Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation Networks in the Biotechnology-Based Sectors

Technological progress in the biological sciences is now advancing across such a wide range and at such a pace, that, irrespective of size, no firm can hope to keep up in all the different areas. Participating in innovation networks, bundling of competencies and capabilities, therefore, offers an alternative to extremely expensive go-it-alone strategies, whether carried out by acquisition and mergers or by isolated R&D. This imbalance between the rate of growth of the biotechnology knowledge base and the capability of individual firms to access it can explain the persistence of cooperative R&D in the biotechnology-based sectors at the end of the 90s. Such imbalance is not due any more only to the lack of absorptive capacity of existing firms, because the large pharmaceutical firms have meanwhile developed considerable competencies in that field. This previous competence-gap was considered to be the reason for cooperative behaviour in the early phases of these industries in the end of the 70s and early 80s. To the extent that this was considered to be the only knowledge gap innovation networks were considered as a temporary phenomenon, which could not persist beyond the period required by large firms to catch up with the new technology. We are then proposing that a new role, that of explorers scanning parts of the knowledge space that LDFs (Large Diversified Firms) are capable of exploring but unwilling to commit themselves in an irreversible way, can be played by DBFs (Dedicated Biotechnology Firms) in innovation networks. Our simulation approach attempts to represent the emergence of these two roles as endogenous changes in the motivation for participating in innovation networks, allowing them to become an important and long-lasting organizational device for industrial R&D. Drawing on a history friendly modeling approach the decisive mechanisms responsible for the emergence of innovation networks in these industries are figured out and compared to real developments.
Treatment outcomes of and prognostic factors for definitive radiotherapy with and without chemotherapy for Stage I/II nasal extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma

Treatment strategies for nasal extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), including sequential chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (SCRT), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), or radiotherapy alone (RT), remain varied. The purpose of this study was to assess the treatment outcome, the toxicity, and the potential prognostic factors for patients with early-stage nasal ENKTL treated using definitive RT (minimum of 50 Gy) with or without chemotherapy. From 1998 to 2014, 37 patients were included in the study. Eight patients were treated with RT alone, 1 with CCRT, and 28 with SCRT. Local regional control (LRC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. RT resulted in an overall response rate of 91.2%, with a complete response rate of 78.4%. After a median follow-up time of 36.8 months, the 3-year LRC, PFS and OS were 87.4%, 64.0% and 76.3%, respectively. Acute severe toxicity (Grade 3) of mucositis was observed in 6 (16.2%) of the 37 patients. In univariate analyses, extensive disease (Stage I/II with local invasiveness) and the presence of B symptoms were significantly associated with a poor PFS, whereas extensive disease was significantly associated with a poor OS. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of extensive disease as an independent predictor of PFS (P < 0.001) and OS (P = 0.015). High-dose RT with or without chemotherapy reported promising locoregional control and a favorable outcome for patients with early-stage nasal ENKTL without local invasiveness. Further investigation of new treatment strategies for patients with local invasiveness is warranted.
MEASURING OF THE RELIABILITY OF NDE

It is an important question regarding to the contemporary NDT systems how reliable is the result of the test. This question is rising connected to all diagnosis system in human medicine mechanical engineering or civil constructions. The reliability of an NDE system means the consistency of capability the system to detect, to classify and to evaluate the existing deviation within test pieces. The main elements of the reliability are: the intrinsic capability of the system, the effect of application parameters and the human factors. At present time we cannot determine all of the effect of the elements, so we have to measure the reliability with different methods like POD (probability of determination) and ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) methods. According to the modular concept it is possible to determine the reliability all of the modules of NDE systems differently. The NDT section of Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering recognised the importance of reliability degree of NDE. So we organised a round-robin test of radiographic film evaluation as a module of radiographic test, and try to measure the effect of human factor. The first round-robin test finished and the evaluation method is presented in details as an example of the measuring of reliability. The second round-robin test is in progress in Hungary. The Slovenian radiographers are invited to take part in this important and interesting test.
Use of The Error Vector Magnitude for low-complex bit loading in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

This paper deals with the adaptive bit loading of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. The use of Error Vector Magnitude in greedy algorithm as well as in the particle swarm optimization is discussed. The results are evaluated using the MATLAB simulation. The use of Error Vector Magnitude can avoid the use of complex bit error rate calculation or channel state information measurements.
Parallelotope Bundles for Polynomial Reachability

