Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enrichment of language resources by exploiting new text and the resources themselves a case study on the acquisition of a ne lexicon

Esta tesis de doctorado trata el problema del cuello de botella de la adquisicion de conocimiento y especificamente, dada la importancia de las ENs en el PLN y tambien los problemas de su mantenimiento manual, considera la adquisicion de este tipo de elemento linguistico, La tesis parte de las conclusiones del proyecto RECENT. En el marco de este proyecto desarrolle una herramienta de reconocimiento de entidades llamada DRAMNERI. En su diseno se presto una particular atencion a la modularidad, con el objetivo de facilitar su adaptacion a diferentes idiomas y dominios. La herramienta fue aplicada con exito a diversas tareas; fue usada para reconocer entidades temporales y de cantidad en portugues, para mejorar los resultados de un sistema de busqueda de respuestas y para construir un sistema de extraccion de informacion en el dominio notarial. Sin embargo, encontramos un problema; mientras el esfuerzo necesario para construir los diccionarios y reglas requeridos en dominios especificos, como por ejemplo el notarial, era abordable, el tratamiento de dominios de caracter mas general requeriria de mucho tiempo de etiquetado manual. Este es el punto de partida de esta tesis, nos planteamos tratar de investigar y desarrollar una metodologia para adquirir diccionarios de entidades de manera automatica. La tesis generaliza el problema de la adquisicion de entidades a la adquisicion en general y analiza la situacion actual con el fin de identificar vias plausibles para atacar el problema. Una vez concluida esta fase de indole mas teorica, se aplican los conocimientos obtenidos para desarrollar una metodologia que nos permita adquirir un lexico de entidades. Finalmente, para evaluar la utilidad del recurso adquirido, lo aplicamos a la tarea de busqueda de respuestas.
An Integrated Dynamic Capability Model for Service Innovation Management

Der Dynamic Capability View ist einer der vielversprechendsten Ansatze, um Innovation und Wettbewerbsvorteile von Unternehmen zu untersuchen. Aus diesem Ansatz heraus hat sich eine Forschungsstromung mit Fokus auf Dynamic Capabilities fur Dienstleistungsinnovation entwickelt. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, die existierende Wissensbasis zu erweitern und Dynamic Capabilities in einem Dienstleistungskontext empirisch zu untersuchen. Mittels drei vorbereitender Analysen erforschen wir das Dynamic Capabilities Konstrukt bezogen auf wissensintensive Dienstleistungen, zusammen mit den zugrunde liegenden Basisfahigkeiten und den resultierenden Erfolgsgrosen. Wir prasentieren ein Modell, das Dynamic Capabilities fur Dienstleistungsinnovation und ihre wichtigsten Bezugsgrosen integriert. Die Dynamic Capabilities werden durch die Konstrukte Sensing, Seizing und Reconfiguring operationalisiert. Um ein umfassendes Bild der zugrunde liegenden Basisfahigkeiten zu gewinnen betrachten wir diese auf mehreren Ebenen – Mitarbeiter, Unternehmen und Netzwerk. Aus einer fragebogenbasierten Umfrage unter Fuhrungskraften von Unternehmen, die wissensintensive Dienstleistungen anbieten, erhalten wir 148 Antworten. Diese Daten werden genutzt um das Strukturgleichungsmodell auszuwerten und die vorgeschlagenen Hypothesen zu testen. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die einzelnen Basisfahigkeiten spezifische Effekte auf die Dynamic Capabilities haben. Das Konstrukt Wissensaustausch und Lernen stellt sich als zentral heraus, da es einen signifikanten Einfluss auf alle drei Dynamic Capabilities hat. Daruber hinaus finden wir sowohl direkte als auch indirekte Einflusse der Dynamic Capabilities auf Erfolgsgrosen auf Unternehmensebene – insbesondere von Seiten der Seizing Capability. Die Ergebnisse tragen zum Fortschritt des Forschungsfeldes bei, indem wir die existierenden Konstrukte fur die empirische Messung von Dynamic Capabilities und ihrer Beziehungen weiterentwickeln. Fuhrungskrafte konnen die Ergebnisse nutzen um Investitionen in die Dynamic Capabilities ihrer Unternehmen und ihre Ansatze zur Leistungsmessung von Dienstleistungsinnovation zu uberprufen.
Influence analysis: A survey of the state-of-the-art

