Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Formation of Multiple Teams

Organizational forms such as task-oriented teams have often been proposed as a method to enhance the efficiency of a firm. Under asymmetric information, however, the costs of acquiring the information needed to improve efficiency may outweigh the efficiency gains and lead to lower profits. We illustrate this idea by considering a profit-maximizing principal who needs to allocate a group of agents among a number of projects, given that the principal has incomplete information about the agents' abilities. We study feasible incentive-compatible (truth-revealing) individually rational mechanisms under both the dominant strategy and Bayesian Nash behavioral assumptions. Some attention is also paid to Nash equilibrium mechanisms. The paper covers derivation of optimal mechanisms, efficiency analysis, and analysis of the principal's expected profit as a function of different types of environment and information structures. We find that if the principal has little or no information about the agents' private characteristics and the agents follow dominant strategy behavior, the principal may often run into losses in an attempt to discover the hidden information. Paradoxically, the loss occurs when the efficiency gains from team production are high and the competition among the agents is low. If the hidden information about each agent can be summarized as a one-dimensional type parameter, and if a prior distribution function of the agents ' types is common knowledge among the agents and the principal, an expected-profit maximizing Bayesian equilibrium mechanism exists and is of the optimal auction form (Myerson, 1 98 1 ) . Moreover, the mechanism can be equivalently implemented in dominant strategies with no expected profit loss for the principal. Yet, the principal's profit often decreases with an increase in the number of projects. These findings suggest that, in profit-maximizing firms with low competition among the employees, efficient organizational forms may often be foregone in favor of profits.
Static-Errorless Deadbeat Predictive Current Control Using Second-Order Sliding-Mode Disturbance Observer for Induction Machine Drives

Although the conventional deadbeat predictive current control (DPCC) can theoretically provide fast current dynamic responses for induction machine (IM) drives, it suffers from problems of steady state current error and stability due to a detrimental model mismatch. To solve these problems, this paper proposes static-errorless DPCC using a second-order sliding-mode disturbance observer (DO). The IM parameter variation and other unmodeled dynamics are regarded as lump disturbance in the modeling of IM. Based on this model, a second-order sliding-mode DO is constructed to estimate lump disturbance, and then the estimated disturbance is applied as feed-forward compensation to correct the steady state current error. Moreover, the designed second-order sliding-mode DO effectively alleviates the chattering effect caused by the switching control. Since the designed DO works in parallel with the DPCC, the fast dynamic responses of the DPCC is retained. Experimental results confirmed the validity of the proposed scheme.
Fabrication of interdigitated microelectrodes for CuO nanowires I-V measurement

An interdigitated electrode consisted of 50 pairs of 5 μm wide microelectrodes, separated by 5 μm gap has been fabricated using single layer positive photoresist lift-off process. The effect of UV exposure time to electrode width and photoresist overcut angle were optimized for the fabrication of an array interdigitated electrodes. The fabricated interdigitated electrode has been used to measure the electrical properties of thick film and nanowires sample. The Cu2O film and CuO nanowires have been contacted on the aluminium interdigitated electrode through the joule heating technique. Schottky behaviour based I-V characteristics of both Cu2O film and CuO nanowires were observed at room temperature. The formation of Schottky barrier on the sample has been discussed.
Towards Realistic Modeling of Soft Tissue Elasticity Modulus Alterations in Medical Simulation

The realistic modeling of soft tissue will not only improve current medical simulation systems; it will considerably enlarge the set of applications and the credibility of medical simulations. In order to achieve realistic tissue deformation modeling, considering the nonlinear stress-strain relationship or in a more precise statement the strain-hardening characteristic of different soft tissue types is essential. In this paper, we represent the achieved analytic expression predicting the Young modulus alterations in a soft biological tissue due to applied force in terms of some tissue's specifications and in the case of nonlinear stress-strain relationship. This model is achieved base on analytic solution of 2D elasticity problem for a circular homogeneous inclusion attached to a homogeneous infinite medium in the case of a plane-strain state and under no assumption for soft tissue characteristics.
Guidelines for assessing environmental and socio-economic impacts of tsetse and trypanosomiasis interventions

J.M. Maitima, L.C. Rodriguez, M. Kshatriya and S. Mugatha (2007). Guidelines for assessing environmental and socio-economic impacts of tsetse and trypanosomiasis interventions. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). PO Box 30709-00100, Nairobi, Kenya For Further Information please contact Joseph M. Maitima Email: j.maitima@cgiar.org Tel: +254 20 422 3000Fax: +254 20 422 3001Publication Design: Lilian OhayoPrinting: Regal Press Kenya LtdDisclaimer: This publication is an output from a project funded by the United States State Department (USSD) for the beneﬁ t of Pan Africa Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC). However, the views expressed here are not necessarily those of USSD.
Towards modeling fuzzy propagation for sentiment analysis in online social networks: A case study on TweetScope

