Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delineating the ERP institutionalization process: go-live to effectiveness

– The institutionalization of an organizational innovation, such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, takes place as a continuous adaptation process that includes the development of a support organization, infrastructure, regulations, and norms, as well as the acquired knowledge of the organizational members. This paper aims to provide a structured road map for understanding this complex process and to explain some of the critical issues in institutionalizing ERP in the organization. , – Multiple case studies were employed as the research approach. A multiphase design was used to introduce structure to the methodology. , – The paper, using a reasonably representative sample, provides valuable insights into the ERP institutionalization process within organizations. It identifies and documents a number of key challenges that organizations face in the three phases of the institutionalization process. , – A number of findings from the paper may help managers in successfully institutionalizing ERP systems. The paper identifies 15 key activities and several challenges in executing those activities along with coping strategies that firms employed to face these challenges. , – ERP systems mark a major shift in the organizational approach to information systems. The paper uses empirical data from case studies to explore and delineate the ERP institutionalization process in the adopting organizations.
Using Online, Crowdsourcing Platforms for Data Collection in Personality Disorder Research: The Example of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk

The use of crowdsourcing platforms such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for data collection in the behavioral sciences has increased substantially in the past several years due in large part to (a) the ability to recruit large samples, (b) the inexpensiveness of data collection, (c) the speed of data collection, and (d) evidence that the data collected are, for the most part, of equal or better quality to that collected in undergraduate research pools. In this review, we first evaluate the strengths and potential limitations of this approach to data collection. Second, we examine how MTurk has been used to date in personality disorder (PD) research and compare the characteristics of such research to PD research conducted in other settings. Third, we compare PD trait data from the Section III trait model of the DSM–5 collected via MTurk to data collected using undergraduate and clinical samples with regard to internal consistency, mean-level differences, and factor structure. Overall, we conclude that platforms such as MTurk have much to offer PD researchers, especially for certain kinds of research (e.g., where large samples are required and there is a need for iterative sampling). Whether MTurk itself remains the predominant model of such platforms is unclear, however, and will largely depend on decisions related to cost effectiveness and the development of alternatives that offer even greater flexibility.
Large Batch Training of Convolutional Networks

A common way to speed up training of large convolutional networks is to add computational units. Training is then performed using data-parallel synchronous Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) with mini-batch divided between computational units. With an increase in the number of nodes, the batch size grows. But training with large batch size often results in the lower model accuracy. We argue that the current recipe for large batch training (linear learning rate scaling with warm-up) is not general enough and training may diverge. To overcome this optimization difficulties we propose a new training algorithm based on Layer-wise Adaptive Rate Scaling (LARS). Using LARS, we scaled Alexnet up to a batch size of 8K, and Resnet-50 to a batch size of 32K without loss in accuracy.
Serotonin increases protective duodenal bicarbonate secretion via enteric ganglia and a 5-HT4-dependent pathway

Objective. Serotonin (5-HT) is present in much larger amounts in the gut than in the central nervous system and is predominantly synthesized and stored in mucosal enterochromaffin cells. Bicarbonate secretion by the duodenal mucosa is the major mechanism in maintaining mucosal integrity, neutralizing invading protons within the surface mucus gel. In this study the role of local 5-HT in the control of the protective secretion was investigated. Material and methods. A segment of proximal duodenum was perfused in situ in anaesthetized rats and the alkaline secretion was continuously recorded by pH-stat. Intracellular calcium signalling was measured in clusters of human and rat duodenal enterocytes devoid of neural tissue. After loading with the fluorescent probe, fura-2, the clusters were attached to the bottom of a temperature-controlled perfusion chamber. Results. Close intra-arterial infusion to the duodenal segment of 5-HT (20–200 nmol kg−1 h−1) dose-dependently increased duodenal mucosal HCO3 secretion. A higher dose (2000 nmol kg−1 h−1) did not further increase secretion. Responses were inhibited by the ganglionic blocker and nicotinic receptor antagonist hexamethonium, and were abolished by the 5-HT4 receptor antagonist SB 204070. The 5-HT3 antagonist tropisetron, in contrast, caused only slight inhibition. Viable human and rat duodenal enterocytes responded to 5-HT (100–500 nM) with an increase in intracellular calcium concentration. Pretreatment with SB 204070 or removal of external calcium abolished the response. Conclusions. Stimulation of the duodenal protective secretion by 5-HT thus involves receptors of the 5-HT4 subtype as well as nicotinic transmission, the myenteric plexus being a likely location. In addition, serotonin acts on enterocyte membrane receptors, inducing intracellular calcium signalling.
Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Are They Really Magic Bullets?

