Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of Contingency, Innovation Adoption, and Channel Power Theory Relating to Electronic Distribution Channels in the U.S. Lodging Industry: An Integrated View

This study proposed a comprehensive model applicable to hotel electronic distribution management. It was guided by three well-founded theories: contingency theory, information-adoption theory, and channel-power theory. We evaluated environmental and organizational determinants of electronic distribution strategy and their relationship with its consequences using the linear structural path modeling. Among 12 posited hypotheses, 8 were supported by the sample. Slack, investment, and innovativeness had significant effects on the Internet distribution strategy, while top management involvement did not. Constructs identified as consequences of the electronic distribution channel strategy were confirmed in the hotel electronic channel context.
New 3300V chip generation with a trench IGBT and an optimized field stop concept with a smooth switching behavior

IGBT3 technology, with its trench cell and field stop is introduced for high voltage applications. The field stop concept has to be optimized, if modules with a high rated current are used in applications with a high stray inductance, to ensure the controllability of the voltage overshoot. The realized devices have greatly reduced losses in typical applications and allow an increase of the power output of converters.
Scanner Data and the Treatment of Quality Change in Nonrevisable Price Indexes

The recently developed rolling year GEKS procedure makes maximum use of all matches in the data to construct nonrevisable price indexes that are approximately free from chain drift. A potential weakness is that unmatched items are ignored. In this article we use imputation Törnqvist price indexes as inputs into the rolling year GEKS procedure. These indexes account for quality changes by imputing the “missing prices” associated with new and disappearing items. Three imputation methods are discussed. The first method makes explicit imputations using a hedonic regression model which is estimated for each time period. The other two methods make implicit imputations; they are based on time dummy hedonic and time-product dummy regression models and are estimated on bilateral pooled data. We present empirical evidence for New Zealand from scanner data on eight consumer electronics products and find that accounting for quality change can make a substantial difference.
The Fisher Effect revisited through an efficient non linear unit root testing procedure

As the Fisher Effect is either rejected or accepted without a real consensus in empirical studies, it is interesting to test for a unit root in a local-to-unity framework. Moreover, given the inflation expectation behaviour before and after 1979, we shall let a shift occur at a significant time break of our sample, so as to deal with potential non stationarity in the real interest rates series, instead of using Markov switching regimes models. The main innovation is to rely on structural breaks in the deterministic part while combining this method with an efficient unit root test. Empirical results reject a stochastic trend for the US short-term real interest rate from 1951 to 2000. This is consistent with an ex ante real rate constant over time.
Analysis of plug-in electric vehicles penetration in residential buildings under deterministic and stochastic scenarios

This paper presents a comparative analysis of a residential power system considering the inclusion of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) to the system, and both load curve of users and PEVs have a deterministic or stochastic behavior. For this analysis, two computational tools are used, DigSilent® and Matlab® in order to take advantage of the main features offered by each one. The communication system between these tools is completely autonomous using a control file. A study case is selected to implement the proposed methodology, and when the stochastic curves are implemented more realistic results are observed.
EGFR signaling and autophagy dependence for growth, survival, and therapy resistance

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is amplified or mutated in various human epithelial tumors. Its expression and activation leads to cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Consistently, EGFR amplification or expression of EGFR variant 3 (EGFRvIII) is associated with resistance to conventional cancer therapy through activation of pro-survival signaling and DNA-repair mechanisms. EGFR targeting has successfully been exploited as strategy to increase treatment efficacy. Nevertheless, these targeting strategies have only been proven effective in a limited percentage of human tumors. Recent knowledge indicates that EGFR deregulated tumors display differences in autophagy and dependence on autophagy for growth and survival and the use of autophagy to increase resistance to EGFR-targeting drugs. In this review the dependency on autophagy and its role in mediating resistance to EGFR-targeting agents will be discussed. Considering the current knowledge, autophagy inhibition could provide a novel strategy to enhance therapy efficacy in treatment of EGFR deregulated tumors.
Occupational Stress among IT/ITES Professionals in leading Metros in India: A Case Study

