Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
State feedback control of interval type-2 Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems via interval type-2 regional switching fuzzy controllers

The interval type-2 Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems have been proposed to handle nonlinear systems subject to parameter uncertainties. In this paper, a new type of state feedback controller, namely, interval type-2 regional switching fuzzy controller, is proposed to conceive less-conservative stabilisation conditions, which is switched by basing on the values of system states. To further reduce the conservativeness in the stability analysis, the information of lower and upper membership functions is also considered. Stability conditions for the interval type-2 fuzzy closed-loop systems are presented in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Simulation examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Impact of JIT on Firms’ Financial Performance: Some Iranian Evidence

Financial performance is the main objective of profit seeking companies. The implementation of the just-in-time philosophy will have a profound impact on financial performance. The objective of this article is to help establish the extent to which just-in-time may affect to Iranian companies’ financial performance. The result of the study shows that the implementation of just-in-time will cause more strength not only in non-financial aspect but in financial aspect too. Further the result reveals that there is a hug gap between the actual levels of implementing just-in-time as well the expected level.
Characterization of biological ice nuclei from a lichen

Biological ice nuclei (active at approximately -4 degrees C) were extracted from cells of the lichen Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca by sonication. Sensitivity to proteases, guanidine hydrochloride, and urea showed these nuclei to be proteinaceous. The nuclei were relatively heat stable, active from pH 1.5 to 12, and active without lipids, thereby demonstrating significant differences from bacterial ice nuclei.
Impact of the professional exposure on the spermatic parameters and the results of ICSI at Tunisian unfertile couples

Introduction: The association of the professional exposure to the decline of the male reproductive function had been the subject of several studies but without arriving to one envisagement undeniable of its existence. The ICSI, technique of reference in severe male infertilities, is visavis unexplained failures whose environmental and professional exposure could be about its cause partly. In this work, we tried to highlight an association between certain factors of professional exposure and the deterioration of the spermatic parameters, then to evaluate the effect of such factors on the result of the ICSI. Materials and Methods: It is about a study of the exposed type—no exposed, realized through collaboration between the Unit of Medicine of the Reproduction and the Service of Medicine of Work of the CHU Farhat Hached of Sousse. This study was based on a questionnaire of which part of the items was collected medical files of the patients raising the general characteristics, the profile of exposure as well as the spermatic parameters and the biological assessment of ICSI. Results: Significant associations between the deterioration of sperm and the professional risk factors such as the exposure to the formaldehydes (p = 0.01) and heat (p = 0.001) were noted. The exposure to formaldehydes was associated at the higher risk of oli gozoospermy, of asthenozoospermy with a significant reduction in mobility (p = 0.05), whereas the talks with cement had a risk higher of teratozoospermy. In addition an exposure to heat was associated at the high risk of oligoteratozoospermy. The total rate of pregnancies after ICSI among 220 patients of our series was of 14.47%. The ICSI balance showed a reduction in total fertility rate (76.6% exposed vs 75.3% no exposed). Conclusion: In spite of the limited number of the patients, this study had shown a correlation between certain professional exposures of origin and the deterioration of sperm. They are preliminary results which encourage continuing collaboration between the specialists in the reproduction and the doctors of work in order to preserve the fertility of the workers exposed to factors gonadotoxic.
The role of lumican and keratocan genes in persistent subepithelial corneal haze following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy.

PURPOSE A retrospective clinical and a genetic study was carried out of severe subepithelial corneal haze occurring after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Since this clinical condition resembles the lumican-null mouse phenotype, mutation analysis of lumican and keratocan was carried out to investigate whether germline genetic alterations have an effect on development of severe corneal haze in humans. Corneal thickness, photoablation depth, and severity of persistent corneal haze were also analyzed. In vivo confocal microscopy examination was also performed to study corneal structure and endothelial cells. METHODS Severity of corneal haze was evaluated by slit-lamp biomicroscopy according to Hanna's scale. Corneal structure and endothelial cell shapes and density were viewed with a scanning confocal microscope. PCR-based mutational analysis was performed using temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) and direct sequencing. RESULTS Preoperative corneal thickness was normal (539+/-23.13 microm, mean+/-SD), and the photoablation depth was 88.94+/-18.64 microm (mean+/-SD). The most severe corneal haze was grade 2.0 on Hanna's scale one year after PRK. In vivo confocal microscopy also showed normal endothelial cell density and morphology. Aside from an intronic polymorphism in a control, no genetic alterations were found in the lumican and keratocan genes. CONCLUSIONS There was no evidence that endothelial dysfunction and germline mutation of lumican and keratocan genes participate in the etiology of subepithelial corneal haze. Our findings suggest that the mechanisms of the development of severe corneal opacity are different in humans after PRK compared to the lumican deficient knockout mouse model.
Corporate Governance Practices in Emerging Economies： Initial Findings From the UAE