Online social networks have seen an exponential growth in number of users and activities recently. The rapid proliferation of online social networks provides rich data and infinite possibilities for us to analyze and understand the complex inherent mechanism which governs the evolution of the new online world. This paper summarizes the state-of-art research results on social influence analysis in a broad sense. First, we review the development process of influence analysis in social networks based on several basic conceptions and features in a social aspect. Then the online social networks are discussed. After describing the classical models which simulate the influence spreading progress, we give a bird's eye view of the up-to-date literatures on influence diffusion models and influence maximization approaches. Third, we present the applications including web services, marketing, and advertisement services which based on the influence analysis. At last, we point out the research challenges and opportunities in this area for both industry and academia reference.
How consumers’ media usage creates synergy in advertising campaigns

This study proposes a novel methodology, mixture-amount modeling (MAM), to investigate cross-media advertising synergy based on consumers’ media usage. MAM allows to derive optimal media mixes that can be different for different types of media users. The authors provide a proof of concept by analyzing 46,852 responses to 92 beauty care advertising campaigns from 10,972 respondents from the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, and Hungary and demonstrating the impact of consumers’ combined magazine, television, and Internet usage (i.e., how intensively they use media overall and the relative proportion of each individual medium) on their campaign-evoked brand interest, perceived brand equity, and purchase intention for advertised brands. The results suggest that different patterns of consumer media usage result in different responses to advertising campaigns.
Effects of bile duct ligation on hepatic expression of female‐specific CYP2C12 in male and female rats

Gender differences in hepatic sex steroid and drug metabolism result from hormonal regulation of specific cytochrome P450 genes (CYP). In male rats, bile duct ligation (BDL) is associated with down‐regulation of the male‐specific genes, CYP2C11 and CYP3A2, together with a decrease in serum testosterone levels and a two‐ to threefold increase in serum estradiol concentrations. We anticipated that if estrogen is responsible for down‐regulation of male‐specific CYPs in BDL male rats, the female‐specific CYP2C12, which is not normally present in adult male rat liver, should be up‐regulated. We examined this proposal by determining the profile of hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes in female rats subjected to BDL, and by seeking evidence for expression of CYP2C12 in male rats that do not normally express this gene. In female rats killed 5 days after BDL, total cytochrome P450 content and NADPH‐cytochrome P450‐reductase (P450‐reductase) were decreased to 74% and 58% of control, respectively. Microsomal enzyme activities attributable to CYP2A1, CYP2C6, and CYP2E1 were 50% to 60% of control, but ethylmorphine N‐demethylase, which in female liver is catalyzed by CYP2C12 and to a lesser extent CYP2C6, was significantly less affected (81% of control). Likewise, levels of CYP2C6 and P450‐reductase proteins were decreased in proportion to the corresponding enzyme activities (50% to 60%), while CYP2C12 protein (and mRNA levels) were not altered in BDL female rat liver. In sham‐operated male rats, transcripts forCYP2C12 were rarely detected, but mRNA levels rose to appreciable levels within 24 hours of BDL, and CYP2C12 protein was expressed in hepatic microsomes of BDL male rats. Administration of estradiol to male rats produced a similar elevation of CYP2C12 mRNA, to values ≈40% of female rats. It is concluded that CYP2C12 is up‐regulated in male rats with cholestasis caused by BDL, while CYP2C12 protein is preserved in female rats when other microsomal proteins are decreased. These changes may be related to the increase in serum estradiol levels that result from altered hepatic steroid metabolism. The results demonstrate that activities of individual drug‐metabolizing enzymes in liver disease can be determined by dysregulation of the constitutive expression of hepatic CYP genes.
Safety and efficacy of partial hepatectomy for huge (≥10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review

