Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Follow the Crowd or Follow the Trailblazer? The Differential Role of Firm Experience in Product Entry Decisions in the US Video Game Industry

Firms take cues from their external environment under uncertainty and imitate the actions of others. However, a firm’s own experience may either substitute for these external clues because the firm can evaluate uncertain situations more accurately, or it may complement them because the firm can act more successfully on the external cues. We argue that the type of external cues determines which of the two holds in the context of product entry decisions into market niches. If firms observe a large wave of entrants, own experience conveys more information than the imprecise signal of a mass of other firms. Conversely, if firms observe trailblazers, i.e., highly successful and influential products in a niche, own experience can help firms develop a strategy as a fast follower in a growing niche. We expect the supporting role of own experience in following trailblazers to be especially pronounced in niches that have not been discovered by a large mass of other firms. We study and test our hypotheses in the context of the US PC video game industry between 1991 and 2010 and find support for both the substitutive relationship between own experience and niche popularity and the complementary relationship of own experience and niche trailblazers. However, support for the complementary relationship is limited to less populated niches.
Ki-67 labeling index is associated with recurrence after segmentectomy under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) segmentectomy for small or early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. Here, we investigated the clinical importance of predicting recurrence by Ki-67 in VATS segmentectomy for stage I NSCLC. METHODS In a retrospective study, 44 consecutive patients in p-stage I underwent VATS segmentectomy between September 2003 and April 2009. After clinicopathological factors were compared with Ki-67 expression, the relationship between Ki-67 labeling indexes (LI) or mRNA expression by quantitative RT-PCR and prognosis was investigated. RESULTS Five of 44 VATS segmentectomy patients relapsed. In the relapsed patients, 3 (6.8%) were local recurrences and 2 (4.5%) were distant metastases. There was no significant difference between clinicopathological factors and recurrence; however, patients with Ki-67 LI less than 5% showed better disease-free survival than patients with Ki-67 LI over 5% (p = 0.04). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, although there was no significantly different in disease-free survival by age, histology, tumor size, only Ki-67 LI showed a significant prognostic factor of recurrence (HR = 12.5, 95% CI = [1.1-1407], p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Ki-67 LI after VATS segmentectomy was a prognostic factor of disease-free survival in NSCLC and the treatment of choice for patients with positive LI may be considered, in addition to adjuvant chemotherapy, or lobectomy.
NonLinear Fault Tolerant Flight Control for generic actuators fault models

This paper presents an Active Fault Tolerant Flight Control applied to an aircraft nonlinear longitudinal model in presence of simultaneous faults on both elevator and thrust actuators. The overall control system is based on a Fault Detection and Diagnosis module, designed by the NonLinear Geometric Approach, allowing fault isolation. Is consists of adaptive filters based on Radial Basis Functions Neural Network, which provides the estimation of generic faults. These estimates are exploited to reconfigure the controller by means of a further feedback loop. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this work represents the first application of such Active Fault Tolerant Control to an aircraft control system. The simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method, which maintains the aircraft in a safe flight envelope in case of actuator faults.
Crystal Structure of Reduced MsAcg, a Putative Nitroreductase from Mycobacterium smegmatis and a Close Homologue of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acg

Background: Acg proteins are up-regulated during dormancy in tuberculosis. Results: Acg proteins bind flavin mononucleotide like nitroreductases but with the active site closed by a lid. They are not reduced by NADPH or NADH. Conclusion: Acg proteins may have evolved from active nitroreductases to sequester FMN instead. Significance: Turning off a flavin-dependent pathway may be important in tuberculosis dormancy. This paper presents the structure of MsAcg (MSMEG_5246), a Mycobacterium smegmatis homologue of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acg (Rv2032) in its reduced form at 1.6 Å resolution using x-ray crystallography. Rv2032 is one of the most induced genes under the hypoxic model of tuberculosis dormancy. The Acg family turns out to be unusual flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-binding proteins that have probably arisen by gene duplication and fusion from a classical homodimeric nitroreductase such that the monomeric protein resembles a classical nitroreductase dimer but with one active site deleted and the other active site covered by a unique lid. The FMN cofactor is not reduced by either NADH or NADPH, but the chemically reduced enzyme is capable of reduction of nitro substrates, albeit at no kinetic advantage over free FMN. The reduced enzyme is rapidly oxidized by oxygen but without any evidence for a radical state commonly seen in oxygen-sensitive nitroreductases. The presence of the unique lid domain, the lack of reduction by NAD(P)H, and the slow rate of reaction of the chemically reduced protein raises a possible alternative function of Acg proteins in FMN storage or sequestration from other biochemical pathways as part of the bacteria's adaptation to a dormancy state.
Short‐Term bioeffects of an infrared pulsed laser device on burned rat skin monitored by transverse relaxation times (NMR)

