Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linkage lock-in and regional economic development: the case of the Øresund medi-tech plastics industry

This paper examines the role of interfirm linkages in influencing the dynamics of regional economic development. Developing a conceptual framework, we claim that switching costs (real or perceived) can lock firms into existing linkages with the potential effect of impeding regional economic development. A main argument is that in dynamic and competitive environments a class of switching costs, learning opportunity costs, might arise out of the relative importance of learning and innovation. We apply our framework to understand what goes on in the Øresund medi-tech plastics industry, taking as a starting point the lack of cross-border linkage participation in this industry. Through a case study research design we obtain evidence about the characteristics and dynamics of linkage lock-in and switching costs in this particular context and explain that learning opportunity costs prevail and make increased linkage participation across Øresund tardy. Promising future research arising from the present study includes enquiry into dissimilar industries, the possible intermediating role of third parties and the complementarities of the Danish and Swedish areas with a focus on the potential of cross-border regional specialization. All this would potentially add to a more complete picture of the notion of switching costs.
Effects of energy restriction and exercise on bone mineral density during lactation.

UNLABELLED Modest energy restriction combined with resistance training (RT) has been shown in nonlactating women to protect bone during periods of weight loss. However, there is a paucity of research on dietary interventions and exercise in lactating women aimed at promoting bone health and weight loss. PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effects of energy restriction and exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and hormones during lactation. METHODS At 4 wk postpartum, participants were randomized to either a 16-wk intervention (diet restricted by 500 kcal and RT 3 d·wk) group (IG = 14) or minimal care group (CG = 13). Measurements included BMD by DXA, three 24-h dietary recalls, and hormones. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test for group differences over time. RESULTS Energy intake decreased more in IG (613 ± 521 kcal) than CG (171 ± 435 kcal) (P = 0.03). IG lost more weight (5.8 ± 3.5 kg vs CG = 1.6 ± 5.4 kg, P = 0.02). BMD decreased over time, P < 0.01, with no group differences in lumbar spine (IG = 3.4% ± 2.5%, CG = 3.7% ± 3.3%) or hip (IG and CG = 3.1 ± 1.8%). Prolactin and estradiol decreased over time in both groups, P < 0.01. Basal growth hormone remained stable; however, there was a significant increase in growth hormone response to exercise in IG. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that moderate energy restriction combined with RT promotes weight loss with no adverse effects on BMD during lactation.
Higher-Moment Portfolio Theory

A new portfolio theory takes into account the non-Gaussian properties of asset returns. The non-Gaussian properties of a portfolio are quantified by the so-called moments and cumulants of its distribution of returns. Generalizing the concept of efficient frontiers, the non-Gaussian efficient frontier depends on the chosen risk measure, corresponding to different orders or combinations of centered moments or cumulants. These extended formulas let investors analyze the conditions under which it is possible to have one's cake and eat it too, in order to construct a portfolio with both higher return and fewer major risks.
Salience, Coordination and Cooperation in Contributing to Threshold Public Goods

We present results from a multiple public goods experiment, where each public good produces benefits only if total contributions to it reach a minimum threshold. The experiment allows us to compare subjects' behavior in a benchmark treatment with a single public good and in treatments with more public goods than can be funded. We show how the availability of additional, more-efficient public goods may not make subjects better off. This is because additional options decrease the probability of coordination and discourage contributions. Introducing additional, less-efficient options does not alter coordination and contributions relative to the benchmark.
Integrating group-wise functional brain activities via point processes

Studying functional brain activities based on analyzing BOLD signals derived from fMRI data has received significant interest in the neuroimaging field. However, there exists considerable variability of BOLD signals for the corresponding brain region of interest (ROI) across different subjects. To extract more reliable and representative information from BOLD signals, in this paper, we propose a novel stochastic group-wise task BOLD information assessment framework. First, each BOLD signal is characterized as a point process. Second, a state-space generalized linear model is built to integrate group-wise point processes of the corresponding ROI across subjects. Third, a dynamics rate function is proposed to assess the stochastic group-wise BOLD information. Our experimental results based on working memory task fMRI data demonstrate that the resulting stochastic group-wise BOLD information is more accurate and informative than the original BOLD signals in each individual subject in terms of more robust response to the task stimulus.
Genetic basis of priority effects: insights from nectar yeast

Priority effects, in which the order of species arrival dictates community assembly, can have a major influence on species diversity, but the genetic basis of priority effects remains unknown. Here, we suggest that nitrogen scavenging genes previously considered responsible for starvation avoidance may drive priority effects by causing rapid resource depletion. Using single-molecule sequencing, we de novo assembled the genome of the nectar-colonizing yeast, Metschnikowia reukaufii, across eight scaffolds and complete mitochondrion, with gap-free coverage over gene spaces. We found a high rate of tandem gene duplication in this genome, enriched for nitrogen metabolism and transport. Both high-capacity amino acid importers, GAP1 and PUT4, present as tandem gene arrays, were highly expressed in synthetic nectar and regulated by the availability and quality of amino acids. In experiments with competitive nectar yeast, Candida rancensis, amino acid addition alleviated suppression of C. rancensis by early arrival of M. reukaufii, corroborating that amino acid scavenging may contribute to priority effects. Because niche pre-emption via rapid resource depletion may underlie priority effects in a broad range of microbial, plant and animal communities, nutrient scavenging genes like the ones we considered here may be broadly relevant to understanding priority effects.
Molecular mechanical properties of short-sequence peptide enzyme mimics

