Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Question of Loyalty: Bank-Firm Relationships in Taiwan

This paper explores the benefits and negative elements of the relationship between firms and their primary banking partners. The benefits of this relationship often lead firms to develop a closer relationship with their primary banking partners, while the negative elements often result in firms changing their banking partners. Our results show that larger, older firms in Taiwan are more likely to build close relationships with their banks. In addition, the duration of the relationship between firms and banks is related to the positive likelihood that firms will look for alternative banking partners.
Water's Way at Sleepers River watershed – revisiting flow generation in a post‐glacial landscape, Vermont USA

The Sleepers River Research Watershed (SRRW) in Vermont, USA, has been the site of active hydrologic research since 1959 and was the setting where Dunne and Black demonstrated the importance and controls of saturation‐excess overland flow (SOF) on streamflow generation. Here, we review the early studies from the SRRW and show how they guided our conceptual approach to hydrologic research at the SRRW during the most recent 25 years. In so doing, we chronicle a shift in the field from early studies that relied exclusively on hydrometric measurements to today's studies that include chemical and isotopic approaches to further elucidate streamflow generation mechanisms. Highlights of this evolution in hydrologic understanding include the following: (i) confirmation of the importance of SOF to streamflow generation, and at larger scales than first imagined; (ii) stored catchment water dominates stream response, except under unusual conditions such as deep frozen ground; (iii) hydrometric, chemical and isotopic approaches to hydrograph separation yield consistent and complementary results; (iv) nitrate and sulfate isotopic compositions specific to atmospheric inputs constrain new water contributions to streamflow; and (v) convergent areas, or ‘hillslope hollows’, contribute disproportionately to event hydrographs. We conclude by summarizing some remaining challenges that lead us to a vision for the future of research at the SRRW to address fundamental questions in the catchment sciences. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selecting Tagging SNPs for Association Studies Using Power Calculations from Genotype Data

Recent studies have indicated that linkage disequilibrium (LD) between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers can be used to derive a reduced set of tagging SNPs (tSNPs) for genetic association studies. Previous strategies for identifying tSNPs have focused on LD measures or haplotype diversity, but the statistical power to detect disease-associated variants using tSNPs in genetic studies has not been fully characterized. We propose a new approach of selecting tSNPs based on determining the set of SNPs with the highest power to detect association. Two-locus genotype frequencies are used in the power calculations. To show utility, we applied this power method to a large number of SNPs that had been genotyped in Caucasian samples. We demonstrate that a significant reduction in genotyping efforts can be achieved although the reduction depends on genotypic relative risk, inheritance mode and the prevalence of disease in the human population. The tSNP sets identified by our method are remarkably robust to changes in the disease model when small relative risk and additive mode of inheritance are employed. We have also evaluated the ability of the method to detect unidentified SNPs. Our findings have important implications in applying tSNPs from different data sources in association studies.
Characteristics of a capsule based dry powder inhaler for the delivery of indacaterol

Abstract Objective: To report performance characteristics and robustness of the Breezhaler device, a new capsule based dry powder inhaler (DPI) with low resistance (0.07 cm H2O½/L/min) facilitating high inspiratory flow rates. This device was developed to deliver the novel, inhaled once-daily ultra long-acting β2-agonist indacaterol, formulated as an inhalation powder in a capsule, and other investigational drugs including NVA237 and QVA149. Research design and methods: Peak inspiratory flow rates via the DPI device were determined in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using an Inhalation Profile Recorder. The flow-rate dependency of the in vitro performance (delivered dose and fine particle mass) of indacaterol in the DPI device was examined. Data on patient experience were captured throughout the indacaterol phase III registration program, and the robustness of the device was investigated after mechanical stress. Results: Twenty-six patients with COPD that ranged from mild to very severe were recruited (aged 49–84 years); 25 patients were able to generate flow rates in excess of 60 L/min via the DPI device. The mean delivered dose of indacaterol (150 and 300 µg) remained within 15% of the target dose, with a consistent fine particle mass at flow rates of 50–100 L/min. In the indacaterol registration program, patients with mild to very severe COPD were able to use the device successfully, with a low device complaint rate (<0.03%) and no device failures from approximately 90 000 devices. In mechanical stress tests, drop testing resulted in, at most, only cosmetic damage, with no effect on the delivered dose. Conclusion: The capsule based DPI device is a low resistance device, suitable for use by patients with a wide range of COPD severities, delivering a consistent dose irrespective of disease severity and age. The device provided consistent delivery of indacaterol with no reported device failures in clinical trials.
Power-by-the-hour: the role of technology in reshaping business strategy at Rolls-Royce