The rapid growth of IT/ITES industry as a whole is having a deep impact on the socio-economic dynamics of the country. The world has become a global village and new set of working conditions have emerged in India, which has put people under enormous demands, resulting in occupational stress. These professionals often work in environment which is changing very fast, have very little control over their environment, pace of working, or the kind of circumstances that they have to deal with. The high attrition rate in this sector, coupled with high absenteeism indicates that these professionals experience a lot of negative psychological consequence, which are a result of stress that they experience in their occupation. The objectives of the proposed research is to study the occupational stress among IT/ITES professionals and to findout whether there exists any significant differences in the nature and intensity of stress pattern among IT/ITES professionals with respect to gender and marital status.
Derivation of Quarterly GDP, Investment Spending, and Government Expenditure Figures from Annual Data: The Case of Pakistan

In this paper we convert annual GDP, investment spending, and government expenditure data into quarterly figures for Pakistan using observed annual time-series data for the period 1971-2010. Three different econometric disaggregation techniques, namely the Denton (1970) approach, the Chow-Lin (1971) framework, and the cubic spline interpolation method, are used for quarterisation. We use quarterly consumer price index (CPI) and industrial production index (IPI) as the indicator variables while disaggregating annual frequency data into quarterly frequency data. The time series properties of estimated quarterly series are examined using different unit root tests. Correlation estimates indicate that interpolated quarterly series using all three methods are highly correlated. Time series plots illustrate that while the series quartered using the Denton approach and the Chow-Lin procedure exhibit similar trends. However, the quarterisation based on the farmer approach is more variable as compared to that based on the later approach. The data set is given in the appendix and the estimation codes for all three methods are available from the authors.
The rise of the eco-preneur and the messy world of environmental innovation

Abstract Media and academic debates about the environment have increasingly made reference to the so-called ‘eco-preneur’ (‘green entrepreneur’ or ‘environmental entrepreneur’). These discussions encourage us to see the potential of such figures to act as drivers of environmental innovation. Their combination of entrepreneurial zeal and green motivations is seen as providing them with the ability to transcend the usual tensions between business and the environment. In academic circles a new literature is beginning to emerge around this perspective, ‘eco-preneurship’. In this paper we investigate the usefulness of eco-preneurship for understanding environmental innovation. In particular we ask where this literature, supported by popular images in the media, fixes our gaze when we think about environmental innovation in society. And, crucially, what might we be missing by concentrating our attention on these eco-preneurs? The paper concludes by suggesting that environmental innovation is better understood as an inherently messy and complex institutional process, which cannot be reduced to the psychology of entrepreneurial personalities.
Water resources of the Krasnoyarsk Krai in sustainable water management indices

SUMMARY A system of sustainable water management is suggested. This includes natural water production; acceptable sanitary- epidemiological water state; conservation and maintenance of biological water diversity; development of socioeconomic functions of water management; and instruments for water policy to conserve sustainable management of water consumption and protect consumers from injurious water effects. The developed system was applied to analyse the situation in the Yenisei River basin (Russia). Analysis in the basin showed that it is currently unsustainable: the share of purified water has not increased; water cost per unit production is high; the quality of water in the Yenisei River is still characterised as ‘polluted’; some people in the basin drink water containing injurious substances; and both purification facilities and water supply systems are in an unsatisfactory state. Hence, the financing of hydrological work is currently inadequate.
Analysis of Optimal Placement of LED Arrays for Visible Light Communication