In this work we present parallelotope bundles, i.e., sets of parallelotopes for a symbolic representation of polytopes. We define a compact representation of these objects and show that any polytope can be canonically expressed by a bundle. We propose efficient algorithms for the manipulation of bundles. Among these, we define techniques for computing tight over-approximations of polynomial transformations. We apply our framework, in combination with the Bernstein technique, to the reachability problem for polynomial dynamical systems. The accuracy and scalability of our approach are validated on a number of case studies.
AlGaN/GaN HEMT With Distributed Gate for Channel Temperature Reduction

Self heating in electronic devices reduces their performance and lifetime. A novel high electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) layout that reduces the channel temperature is presented. To decrease self heating, the new distributed gate (DG) HEMT is configured with multiple, active, and nonactive sections along each gate-stripe. Simulations and experimental results indicating the improved performance of the new layout are presented. Compared to a conventional HEMT, the fabricated novel DG GaN HEMT demonstrated a decrease in channel temperature from 178 °C to 150 °C, accompanied by a 3-dB increase in output power, and 13-fold increase in lifetime.
ICAMs Redistributed by Chemokines to Cellular Uropods as a Mechanism for Recruitment of T Lymphocytes

The recruitment of leukocytes from the bloodstream is a key step in the inflammatory reaction, and chemokines are among the main regulators of this process. During lymphocyte–endothelial interaction, chemokines induce the polarization of T lymphocytes, with the formation of a cytoplasmic projection (uropod) and redistribution of several adhesion molecules (ICAM-1,-3, CD43, CD44) to this structure. Although it has been reported that these cytokines regulate the adhesive state of integrins in leukocytes, their precise mechanisms of chemoattraction remain to be elucidated. We have herein studied the functional role of the lymphocyte uropod. Confocal microscopy studies clearly showed that cell uropods project away from the cell bodies of adhered lymphocytes and that polarized T cells contact other T cells through the uropod structure. Time-lapse videomicroscopy studies revealed that uropod-bearing T cells were able, through this cellular projection, to contact, capture, and transport additional bystander T cells. Quantitative analysis revealed that the induction of uropods results in a 5–10-fold increase in cell recruitment. Uropod-mediated cell recruitment seems to have physiological relevance, since it was promoted by both CD45R0+ peripheral blood memory T cells as well as by in vivo activated lymphocytes. Additional studies showed that the cell recruitment mediated by uropods was abrogated with antibodies to ICAM-1, -3, and LFA-1, whereas mAb to CD43, CD44, CD45, and L-selectin did not have a significant effect, thus indicating that the interaction of LFA-1 with ICAM-1 and -3 appears to be responsible for this process. To determine whether the increment in cell recruitment mediated by uropod may affect the transendothelial migration of T cells, we carried out chemotaxis assays through confluent monolayers of endothelial cells specialized in lymphocyte extravasation. An enhancement of T cell migration was observed under conditions of uropod formation, and this increase was prevented by incubation with either blocking anti– ICAM-3 mAbs or drugs that impair uropod formation. These data indicate that the cell interactions mediated by cell uropods represent a cooperative mechanism in lymphocyte recruitment, which may act as an amplification system in the inflammatory response.
A combined tramp ship routing, fleet deployment, and network design problem

In this paper, a tramp ship routing model of fleet deployment in a hub-and-spoke network is presented. This model simultaneously determines the selection of hubs, the assignment of spokes to hubs, the deployment of feeder-containerships as well as containership routing between spokes and spokes, hubs and spokes, and hubs and hubs. Even though some parts have been studied, this complex combination of shipping problems has never been addressed. Because the problem is NP-hard, a genetic algorithm (GA) with local search is proposed. In the algorithm, a cut-off procedure is applied to fleet deployment in a sub-route strategy. A number of randomly generated problem instances are solved by both a mathematical program and the GA with local search. A simple but realistic heuristic algorithm is also developed. Both the GA with local search and the heuristic algorithm are used to solve a number of real case instances. A comparison of the results shows the efficiency of the GA with local search. The developed model can be used as a route-decision support tool for shipping companies that provide long-haul shipping services in a hub-and-spoke network.
Genetic Association Between CD143 rs4340 Polymorphism and Pneumonia risk