There is a recognised trend of manufacturing companies offering not only products, but also services and even complete solutions to business problems. Research has highlighted economic, market demand and competitiveness factors as responsible for the reshaping of business strategies that this has involved. This study analyses the extent to which another factor, technology, has been a significant factor in the switch from product oriented to service-oriented strategies. A case study of the aero engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is used to analyse the impact of technology, which is found to have led manufacturers to reshape their business strategies. The study finds that developments in one technology in particular, namely digital electronics, have been a powerful enabling factor facilitating the implementation of service strategies. This provided original equipment manufacturers like Rolls-Royce with a competitive advantage relative to conventional service providers, by enabling them to acquire new knowledge management capabilities.
Forty years of landmark trials undertaken by the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) nationwide or in international collaboration

Abstract Background: Over the past 40 years the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) has made significant contributions to improve outcome and to make treatment of patients with early breast cancer more tolerable through nationwide and international trials evaluating loco-regional and systemic treatments. These trials have been instrumental to establish standards for the treatment of early breast cancer. Methods: The DBCG 82 trials had a global impact by documenting that the significant gain in loco-regional recurrence from postmastectomy radiation added to systemic therapy was associated with a reduction in distant recurrence and mortality in high-risk pre- and postmenopausal patients. The DBCG trials comparing breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy with mastectomy and more recently the trial of internal mammary node irradiation also had a major impact of practice. The trials initiated by the DBCG 40 years ago on tamoxifen and cyclophosphamide based chemotherapy became instrumental for the development of adjuvant systemic therapy not only due to their positive results but by sharing these important data with other members of the Early Breast Cancer Trialist’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). Trials from the DBCG have also been important for highlighting the relative importance of anthracyclines and taxanes in the adjuvant setting. Furthermore, DBCG has made a major contribution to the development of aromatase inhibitors and targeted adjuvant treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive breast cancers. Results: The substantial impact of these treatment improvements is illustrated by a 46.7% 10-year overall survival of early breast cancer patients treated in 1978–1987 compared to 71.5% for patients treated 2008–2012. Conclusions: The trials conducted and implemented by the DBCG appear to have a major impact on the substantial survival improvements in breast cancer.
Understanding the Biological Rationale for the Diversity of Cellulose-directed Carbohydrate-binding Modules in Prokaryotic Enzymes*

Plant cell walls are degraded by glycoside hydrolases that often contain noncatalytic carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), which potentiate degradation. There are currently 11 sequence-based cellulose-directed CBM families; however, the biological significance of the structural diversity displayed by these protein modules is uncertain. Here we interrogate the capacity of eight cellulose-binding CBMs to bind to cell walls. These modules target crystalline cellulose (type A) and are located in families 1, 2a, 3a, and 10 (CBM1, CBM2a, CBM3a, and CBM10, respectively); internal regions of amorphous cellulose (type B; CBM4-1, CBM17, CBM28); and the ends of cellulose chains (type C; CBM9-2). Type A CBMs bound particularly effectively to secondary cell walls, although they also recognized primary cell walls. Type A CBM2a and CBM10, derived from the same enzyme, displayed differential binding to cell walls depending upon cell type, tissue, and taxon of origin. Type B CBMs and the type C CBM displayed much weaker binding to cell walls than type A CBMs. CBM17 bound more extensively to cell walls than CBM4-1, even though these type B modules display similar binding to amorphous cellulose in vitro. The thickened primary cell walls of celery collenchyma showed significant binding by some type B modules, indicating that in these walls the cellulose chains do not form highly ordered crystalline structures. Pectate lyase treatment of sections resulted in an increased binding of cellulose-directed CBMs, demonstrating that decloaking cellulose microfibrils of pectic polymers can increase CBM access. The differential recognition of cell walls of diverse origin provides a biological rationale for the diversity of cellulose-directed CBMs that occur in cell wall hydrolases and conversely reveals the variety of cellulose microstructures in primary and secondary cell walls.
Predicting Pinterest: Organising the World's Images with Human-machine Collaboration