Understanding customers' opinion and subjectivity is regarded as an important task in various domains (e.g., marketing). Particularly, with many types of social media (e.g., Twitter and FaceBook), such opinions are propagated to other users and might make a significant influence on them. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy propagation modeling for opinion mining by sentiment analysis of online social networks. Thereby, a practical system, called TweetScope, has been implemented to efficiently collect and analyze all possible tweets from customers.
A systematic method to develop work-based training for SMEs

Training plays a key role in bridging employer skills needs and in raising the productivity of employees and individual firms. Many large organisations have long established in-house training programmes and the means for progressive personal development for employees. However, Smaller to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) have not mirrored the same. SMEs are less likely to provide off the job training to employees because of operational demands. There is a lack of structured approach to training within a SME. Despite the vast array of training programmes available to SMEs, very little has been done to tailor the training to the specific learning needs of SMEs. Web Based Training Environment (WeBTiE) is a tailored online training solution specific to a SMEs’ training needs. The portal within which online training is provided is the collaborative efforts of the Employer, Employee and Training Vendor. The portal encapsulates not only the learning content, but provides the learning support necessary to guide employees through the training and reinforce work-based practises with the use of a Community of Practice. Unlike many other training models the originality of this model is that it combines Pedagogy principles in the development of the training programme, along with e-learning model, Etivities for Structured On The Job Training. The generic nature of this model allows it to be adaptable for SMEs in a variety of industries and the tailoristic feature provides the flexibility necessary to permit the adaptability. This thesis focuses on the barriers SMEs face when attempting to train employees. By determining employee learning and training needs and establishing a ‘Learning Foundation’, can we move forward with the development of a training programme commissioned for SMEs. The work in this research is underpinned by learning theories and online learning and the application of these (adapted if necessary) in the context of the day-to-day constraints typical of SMEs.
A PER2‐Derived Mechanism‐Based Bisubstrate Analog for Casein Kinase 1ε

Casein kinase 1ε (CK1ε) plays an important regulatory role in various cellular processes including circadian rhythms. Mutations in CK1ε or the recognition site on its substrate PER2 result in modulation of the circadian period length. In particular, the tau mutation (R178C) in the catalytic domain of CK1ε was identified as the molecular basis for a dose‐dependent heritable shortened circadian period in hamsters. However, the biochemical basis for the physiological effects of the tau mutant remains unclear. It has been reported that the tau mutation has reduced in vitro activity against some substrates but increased in vitro activity against other substrates. To better understand the effects of the CK1ε tau mutation, an ATP‐phosphopeptide conjugate was synthesized to yield a transition‐state bisubstrate analog. Kinase activity assays determined that the tau mutant has 80% reduced activity and a fourfold decrease in sensitivity to the bisubstrate analog compared to wild type. This confirms that Arg178 is important in the recognition of the preferred phosphosubstrates of CK1ε.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELLER CREDIBILITY SYSTEMS IN THE ONLINE AUCTION MARKET: MODELING THE SELLER'S POINT OF VIEW

Title of dissertation: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELLER CREDIBILITY SYSTEMS IN THE ONLINE AUCTION MARKET: MODELING THE SELLER’S POINT OF VIEW Ming Zhou, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Professor Robert J.Windle, Department of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Professor Martin Dresner, Department of Logistics, Business and Public Policy The Internet has turned out to be an appealing place for doing business, with its unprecedented ability to bring together a large number of buyers and sellers, cover a wide scale of market and automate transaction processes, etc. However, this powerful technology of information transformation brings a greater trust problem than corresponding transactions in brick-and-mortar markets, because of the lack of information on product quality and seller honesty. Product information may be selectively disclosed, which increases the chance of fraud and dishonest behaviors. This research focuses on online feedback systems. Analytical models are developed to assess the impact of such feedback systems. Feedback systems, by themselves, are shown to work under certain conditions even in an ideal environment. Influences from incentives for providing feedback, shilling and ID changing are comprehensively discussed. If consumers do value trust, one should expect the more trustworthy sellers to generate higher prices for their products than the less trustworthy sellers. A higher price can offer incentives for sellers to be trustworthy. Following the analytical model, empirical tests of online feedback system are conducted. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELLER CREDIBILITY SYSTEMS IN THE ONLINE AUCTION MARKET: MODELING THE SELLER’S POINT OF VIEW
Identifying environmental drivers of insect phenology across space and time: Culicoides in Scotland as a case study