Abstract rs4340 polymorphism at intron 16 of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (CD143) gene was reported to repress cough reflex by reducing bradykinin and substance P levels, thus increasing the likelihood to develop pneumonia. There have been different reports regarding the correlation of CD143 rs4340 genotypes with pneumonia risk, which prompted us to perform a meta-analysis to determine the elusive association. We combined multiple keywords to identify the studies addressing the association between CD143 rs4340 genotypes and pneumonia risk covered in the EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, and CNKI databases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the risk of pneumonia. The fixed-effects model (FEM) was used. A total of 10 studies were analyzed in this quantitative analysis. We found a strong association between rs4340 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and pneumonia risk using the recessive model (FEM: OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.13–1.57). A significantly increased risk was also indicated under the recessive model in Asian populations (FEM: OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.19–2.07), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) (FEM: OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08–1.60), and nosocomial pneumonia (NP) (FEM: OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.06–2.19). Our meta-analysis demonstrates that CD143 rs4340 polymorphism may represent a risk factor for pneumonia.
Pricing Algorithms and Tacit Collusion

There is an increasing tendency for firms to use pricing algorithms that speedily react to market conditions, such as the ones used by major airlines and online retailers like Amazon. I consider a dynamic model in which firms commit to pricing algorithms in the short run. Over time, their algorithms can be revealed to their competitors and firms can revise them, if they so wish. I show how pricing algorithms not only facilitate collusion but inevitably lead to it. To be precise, within certain parameter ranges, in any equilibrium of the dynamic game with algorithmic pricing, the joint profits of the firms are close to those of a monopolist.
A Scalable Architecture for Automatic Service Composition

This paper addresses automatic service composition (ASC) as a means to create new value-added services dynamically and automatically from existing services in service-oriented architecture and cloud computing environments. Manually composing services for relatively static applications has been successful, but automatically composing services requires advances in the semantics of processes and an architectural framework that can capture all stages of an application's lifecycle. A framework for ASC involves four stages: planning an execution workflow, discovering services from a registry, selecting the best candidate services, and executing the selected services. This four-stage architecture is the most widely used to describe ASC, but it is still abstract and incomplete in terms of scalable goal composition, property transformation for seamless automatic composition, and integration architecture. We present a workflow orchestration to enable nested multilevel composition for achieving scalability. We add to the four-stage composition framework a transformation method for abstract composition properties. A general model for the composition architecture is described herein and a complete and detailed composition framework is introduced using our model. Our ASC architecture achieves improved seamlessness and scalability in the integrated framework. The ASC architecture is analyzed and evaluated to show its efficacy.
Regression testing of classes based on TCOZ specification

Regression testing is an important software maintenance activity. The existing regression testing techniques are mostly code-based. This paper presents a specification-based regression testing technique for classes specified in timed communicating Object-Z (TCOZ) notation, which is an integrated formal modelling notation for the design of complex systems. To reduce the cost of regression testing, a TCOZ-based regression test selection algorithm is presented; it selects test cases relevant to the changed specifications from the original test suite for use in regression testing. This paper also describes TcozRts, a TCOZ specification-based regression testing system that implements our technique. The technique is strictly specification-based, and it doesn't require any assumptions about the programming language that is used to implement the specification.
In Defense of Large Qualitative Calculi

The next challenge in qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning is to develop calculi that deal with different aspects of space and time. One approach to achieve this is to combine existing calculi that cover the different aspects. This, however, can lead to calculi that have a very large number of relations and it is a matter of ongoing discussions within the research community whether such large calculi are too large to be useful. In this paper we develop a procedure for reasoning about some of the largest known calculi, the Rectangle Algebra and the Block Algebra with about 10661 relations. We demonstrate that reasoning over these calculi is possible and can be done efficiently in many cases. This is a clear indication that one of the main goals of the field can be achieved: highly expressive spatial and temporal representations that support efficient reasoning.
Latency Tolerance for Gesture Controlled Continuous Sound Instrument without Tactile Feedback

This paper reports the results of an experimental study of human latency tolerance for gestural sound control without tactile feedback. 16 subjects played a Theremin that was routed through an adjustable delay buffer. It was found that when comparing to a reference with no latency, the just noticeable difference (JND) is between 20 and 30 milliseconds. After that, the probability of detecting latency increases linearly. It was also found that playing style strongly affects the detection of latency. When playing slow passages with vibrato, even high latencies were not noticed. The results also suggest that younger subjects detect latencies more accurately than older subjects. However, the subjects’ activity with music and musical background did not seem to have an effect.
Scalable Relational Learning for Sparse and Incomplete Domains