The user generated content revolution has created a glut of multimedia content online -- from Flickr to Facebook, new images are being made available for public consumption everyday. In this talk, we will first explore how, on sites such as Pinterest, users are bringing order to this burgeoning collection by manually curating collections of images in ways that are highly personalised and relevant to their own use. We will then discuss the phenomenon of social bootstrapping, whereby existing mature social networks such as Facebook are helping bootstrap engaged communities of content curators on external sites such as Pinterest. Finally, we will demonstrate how the manual effort involved in curation can be amplified using a unique human-machine collaboration: By treating the curation efforts of a subset of users on Pinterest as a distributed human computation over a low-dimensional approximation of the content corpus, we derive simple yet powerful signals, which, when combined with image-related features drawn from state-of-the-art deep learning techniques, allow us to automatically and accurately populate the personalised curated collections of all other users.
Strategies for out-scaling participatory research approaches for sustaining agricultural research impacts

The popularity of participatory research approaches is largely driven by the expected benefits from bridging the gap between formal agricultural science institutions and local farm communities, making agricultural research more relevant and effective. There is, however, no certainty that this approach, which has been mainly project-based, will succeed in transforming agricultural research in developing countries towards more client-responsive, impact-oriented institutions. Research managers must consider appropriate strategies for such an institutional transformation, including: (1) careful planning of social processes and interactions among different players, and documenting how that might have brought about success or failure; (2) clear objectives, which influence the participation methods used; (3) clear impact pathway and impact hypotheses at the outset, specifying expected outputs, outcomes, impacts, and beneficiaries; (4) willingness to adopt institutional learning, where existing culture and practices can be changed; and (5) long-term funding commitment to sustain the learning and change process.
CT perfusion and angiographic assessment of pial collateral reperfusion in acute ischemic stroke: the CAPRI study

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between a novel angiographic score for collaterals and CT perfusion (CTP) parameters in patients undergoing endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods 103 patients (mean age 66.7±12.7; 48.5% men) with AIS in the anterior circulation territory, imaged with non-contrast CT, CT angiography, and CTP, admitted within 8 h from symptom onset and treated with any endovascular approach, were retrospectively included in the study. Clinical, neuroradiological data, and all time intervals were collected. Careggi Collateral Score (CCS) was used for angiographic assessment of collaterals and the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) for semiquantitative analysis of CTP maps. Two centralized core laboratories separately reviewed angiographic data, whereas CT findings were evaluated by an expert neuroradiologist. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed considering CCS both as an ordinal and a dichotomous variable. Results 37/103 patients (35.9%) received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Median (IQR) ASPECTS was 9 (6–10) for admission CT, 9 (5–10) for cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps, 3 (2–3) for mean transit time maps, 3 (2–4), for cerebral blood flow maps, and 5 (3–7) for CTP mismatch. Univariate analysis showed a significant correlation between CCS and ASPECTS for all CTP parameters. Multivariate analysis confirmed an independent association only between CCS and CBV (p=0.020 when CCS was considered as a dichotomous variable, p=0.026 with ordinal CCS). Conclusions A correlation between angiographic assessment of the collateral circulation and CTP seems to be present, suggesting that CCS may provide an indirect evaluation of the infarct core volume to consider for patient selection in AIS.
IEEE 802.11ax: Joint Effects of Power Control and IQ Imbalance Mitigation Schemes on the Performance of OFDM Uplink Multi-User MIMO

The 802.11ax Specification Framework delivered by the IEEE High Efficiency WLANs (HEW) Task Group (TG) in early 2016 has specified the uplink multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (UL MU-MIMO) as a key medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) technique to improve the uplink network throughout in ultra-dense networks loaded with small form factor devices. In this paper, we first show that the phase noise (PN) hardware impairment does not degrade the 802.11ax UL MU-MIMO PHY performance even with differences on the received power among the clients. In the following, we show that the effects of in-phase and quadrature (IQ) imbalance on the UL MU-MIMO PHY performance can be catastrophic, especially when it is used high-cardinality modulation schemes without uplink power control. Finally, we show that a joint implementation of an uplink power control scheme and a time-domain IQ mitigation algorithm can mitigate the dramatic effects on the 802.11ax UL MU-MIMO PHY performance due to IQ imbalance and phase noise hardware impairments in channels where the average power received per client at the access point presents a significant standard deviation.
The Frequency of Hypertension and Pre-hypertension Among Adults in the Hohoe Municipality of Ghana

Method: A population-based cross-sectional study involving 350 adults was used. Information was obtained on background characteristics and risk factors of HPT defined as a systolic BP≥140 mmHg and/or a diastolic BP≥ 90 mmHg. Anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured following standard procedures. Chi-square and binary logistic regression were used to determine associations between independent variables and hypertension.
Optimizing Wavelet Parameters for Dereverberation in Automatic Speech Recognition