While considerable attempts have been made to recreate the high turnover rates of enzymes using synthetic enzyme mimics, most have failed and only a few have produced minimal reaction rates that can barely be considered catalytic. One particular approach we have focused on is the use of short-sequence peptides that contain key catalytic groups in close proximity. In this study, we designed six different peptides and tested their ability to mimic the catalytic mechanism of the cysteine proteases. Acetylation and deacylation by Ellman’s Reagent trapping experiments showed the importance of having phenylalanine groups surrounding the catalytic sites in order to provide greater proximity between the cysteine, histidine, and aspartate amino acid R-groups. We have also carried out all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to determine the distance between these catalytic groups and the overall mechanical flexibility of the peptides. We found strong correlations between the magnitude of fluctuations in the Cys-His distance, which determines the flexibility and interactions between the cysteine thiol and histidine imidazole groups, and the deacylation rate. We found that, in general, shorter Cys-His distance fluctuations led to a higher deacylation rate constant, implying that greater confinement of the two residues will allow a higher frequency of the acetyl exchange between the cysteine thiol and histidine imidazole R-groups. This may be the key to future design of peptide structures with molecular mechanical properties that lead to viable enzyme mimics.
RE-AIMing research for application: ways to improve evidence for family medicine.

OBJECTIVE To outline changes in clinical research design and measurement that should enhance the relevance of research to family medicine. METHODS Review of the traditional efficacy research paradigm and discussion of why this needs to be expanded. Presentation of practical clinical and behavioral trials frameworks, and of the RE-AIM model for planning, evaluating, and reporting studies. RESULTS Recommended changes to improve the external validity and relevance of research to family medicine include studying multiple clinical practices, realistic alternative program choices, heterogeneous and representative patients, and multiple outcomes including cost, behavior change of patients and staff, generalization, and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS The methods and procedures discussed can help program planners, evaluators and readers of research articles to evaluate the replicability, consistency of effects, and likelihood of widespread adoption of interventions.
Changes over 13 years in skin reactivity to histamine in cohorts of children aged 9–13 years

Background: Several studies report substantial differences in the prevalence of skin test reactivity to allergens in children from adjacent geographic areas; others report an increased prevalence over time. To find out whether these differences depend on variations in skin reactivity to histamine, we determined the time trend of histamine wheal sizes in successive cohorts of unselected children living in the same area (Viterbo, Italy).
A Note on Tax Evasion as a Function of the Quality of Information about the Magnitude and Credibility of Threatened Fines: Some Preliminary Research

In a pame-simulation context, tax evasion behavior of 13 subjects was observed. The probability that tax evasion will be detected and fined appears to be a more effective deterrent than the size of such fines, although both the magnitude of finm and their probability affect tax evasion. Vague information about the probability that fines will be imposed enhances the deterrent power of low probability audits and small fines.
Analysts' estimates: What they could be telling us about the impact of IFRS on earnings manipulation in Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the European Union reduced earnings manipulation, as proxied by the difference between a firm's reported earnings and ex post estimate of earnings by financial analysts. Design/methodology/approach – Controlling for firm and institutional factors and drawing upon a sample of 15,034 firm‐year observations from 20 European countries, the research design entailed examining the change in the earnings manipulation proxy during pre‐ and post‐IFRS adoption periods. Findings – The principal finding from this analysis was a decline in the magnitude of the proxy for earnings manipulation coincidental with IFRS adoption, which suggests that a uniform financial reporting regime may have contributed to exposing the use of temporary activities to manipulate earnings. Originality/value – The results of this study make an important contribution to the extant literature on the outcomes of IFRS adoption, and should be of value to investors and standard setters, who want honest and comparable financial reporting but are opposed to regulatory intervention. Of equal significance is the innovative model introduced to proxy for earnings manipulation.
CRC806-Database: A semantic e-Science infrastructure for an interdisciplinary research centre