The paper presents initial findings about corporate governance practices adopted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) listed corporations. This paper cross-checks the differences between financial and non-financial sectors. The findings suggest that governance practices related to ownership structure and audit services practices are not significantly different between the two sectors. However, the disclosure on management structure/processes and level of transparency are significantly different between the two sectors. The paper highlights gaps between the UAE corporations’ corporate governance practices and the UAE code of governance requirements.
Evaluation of the ImmunoCardSTAT! Rotavirus Assay for Detection of Group A Rotavirus in Fecal Specimens

ABSTRACT Rapid detection of group A rotavirus was performed by using ImmunoCardStat! Rotavirus (ICS-RV) (which uses immunogold-based, horizontal-flow membrane technology), two commercial enzyme immunoassays (Premier Rotaclone and TestPack Rotavirus), and electron microscopy. A total of 249 stool specimens collected from children with gastroenteritis between February and April 1997 were tested. After resolution of 19 of the 22 discordant results by reverse transcription-PCR for group A rotavirus, ICS-RV detected 125 positives while Rotaclone and TestPack detected 127 and 129 positives, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 94.0, 100, 100, and 93.4% for ICS-RV; 95.5, 100, 100, and 95.0% for Rotaclone; and 97.0, 96.5, 97.0, and 96.5% for TestPack. ICS-RV was sensitive and specific and was relatively simple to perform and interpret.
Price Reactions to Dividend Announcements on the Nigerian Stock Market

The study uses a modified market model to investigate whether the Nigerian stock market reacts efficiently to dividend announcements in terms of price adjustments. The study finds that the cumulative excess returns (CERs) for dividend paying firms are positive and significant for 30 days from the day of the announcement, while the CERs for dividend omitting firms for the same period are significant and negative. The CERs for the subsamples are statistically significant around the event window. Overall, this provides evidence that the Nigerian stock market is not semi–strong efficient, that dividend policy matters and that share prices do react to dividend announcements.
Brands matter: An empirical demonstration of the creation of shareholder value through branding

This research responds to the attendant need for empirical evidence pertaining to how marketing affects firm performance. Using the Fama-French method, common in finance, and a leading marketplace measure of a brand’s financial equity value, the authors provide empirical evidence for the branding-shareholder value creation link. The results extend previous research by showing that strong brands not only deliver greater returns to stockholders than does a relevant benchmark but do so with less risk This finding holds even when market share and firm size are considered.
Gender Dynamics in Crowdfunding (Kickstarter): Evidence on Entrepreneurs, Investors, Deals and Taste-Based Discrimination

In this paper we investigate whether a new form of venture financing – crowdfunding – reduces the barriers of female entrepreneurs to raise capital. Specifically, we investigate gender dynamics and biases in the process of raising funding to new projects via the leading crowdfunding platform – Kickstarter. We find women made up about 35% of the project leaders and 44% of the investors on the platform. On average, men seek significantly higher levels of capital than women for their projects, and also raise more funds than women. However, women enjoy higher rates of success in funding their projects, even after controlling for category and goal amount. Only about 23% of projects that men invested in had female project leads. Conversely, more than 40% of projects that women invested in had female project leads. Multivariate analysis indicated significant positive correlation between the gender of the project leader and the percentage of the same gender investors. Questions arise around what factors explain the fact that female-led projects are predominantly financed by women. In an attempt to disentangle taste-based discrimination from statistical discrimination we conducted a survey of investors from the Kickstarter platform and find evidence that some of lower investment in female-led projects by men can be attributed to taste-based discrimination.
Glomerular Filtration Rate in Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Rats: Role of Exchangeable Sodium, Vasoactive Hormones, and Insulin Therapy

