Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequency doubling technology perimetry using a 24--2 stimulus presentation pattern.

PURPOSE To assess whether smaller targets and a 24-2 stimulus presentation pattern would improve the ability of frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry to detect and characterize early glaucomatous visual field loss. METHODS One hundred normal subjects between the ages of 20 and 85 participated in this study. In addition, 53 patients who either had early glaucomatous visual field loss (n = 23) or were high-risk glaucoma suspects with normal conventional visual fields (n = 30) were evaluated with the commercial version of FDT perimetry (full threshold test) with 17 stimuli (four 10 degrees diameter square targets per quadrant and a central 5 degrees circular target) and a custom version of FDT perimetry using 54 stimuli (4 degrees targets with 6 degrees grid spacing) arranged in a 24-2 stimulus presentation pattern. RESULTS The custom FDT test using a 24-2 stimulus presentation pattern had a similar dynamic range, and demonstrated normal aging characteristics and test-retest reliability that were similar to the commercial version of FDT perimetry using 17 larger stimuli. Both FDT tests showed an age-related sensitivity reduction of approximately 0.6 dB per decade, and exhibited an average test-retest reliability of 1 to 1.5 dB. The custom 24-2 FDT perimetry test had a greater variation of sensitivity with eccentricity than the commercial version of FDT perimetry that was probably related to the difference in stimulus size. The custom 24-2 FDT perimetry test had a greater percentage of abnormal test locations than the commercial FDT test for both early glaucomas and high-risk glaucoma suspects. CONCLUSIONS FDT perimetry can be performed with smaller targets using a presentation pattern that is similar to conventional automated perimetry. In comparison to the commercially available 17 target display, the 24-2 stimulus pattern appears to have modestly higher sensitivity for detection of early glaucomatous loss and provides better characterization of the pattern of visual field loss, but the test takes approximately twice as long.
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FOR SUPPLY CHAINS

Supply chain management (SCM) has gained a tremendous amount of attention from both industries and researchers since the last decade. Until now, there are numerous papers, articles, and reports that address SCM, but there is still a lack of integration between the existing performance measurement methods and practical requirements for the SCM. An innovative performance measurement method is proposed to provide necessary assistance for performance improvement in SCM. The proposed method will address this purpose in these four aspects: a simplified supply chain model; tangible and intangible performance measures in multiple dimensions; a cross‐organizational performance measurement; and fuzzy set theory and weighted average method.
High-Value, Cost-Conscious Health Care: Concepts for Clinicians to Evaluate the Benefits, Harms, and Costs of Medical Interventions

Health care costs in the United States are increasing unsustainably, and further efforts to control costs are inevitable and essential. Efforts to control expenditures should focus on the value, in addition to the costs, of health care interventions. Whether an intervention provides high value depends on assessing whether its health benefits justify its costs. High-cost interventions may provide good value because they are highly beneficial; conversely, low-cost interventions may have little or no value if they provide little benefit. Thus, the challenge becomes determining how to slow the rate of increase in costs while preserving high-value, high-quality care. A first step is to decrease or eliminate care that provides no benefit and may even be harmful. A second step is to provide medical interventions that provide good value: medical benefits that are commensurate with their costs. This article discusses 3 key concepts for understanding how to assess the value of health care interventions. First, assessing the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention is essential to understand whether it provides good value. Second, assessing the cost of an intervention should include not only the cost of the intervention itself but also any downstream costs that occur because the intervention was performed. Third, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio estimates the additional cost required to obtain additional health benefits and provides a key measure of the value of a health care intervention.
QuAD: A quorum protocol for adaptive data management in the cloud

More and more companies move their data to the Cloud which is able to cope with the high scalability and availability demands due to its pay-as-you-go cost model. For this, databases in the Cloud are distributed and replicated across different data centers. According to the CAP theorem, distributed data management is governed by a trade-off between consistency and availability. In addition, the stronger the provided consistency level, the higher is the generated coordination overhead and thus the impact on system performance. Nevertheless, many OLTP applications demand strong consistency and use ROWA(A) for replica synchronization. ROWA(A) protocols eagerly update all (or all available) replicas and thus generate a high overhead for update transactions. In contrast, quorum-based protocols consider only a subset of sites for eager commit. This reduces the overhead for update transactions at the cost of reads, as the latter also need to access several sites. Existing quorum-based protocols do not consider the load of sites when determining the quorums; hence, they are not able to adapt at run-time to load changes. In this paper, we present QuAD, an adaptive quorum-based replication protocol that constructs quorums by dynamically selecting the optimal quorum configuration w.r. t. load and network latency. Our evaluation of QuAD based on Amazon EC2 shows that it considerably outperforms both static quorum protocols and dynamic protocols that neglect site properties in the quorum construction process.
Impersistence of Depression in Youth: Implications for Drug Study Design