Conditional cash transfer programs pay recipients in exchange for an action that brings private behavior closer to the social optimum. We analyze one such program in Mexico: Progresa that pays four million poor mothers to send their children to school and health visits. We show that these programs can be made more efficient by selecting beneficiaries and calibrating transfers for maximum response per unit of transfer.
Recent trends in carcass evaluation techniques-a review

Accurate prediction of carcass evaluation in live animals may allow more efficient genetic improvement of meat quality. Effective value-based marketing programs require precise techniques for assessing composition, palatability and other factors associated with consumer acceptance of meat products. The ultimate test for a carcass evaluation technique should establish carcass value. Presently available methods (ultrasonography, video image analysis (VIA), total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) etc) for the prediction of body and carcass composition in animals are reviewed in terms of cost, speed, precision and current usage. All methods were not directly comparable as few studies have used multiple methods for prediction of body or carcass composition. Ultrasound is a modern tool that can be utilized as a non destructive means for carcass evaluation and may also serve the purpose of value and quality based marketing of live animals. The use of video image analysis (VIA) has gaining importance in meat industry due to promising good results on evaluation of carcass traits in cattle, sheep and pigs. Electromagnetic scanning is a non-invasive technology capable of scanning full carcasses and individual primal cuts of boxed meat.
Norepinephrine Infusion into Nucleus Basalis Elicits Microarousal in Desflurane-anesthetized Rats

Background: The nucleus basalis of Meynert of the basal forebrain has been implicated in the regulation of the state of consciousness across normal sleep-wake cycles. Its role in the modulation of general anesthesia was investigated. Methods: Rats were chronically implanted with bilateral infusion cannulae in the nucleus basalis of Meynert and epidural electrodes to record the electroencephalogram in frontal and visual cortices. Animals were anesthetized with desflurane at a concentration required for the loss of righting reflex (4.6 ± 0.5%). Norepinephrine (17.8 nmol) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid was infused at 0.2 &mgr;l/min (1 &mgr;l total). Behavioral response to infusion was measured by scoring the orofacial, limb, and head movements, and postural changes. Results: Behavioral responses were higher after norepinephrine (2.1 ± 1) than artificial cerebrospinal fluid (0.63 ± 0.8) infusion (P < 0.01, Student t test). Responses were brief (1–2 min), repetitive, and more frequent after norepinephrine infusion (P < 0.0001, chi-square test). Electroencephalogram delta power decreased after norepinephrine in frontal (70 ± 7%) but not in visual cortex (P < 0.05, Student t test). Simultaneously, electroencephalogram cross-approximate entropy between frontal and visual cortices increased from 3.17 ± 0.56 to 3.85 ± 0.29 after norepinephrine infusion (P < 0.01, Student t test). Behavioral activation was predictable by the decrease in frontal delta power (logistic regression, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Norepinephrine infusion into the nucleus basalis of Meynert can modulate anesthetic depth presumably by ascending activation of the cortex. The transient nature of the responses suggests a similarity with microarousals normally observed during natural sleep, and may imply a mechanism for transient awareness under light anesthesia.
Bordetella pertussis Lipopolysaccharide Resists the Bactericidal Effects of Pulmonary Surfactant Protein A1

