Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Business excellence through total supply chain quality management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how the quality practices such as leadership and strategic quality planning, supplier relationship management, customer focus, quality data and reporting, process management and human resource management are as relevant to supply chains as they are to an individual firm.Design/methodology/approach – Based on the review of relevant literature, propositions have been framed to stimulate future research. In order to evaluate the quality management (QM) practices in Pakistani supply chains, three cases have been presented. These cases provide information about QM practices of the case companies with respect to the supply chains they represent. Based on the case comparisons, common themes regarding the state of QM in Pakistani supply chains have been identified.Findings – The current study shows that the state of QM in the supply chain context is at a primitive level in Pakistan. Most organizations have instituted quality departments and devised quality policy and.
Laminin α2 Is Essential for Odontoblast Differentiation Regulating Dentin Sialoprotein Expression*

Laminin α2 is subunit of laminin-2 (α2β1γ1), which is a major component of the muscle basement membrane. Although the laminin α2 chain is expressed in the early stage of dental mesenchyme development and localized in the tooth germ basement membrane, its expression pattern in the late stage of tooth germ development and molecular roles are not clearly understood. We analyzed the role of laminin α2 in tooth development by using targeted mice with a disrupted lama2 gene. Laminin α2 is expressed in dental mesenchymal cells, especially in odontoblasts and during the maturation stage of ameloblasts, but not in the pre-secretory or secretory stages of ameloblasts. Lama2 mutant mice have thin dentin and a widely opened dentinal tube, as compared with wild-type and heterozygote mice, which is similar to the phenotype of dentinogenesis imperfecta. During dentin formation, the expression of dentin sialoprotein, a marker of odontoblast differentiation, was found to be decreased in odontoblasts from mutant mice. Furthermore, in primary cultures of dental mesenchymal cells, dentin matrix protein, and dentin sialophosphoprotein, mRNA expression was increased in laminin-2 coated dishes but not in those coated with other matrices, fibronectin, or type I collagen. Our results suggest that laminin α2 is essential for odontoblast differentiation and regulates the expression of dentin matrix proteins.
Guanxi and its influence on the judgments of Chinese auditors

A major objective of this study is to develop a guanxi scale with two dimensions, favour-seeking guanxi and, for the first time, a rent-seeking guanxi, based on Ang and Leong's (2000) guanxi scale and Su and Littlefield's (2001) classifications of guanxi orientations. The relationship between Chinese auditors' guanxi orientations and their ethical judgments is also reported. A survey methodology was used in this study and 519 useable respondents were included. Results of this study show these two guanxi dimensions are relatively independent. It was also found that Chinese auditors' favour-seeking guanxi orientations were positively associated with their ethical judgments but their rent-seeking guanxi orientations negatively impacted on their ethical judgments.
Herd Behavior Demand and Supply Shocks on Business Cycle: An Empirical Analysis in Iran

The central objective of our paper is to empirically investigate the effect of demand and supply shocks as sources of Business cycle in the Iranian economy. In particular, this study examines the existence of herd behavior among shocks as well as fiscal, monetary, financial, technology and oil shocks in the Business cycle in Iran. In methodology, the study analyzes the herd behavior by estimating vector error correction (VECM) model using annual data covering the period of 1974 to 2008. Also, we adopt an innovation accounting by simulating variance decompositions (VDC) and impulse response functions (IRF) for further inferences. The findings support the idea that there is a strong herd behavior among shocks on business cycle in Iran.
Macrophages Sequentially Change Their Functional Phenotype in Response to Changes in Microenvironmental Influences1