Food and Drug Administration data show that most antidepressant studies in youth do not show drug effect. The few positive studies used rigorous diagnostic screening procedures, suggesting major depressive disorder (MDD) may not be a persistent condition in a subgroup of youth. To investigate persistence of MDD, we serially assessed a cohort of inpatients admitted to the hospital with a clinical diagnosis of MDD. Assessments included a structured diagnostic interview, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents‐Revised (DICA‐R), and measures of depressive symptomatology. Of 66 subjects (40 girls; mean age, 14.4 ± 2.2 years), 34 (51.5%) met DICA‐R criteria for MDD at the initial postadmission assessment. Of these, only 8 (23.5%) met DICA‐R criteria for MDD at any subsequent assessment. Similar reductions were found on other ratings of depression. In conclusion, MDD did not persist in this sample. The findings suggest a multigated assessment procedure should be employed before randomization in antidepressant clinical trials.
The Impact of Social Beliefs on Microfinance Performance

We apply a panel of 331 microfinance institutions from 37 countries to investigate the relationship between social beliefs and microfinance financial performance. We find that microfinance institutions in countries with higher levels of trust and more collectivist culture have lower operating and default costs and charge lower interest rates. These results provide the first large cross-country evidence that social beliefs are important determinants of microfinance performance.
Shallow $\hbox{Ti:LiNbO}_{3}$ Strip Waveguide

We report shallow single-mode Ti:LiNbO3 strip waveguides fabricated on Z-cut congruent LiNbO3 substrate by a two-step Ti-diffusion process, starting with the diffusion of a homogeneous Ti film at 1020°C for 2 h, followed by the diffusion of Ti strips at the same temperature for 2 h again. These waveguides with a loss as low as 0.3 dB/cm have smaller cross section sizes, larger surface refractive index increment, and a mode field depth that is half as shallow as the conventional Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide, satisfying the requirement by photonic crystal fabrication. The Ti4+-concentration profile was characterized by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The 2-D refractive index profile model is proposed for the peculiar waveguide structure. On the basis of the index model, we have simulated the mode field distribution using the beam propagation method. The results show that the theory is in good agreement with the experiment, verifying the validity of the proposed index model.
"Corporate Leaders' Decision Styles, Entrenchment and Disruptive Strategies: A Conceptual Framework"

Decision making is a key responsibility of top management team (TMT) members, including CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers), yet, ineffective decision making is increasingly recognized as a problem at the top rungs of organizations. By combining insights from past literature with those obtained from a grounded study using qualitative data from 23 CMO interviews, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding CMO decision styles, appraisals of entrenchment, and disruption strategies used, as well as, the mechanisms that connect these concepts. Throughout we intersperse conceptual arguments with verbatim comments of CMOs obtained from our field work and develop propositions to guide future research. We also outline implications and limitations of the proposed framework.
Modified oxidase and benzidine tests for separation of staphylococci from micrococci

Two simple and rapid methods for the separation of staphylococci from micrococci are described. They are based on modified oxidase and benzidine tests. Micrococci and Staphylococcus sciuri yield a blue color with a 6% solution of tetramethylphenylenediamine in dimethyl sulfoxide, whereas all of the other staphylococci exhibit no coloration. Best's results were obtained with overnight cultures on blood agar. The presence of c-type cytochromes i micrococci and S. sciuri could be detected with benzidine; all noncovalently linked heme groups are removed before the addition of the benzidine reagent. The oxidase test is the simplest and most rapid method for the separation of staphylococci (except S. sciuri) from micrococci, if the nutritional requirements and the time of incubation are strictly followed. This test is especially recommended for the examination of clinical material in which S. sciuri is usually not found.
What Can Currency Crisis Models Tell Us About the Risk of Withdrawal from the EMU? Evidence from ADR Data

We study whether ADR (American depositary receipt) investors perceive the risk that countries such as Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal or Spain could leave the eurozone to address financial problems produced by the sub‐prime crisis. Using daily data, we analyse the impact of vulnerability measures related to currency crisis theories on ADR returns. We find that ADR returns fall when yield spreads of sovereign bonds or CDSs (credit default swaps) rise (i.e. when debt crisis risk increases); when banks' CDS premiums rise or stock returns fall (i.e. when banking crisis risk increases); or when the euro's overvaluation increases (i.e. when the risk of competitive devaluation increases).
Beta-casein gene promoter activity is regulated by the hormone-mediated relief of transcriptional repression and a mammary-gland-specific nuclear factor