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) plays an important role in the innate immune defense of the respiratory tract. SP-A binds to lipid A of bacterial LPS, induces aggregation, destabilizes bacterial membranes, and promotes phagocytosis by neutrophils and macrophages. In this study, SP-A interaction with wild-type and mutant LPS of Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, was examined. B. pertussis LPS has a branched core structure with a nonrepeating trisaccharide, rather than a long-chain repeating O-Ag. SP-A did not bind, aggregate, nor permeabilize wild-type B. pertussis. LPS mutants lacking even one of the sugars in the terminal trisaccharide were bound and aggregated by SP-A. SP-A enhanced phagocytosis by human monocytes of LPS mutants that were able to bind SP-A, but not wild-type bacteria. SP-A enhanced phagocytosis by human neutrophils of LPS-mutant strains, but only in the absence of functional adenylate cyclase toxin, a B. pertussis toxin that has been shown to depress neutrophil activity. We conclude that the LPS of wild-type B. pertussis shields the bacteria from SP-A-mediated clearance, possibly by sterically limiting access to the lipid A region.
The pleuromutilin drugs tiamulin and valnemulin bind to the RNA at the peptidyl transferase centre on the ribosome

The pleuromutilin antibiotic derivatives, tiamulin and valnemulin, inhibit protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit of bacteria. The action and binding site of tiamulin and valnemulin was further characterized on Escherichia coli ribosomes. It was revealed that these drugs are strong inhibitors of peptidyl transferase and interact with domain V of 23S RNA, giving clear chemical footprints at nucleotides A2058–9, U2506 and U2584–5. Most of these nucleotides are highly conserved phylogenetically and functionally important, and all of them are at or near the peptidyl transferase centre and have been associated with binding of several antibiotics. Competitive footprinting shows that tiamulin and valnemulin can bind concurrently with the macrolide erythromycin but compete with the macrolide carbomycin, which is a peptidyl transferase inhibitor. We infer from these and previous results that tiamulin and valnemulin interact with the rRNA in the peptidyl transferase slot on the ribosomes in which they prevent the correct positioning of the CCA‐ends of tRNAs for peptide transfer.
Determination of carrier saturation velocity in short-gate-length modulation-doped FET'S

Based on a combined carrier saturation velocity/charge-control model, measured drain saturation current, small-signal transconductance and channel conductance data have been analyzed with consistency for the determination of the effective carrier saturation velocity using 1-µm gate-length MODFET's. The results demonstrate the validity of the model in the mid-range of gate bias voltage and indicate the extent of deviations that occur due to different physical processes in the lower and higher gate bias ranges.
Does Growth Hormone Treatment Influence Pubertal Development in Short Children?

Aim: To study the influence of growth hormone (GH) treatment on the initiation and progression of puberty in short children. Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled study included 124 short children (33 girls) who received GH treatment (Genotropin®; Pfizer Inc.) from a mean age of 11 years until near adult height [intent-to-treat (ITT) population]. Children were randomized into three groups: controls (n = 33), GH 33 µg/kg/day (n = 34) or GH 67 µg/kg/day (n = 57). Prepubertal children at study start constituted the per-protocol (PP) population (n = 101). Auxological measurements were made and puberty was staged every 3 months. Serum sex-steroid concentrations were assessed every 6 months. Results: No significant differences were found between the groups, of both PP and ITT populations, in time elapsed from start of treatment until either onset of puberty, age at start of puberty or age at final pubertal maturation in either sex. In the ITT population, pubertal duration was significantly longer in GH-treated girls, and maximum mean testicular volume was significantly greater in GH-treated boys than controls, but there were no differences in testosterone levels between the groups. Conclusion: GH treatment did not influence age at onset of puberty and did not accelerate pubertal development. In boys, GH treatment appeared to increase testicular volume.
Lymphatic versus blood vascular endothelial growth factors and receptors in humans