The aim of this study was to determine whether the application of an infrared pulsed laser device (IPLD) on the burned skin of rats induced significant changes in the water dynamics of the burned tissues as measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at a proton frequency of 90 MHz by using transverse relaxation times (T2, I/T2).
Applying effective medium theory in characterizing dielectric constant of solids

We present a simple approach to measure the dielectric constant of solid materials. In this approach, the powder for the solid under investigation is mixed with the oil at a specific volume fraction. By measuring the oil and the mixture, the permittivity of the inclusion, i.e. the solid, can be accurately derived from the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory. With this method, the strict requirements for the solid shape and surface flatness in the conventional measuring configurations can be waved off, and meanwhile the broadband permittivity can be obtained. The demonstrations on alumina and glucose show this approach is valid and robust.
Bax‐mediated cell death by the Gax homeoprotein requires mitogen activation but is independent of cell cycle activity

Tissues with the highest rates of proliferation typically exhibit the highest frequencies of apoptosis, but the mechanisms that coordinate these processes are largely unknown. The homeodomain protein Gax is down‐regulated when quiescent cells are stimulated to proliferate, and constitutive Gax expression inhibits cell proliferation in a p21WAF/CIP‐dependent manner. To understand how mitogen‐induced proliferation influences the apoptotic process, we investigated the effects of deregulated Gax expression on cell viability. Forced Gax expression induced apoptosis in mitogen‐activated cultures, but quiescent cultures were resistant to cell death. Though mitogen activation was required for apoptosis, neither the cdk inhibitor p21WAF/CIP nor the tumor suppressor p53 was required for Gax‐induced cell death. Arrest in G1 or S phases of the cell cycle with chemical inhibitors also did not affect apoptosis, further suggesting that Gax‐mediated cell death is independent of cell cycle activity. Forced Gax expression led to Bcl‐2 down‐regulation and Bax up‐regulation in mitogen‐activated, but not quiescent cultures. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts homozygous null for the Bax gene were refractive to Gax‐induced apoptosis, demonstrating the functional significance of this regulation. These data suggest that the homeostatic balance between cell growth and death can be controlled by mitogen‐dependent pathways that circumvent the cell cycle to alter Bcl‐2 family protein expression.
Mutations in the Bacillus subtilis β Clamp That Separate Its Roles in DNA Replication from Mismatch Repair

ABSTRACT The β clamp is an essential replication sliding clamp required for processive DNA synthesis. The β clamp is also critical for several additional aspects of DNA metabolism, including DNA mismatch repair (MMR). The dnaN5 allele of Bacillus subtilis encodes a mutant form of β clamp containing the G73R substitution. Cells with the dnaN5 allele are temperature sensitive for growth due to a defect in DNA replication at 49°C, and they show an increase in mutation frequency caused by a partial defect in MMR at permissive temperatures. We selected for intragenic suppressors of dnaN5 that rescued viability at 49°C to determine if the DNA replication defect could be separated from the MMR defect. We isolated three intragenic suppressors of dnaN5 that restored growth at the nonpermissive temperature while maintaining an increase in mutation frequency. All three dnaN alleles encoded the G73R substitution along with one of three novel missense mutations. The missense mutations isolated were S22P, S181G, and E346K. Of these, S181G and E346K are located near the hydrophobic cleft of the β clamp, a common site occupied by proteins that bind the β clamp. Using several methods, we show that the increase in mutation frequency resulting from each dnaN allele is linked to a defect in MMR. Moreover, we found that S181G and E346K allowed growth at elevated temperatures and did not have an appreciable effect on mutation frequency when separated from G73R. Thus, we found that specific residue changes in the B. subtilis β clamp separate the role of the β clamp in DNA replication from its role in MMR.
Measuring gene expression in single bacterial cells: recent advances in methods and micro-devices

Abstract Populations of bacterial cells that grow under the same conditions and/or environments are often considered to be uniform and thus can be described by ensemble average values of their physiologic, phenotypic, genotypic or other parameters. However, recent evidence suggests that cell-to-cell differences at the gene expression level could be an order of magnitude greater than previously thought even for isogenic bacterial populations. Such gene expression or transcriptional-level heterogeneity determines not only the fate of individual bacterial cells in a population but could also affect the ultimate fate of the population itself. Although techniques for single-cell gene expression measurement in eukaryotic cells have been successfully implemented for a decade or so, they have only recently become available for single bacterial cells. This is due to the difficulty of efficient lysis of most bacterial cells, as well as short half-life time (low stability) of bacterial mRNA. In this article, we review the recent progress and challenges associated with analyzing gene expression levels in single bacterial cells using various semi-quantitative and quantitative methods. In addition, a review of the recent progress in applying microfluidic devices to isolate single bacterial cells for gene expression analysis is also included.
A review of literature on short term overreaction generated by news sentiment in stock market