Abstract Interpreting spatial patterns in the abundance of species over time is a fundamental cornerstone of ecological research. For many species, this type of analysis is hampered by datasets that contain a large proportion of zeros, and data that are overdispersed and spatially autocorrelated. This is particularly true for insects, for which abundance data can fluctuate from zero to many thousands in the space of weeks. Increasingly, an understanding of the ways in which environmental variation drives spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution, abundance and phenology of insects is required for management of pests and vector-borne diseases. In this study, we combine the use of smoothing techniques and generalised linear mixed models to relate environmental drivers to key phenological patterns of two species of biting midges, Culicoides pulicaris and C. impunctatus, of which C. pulicaris has been implicated in transmission of bluetongue in Europe. In so doing, we demonstrate analytical tools for linking the phenology of species with key environmental drivers, despite using a relatively small dataset containing overdispersed and zero-inflated data. We demonstrate the importance of landcover and climatic variables in determining the seasonal abundance of these two vector species, and highlight the need for more empirical data on the effects of temperature and precipitation on the life history traits of palearctic Culicoides spp. in Europe.
Immunotherapy with antibodies to the EGF receptor

A series of rat monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) has been generated against the extracellular domain of the receptor for EGF which block the binding of GF and TGFα to the receptor and inhibit the growth in vitro of a range of carcinoma cell lines that over‐express the receptor for EGF. Some of these antibodies were able also to induce the complete regression of xeno‐grafts of EGFR‐over‐expressing tumours when treatment was started, either at the time of tumour inoculation or later when the tumours were established. The most effective of these antibodies was ICR62, which was also able to activate host immune effector functions. We conclude that antibodies which block growth‐factor‐ligand interaction can have a profound influence on the proliferative capacity of tumour cells in vivo and may have useful clinical application.
Sorption Kinetics, Isotherm and Thermodynamic Modeling of Defluoridation of Ground Water Using Natural Adsorbents

The aim of study is to investigate the removal ability of some natural adsorbents for fluoride ion from aqueous solution. The batch dynamic adsorption method was carried out at neutral pH as the functions of contact time, adsorbent dose, adsorbate concentration, temperature and effect of co-anions, which are commonly present in water. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium adsorption isotherms of fluoride on natural adsorbing materials had been investigated at afore-mentioned optimized. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms, viz., Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were investigated. Lagergren and Morris-Weber kinetic equations were employed to find the rate constants. The negative enthalpy ΔH = -46.54 KJ·mol-1 and Gibbs free energy calculated was ΔG288-333—(2.07785, 3.08966, 4.1064, 4.90716 and 5.38036 KJ·mol-1) respectively, envisage exothermic and spontaneous nature of sorption.
Towards Sensorimotor Navigation Support for People in the Early Stages of Alzheimer ’ s Disease

This article outlines the concepts of a navigation assistance system for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Disorientation and getting lost behavior are early signs of AD that often show before other symptoms of the disease. By focusing on the highly specific cognitive deficits associated with the disease, the proposed system aims at providing AD patients with the safety of a navigation system, while explicitly avoiding unnecessary assistance and creating an over-dependency on the technology. Using a gesture-driven user interface combining a simplified map and photographic imagery, the system will help to reinforce the link between visual scenes and the underlying spatial representation, which is impaired in AD patients. The system will guide the attention of a user to important salient and autobiographically important landmarks and train routes between them, which helps the user to build up and train a more resilient sensorimotor spatial representation.
Development and Use of a Gene Deletion Strategy for Flavobacterium johnsoniae To Identify the Redundant Gliding Motility Genes remF, remG, remH, and remI

ABSTRACT Cells of Flavobacterium johnsoniae exhibit rapid gliding motility over surfaces. Cell movement is thought to involve motor complexes comprised of Gld proteins that propel the cell surface adhesin SprB. The four distal genes of the sprB operon (sprC, sprD, sprB, and sprF) are required for normal motility and for formation of spreading colonies, but the roles of the remaining three genes (remF, remG, and fjoh_0982) are unclear. A gene deletion strategy was developed to determine whether these genes are involved in gliding. A spontaneous streptomycin-resistant rpsL mutant of F. johnsoniae was isolated. Introduction of wild-type rpsL on a plasmid restored streptomycin sensitivity, demonstrating that wild-type rpsL is dominant to the mutant allele. The gene deletion strategy employed a suicide vector carrying wild-type rpsL and used streptomycin for counterselection. This approach was used to delete the region spanning remF, remG, and fjoh_0982. The mutant cells formed spreading colonies, demonstrating that these genes are not required for normal motility. Analysis of the genome revealed a paralog of remF (remH) and a paralog of remG (remI). Deletion of remH and remI had no effect on motility of wild-type cells, but cells lacking remF and remH, or cells lacking remG and remI, formed nonspreading colonies. The motility defects resulting from the combination of mutations suggest that the paralogous proteins perform redundant functions in motility. The rpsL counterselection strategy allows construction of unmarked mutations to determine the functions of individual motility proteins or to analyze other aspects of F. johnsoniae physiology.
Future directions in speech information processing