Summary Huge (≥10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not uncommon at clinical presentation, and the surgical outcomes of such tumors are poor. This systematic review aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of partial hepatectomy for huge HCC. We performed a search on Medline and PubMed databases for all relevant studies published prior to December 2009. After exclusions, 21 studies remained for appraisal and data extraction. All studies were classified as level-4 evidence. The median overall perioperative morbidity and mortality rates were 29.2% (range: 13.6–72%) and 3.5% (range: 0–18.2%), respectively. The overall median survival since the partial hepatectomy was 20.7 months (range: 10.1–32 months), with median 1-, 3- and 5-year survival of 60.7% (range: 41–72.2%), 34% (range: 0–60.3%) and 28.6% (range: 0–54%), respectively. The median disease-free survival since the partial hepatectomy was 11.3 months (range: 5.5–32months), with median 1-, 3- and 5-year disease-free survival rates of 48.7% (range: 32–65.4%), 27.5% (range: 14.1–49%) and 20.7% (range: 9.5–43%), respectively. Partial hepatectomy can be performed safely and is associated with long-term survival in a subset of patients with huge HCC, but the evidence of benefit is currently weak.
Effects of Communication Medium on Class Participation: Comparing Face-to-Face and Discussion Board Communication Rates

LIS education is moving toward programs that may be delivered in either face-to-face or online modes, but it remains an open question whether the medium of communication itself differentiates the tendency of students to interact with their instructor and other students. Since class credit is often associated with the extent to which students participate in class discussions, it is of practical as well as theoretical importance that we gather data about this effect. This study provides a controlled look at class participation rates in a single class in which individual students had the opportunity to participate in both modes. It interprets the results in the light of theories concerning forms of communication apprehension and factors related to the nature of the individual ("trait") rather than a function of media context ("state").
Socio-economic and institutional determinants of watermelon marketing in Enugu State Nigeria

The study analysed the socio-economic and institutional determinants of watermelon marketing in Enugu state, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of watermelon marketers (wholesalers and retailers) and determine the factors influencing the net marketing returns of the marketers. Multistage sampling technique was employed in selecting eight watermelon markets based on the volume of watermelon traded in the markets. Primary data were collected from 160 watermelon marketers comprising 96 retailers and 64 wholesalers with the aid of well-structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression model. Results showed that watermelon marketing was dominated by the married (76.25%), literates (97.5%) and females (78.13%) with the mean age and marketing experience of 47 and seven years respectively. The result from regression shows that product price (0.581) and transportation cost (-2.609) were statistically and significantly influenced wholesalers’ net marketing income, while product price (1.501), educational level (-0.584), storage cost (-0.131), packaging cost (-0.077) and market information (0.057) were statistically and significantly influenced retailer’s net marketing income. There exist potentials in watermelon marketing contributing positively to poverty alleviation, hence, there is need as for market intermediaries to improve their technical knowledge and skills in marketing of watermelon and other perishables through training; this is to ensure that the marketing system becomes more responsive to consumers’ demand. Keywords: Socio-economic, institutional factors, watermelon, marketers, Enugu State
Long-term neuropsychological effects in non-saturation construction divers.

BACKGROUND Since the early 1980s, there has been much debate about whether shallow water diving may lead to long-term adverse effects on the nervous system. HYPOTHESIS The aim of the study was to investigate possible neuropsychological effects from repeated diving in divers without overt neurological insult. METHODS Twenty construction divers recruited from two companies of contractors were tested with a neuropsychological test battery in a cross-sectional study. The divers were on average 40 (range 24-54) yr old. They had worked as divers for an average of 18 (range 5-33) yr. Their mean diving experience was more than 4000 (range 450-13200) dives. A group of younger trainees at a diving school and a group of age-matched construction workers were recruited as controls. RESULTS The construction divers did not show clinical signs of mental impairment. However, their neuropsychological test results indicated slight effects in the form of longer reaction time. CONCLUSIONS The main finding in this study of non-saturation construction divers was that there was no clear evidence of neuropsychological deficit due to extensive diving experience. However, it is suggested that the prolonged reaction time can be ascribed to extensive non-saturation diving.
First appearance and location of catecholaminergic cells during experimental arthritis and elimination by chemical sympathectomy.