This paper is an attempt to revisit the overreaction effect studied in the past and explore if such effects have any linkages with specific news events. According to overreaction effect, there is tendency for loser stocks in one period to become winners in the next period and vice-versa and thus providing possibilities for predictability of stock price movement. Early research on overreaction was focused more from long term perspective and later on relatively shorter terms as well, but not much attention has been given to specific information. Now, because of aggressive media coverage on various global events relevant to stock market, there is a tendency for market participants to get affected by the news sentiment enticing them to take some decision. So, in such environment possibility of occurrence of overreaction is high and opportunities exist for contrarian strategies to generate above normal returns. This paper thus forms a basis for future research to test whether news sentiment generated by specific news leads to overreaction in stock prices.
Quantitative determination of antibodies to type III group B streptococcal polysaccharide.

The susceptibility of neonates to invasive infection with type III group B streptococci (GBS) in a radioactive antigen-binding assay (RABA) has been correlated with low maternal serum levels of capsular polysaccharide-specific antibodies. An ELISA was developed using capsular polysaccharide covalently coupled to human serum albumin. In sera from 35 healthy women, the range of IgG antibodies to GBS III polysaccharide was 0.05-33.0 micrograms/mL, and specific IgA antibodies were 0.08-1.1 micrograms/mL; however, no GBS III capsular polysaccharide-specific antibodies of the IgM isotype were detected by the ELISA. The levels of naturally acquired and vaccine-induced antibodies obtained with this ELISA correlated well with the results of the RABA (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, .92). The ELISA has two major advantages over the RABA: It measures specific isotypes and subclasses of antibodies, and it can detect type III polysaccharide-specific antibodies at lower concentrations.
Effect of warm-up and precooling on pacing during a 15-km cycling time trial in the heat.

PURPOSE The best way to apply precooling for endurance exercise in the heat is still unclear. The authors analyzed the effect of different preparation regimens on pacing during a 15-km cycling time trial in the heat. METHODS Ten male subjects completed four 15-km time trials (30°C), preceded by different preparation regimes: 10 min cycling (WARM-UP), 30 min scalp cooling of which 10 min was cycling (SC+WARM-UP), ice-slurry ingestion (ICE), and ice slurry ingestion + 30 min scalp cooling (SC+ICE). RESULTS No differences were observed in finish time and mean power output, although power output was lower for WARM-UP than for SC+ICE during km 13-14 (17 ± 16 and 19 ± 14 W, respectively) and for ICE during km 13 (16 ± 16 W). Rectal temperature at the start of the time trial was lower for both ICE conditions (~36.7°C) than both WARMUP conditions (~37.1°C) and remained lower during the first part of the trial. Skin temperature and thermal sensation were lower at the start for SC+ICE. CONCLUSIONS The preparation regimen providing the lowest body-heat content and sensation of coolness at the start (SC+ICE) was most beneficial for pacing during the latter stages of the time trial, although overall performance did not differ.
Organization of the chimpanzee C4‐CYP21 region: Implications for the evolution of human genes

We prepared a cosmid library from chimpanzee DNA and screened it with a mouse probe specific for the complement component 4 (C4)‐encoding gene. We isolated 29 clones and constructed restriction maps for 20 of these. The clones could be arranged into two overlapping clusters covering the entire C4 region of both chromosomes in this particular heterozygous chimpanzee. The region is about 100 kilobases (kb) long and contains two C4 and two CYP21 genes, the latter coding for the enzyme 21‐hydroxylase. Using oligonucleotide probes we identified the genes as corresponding to human C4A, C4B, CYP21 and CYP21P genes. The last gene apparently contains an 8‐base pair (bp) deletion (as does the corresponding human gene), which renders it a pseudogene. The genes are arranged in the order C4A…︁ CYP21P…︁ C4B…︁ CYP21. Each of the two C4 genes is 16 kb long and thus corresponds to the short version of the human C4 genes. We suggest that the duplication of the basic C4‐CYP21 unit that generated the standard arrangement of the human C4‐CYP21 region occurred before the separation of the evolutionary lineages leading to humans and chimpanzees (i.e., more than five million years ago). We suggest further that the original form of the C4 gene was of the long variety and was generated by the insertion of a 6.8‐kb element into one of the C4 introns. The element was subsequently excised in the ancestors of the chimpanzees and in at least one lineage of the human C4B gene. We speculate that the presence of the 6.8‐kb insert in the human C4A and some C4B genes might largely be responsible for the great instability of this chromosomal region which leads to frequent duplications and deletions, some of which cause 21‐hydroxylase deficiency.
The newsvendor problem with multiple inputs and environment sensitive customers