In this paper the optimum placement of light emitting diode (LED) arrays is investigated for indoor visible light communication (VLC) subject to maximization of average area spectral efficiency (ASE). Design parameters of LED array such as the distance between two neighboring LEDs and the precise location on the ceiling of the LED arrays can be obtained by solving an optimization problem. The formulated optimization problem is applied to a room of 2.5m×5m×3m dimension where two square LED arrays provide the required illumination. Due to the complexity of the optimization problem, a numerical optimization procedure is employed and the maximization is carried out by using algorithms from Matlab optimization toolbox. The results show that when the users employ a wide field of view (FOV) detector (e.g. 85°) the optimum solution involves placing the two LED arrays close to the opposite walls in the direction of the highest dimension of the room. It is also shown that when employing receivers with a smaller FOV (45°) the optimum solution allows the two LED arrays to be placed farther away from the opposite walls in the room. The average ASE achieved in this case is twice as high as the average ASE obtained when employing receivers with 85° FOV. Moreover, when the illumination constraint is also fulfilled, the ASE performance degradation can be quite significant (e.g. 33% for detectors with 85° FOV) as compared with the case where the VLC system is used only for communication purposes.
ABC success: evidence from ISO 9000 certified companies in Thailand

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the success of activity-based costing (ABC) implementation by confirmatory factor analysis of ISO 9000 certified companies in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach - – A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from key participants, accountant managers in ISO 9000 certified companies. Findings - – The study confirmed the six constructs for the sample of 102 key participants. The results indicated that ABC implementation success in the context of ISO 9000 certified companies in Thailand consists of upper-management support, ABC system training, non-accounting ownership, links to quality initiative, adequate resources, and links to performance evaluation. Originality/value - – The findings have significant implications for ISO 9000 certified companies which intend to adopt or implement ABC. Past findings on ABC implementation success have a small-sample size so they are of limited usefulness. This research has a larger sample size and more carefully chosen participants and so the generalizations are more acceptable.
Global Transcriptome Pro fi ling of Developing Leaf and Shoot Apices Reveals Distinct Genetic and Environmental Control of Floral Transition and In fl orescence Development in Barley

Timing of the floral transition and inflorescence development strongly affect yield in barley (Hordeum vulgare). Therefore, we examined the effects of daylength and the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD1 (Ppd-H1) on barley development and analyzed gene expression changes in the developing leaves and main shoot apices (MSAs) of barley by RNA sequencing. The daylength sensitivity of MSA development had two phases, floret primordia initiated under long and short days, whereas successful inflorescence development occurred only under long days. The transcripts associated with floral transition were largely regulated independently of photoperiod and allelic variation at Ppd-H1. The photoperiodand Ppd-H1-dependent differences in inflorescence development and flower fertility were associated with the induction of barley FLOWERING LOCUS T orthologs: FT1 in leaves and FT2 in MSAs. FT1 expression was coregulated with transcripts involved in nutrient transport, carbohydrate metabolism, and cell cycle regulation, suggesting that FT1 might alter source-sink relationships. Successful inflorescence development correlated with upregulation of FT2 and transcripts related to floral organ development, phytohormones, and cell cycle regulation. Identification of photoperiod and stage-specific transcripts gives insights into the regulation of reproductive development in barley and provides a resource for investigation of the complexities of development and yield in temperate grasses.
The ALK inhibitor ceritinib overcomes crizotinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer.