Three different growth factor systems have been described acting via endothelial cell‐specific receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). These are vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), angiopoietins, and ephrins. Recent studies on gene targeting suggest that they play critical roles in embryonic development and contribute to the integrity and responses to environmental factors in the adult vasculature. Coagulation, inflammation, immune response regulation, vascular tone, stromal component synthesis, and angiogenesis are all dependent on the physiological and pathological events that affect endothelial cells in the heart, arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting ones, takes place in adults only during hormonal control of female reproduction. All other activation of angiogenesis in adulthood occurs in response to injury or pathological processes such as tumorigenesis, diabetes, or inflammatory conditions. Insufficient growth of collateral vessels is a major problem in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Controlled stimulation of angiogenesis would be of therapeutic value. Lymphangiogenesis, the mechanisms involved in the development of lymphatic vessels, was studied intensively nearly a century ago, although since then it has been neglected, perhaps because, unlike the disorders of blood vessels, those of the lymphatic vessels are seldom life‐threatening. Interrupting this one‐way system can cause severe disorders, including liver dysfunction, genetic disease (e.g., Milroys disease), and degenerative disease (e.g., primary lymphangiosclerosis). Recently, novel growth factors, receptors, cell surface proteins, and transcription factors have been found which play a role in the lymphatic endothelium. These are VEGF‐C, VEGF‐D, VEGFR‐3, LYVE‐1, podoplanin, and Prox‐1. Until recently lymphatic vessels have been difficult to study due to a lack of appropriate tools. Monoclonal antibodies raised against VEGFR‐3 and against its ligands, VEGF‐C and VEGF‐D, have offered an insight into expression studies in tissues. In this review, we summarize the recent data on VEGFs in the human vasculature. Microsc. Res. Tech. 55:108–121, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of hardwoods characteristics on kraft pulping process: Emphasis on lignin structure

In an attempt to explain variations in delignification behaviors among different hardwood species, the kraft pulping delignification rates of Eucalyptus urograndis, E. nitens, E. globulus, sweet gum, maple, red oak, birch, red alder, cottonwood, and acacia were obtained and correlated with their respective lignin chemical structures. Since H-factor for hardwood is calculated based on the softwood activation energy (Ea) value, a comparison between softwood vs. hardwood activation energy was also performed. Lignin was isolated by a modified isolation protocol, using alkaline pretreatment of the wood prior to isolation. The lignin preparations were analyzed via quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy. Substantial variations were found among the hardwood species studied. A linear correlation between the kraft delignification rate and the amount of syringyl units was found. Activation energy values obtained for kraft pulping of hardwoods were very similar and almost identical to the value obtained for softwood. Birch was the only species with outlier behavior.
Differential effects of dobutamine, dopamine, and noradrenaline on splanchnic haemodynamics and oxygenation in the pig

Supranormal oxygen (O2) transport may benefit critically ill patients. Catecholamines are clinically employed for this purpose. However, their effects on splanchnic haemodynamics and oxygenation are not well defined. The effects of dobutamine (DOBU), dopamine (DOPA), and noradrenaline (NA) on splanchnic blood flows (electromagnetic flow probes), O2 deliveries and uptakes (catheterisation of portal and hepatic veins) were studied in nine anaesthetised (ketamine/flunitrazepam), ventilated, paralysed, and laparotomised pigs. All three catecholamines (DOPA at 15 μg·kg‐1 · min‐1, DOBU at 13 μg · kg‐1 · min‐1, NA at 0.4 μg · kg‐1 · min‐1) significantly (P<0.05) increased cardiac output and systemic O2 delivery. Only DOPA increased small intestinal and total hepatic blood flows, and O2 deliveries, and decreased O2 extractions. The same parameters did not change during DOBU. During NA, total hepatic blood flow and O2 delivery decreased, and hepatic O2 extraction increased. During all three catecholamines, small intestinal and total hepatic O2 uptakes did not change significantly. Whereas hepatic arterial blood flow decreased during both DOPA and NE, portal venous flow increased during DOPA. These data suggest that in the experimental model used splanchnic O2 supply and O2 reserve capacity appear improved by DOPA, unaffected by DOBU, and impaired by NA.
Failure of immunocompetitive capillary electrophoresis assay to detect disease‐specific prion protein in buffy coat from humans and chimpanzees with Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease

The emergence of a new environmentally caused variant of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD), the result of food‐born infection by the causative agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has stimulated research on a practical diagnostic screening test. The immunocompetitive capillary electrophoresis (ICCE) assay has been reported to detect disease‐specific, proteinase‐resistant prion protein (PrPres) in the blood of scrapie‐infected sheep. We have applied this method to blood from CJD‐infected chimpanzees and humans. The threshold of detection achieved with our ICCE was 0.6 nM of synthetic peptide corresponding to the prion protein (PrP) C‐terminus, and 2 nM of recombinant human PrP at the optimized conditions. However, the test was unable to distinguish between extracts of leucocytes from healthy and CJD‐infected chimpanzees, and from healthy human donors and patients affected with various forms of CJD. Thus, the ICCE assay as presently performed is not suitable for use as a screening test in human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).
The Activating Human NK Cell Receptor KIR2DS2 Recognizes a β2-Microglobulin–Independent Ligand on Cancer Cells

The functions of activating members of the killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) family are not fully understood, as the ligands for these receptors are largely unidentified. In this study, we report that KIR2DS2 reporter cells recognize a ligand expressed by cancer cell lines. All cancer targets recognized by KIR2DS2 were also recognized by KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3 reporters. Trogocytosis of membrane proteins from the cancer targets was observed with responding reporter cells, indicating the formation of KIR2DS2 ligand–specific immunological synapses. HLA-C typing of target cells showed that KIR2DS2 recognition was independent of the HLA C1 or C2 group, whereas targets cells that were only recognized by KIR2DL3 expressed C1 group alleles. Anti–HLA class I Abs blocked KIR2DL3 responses toward C1-expressing targets, but they did not block KIR2DS2 recognition of cancer cells. Small interfering RNA knockdown of β2-microglobulin reduced the expression of class I H chain on the cancer targets by >97%, but it did not reduce the KIR2DS2 reporter responses, indicating a β2-microglobulin–independent ligand for KIR2DS2. Importantly, KIR2DL3 responses toward some KIR2DS2 ligand–expressing cells were also undiminished after β2-microglobulin knockdown, and they were not blocked by anti–HLA class I Abs, suggesting that KIR2DL3, in addition to the traditional HLA-C ligands, can bind to the same β2-microglobulin–independent ligand as KIR2DS2. These observations indicate the existence of a novel, presently uncharacterized ligand for the activating NK cell receptor KIR2DS2. Molecular identification of this ligand may lead to improved KIR-HLA mismatching in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation therapy for leukemia and new, more specific NK cell–based cancer therapies.
FTO First Intron rs1558902 Variant and Platelets Count in White Middle-aged Women

The polymorphisms within the FTO gene play an important role in the genetic determination of body weight and body mass index and have been associated with cardiovascular disease, but the causal mechanism is still a matter of debate. The possible effect on the platelet count as a marker of hemocoagulation status as a possible cardiovascular risk factor was suggested in Japanese population. We have analyzed both rs1558902 FTO polymorphism (T > A) and platelet counts in the Prague Pre and Post Menopausal Females (3PMFs) study, including those of 669 women (mean age, 55.7 ± 2.7 years). The frequencies of the FTO genotypes were similar to other populations (TT, 30.4%; TA, 48.1%; and AA, 21.5%). We have not detected a significant association between the FTO rs1558902 variant and platelet counts in white women (TT, 242 ± 55 × 109; TA, 246 ± 67 × 109; and AA, 247 ± 55 × 109; F[2.642] = 0.30, P = 0.75). At least in white persons, platelet count seems not to be a link between the FTO variation and risk of cardiovascular disease.