Transcription from the beta-casein milk protein gene promoter is induced by the synergistic action of glucocorticoid and prolactin hormones in the murine mammary epithelial cell line, HC11. We analyzed the binding of nuclear proteins to the promoter and determined their binding sites. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to determine the function of nuclear factor binding. During lactogenic hormone induction of HC11 cells, the binding of two nuclear factors increased. The binding of two other nuclear factors, present in uninduced cells, decreased. The basal activity of the promoter could be increased to and above the level of the induced wild-type promoter when the recognition sequences of the negatively regulated factors were mutated. This suggests that the beta-casein promoter is regulated by the relief of the repression of transcription. An essential tissue-specific factor was also found in nuclear extracts from the mammary glands of mice. Mutation of its recognition sequence in the beta-casein promoter led to the abolition of the induction of transcription by lactogenic hormones. The DNA sequences recognized by all five of these nuclear factors are conserved in the promoters of different casein genes from several species, confirming their importance in the regulation of milk protein gene transcription.
Differential utilization of pyrene as the sole source of carbon by Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains: role of biosurfactants in enhancing bioavailability

Aims: Our goal is to compare the efficiency of utilization of pyrene as the sole source of carbon for growth and energy by two nonactinomycetous groups of bacteria viz., Bacillus subtilis DM‐04 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucoid (M) and nonmucoid (NM) strains, isolated from a petroleum‐contaminated soil sample of north‐east India.
Force‐Velocity Relationship and Stretch‐Shortening Cycle Function in Sprint and Endurance Athletes

&NA; Harrison, A.J., S.P. Keane, and J. Coglan. Forcevelocity relationship and stretch‐shortening cycle function in sprint and endurance athletes. J. Strength Cond. Res. 18(3):473–479. 2004. —This study examined the torque‐velocity and powervelocity relationships of quadriceps muscle function, stretch shortening cycle function, and leg‐spring stiffness in sprint and endurance athletes. Isokinetic maximal knee extension torque was obtained from 7 sprinters and 7 endurance athletes using a Con‐trex isokinetic dynamometer. Torque and power measures were corrected for lean‐thigh cross‐sectional area and lean‐thigh volume, respectively. Stretch‐shortening cycle function and muscle stiffness measurements were obtained while subjects performed single‐legged squat, countermovement, and drop‐rebound jumps on an inclined sledge and force‐plate apparatus. The results indicated that sprinters generated, on average, 0.15 ± 0.05 N·m·cm‐2 more torque across all velocities compared with endurance athletes. Significant differences were also found in the power‐velocity relationships between the 2 groups. The sprinters performed significantly better than the endurance athletes on all jumps, but there were no differences in prestretch augmentation between the groups. The average vertical leg stiffness during drop jumps was significantly higher for sprinters (5.86 N·m‐1) compared with endurance runners (3.38 N·m‐1). The findings reinforce the need for power training to be carried out at fast contraction speeds but also show that SSC function remains important in endurance running.
Indonesian West Timor: The political-economy of emerging ethno-nationalism

Abstract Encouraged by the post-Soeharto atmosphere of reform and regional autonomy legislation proposed under Habibie, the aspirations of Indonesia's regional elites have been stirred. Yet prosperity has remained elusive for many amidst continuing economic decline and as an unreformed military continues to threaten the business ambitions of regional elites. In West Timor, one of the poorest parts of Indonesia, local elites have had to contend with the added burden of the fallout from the 1999 pro-integrationist military operation in East Tindonesian military-trained tormentors, the West Timorese have paid highly for independence in the East and sufmor. Beginning with the need to host the quarter-million East Timorese refugees who fled West accompanied by their Ifered enduring economic malaise. This is reflected in the devastation of tourism and foreign investment, the suspension of major aid projects, the severing of the air-link to Northern Australia and a United Nations high-security alert in force since 2000. This crisis in which the aspirations of regional elites have been thwarted by the neglect and incapacity of central government and by the nature and political agenda of the Indonesian military elites, has provoked several reactions. As some West Timorese elites have lobbied for a share of the East Timorese petroleum revenues, the discovery of an essential Timorese-ness by others has been manifested in the ethno-nationalist Negara Timor Raya (Nation of the Land of Timor) movement.
Aging Gracefully with Geriatrix : A File System Aging Suite