UNLABELLED Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) harboring anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements invariably develop resistance to the ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) crizotinib. Herein, we report the first preclinical evaluation of the next-generation ALK TKI, ceritinib (LDK378), in the setting of crizotinib resistance. An interrogation of in vitro and in vivo models of acquired resistance to crizotinib, including cell lines established from biopsies of patients with crizotinib-resistant NSCLC, revealed that ceritinib potently overcomes crizotinib-resistant mutations. In particular, ceritinib effectively inhibits ALK harboring L1196M, G1269A, I1171T, and S1206Y mutations, and a cocrystal structure of ceritinib bound to ALK provides structural bases for this increased potency. However, we observed that ceritinib did not overcome two crizotinib-resistant ALK mutations, G1202R and F1174C, and one of these mutations was identified in 5 of 11 biopsies from patients with acquired resistance to ceritinib. Altogether, our results demonstrate that ceritinib can overcome crizotinib resistance, consistent with clinical data showing marked efficacy of ceritinib in patients with crizotinib-resistant disease. SIGNIFICANCE The second-generation ALK inhibitor ceritinib can overcome several crizotinib-resistant mutations and is potent against several in vitro and in vivo laboratory models of acquired resistance to crizotinib. These findings provide the molecular basis for the marked clinical activity of ceritinib in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC with crizotinib-resistant disease. Cancer Discov; 4(6); 662-73. ©2014 AACR. See related commentary by Ramalingam and Khuri, p. 634 This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 621.
Non-diabetic renal disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES A wide spectrum of non-diabetic renal diseases (NDRD) are reported to occur in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the prevalence and nature of NDRD in type 2 diabetics is not widely documented in our country. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to analyse prevalence and spectrum of non-diabetic renal disease in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS Two hundred sixty type 2 diabetic with clinical renal diseases were screened for evidence of NDRD, between April 1997 to March 1999. Renal disease other than diabetic nephropathy was found in 32 (12.3%) patients. Their (male 23; female 9) age ranged between 35-72 (mean 54.15+/-10.3) years. The duration of diabetes was < 5 years in 14 (43.7%), between 5-9 years in 8 (25%) and > 10 years in 10 (31.2%) patients. RESULTS The presenting clinical syndromes were : chronic renal failure 15 (47%), acute nephritic syndrome 6 (18.7%), nephrotic syndrome 5 (15.6%), acute renal failure 4 (12.5%) and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) in 2 (6.2%) cases. Overall, incidence of glomerular (46.8%) and tubulo-interstitial lesions (53.2%) were almost equal in type 2 diabetes patients. The spectrum of non-diabetic renal diseases includes : primary isolated glomerulopathy 12 (37.5%); mesangioproliferative GN superimposed on diabetic glomerulosclerosis (DGS) in 3 (9.3%); acute tubulo-interstitial nephropathy (TIN) 4 (12.5%); chronic TIN 10 (31.25%) and three patients had chronic pyelonephritis. Diabetic retinopathy was absent in 22 (69%) cases where 10 (31%) patients had background diabetic retinopathy. None of the patients with non-diabetic glomerular disease had diabetic retinopathy, except two who had DGS in addition to mesangioproliferative GN on renal biopsy. The background diabetic retinopathy was seen in 47% of patients with TIN without clinical evidence of diabetic nephropathy. The recovery of renal function or clinical improvement was observed in 47% of patients with NDRD with institution of appropriate treatment. CONCLUSION The prevalence of NDRD was 12.3% in our type 2 diabetic patients. Both non-diabetic glomerulopathy (47%) and tubulo-interstitial nephropathy (53%) can occur with nearly equal frequency in such patients. It is also gratifying to diagnose and treat NDRD in type 2 diabetics in selected cases.
Expression of sox11 gene duplicates in zebrafish suggests the reciprocal loss of ancestral gene expression patterns in development