Speech processing technologies, including speech recognition, synthesis, and coding are expected to play important roles in an advanced multimedia society with user‐friendly human–machine interfaces. Speech recognition systems include not only those that recognize messages but also those that recognize the identity of the speaker. This paper predicts future directions in speech processing. It describes the most important research problems and tries to forecast where progress will be made in the near future and what applications will become commonplace as a result of the increased capabilities. The most promising application area is telecommunications. To solve various fundamental problems, a unified approach across speech recognition, synthesis, and coding is indispensable. Handling the common phenomenon of voice individuality from different aspects are: research on speaker adaptation in speech recognition, automatic speaker verification, voice conversion in speech synthesis, and the problems of very low‐.
A Recommendation Algorithm via Developed Random Walk Takes User's Preference and Item's Genres

It is difficult to quickly find the information that users are most interested in due to the increasing number and diversity of information. The traditional random walk algorithm only considers all the users' choice of items and ignores the user and item context information. This paper proposes an improved recommendation algorithm based on random walk algorithm, which takes user and item context information into account. In addition, an offset factor is introduced on the basis of this algorithm. The results show that the accuracy of the two algorithms is superior to the traditional random walk and cooperative filtering algorithms in the position of the top ranking.
New insights into the management of hepato‐renal syndrome

Hepato‐renal syndrome (HRS) is a serious complication in patients with advanced liver disease indicating a very poor prognosis. Nevertheless, effective treatment strategies have been introduced into clinical practice over the last decade. The combined treatment with terlipressin/albumin has been proven to be effective in most published studies and should be regarded as the standard of care. Norepinephrine or midodrine are possible alternatives when terlipressin is not available. Although there is presently not enough evidence to recommend extracorporeal liver support therapy as a standard procedure in patients with HRS, these concepts constitute promising options that need to be studied in prospective clinical trials.
Albumin endocytosis in OK cells: dependence on actin and microtubules and regulation by protein kinases.

We used proximal tubule-derived opossum kidney (OK) cells to determine the dependence of albumin endocytosis on regulation by protein kinases and on the cytoskeleton. Uptake was observed only across the apical but not the basolateral membrane and exceeded uptake in collecting duct-derived Madin-Darby canine kidney cells 14-fold. Inhibition of endocytosis via clathrin-coated vesicles but not via caveolae abolished uptake. Cytochalasin D reduced uptake to < 5% of control, and inhibition of microtubule polymerization by nocodazole reduced uptake to approximately 55% of control. Activation of protein kinase A (PKA) by adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, forskolin, or parathyroid hormone (PTH) reduced uptake to approximately 65% of control. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation did affect uptake to a similar extent as PKA activation but with a certain delay. Stimulation of PKG by guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate did not affect albumin endocytosis. The inhibitor of tyrosine kinases (TRK), genistein, induced an increase of uptake to approximately 160% of control. Reexocytosis of albumin was enhanced by PKC activation but not by PKA activation. TRK inhibition reduced the rate of reexocytosis. We conclude that albumin endocytosis in OK cells requires the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton. Microtubules facilitate endocytosis. Uptake is regulated by PKA, PKC, and TRK, yet with different time course and by different mechanisms, e.g., reexocytosis. Possibly TRK activity serves in a negative feedback loop to limit albumin endocytosis via a stimulation of reexocytosis.
Genome-wide linkage scan reveals multiple susceptibility loci influencing lipid and lipoprotein levels in the Québec Family Studys⃞s⃞ The online version of this article (available at http://www.jlr.org) contains one additional table. Published, JLR Papers in Press, December 16, 2003. DOI 10.1194/jl

A genome-wide linkage study was performed to identify chromosomal regions harboring genes influencing lipid and lipoprotein levels. Linkage analyses were conducted for four quantitative lipoprotein/lipid traits, i.e., total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and LDL-C concentrations, in 930 subjects enrolled in the Québec Family Study. A maximum of 534 pairs of siblings from 292 nuclear families were available. Linkage was tested using both allele-sharing and variance-component linkage methods. The strongest evidence of linkage was found on chromosome 12q14.1 at marker D12S334 for HDL-C, with a logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of 4.06. Chromosomal regions harboring quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for LDL-C included 1q43 (LOD = 2.50), 11q23.2 (LOD = 3.22), 15q26.1 (LOD = 3.11), and 19q13.32 (LOD = 3.59). In the case of triglycerides, three markers located on 2p14, 11p13, and 11q24.1 provided suggestive evidence of linkage (LOD > 1.75). Tests for total cholesterol levels yielded significant evidence of linkage at 15q26.1 and 18q22.3 with the allele-sharing linkage method, but the results were nonsignificant with the variance-component method. In conclusion, this genome scan provides evidence for several QTLs influencing lipid and lipoprotein levels. Promising candidate genes were located in the vicinity of the genomic regions showing evidence of linkage.