OBJECTIVE The sympathetic nervous system is proinflammatory in early collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and antiinflammatory in late disease. In late arthritis, sympathetic innervation of synovial and lymphoid tissue is markedly reduced. Thus, its suggested antiinflammatory role is difficult to explain. We hypothesized that newly discovered catecholamine-producing (catecholaminergic) cells are targets of chemical sympathectomy. However, in CIA, the time point of appearance, the location, and the possible chemical elimination of catecholaminergic cells have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the emergence and location of catecholamine-producing and -storing cells in different organs and joints of mice after induction of CIA and to determine whether catecholamine-producing cells can be depleted by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) during the early and late phases of CIA in vivo. METHODS The presence of cells positive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT-2) was evaluated immunohistologically in the lymph nodes, thymus, bone marrow, spleen, and joints of control and arthritic mice. Density was evaluated at different time points after early and late chemical sympathectomy. (131)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((131)I-MIBG) scintigraphy demonstrated functional activity of these cells in joint inflammation. RESULTS The density of TH+ and VMAT-2+ cells was highest after arthritis onset (from day 28 onward) and was observed to occur in the following sequence: lymph nodes, thymus, joints, bone marrow, and spleen. Even before arthritis onset (days 5-21), these cells were already more numerous, particularly in the draining lymph nodes, thymus, and joints. (131)I-MIBG scintigraphy demonstrated catecholamine-storing cells in inflammatory hot spots in the paw. Chemical sympathectomy strongly reduced the density of catecholaminergic cells in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION After disease onset, catecholaminergic cells are particularly present in primary and secondary lymphoid organs and joints. Since catecholaminergic cells have been reported to have antiinflammatory properties in arthritis, the proinflammatory role played by chemical sympathectomy in late arthritis, as we previously determined, is probably dependent on catecholaminergic cell elimination.
Public-Private Sector Involvement in Providing Efficient Solid Waste Management Services in Nigeria

This paper reviews the partnership between the public and the private sectors in providing efficient solid waste management (SWM) services. While the responsibility of providing SWM services lies with the public sector, the sector has not been able to meet the demand for efficient service delivery, especially in developing countries. In a bid to increase efficiency and lower costs incurred in rendering these services, the involvement of the private sector has been sought. With a focus on major Nigerian cities, partnerships between the local government and private operators in SWM have been analysed based on the level to which the partnership has improved the SWM services. This paper provides an understanding that the success of any public-private partnership relies on the extent to which all stakeholders perform their duties. If the public sector is slack in monitoring and supervising the activities of the private operators, the latter may focus on profit generation while neglecting efficient service delivery. Also, legislation is an important part of SWM. Without the right legislation and enforcement, waste generators will not be mandated to dispose their waste properly. The public sector as a facilitator is responsible for creating an environment for private operators to function, particularly through legislation, enforcement and public sensitization.
Increased IL‐6 gene expression and production in patients with common variable immunodeficiency