Recent studies have described the development of distinct functional subsets of macrophages in association with cancer, autoimmune disease, and chronic infections. Based on the ability of Th1 vs Th2 cytokines to promote opposing activities in macrophages, it has been proposed that macrophages develop into either type 1 inflammatory or type 2 anti-inflammatory subsets. As an alternative to the concept of subset development, we propose that macrophages, in response to changes in their tissue environment, can reversibly and progressively change the pattern of functions that they express. As demonstrated herein, macrophages can reversibly shift their functional phenotype through a multitude of patterns in response to changes in cytokine environment. Macrophages display distinct functional patterns after treatment with IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-4, or IL-10 and additional functional patterns are displayed depending on whether the cytokine is present alone or with other cytokines and whether the cytokines are added before or concomitantly with the activating stimulus (LPS). Sequential treatment of macrophages with multiple cytokines results in a progression through multiple functional phenotypes. This ability to adapt to changing cytokine environments has significant in vivo relevance, as evidenced by the demonstration that macrophage functional phenotypes established in vivo in aged or tumor-bearing mice can be altered by changing their microenvironment. A concept of functional adaptivity is proposed that has important implications for therapeutic targeting of macrophages in chronic diseases that result in the dominance of particular functional phenotypes of macrophages that play a significant role in disease pathology.
Concealed by darkness: interactions between predatory bats and nocturnally migrating songbirds illuminated by DNA sequencing

Recently, several species of aerial‐hawking bats have been found to prey on migrating songbirds, but details on this behaviour and its relevance for bird migration are still unclear. We sequenced avian DNA in feather‐containing scats of the bird‐feeding bat Nyctalus lasiopterus from Spain collected during bird migration seasons. We found very high prey diversity, with 31 bird species from eight families of Passeriformes, almost all of which were nocturnally flying sub‐Saharan migrants. Moreover, species using tree hollows or nest boxes in the study area during migration periods were not present in the bats’ diet, indicating that birds are solely captured on the wing during night‐time passage. Additional to a generalist feeding strategy, we found that bats selected medium‐sized bird species, thereby assumingly optimizing their energetic cost‐benefit balance and injury risk. Surprisingly, bats preyed upon birds half their own body mass. This shows that the 5% prey to predator body mass ratio traditionally assumed for aerial hunting bats does not apply to this hunting strategy or even underestimates these animals’ behavioural and mechanical abilities. Considering the bats’ generalist feeding strategy and their large prey size range, we suggest that nocturnal bat predation may have influenced the evolution of bird migration strategies and behaviour.
D-dimer correlates with proinflammatory cytokine levels and outcomes in critically ill patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the relationship between d-dimer (DD) and both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels, and to confirm the association between DD status and outcomes in critically ill patients. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Medical ICU (MICU) of a tertiary care, academic medical center. PATIENTS Individuals admitted to the MICU. INTERVENTIONS Within 24 h of MICU admission, patients had DD status determined and interleukin (IL) levels (IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha measured. The strength of the DD level was also noted. Subjects were then monitored prospectively to determine mortality rate and the incidence of organ failure. MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS The study cohort included 79 patients (mean age, 65.2 years; 54.5% male patients). DD was present in 53.2% of subjects. The DD reaction was weak (1+) in 15 patients and strong (2+) in 27 patients. The TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 levels all increased in parallel with the increasing strength of the DD level. IL-10 levels did not differ based on DD status. Similarly, the severity of illness as measured by the APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) II score was highest among those with higher DD levels: 24.7 +/- 6.2 for those with 2+ DD vs 17.2 +/- 3.1 and 11.5 +/- 2.7 for those with 1+ DD and no circulating DD, respectively (p < 0.001). For patients lacking DD, the mortality rate was 8.1%, compared to 13.3% and 55.6% for those with 1+ and 2+ DD levels, respectively (p < 0.001). No patient without DD had multisystem organ failure (MSOF) develop, while the incidence of MSOF also increased with increasing DD levels. As a screening test for mortality, the DD performed as well as the APACHE II system. CONCLUSIONS The coagulation system is active in critically ill patients, and DD levels correlate with activation of the proinflammatory cytokine cascade. The absence of a relationship between DD and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) suggests that the presence of DD may reflect the imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. DD identifies patients at increased risk for both MSOF and death.
Assessment of Global Left Ventricular Function: Comparison of Cardiac Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography With Angiocardiography