The interrelationships of sodium and volume status, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), plasma renin activity (PRA), insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I), and kidney weight and their influence on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were investigated in rats during the first 4 wk of streptozocin-induced diabetes (STZ-D). In each of three experiments, untreated diabetic rats were compared with nondiabetic control rats and rats with varying degrees of glycemic control during insulin therapy. The first experiment evaluated exchangeable sodium, plasma volume, and GFR. In untreated diabetic rats, exchangeable sodium and plasma volume, but not GFR, were increased by ∼25% compared with control rats. Insulin-treated diabetic rats with plasma glucose levels ranging from 12 to 30 mM had increased GFR, whereas exchangeable sodium and plasma volume were reduced toward control values. Daily insulin therapy, titrated to maintain euglycemia, further reduced exchangeable sodium and plasma volume and decreased but did not normalize GFR. The second experiment evaluated the relationship between vasoactive hormones and GFR. In untreated diabetic rats, plasma ANP levels increased 89% and urinary cyclic GMP (cGMP) excretion increased 94%, with an 85% decrease in PRA, whereas GFR was unchanged. Moderate hyperglycemia (plasma glucose 12–30 mM) was associated with normalized plasma ANP levels and urinary cGMP excretion, a 52% decrease in PRA, and a 13% increase in GFR. The third experiment studied serial changes in food and water intake and vasoactive hormones and end-point measurement of kidney weight, GFR, and plasma IGF-I. In the untreated diabetic group, urinary cGMP excretion was significantly elevated after 3 wk, whereas the reduction in PRA levels was apparent after 1 wk. Plasma IGF-I decreased 61% in the untreated diabetic group but increased toward control levels with insulin therapy. Changes in the kidney weight of these animals paralleled the changes in GFR, which was increased in insulin-treated moderately hyperglycemic animals but unchanged in untreated diabetic rats. Uncontrolled experimental diabetes is a state of sodium retention and volume expansion, with an increase in plasma ANP and urinary cGMP levels and a decrease in PRA and plasma IGF-I. Despite these changes in sodium and volume status and vasoactive hormones, untreated STZ-D was not associated with an increase in GFR or kidney size. Hyperfiltration and increased kidney growth occurred in diabetic rats with moderate hyperglycemia during insulin therapy, whereas parameters of sodium and volume status reverted toward normal. Thus, changes in GFR cannot be explained solely by sodium and volume status, the renin-angiotensin system, ANP, or plasma IGF-I, but they may be more closely related to other factors, such as the level of glycemia, the direct effects of insulin, or factors controlling kidney growth.
Aberrant intestinal stem cell lineage dynamics in Peutz–Jeghers syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis consistent with protracted clonal evolution in the crypt

Objective Genetic predisposition to cancer in Peutz–Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and the role of germline serine–threonine kinase (LKB1) mutations are poorly understood. The authors studied the effect of germline LKB1 mutations on intestinal stem cell dynamics in unaffected flat PJS mucosa. Recent research has documented that the intestinal crypt houses multiple equipotent stem cell lineages. Lineages continuously compete through random drifts, while somatically inherited methylation patterns record clonal diversity. Design To study the effect of germline LKB1 mutations on clonal expansion, the authors performed quantitative analyses of cardiac-specific homeobox methylation pattern diversity in crypts isolated from unaffected colonic mucosa obtained from archival PJS patient material. The authors compared methylation density and methylation pattern diversity in patients with PJS to those in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and age-matched controls. Results The percentage of total methylation is comparable between groups, but the number of unique methylation patterns is significantly increased for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and patients with PJS compared to control subjects. Conclusions Monoallelic LKB1 loss is not silent and provokes a protracted clonal evolution in the crypt. The increased methylation pattern diversity observed in unaffected PJS mucosa predicts that premalignant lesions will arise at an accelerated pace compared to the general population.
Ethnicity and markets : supplier credit in African manufacturing

This paper investigates the rationale for statistical discrimination and networks effects in the allocation of supplier credit and examines the role they may play in favoring market participation and, hence, the emergence and persistence of ethnicity homogenous business groups. It shows that members of a successful business group may rationally choose not to grant trade credit to members of other ethnic communities if the latter are, on average, less experienced of if they are not part of business reputation network. If a community manages to establish a dominant position in a particular activity, this dominance may persist indefinitely. Using case study data on trade credit among manufacturing firms in Kenya and Zimbabwe, evidence shows that blacks are disadvantaged in the attribution of supplier credit. Statistical discrimination and network effects seem to play a role in explaining ethnic bias.
Product Ratings as a Market Reaction to Deregulation: Evidence from the German Insurance Market

This study provides the first investigation of information markets as a reaction to deregulation of product forms in insurance markets. The article studies the case of Germany, where insurance product ratings entered the market after relaxation of product regulation in 1994. The ratings’ potential for enhancing the performance of a deregulated insurance market is analyzed by considering both market structure and governance characteristics of the rating market, since the theoretical literature predicts that both are important determinants of rating outcomes. Data from a unique panel data set containing disability insurance ratings from the three major rating agencies are also examined in light of theoretical predictions. Results suggest that market governance and competition characteristics are favorable for the production of unbiased and informative ratings. Ratings for disability insurance support this interpretation, since the characteristics of the ratings conform to theoretical predictions about ratings in well‐functioning rating markets.
[Dementia praecox or the group of schizophrenias].