We have studied IL‐6 gene expression and production by in vitro stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) patients. A strong hybridization signal for the IL‐6 probe was observed in mRNA extracted from phyto‐haemagglutinin (PHA)‐ and PH A/phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)‐stimulated PBMC from most of 12 CVI patients analysed. IL‐6 production by PHA‐stimulated PBMC from 28 CVI patients was evaluated in ELISA and found to be significantly (P < 0.0001) higher than in normal controls. IL‐6 production, however, did not correlate with the lymphocyte populations examined, nor with the absolute number of monocytes. We have also showed that IL‐6 was able to increase IgM secretion by several Epstein Barr virus (EBV)‐transformcd cell lines derived from both normal donors and CVI patients, but it failed to modify substantially the amounts of IgM and IgG produced in vitro by PBMC derived from CVI patients and activated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or anti‐IgM. Our data indicate that IL‐6 gene expression and production is increased in CVI, but CVI cells do not respond to IL‐6 with increased production of immunoglobulin.
Variable extrathoracic airflow obstruction and chronic laryngotracheitis in Gulf War veterans.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To study the flow-volume loop for evidence of variable extrathoracic airflow obstruction in Persian Gulf War veterans. DESIGN Retrospective case-control, single-center study. SETTING The pulmonary division of an academic health-care center. SUBJECTS A convenience sample of the Persian Gulf Registry. MEASUREMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS (1) Midvital capacity ratio (ratio of maximum forced midexpiratory to maximum forced midinspiratory flow). This ratio is the criterion standard for the diagnosis of variable extrathoracic airflow obstruction. (2) Evaluation of the anatomy and function of the extrathoracic airway by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. (3) Further investigation into the airway abnormality by histologic evaluation of tracheal biopsy samples in Gulf War veterans only. RESULTS Midvital capacity was > 1.0 in 32 of 37 Gulf War veterans compared with only 11 of 38 control subjects. The mean (+/-SD) value was 1.37+/-0.4 among Gulf War veterans and 0.88+/-0.3 among control subjects (p=0.0000005). FVC and its ratio to FEV1 were normal in all these subjects. Bronchoscopy showed inflamed larynx and trachea in all (n=17) Gulf War veterans. Histologic study showed chronic inflammation of the trachea in everyone (n=12) who had an adequate biopsy sample. CONCLUSION Physicians should be made aware of the presence of chronic inflammation of the upper airways and inspiratory airflow limitation in a number of Gulf War veterans.
A Supply Chain Theory of Factoring and Reverse Factoring

Factoring is a financial arrangement where the supplier sells accounts receivable to the factor against a premium and receives cash for immediate working capital needs. Reverse factoring takes advantage of the retailer’s payment guarantee and the credit rating differential between a small supplier and a large retailer, enabling the supplier to receive financing at a more favorable rate. We develop a supply chain theory of (recourse/non-recourse) factoring and reverse factoring showing when these post-shipment financing schemes should be adopted and who really benefits from the adoption. We find that recourse factoring is preferred when the supplier’s credit rating is relatively high, whereas non-recourse factoring is preferred within certain medium range of ratings. Both factoring schemes, if adopted, benefit both the supplier and the retailer, and thus the overall supply chain. Further, we find that reverse factoring may not always be preferred by suppliers compared to recourse and non-recourse factorings. Retailers should only offer reverse factoring to suppliers with low (but above a threshold) to medium credit ratings. The optimally designed reverse factoring program can always increase the retailer’s profit, but it may leave the supplier indifferent to the current factoring option when followed by an aggressive payment extension. More importantly, contrary to conventional wisdom, our theory implies that reverse factoring could be adopted even when the retailer has no credit rating advantage over the supplier, and it could benefit the retailer even without extending payment terms. This paper was accepted by Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz, operations management.
Dynamic separation of pulmonary and cardiac changes in electrical impedance tomography

In spontaneously breathing or ventilated subjects, it is difficult to image cardiac-related conductivity changes using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) due to the high amplitude of the ventilation component. Previous attempts to separate these components included either electrocardiogram-gated averaging, frequency domain filtering or holding the breath while performing the measurements. However, such methods are either not able to produce continuous real-time images or to fully separate cardiac and pulmonary changes. The aim of this work was to develop a new dynamic filtering method for the online separation of pulmonary and cardiac changes avoiding the drawbacks of the previous attempts. The approach is based on estimating template functions for the pulmonary and cardiac components by means of principal component analysis and frequency domain filtering. Then, these templates are fitted into the input signals. The new method enables an observer to examine the variation of the cardiac signal beat-by-beat after a one-time setup period of 20 s. Preliminary in vivo results of two healthy subjects are presented. The results are superior to frequency domain filtering and in good agreement with signals averaged over several cardiac cycles. The method does not depend on ECG or other a priori knowledge. The apparent validity of the method's ability to separate cardiac and pulmonary changes in EIT images was shown and has to be confirmed in future studies. The algorithm opens up new possibilities for future clinical trials on continuous monitoring by means of EIT and for the examination of the relation between the cardiac component and lung perfusion.