File system aging has been advocated for thorough analysis of any design, but it is cumbersome and often bypassed. Our aging study re-evaluates published file systems after aging using the same benchmarks originally used. We see significant performance degradation on HDDs and SSDs. With performance of aged file systems on SSDs dropping by as much as 80% relative to the recreated results of prior papers, aging is even more necessary in the era of SSDs. Still more concerning, the rank ordering of compared file systems can change versus published results. We offer Geriatrix, a simple-to-use aging suite with built-in aging profiles with the goal of making it easier to age, and harder to justify ignoring file system aging in storage research. Acknowledgements: This research was supported in part by the DOE and Los Alamos National Laboratory, under contract number DEAC52-06NA25396 subcontract 153593-1 (IRHPIT2), the National Science Foundation under awards CNS-1042537 and CNS-1042543 (PRObE, www.nmc-probe.org), and Seagate through the CMU Data Storage Systems Center. We also thank the member companies of the PDL Consortium Broadcom Ltd., Citadel, Dell EMC, Facebook, Google, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, Microsoft Research, MongoDB, NetApp, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Samsung Information Systems America, Seagate Technology, Tintri, Two Sigma, Uber, Veritas and Western Digital.
Intertemporal Pricing of New Products: Incentivizing Consumer Learning and Inertia

When a new brand is launched, consumers are initially both uncertain of and not inertial to the new brand. Though these barriers may disappear on their own over time, a savvy brand manager who knows the relative importance of both can use relevant marketing levers to increase profits in the long run. This paper studies exactly these barriers and measures their relative effects on the launch of new brands. In particular, I focus on how the new brand's optimal prices are affected intertemporally in order to pin down which effect is larger. I start with evidence that prices for new products are indeed atypically low compared to later in their life cycle and compared to mature products. Motivated by this, I try to isolate the effects of consumer learning and inertia through a simple yet flexible structural model of demand. For simplicity, I limit the consumer learning and inertia processes to only be affected by actual purchases. As a practical example, I estimate this model using data from the yogurt category which includes purchases before and after the entry of Chobani. In counterfactuals, I find optimal prices in scenarios with different parameters for consumer learning or inertia. These counterfactuals reveal that, for Chobani, incentivizing consumer loyalty is the larger motivation for the firm to price low at launch. Though I only estimate and simulate one brand launch, the methodology for studying these relative effects is generally useful for any brand manager seeking to incentivize consumer learning or inertia for new brands.
Economic evaluation studies in nuclear medicine: a methodological review of the literature.

BACKGROUND The growing need for evaluation of the utility of new nuclear medicine technologies has spawned a few economic studies ranging from preliminary indications of cost savings to complete decision analysis models incorporating costs and quality of life. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the methodological quality of economic analyses of nuclear medicine procedures which targeted cost-effectiveness or cost-utility issues published in the medical literature during the years 1985-1999. METHODS A computerized literature search was used to identify original investigations from the medical literature which included an economic analysis of a nuclear medicine procedure. Each economic analysis article was evaluated by two independent reviewers for adherence to ten accepted methodological criteria. RESULTS Of the 29 articles meeting the search criteria, only six (21%) conformed to all ten methodological criteria. CONCLUSIONS Published economic analyses of nuclear medicine procedures usually do not meet accepted methodological standards and could be significantly improved to achieve overall better quality relative to similar analyses in the literature from other medical fields. Continued improvement in the number and quality of economic studies is critically needed for the future competitiveness of nuclear medicine studies.
Recognizing the limits: Sustainable development, corporate sustainability and the need for innovative business paradigms

Purpose of the paper : The study provides a theoretical analysis of the implications of sustainability in business, with a specific focus on the ecological dimension. In particular, we introduce key concepts from natural science and ecological economics into the field of management in order to highlight the limits that characterize the natural capital and our individual and organizational dependence on it. Methodology : The paper draws upon a mix of literature review (management, ecology and ecological economics), action research and field studies. Findings : The study presents the reasons for a profound transformation of the dominant business paradigm in order to address sustainability challenges. Furthermore, it introduces a conceptual framework to position and analyse corporate actions to manage environmental issues and identifies four areas of intervention and research as key drivers of transformational change. Practical implications : By stressing the managerial importance of concepts like carrying capacity, critical natural capital, and ecosystem services and by pointing out the need for collaborative approaches, the paper advances innovative perspectives to analyse and develop sustainable business strategies and operations. Research limitation : The paper shares the limits of conceptual works based on a deductive method. However, to address this limitation, the study is also supported and complemented by the empirical experience gained in more than two decades of fruitful collaboration with companies and institutions. Originality of the paper : The study introduces concepts that are mainly developed in scientific disciplines. This provides an insightful contribution to the current debate on the real soundness of mainstream management theories and business practices, and to the quest for fitting alternatives.
A peptidylic inhibitor-based therapeutic approach that simultaneously suppresses RNA-and protein-mediated toxicities in polyglutamine diseases

© 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed. A peptidylic inhibitor-based therapeutic approach that simultaneously suppresses RNAand protein-mediated toxicities in polyglutamine diseases