We present an optimization method of the wavelet parameters for dereverberation in automatic speech recognition (ASR). By tuning the wavelet parameters to improve the acoustic model likelihood, wavelet-based dereverberation methods become more effective in the ASR application. We evaluate several existing wavelet-based methods and optimize them, based on our proposed scheme. Experimental evaluations through ASR experiments demonstrate significant improvement for all methods with the proposed optimization.
Intercity Differences in Home Price Appreciation

The rate of home price appreciation varies substantially among cities. Yet, no prior research on the subject has been uncovered. This paper develops and tests an equilibrium model seeking to explain this interurban variation in owner-occupied home price appreciation. Intercity changes in housing demand, based upon homeowner "quality of life" equilibrium, is represented by several "non-monetary income" determinants in addition to several monetary "real income" determinants. Changes in the supply of homes was found to be primarily dependent upon interurban variation in cost related factors. Empirical tests with a reduced form equation using aggregated 1970 and 1980 data on 92 SMSAs suggest explanation for approximately 70% of this intercity variation in home price appreciation.
Comparative Sequencing of the Serine-Aspartate Repeat-Encoding Region of the Clumping Factor B Gene (clfB) for Resolution within Clonal Groups of Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT Molecular techniques such as spa typing and multilocus sequence typing use DNA sequence data for differentiating Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Although spa typing is capable of detecting both genetic micro- and macrovariation, it has less discriminatory power than the more labor-intensive pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and costly genomic DNA microarray analyses. This limitation hinders strain interrogation for newly emerging clones and outbreak investigations in hospital or community settings where robust clones are endemic. To overcome this constraint, we developed a typing system using DNA sequence analysis of the serine-aspartate (SD) repeat-encoding region within the gene encoding the keratin- and fibrinogen-binding clumping factor B (clfB typing) and tested whether it is capable of discriminating within clonal groups. We analyzed 116 S. aureus strains, and the repeat region was present in all isolates, varying in sequence and in length from 420 to 804 bp. In a sample of 36 well-characterized genetically diverse isolates, clfB typing subdivided identical spa and PFGE clusters which had been discriminated by whole-genome DNA microarray mapping. The combination of spa typing and clfB typing resulted in a discriminatory power (99.5%) substantially higher than that of spa typing alone and closely approached that of the whole-genome microarray (100.0%). clfB typing also successfully resolved genetic differences among isolates differentiated by PFGE that had been collected over short periods of time from single hospitals and that belonged to the most prevalent S. aureus clone in the United States. clfB typing demonstrated in vivo, in vitro, and interpatient transmission stability yet revealed that this locus may be recombinogenic in a primarily clonal population structure. Taken together, these data show that the SD repeat-encoding region of clfB is a highly stable marker of microvariation, that in conjunction with spa typing it may serve as a DNA sequence-based alternative to PFGE for investigating genetically similar strains, and that it is useful for analyzing collections of isolates in both long-term population-based and local epidemiologic studies.
Molecular characterization of Shigella spp. isolates from a pediatric hospital in Southwestern Iran

Aim: In This study focused on the detection of dominant clones and genetic relationship of Shigella spp. isolated from children with diarrhea in the main pediatric hospital in Ahvaz by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) technique. Background: Shigellosis is considered as one of the problematic bacterial infections for public health in the world. Khuzestan province in the Southwestern part of Iran is a known endemic area for infections due to Shigella. There are limited molecular epidemiological data for Shigella spp. in this area. Methods: A total of 50 Shigella spp. were isolated from January-June 2015 based on conventional microbiology and serology tests. The Sequence types (ST) of Shigella isolates which are characterized by Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC-PCR) were detected by MLST technique. Results: Among 50 Shigella isolates, a total of 31(62%), 16(32%) and 3 (6%) of Shigella isolates were identified as S. flexneri, S.sonneii, and S.boydii, respectively. Two different sequence types (ST152 and ST245) were identified in Shigella isolates. ST152 was detected in S.sonnei and ST245 in S. flexneri and S. boydii isolates. Conclusion: Based on MLST data, the stable and genetically linked Shigella clones are the cause of Shigella infections in children in Southwestern Iran.
What Size Should A Mobile Ad Be?

We present a causal inference framework for evaluating the impact of advertising treatments. Our framework is computationally efficient by employing a tree structure that specifies the relationship between user characteristics and the corresponding ad treatment. We illustrate the applicability of our proposal on a novel advertising effectiveness study: finding the best ad size on different mobile devices in order to maximize the success rates. The study shows a surprising phenomenon that a larger mobile device does not need a larger ad. In particular, the 300*250 ad size is universally good for all the mobile devices, regardless of the mobile device size.