposes a "step ahead" in the conceptualization for brand equity and the brand value, under contemporary approaches for global brands. Furthermore, it offers a comprehensive framework that theoretically establishes relationships and an innovative proposal concerning the antecedents’ contributions to the bottom-line of brand equity and brand value formation. Methodology – Literature review and theoretical propositions Findings – A better understanding about the brand equity and brand value concepts, including a debate concerning the relationships between some chosen marketing-mix tools and the brand performance. Contributions – The paper advances the understanding of brand performance based on market orientation and might be seen as a pivot contribution on the brand equity theory offered to marketers and scholars.
Pericyte Regulation of Renal Medullary Blood Flow

Pericytes are contractile smooth muscle-like cells that surround descending vasa recta (DVR) and provide their capability for vasomotion. The importance of the medullary pericyte derives from the role of DVR to distribute most or all of the blood flow from juxtamedullary cortex to the renal inner and outer medulla. Physiological processes that are likely to be influenced by pericyte constriction of DVR include the urinary concentrating mechanism and pressure natriuresis. Oxygen tensions in the medulla are low, so that subtle variation of pericyte vasomotion might play a role to abrogate hypoxia and prevent insult to the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle. Known vasoconstrictors of DVR include angiotensin II, endothelins, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and adenosine. Vasodilators include prostaglandin E2, adenosine, acetylcholine, bradykinin, and nitric oxide.