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Depression and generalized anxiety disorder: cumulative and sequential comorbidity in a birth cohort followed prospectively to age 32 years.

CONTEXT The close association between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) prompts questions about how to characterize this association in future diagnostic systems. Most information about GAD-MDD comorbidity comes from patient samples and retrospective surveys. OBJECTIVE To revisit the sequential and cumulative comorbidity between GAD and MDD using data from a prospective longitudinal cohort. DESIGN Prospective longitudinal cohort study. SETTING New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS The representative 1972-1973 Dunedin birth cohort of 1037 members was followed up to age 32 years with 96% retention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Research diagnoses of anxiety and depression were made at ages 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26, and 32 years. Mental health services were reported on a life history calendar. RESULTS Sequentially, anxiety began before or concurrently in 37% of depression cases, but depression began before or concurrently in 32% of anxiety cases. Cumulatively, 72% of lifetime anxiety cases had a history of depression, but 48% of lifetime depression cases had anxiety. During adulthood, 12% of the cohort had comorbid GAD + MDD, of whom 66% had recurrent MDD, 47% had recurrent GAD, 64% reported using mental health services, 47% took psychiatric medication, 8% were hospitalized, and 11% attempted suicide. In this comorbid group, depression onset occurred first in one third of the participants, anxiety onset occurred first in one third, and depression and anxiety onset began concurrently in one third. CONCLUSIONS Challenging the prevailing notion that generalized anxiety usually precedes depression and eventually develops into depression, these findings show that the reverse pattern occurs almost as often. The GAD-MDD relation is strong, suggesting that the disorders could be classified in 1 category of distress disorders. Their developmental relation seems more symmetrical than heretofore presumed, suggesting that MDD is not necessarily primary over GAD in diagnostic hierarchy. This prospective study suggests that the lifetime prevalence of GAD and MDD may be underestimated by retrospective surveys and that comorbid GAD + MDD constitutes a greater mental health burden than previously thought.
Recognition memory span in mildly and moderately demented patients with Alzheimer's disease.

An abbreviated form of Moss et al.'s (1986) Recognition Span Test (RST) was administered to patients with mild or moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and to intact control (NC) subjects. Memory spans for verbal (i.e., words), spatial and configurational (i.e., faces) information were assessed. Delayed recall (15 s and 2 min) of the words used on the verbal recognition span was also determined. The results showed that both DAT patient groups were impaired on the three recognition tasks and that the spatial and verbal forms differentiated the mildly from the moderately demented patients. The mean overall recognition span scores (spatial + verbal + facial) differentiated between DAT patients and intact controls, with 37 of the 39 patients falling beyond the 95% confidence limits derived from the control subjects' scores. On verbal recall, both the mildly and moderately demented patients were severely impaired and evidenced a very rapid rate of forgetting between the 15-s and 2-min recall attempts. These findings suggest that the RST is not only highly sensitive to memory disorders in the early stages of DAT but also effective in discriminating among various stages of this disorder.
Engineering liver tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells: A first step in generating new organs for transplantation?

A critical shortage of donor organs for treating end-stage organ failure highlights the urgent need for generating organs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Despite many reports describing functional cell differentiation, no studies have succeeded in generating a three-dimensional vascularized organ such as liver. Here we show the generation of vascularized and functional human liver from human iPSCs by transplantation of liver buds created in vitro (iPSC-LBs). Specified hepatic cells (immature endodermal cells destined to track the hepatic cell fate) self-organized into three-dimensional iPSC-LBs by recapitulating organogenetic interactions between endothelial and mesenchymal cells. Immunostaining and gene-expression analyses revealed a resemblance between in vitro grown iPSC-LBs and in vivo liver buds. Human vasculatures in iPSC-LB transplants became functional by connecting to the host vessels within 48 hours. The formation of functional vasculatures stimulated the maturation of iPSC-LBs into tissue resembling the adult liver. Highly metabolic iPSC-derived tissue performed liver-specific functions such as protein production and human-specific drug metabolism without recipient liver replacement. Furthermore, mesenteric transplantation of iPSC-LBs rescued the drug-induced lethal liver failure model. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the generation of a functional human organ from pluripotent stem cells. Although efforts must ensue to translate these techniques to treatments for patients, this proof-of concept demonstration of organ-bud transplantation provides a promising new approach to study regenerative medicine.