To investigate the role of sox genes in vertebrate development, we have isolated sox11 from zebrafish (Danio rerio). Two distinct classes of sox11‐related cDNAs were identified, sox11a and sox11b. The predicted protein sequences shared 75% identity. In a gene phylogeny, both sox11a and sox11b cluster with human, mouse, chick, and Xenopus Sox11, indicating that zebrafish, like Xenopus, has two orthologues of tetrapod Sox11. The work reported here investigates the evolutionary origin of these two gene duplicates and the consequences of their duplication for development. The sox11a and sox11b genes map to linkage groups 17 and 20, respectively, together with other loci whose orthologues are syntenic with human SOX11, suggesting that during the fish lineage, a large chromosome region sharing conserved syntenies with mammals has become duplicated. Studies in mouse and chick have shown that Sox11 is expressed in the central nervous system during development. Expression patterns of zebrafish sox11a and sox11b confirm that they are expressed in the developing nervous system, including the forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, eyes, and ears from an early stage. Other sites of expression include the fin buds and somites. The two sox genes, sox11a and sox11b, are expressed in both overlapping and distinct sites. Their expression patterns suggest that sox11a and sox11b may share the developmental domainsof the single Sox11 gene present in mouse and chick. For example, zebrafish sox11a is expressed in the anterior somites, and zebrafish sox11b is expressed in the posterior somites, but the single Sox11 gene of mouse is expressed in all the somites. Thus, the zebrafish duplicate genes appear to have reciprocally lost expression domains present in the sox11 gene of the last common ancestor of tetrapods and zebrafish. This splitting of the roles of Sox11 between two paralogues suggests that regulatory elements governing the expression of the sox11 gene in the common ancestor of zebrafish and tetrapods may have been reciprocally mutated in the zebrafish gene duplicates. This is consistent with duplicate gene evolution via a duplication‐degeneration‐complementation process. Dev Den;217:279–292. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SOD1 dimerization monitoring using a novel split NanoLuc, NanoBit

In the present study, we applied a highly sensitive NanoLuc‐based technology to understand the status of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) within mammalian cells. Two fragments of NanoLuc (NanoBit), large N‐terminal and small C‐terminal regions, were fused with wild‐type (wt) and mutant human SOD1 (hSOD1) genes and transfected into cells. Luciferase activity through NanoBit assembly was only detected in NanoBit‐tagged wtSOD1‐expressing cells. Furthermore, the developed NanoLuc system was used to investigate the role of protein‐protein interactions in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition to SOD1, we also applied this NanoBit system for detecting the dimerization of wild‐type, M337V‐mutated human TAR‐binding protein 43 kDa (hTDP43) and its cleaved C‐terminal fragment (TDP25M337V) as well as their interactions with SOD1. Luciferase activities of NanoBit‐tagged mutant SOD1, TDP43, or TDP25 were negligible. Finally, we found that a zinc chelator partially reduced the luciferase activity of NanoBit‐wtSOD1. Collectively, these results show that the present assay is sensitive and convenient to appreciate ALS and to develop useful agents for the modulation of SOD1 conformation.
Angiopoietin-Related/Angiopoietin-Like Proteins Regulate Angiogenesis

A general understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying angiogenesis is emerging from the analysis of targeted mutations in vasculature-related genes.These analyses reveal that angiopoietin signaling through the TIE2 receptor is involved in regulating angiogenesis. Recently, we and several other groups have independently identified several molecules containing a coiled-coil domain and a fibrinogen-like domain, both of which are structurally conserved in angiopoietins. Because these molecules do not bind to the angiopoietin-specific receptor,TIE2, they have been named angiopoietin-related proteins (ARPs) or angiopoietin-like proteins (Angptls). ARPs/Angptls, which are all currently orphan ligands, also have potent activity for regulating angiogenesis as proangiogenic or antiangiogenic factors, suggesting that their receptors may be expressed on endothelial cells. In addition, ARPs/Angptls show pleiotropic effects not only on vascular cells but also on cells of other lineages, such as skin and chondrocyte cells. More recent studies have proposed that ARPs/Angptls are involved in various pathologies, such as tumor angiogenesis and metabolic diseases. To summarize the current findings relating to these proteins, we focus in this review on the functions of ARPs/Angptls as new angiogenic modulating factors in the vascular system and discuss the pleiotropic functions of ARPs/Angptls in nonvascular cell lineages.
Unit roots versus segmented trends in developing country output series

This paper examines the null hypothesis that output series contain a unit root against the alternative of a segmented trend in a representative sample of 31 developing countries. Nearly two-thirds of the countries reject the unit root hypothesis at least once in favour of a segmented trend representation. A large majority of endogenously determined structural breaks occur around the time of the first or the second oil price shock, and are of negative sign.