THE NEWSVENDOR PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE INPUTS AND ENVIRONMENT SENSITIVE CUSTOMERS Nazlı Sönmez M.S. in Industrial Engineering Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ülkü Gürler July, 2015 Motivated by the global aim and trends to reduce carbon emissions, in this thesis we investigate the effects of carbon sensitivity on the operations management in the context of inventory management. We assume the newsvendor setting under multiple substitutable inputs with varying carbon emission levels, and carbon sensitive random demand. The Cobb-Douglas production function is used which provides a link between the production quantity and the inputs. Our goal is to determine the optimal production quantity under two different supply chain models. In the decentralized model, we consider an independent manufacturer and a retailer, where the retailer orders Q units to the manufacturer and the manufacturer produces these items in such a way that he minimizes his production cost. In the integrated production or the centralized model, the manufacturer and the retailer act as a centralized system and the aim is to find the production quantity that maximizes the expected profit of the integrated system. Exact expressions for the expected profits of both models are derived and analytical results regarding the optimal solutions are presented. Numerical results are also provided to illustrate the effects of the system parameters and carbon sensitivity levels.
FSFI: A Full System Simulator-Based Fault Injection Tool

With VLSI technology advances and the increasing popularity of COTS components and multi-core processor in space, aviation, and military harsh environment, dependability becomes more attractive to overcome the increasing susceptibility to transient, permanent, and wear-out induced intermittent fault. Fault injection is widely used in dependability evaluation and fault emulation. As compared to physical- and software based fault-injection tool, this paper presents a simulation based Fault Injection tool, namely FSFI, to study high-level propagations of faults and system-level manifestations, especially the underlying causes of fault manifestations, namely Symptoms in this paper. The primary contributions of this paper are as follows. First and foremost, FSFI - A Full System simulator based Fault Injection tool is designed and described in great details. FSFI is based on an open source full system simulator (SAM) and it is heavily modified to support different processor component such as ALU, decoder, integer register files, and AGEN (Address Generation Unit). Additional four modules are added to the FSFI-simulator: Fault Injector, Monitor, Analyzer, and Controller. Second, transient faults are injected into different SPARC processor components, such as ALU, decoder, integer register files, and AGEN to deliberately study fault high level manifestations and propagations from processor component, through SPARC architecture level, hyper visor, OS, to application. Third, the underlying causes of fault manifestations, namely Symptoms, such as fatal trap, high OS, high hyper, and hangs, are captured by FSFI Monitor. The distributions of Symptoms for different components against typical benchmarks are investigated, and the underlying reasons are analyzed in detail. Preliminary experiment results show that FSFI is effective for fault high level propagation and Symptom research, and some of our future work is prospected.
Factor Performance Across Market-Driven Scenarios

We develop a methodology to model factor returns in scenarios which are yet to occur or do not correspond to past market conditions. We infer factor performance conditional on hypothetical market-driven scenarios, which are determined by a parsimonious number of underlying policy shocks. We derive regime-dependent corresponding security and asset class returns, which are functions of factors and policy drivers. The analysis is helpful in constructing robust portfolios designed for more stable performance across various scenarios, and can aid in framing and communicating portfolio risks.
Isolation and characterization of the RanGAP gene in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

A duplicated 3′-truncated version of RanGAP was previously identified as Segregation distorter (Sd), the meiotic drive gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the complete gene sequence for the RanGAP homolog from the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The 1995 bp cDNA sequence consists of a 113 bp 5′ UTR and 130 bp 3′ UTR, and encodes a 583 amino acid protein with high sequence identity with RanGAP homologues of several species. A 20,125 bp genomic DNA sequence contains the complete RanGAP gene, consisting of three exons and two introns. Intron 2 comprises 18,082 bp and contains multiple repetitive elements as well as putative coding regions. The RanGAP locus was mapped to the q-arm of chromosome 2. Because the meiotic drive gene (MD) in A. aegypti was previously shown to be tightly linked with the sex determining locus on chromosome 1, RanGAP is likely not the MD gene.
Laser lithotripsy of salivary stones: Correlation with physical and radiological parameters

Sialolithiasis is a common disease of the major salivary glands. Owing to the variety of conservative and minimally invasive techniques, it is now possible to treat most cases of sialolithiasis without removal of the affected salivary gland. One treatment option is the endoscopic removal of the calculi. In cases of larger concretions, intraductal disintegration using laser‐induced shock waves can be appropriate to allow endoscopic removal. In the present study, we investigated whether physical and radiological parameters of salivary stones can effectively predict the applicability of laser lithotripsy. Furthermore, we determined to what extent the applied laser energy resulted in tissue damage.