Objective: Evaluation of left ventricular function using electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated multidetector row CT (MDCT) by using 3 different volumetric assessment methods in comparison to assessment of the left ventricular function by invasive ventriculography. Methods: Thirty patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease underwent MDCT coronary angiography with retrospective ECG cardiac gating. Raw data were reconstructed at the end-diastolic and end-systolic periods of the heart cycle. To calculate the volumes of the left ventricle, 3 methods were applied: The 3-dimensional data set (3D), the geometric hemisphere cylinder (HC), and the geometric biplane ellipsoid (BE) methods. End-diastolic volumes (EDV), end-systolic volumes (ESV), the stroke volumes (SV), and ejection fractions (EF) were calculated. The left ventricular volumetric data from the 3 methods were compared with measurements from left ventriculography (LVG). Results: The best results were obtained using the 3D method; EDV (r = 0.73), ESV (r = 0.88), and EF (r = 0.76) correlated well with the LVG data. The EDV volumes did not differ significantly between LVG and the 3D method (P = 0.24); however, ESV, SV, and EF differed significantly. The ESV were significantly overestimated (P < 0.01), leading to an underestimation of the SV (P < 0.01) and the EF (P < 0.01). The HC method resulted in the greatest overestimation of the volumes. The EDV and the ESV were 31.8 ± 37.6% and 136.4 ± 92.9% higher than the EDV and ESV volumes obtained by LVG. Bland-Altman analysis showed systematic overestimation of the ESV using the HC method. Conclusion: MDCT with retrospective cardiac ECG gating allows the calculation of left ventricular volumes to estimate systolic function. The 3D method had the highest correlation with LVG. However, the overestimation of the ESV is significant, which led to an underestimation of the SV and the EF.
Applied general equilibrium, agricultural policy, environmental policy, mixed complementarity, endogenous technology

In this paper an applied general equilibrium (AGE) model written in mixed-complementarity format is used to analyse the effects of an increase in milk quota in the Netherlands when nitrogen emissions in agriculture are restricted. The model combines the strengths of AGE models and mathematical programming models, which allows economy-wide policy analyses when technology switches are allowed. Results show that a welfare gain can be achieved by increasing milk quota while keeping nitrate (N) emissions in agriculture at the same level. Under such a policy change inactive N-extensive technologies in dairy farming become active and (partly) replace N-intensive technologies. Output in other agricultural industries decreases. Copyright 2001, Oxford University Press.
Pretreatment of Low-Dose and Super-Low-Dose LPS on the Production of In Vitro LPS-Induced Inflammatory Mediators

Pretreatment of low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces a hyporesponsive state to subsequent secondary challenge with high-dose LPS in innate immune cells, whereas super-low-dose LPS results in augmented expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, little is known about the difference between super-low-dose and low-dose LPS pretreatments on immune cell-mediated inflammatory and hepatic acute-phase responses to secondary LPS. In the present study, RAW 264.7 cells, EL4 cells, and Hepa-1c1c7 cells were pretreated with super-low-dose LPS (SL-LPS: 50 pg/mL) or low-dose LPS (L-LPS: 50 ng/mL) in fresh complete medium once a day for 2~3 days and then cultured in fresh complete medium for 24 hr or 48 hr in the presence or absence of LPS (1∼10 µg/mL) or concanavalin A (Con A). SL-LPS pretreatment strongly enhanced the LPS-induced production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, TNF-α/IL-10, prostaglandin E2 (PGE_2), and nitric oxide (NO) by RAW 264.7 cells compared to the control, whereas L-LPS increased IL-6 and NO production only. SL-LPS strongly augmented the Con A-induced ratios of interferon (IFN)-γ/IL-10 in EL4 cells but decreased the LPS-induced ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10 compared to the control, while L-LPS decreased the Con A- and LPS-induced ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10. SL-LPS enhanced the LPS-induced production of IL-6 by Hepa1c1c-7 cells compared to the control, while L-LPS increased IL-6 but decreased IL-1β and C reactive protein (CRP) levels. SL-LPS pretreatment strongly enhanced the LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, PGE_2, and NO in RAW 264.7 cells, and the IL-6, IL-1β, and CRP levels in Hepa1c1c-7 cells, as well as the ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10 in LPS- and Con A-stimulated EL4 cells compared to L-LPS. These findings suggest that pre-conditioning of SL-LPS may contribute to the mortality to secondary infection in sepsis rather than pre-conditioning of L-LPS.
Bank of Japan Interventions, Exchange Rate Volatility, and Spillover Effects: Evidence from High Frequency Data