The Semantic Web (SW) presents new challenges to statistical relational learning. One of the main features of SW data is that it is notoriously incomplete. Consider friend-of-a-friend (FOAF) data. The purpose of the FOAF project is to create a web of machinereadable pages describing people, their relationships, and people’s activities and interests, using SW technology. Obviously people vary in their motivation to communicate private information such that person-specific information varies from almost nothing to great detail. Another feature of SW data is the great sparsity of relational information such as friendship: listed friends in the knowledge base are a small subset of all potential friends. Finally, there is a variety of additional untested and potentially conflicting schema information specified by users. We are expecting that the data situation in the FOAF setting will be characteristic for many other SW domains. Naturally, missing information can be supplemented. First, deductive reasoning can be used to complement factual knowledge based on axioms. The advantage is that deduced facts can be queried with powerful query languages such as SQL for relational data bases and SPARQL for SW data. A common problem is that, generally, valid axioms are rare and many true facts in an application cannot be derived. Inductive reasoning, the focus of this paper, is the second way for gaining additional knowledge by exploiting regularities in the data. The advantage of inductive reasoning is that one can perform inference on a large number of statements. Disadvantages are that only the probability of the truth values of statements can be derived and that machine learning needs to be performed by machine learning experts. The goal of the work presented here is to apply statistical relational learning in sparse and unreliable domains such as the SW. Several requirements need to be fulfilled. The statistical relational learning algorithms need to be able to deal with sparse data typical for SW domains, they must be scalable, they need to be easily configurable, finally it should be possible to integrate the learning results into querying. For the user there should be almost no difference between querying facts, deduced facts and induced information.
Serum Ghrelin; A New Surrogate Marker of Gastric Mucosal Alterations in Upper Gastrointestinal Carcinogenesis

Background A few studies have indicated inverse relationships between serum ghrelin and gastric and esophageal cancers but those associations have been restricted to specific populations, including smokers and overweight individuals. We examined the association between ghrelin and gastroesophageal cancers and atrophic gastritis in a population-based setting. Methods In total 220 gastroesophageal cancers, comprising non-cardia and cardia gastric cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and age and gender-matched controls were recruited. Serum ghrelin, pepsinogen I/II ratio (PGI/II) and anti-H.pylori IgG antibodies were measured. Relationships between ghrelin and gastroesophageal cancers, after adjustment for PGI/II ratio, H.pylori status and smoking, were tested using logistic regression. Furthermore, in 125 endoscopically normal volunteers, with and without histological atrophic gastritis, the relationship with ghrelin was compared. Results Serum ghrelin (lowest vs. highest quintile) was inversely associated with gastric cancer: OR (95% CI) 8.71 (1.70–44.59) for cardia and 6.58 (1.26–34.46) for non-cardia cancer. Lower serum ghrelin was also associated with esophageal SCC: OR (95% CI) 5.69 (1.36–23.78), but not with esophageal adenocarcinoma. A similar association was observed between gastric cancer (cardia and non-cardia) and esophageal SCC when serum ghrelin was analysed as a continuous scaled variable. In endoscopically-normal volunteers, extensive atrophic gastritis was associated with low serum ghrelin [OR (95% CI) 0.25 (0.10–0.64)]. Conclusion Inverse associations between ghrelin and some gastroesophageal cancers suggest a potential role for serum ghrelin as a biomarker of upper gastrointestinal cancers and atrophic gastritis. In areas with a high incidence of gastric and/or esophageal cancer, screening might be more effectively targeted to individuals with low serum ghrelin in addition to the PGI/II ratio.
Changes of the Cytoplasmic Proteome in Response to Alcoholic Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Proteomic analyses have already been used in a number of hepatological studies and provide important information. However, few reports have focused on changes in the cytoplasmic proteome. The present study therefore aimed to evaluate changes in cytoplasmic proteome of rats in response to alcoholic hepatotoxicity. Rats were fed a Liber-DeCarli liquid diet containing ethanol for four weeks. Cytoplasmic proteins except mitochondrial proteins from the livers of these animals were investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Alcohol induced a decrease in body weight gain and an increase in alanine transaminase (ALT), cholesterol, and phospholipid levels. Histopathological observations revealed hepatic damage characterized by necrosis and fatty change in alcohol-treated group at week 2, which continues until week 4. Our proteomic analysis revealed that 25 proteins were differentially expressed in the ethanol-fed group. Of these, 12 cytoplasmic proteins are being reported for the first time. Taken together, our results provide further insights into the disease mechanism and therapeutic information of alcoholic liver disease.
A Heterogeneity-Based Strategy for Resource Distribution in P2P Network

In this paper, a heterogeneity-based strategy for resource distribution in P2P Network is proposed. This strategy combines the query-capacity of peer with the resources. In P2P network, the peer with abundant resource will generate a resource distribution Agent actively, the Agent walk randomly in the system to supply resource for the peer with high query-capacity but less resource. Experimental results show that the strategy for resource distribution can effectively improve the search efficiency of the P2P file sharing system.