We consider the effect of interventions by the Bank of Japan in the foreign exchange market during the period 2000-2004. During this period the interventions are of substantial magnitude, relatively frequent, not co-ordinated and take place within the 'zero interest rate' monetary policy regime. Only scant evidence exists in the literature on the spillover effect and the impact on covariance in both daily and intraday frameworks, as well as on analyzing the characteristics of intraday volatility dynamics on both intervention days and non-intervention days. In contrast to earlier studies, our analysis does not hinge on the assumption that intervention always increases the volatility of the exchange rate. We perform rolling estimations of a Multivariate GARCH model, use the quartile plots of intraday volatility, and perform equal variance tests to investigate intraday volatility characteristics on intervention and non-intervention days using both daily and 15-minute data. Our findings suggest that Band of Japan interventions decrease the volatility of the yen/USD exchange rate. This result contrasts with the findings of earlier studies which typically find that interventions result in higher volatility. The effect of interventions on the yen/USD volatility depends on the different states that the market experiences and its impact is different under high and low levels of exchange rate volatility. We also find the intraday volatility is less heteroskedastic within the intervention day and this has implications for volatility forecasting. We find strong evidence that intervention in the USD/YEN increases the volatility of the Euro/Yen.
Trading Activity, Trade Costs and Informed Trading for Acquisition Targets and Acquirers

Abstract Microstructure effects of tender offer acquisitions on targets and acquirers differentiated by listing venue and payment method are examined. Trading activity increases more for targets than for acquirers upon offer announcement. Investors are more likely to sell targets upon announcement using direct market orders against ask limit orders for cash payment offers. While target liquidity improves as spread costs fall and quoted depths increase, acquirer liquidity falls continuously to successful offer completion. Due to increased trading differences, temporary trade costs fall more for targets than for acquirers. Permanent trade costs decline over the tender offer cycle for both parties, and especially for targets for cash tender offers and for acquirers for shares tender offers. The probability of informed trading declines (remains constant) for targets (acquirers) because increased trading intensity is greater (the same) for uninformed versus informed traders. As expected, abnormal returns and changes in own-firm permanent return volatility are negatively (but weakly) and positively (and strongly) related, respectively, to changes in information asymmetry upon announcement.
The Role of Agenda Setting in Policy Innovation

In this article we link theoretically and empirically the process of agenda setting to the diffusion of innovations across the American states. We use independent variables that reflect both agenda setting and the specific state context, and we hypothesize that a combination of these variables affects the likelihood of policy adoption in the various states. Employing event history analysis of pooled cross-sectional time series data on the adoption of living-will laws, we find that the best model of living-will adoptions includes both agenda setting and state context variables. Our findings demonstrate the importance of linking agenda setting with internal state characteristics to reach a more complete explanation of state policy making.
Hybrid model for the vehicle routing problem with stochastic demand

The vehicle routing problem with stochastic demand (VRPSD) is one of the most important problems in distribution and transportation. The classical models for the vehicle routing problem with stochastic demand are the chance-constrained model and the penalty model. This paper proposes the hybrid model which combines the chance-constrained model and the penalty model. The travel cost of the hybrid model is less than that of the chance-constrained model and the worst case is guaranteed though the hybrid model may have more travel cost than the penalty model. We formulate the VRPSD as a set covering problem and this problem is solved using a column generation approach. We propose the solution methods for the hybrid model. The solution method is based on saving algorithm. In numerical results, we compare the results of the chance-constrained model, the penalty model and the hybrid model.
Improved quantization index modulation based watermarking integrated to JPEG2000 coding scheme

In recent years it has been recognized that embedding information in wavelet transform domain leads to more robust watermarks. In particular, several approaches have been proposed to address the problem of watermark embedding combined to wavelet based image coding. In this paper, we present an alternative to quantization based blind watermarking strategy in the framework of JPEG2000 still image compression. The central contribution is the proposal of modified Quantization Index Modulation watermark design to reduce fidelity problem. We also show that the proposed watermarking scheme exhibits a high robustness with respect to JPEG2000 compression and Gaussian noise attacks. After detailing the proposed solution, system performance on image quality as well as robustness will be evaluated.
Race, Ethnicity, Immigration, and Living Conditions in Costa Rica

Using information from the 2011 census, we analyze the differential in living standards by race, ethnicity, and country of birth in Costa Rica. We identify the main factors explaining such inequalities along the distribution of a composite index of wellbeing, with counterfactual analysis based on the Blinder–Oaxaca type of decomposition. Our results show that mulattoes, indigenous people, and immigrants from Nicaragua and Panama are generally worse off than the majority of the population, although the reasons differ. While lower education levels and lower paying occupations explain much of the differential in all cases, location is particularly important for indigenous people and immigrants from Panama who live in the least developed areas of the country. We also investigate the distributive pattern of these inequalities and the remarkably distinctive situation of Costa Rican blacks.
Legume genomics: understanding biology through DNA and RNA sequencing.

BACKGROUND The legume family (Leguminosae) consists of approx. 17 000 species. A few of these species, including, but not limited to, Phaseolus vulgaris, Cicer arietinum and Cajanus cajan, are important dietary components, providing protein for approx. 300 million people worldwide. Additional species, including soybean (Glycine max) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa), are important crops utilized mainly in animal feed. In addition, legumes are important contributors to biological nitrogen, forming symbiotic relationships with rhizobia to fix atmospheric N2 and providing up to 30 % of available nitrogen for the next season of crops. The application of high-throughput genomic technologies including genome sequencing projects, genome re-sequencing (DNA-seq) and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) by the legume research community has provided major insights into genome evolution, genomic architecture and domestication. SCOPE AND CONCLUSIONS This review presents an overview of the current state of legume genomics and explores the role that next-generation sequencing technologies play in advancing legume genomics. The adoption of next-generation sequencing and implementation of associated bioinformatic tools has allowed researchers to turn each species of interest into their own model organism. To illustrate the power of next-generation sequencing, an in-depth overview of the transcriptomes of both soybean and white lupin (Lupinus albus) is provided. The soybean transcriptome focuses on analysing seed development in two near-isogenic lines, examining the role of transporters, oil biosynthesis and nitrogen utilization. The white lupin transcriptome analysis examines how phosphate deficiency alters gene expression patterns, inducing the formation of cluster roots. Such studies illustrate the power of next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analyses in elucidating the gene networks underlying biological processes.
BOOST Inductor Optimizing Design Based on Finite Element Simulation

Abstract As the role of energy storage and filtering in DC/DC converter, the inductor is widely applied in switching power supply designs. BOOST inductor affects the input/output ripple voltage and current. Improper parameter design can cause inductor saturation easily, so the inductor design is the emphasis and difficulty in the Boost circuit design. In this paper, combining the traditional parameter calculation and finite element simulation, a design process of the BOOST inductor is given in detail, and the correctness of the design was validated by the experiments. It provides a more convenient and effective design approach of Boost inductor design.