Well designed information infrastructure improves the conduct of research, and can connect researchers and projects across disciplines to facilitate collaboration. The topic of this thesis is the design and development of an information infrastructure for a large interdisciplinary research project, the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre 806 (CRC 806). Under the name CRC806-Database the presented infrastructure was developed in the frame of the subproject "Z2: Data Management and Data Services", a so-called INF project, which is responsible for the research data management within a DFG funded CRC. During the design, development and implementation of the CRC806-Database, the complex requirements for sound data management in the context of a large interdisciplinary research project were considered theoretically, as well as practically during the implementation. The presented infrastructure design is mainly based on the requirements for research data management in CRC's, that is mainly the secure storage of primary research data for at least ten years, as well as on the further recommendations, that are about support and improvement of research and facilitation of Web-based collaboration, for information infrastructure by the DFG. The CRC806-Database semantic e-Science infrastructure consists of three main components, i. ) the CRC806-RDM component that implements the research data management, including a data catalog and a publication database, ii. ) the CRC806-SDI component that provides a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for Web-based management of spatial data, and additionally, iii. ) the CRC806-KB component that implements a collaborative virtual research environment and knowledgebase. From a technical perspective, the infrastructure is based on the application of existing Open Source Software (OSS) solutions, that were customized to adapt to the specific requirements were necessary. The main OSS products that were applied for the development of the CRC806-Database are; Typo3, CKAN, GeoNode and Semantic MediaWiki. As integrative technical and theoretical basis of the infrastructure, the concept of Semantic e-Science was implemented. The term e-Science refers to a scientific paradigm that describes computationally intensive science carried out in networked environments. The prefix "Semantic" extends this concept with the application of Semantic Web technologies. A further applied conceptual basis for the development of CRC806-Database, is known under the name "Open Science", that includes the concepts of "Open Access", "Open Data" and "Open Methodology". These concepts have been implemented for the CRC806-Database semantic e-Science infrastructure, as described in the course of this thesis.
The Contribution Of Foreign Investors To Price Discovery In The Indonesian Stock Exchange

This article examines the contribution of foreign investors to price discovery by applying a vector error correction model (VECM) to 30 frequently-traded stocks on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. We use the Lee and Ready (1991) rule to determine the initiator of a trade and compute the volume weighted average price (VWAP) for every 30 min interval during the period 2004–2006. There are three key findings. First, foreign investors are more aggressive than local investors in placing their orders yet foreigners do not trade as often as locals. Second, the profits of foreign investors are smaller than local investors. Third, foreign investors need to adjust their trade price at a higher magnitude to achieve price equilibrium, which indicates that the majority of price discovery occurs among local investors in the Indonesian market.
Are factors originating from serum, plasma, or cultured cells involved in the growth‐promoting effect of the extracellular matrix produced by cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells?

The possibilities that the growth‐promoting effect of the extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by cultured bovine corneal endothelial (BCE) cells could be due to: (1) adsorbed cellular factors released during the cell lysis process leading to the denudation of the ECM; (2) adsorbed serum or plasma factors: or (3) adsorbed exogenous growth factors have been examined. Exposure of confluent BCE cultures to 2 M urea in medium supplemented with 0.5% calf serum denudes the ECM without cell lysis. The ECM prepared by this procedure supports cell growth just as well as ECM prepared by denudation involving cell lysis. Thus, it is unlikely that the growth‐promoting properties of ECM are due to adsorbed cellular factors. When the ECM produced by BCE cells grown in defined medium supplemented with high‐density lipoprotein, transferrin, and insulin was compared to the ECMs produced by cells grown in the presence of serum‐ or plasma‐supplemented medium, all were found to be equally potent in stimulating cell growth. It is therefore unlikely that the growth‐promoting ability of the ECM is due to adsorbed plasma or serum components. When fibroblast growth factor (FGF)‐coated and ECM‐coated plastic dishes were submitted to a heat treatment (70°C, 30 min) which results in the inactivation of FGF, the growth‐supporting ability of FGF‐coated dishes was lost, while the comparable ability of ECM‐coated dishes was not affected significantly. This observation tends to demonstrate that the active factor present in the ECM is not FGF. Nor is it platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), since treatment known to destroy the activity of PDGF, such as exposure to dithiothreitol (0.1 M, 30 min, 22°C) or to β‐mercaptoethanol (10%) in the presence or absence of 6 M urea for 30 min at 227°C, does not affect the growth‐promoting activity of ECM. It is therefore unlikely that the growth‐promoting effect of ECM is due to cellular growth‐promoting agents or to plasma or serum factors adsorbed onto the ECM.
Mortgage Prepayment and Default Decisions: A Poisson Regression Approach

This paper uses an extensive and geographically dispersed sample of single-family fixed rate mortgages to assess the prepayment and default behavior of individual homeowners. We make use of Poisson regression to efficiently estimate the parameters of a proportional hazards model for prepayment and default decisions. Poisson regression for grouped survival data has several advantages over partial likelihood methods. First, when dealing with time-dependent covar-iates, it is considerably more efficient in terms of computations. Second, it is possible to estimate full-hazard models which include, for example, functions of time as well as multiple time scales (i.e., age of the loan and calendar time), in a much more straightforward manner than partial likelihood methods for un-grouped data. Third, Poisson regression can be used to estimate non-proportional hazards models such as additive excess risk specifications. Taken together, our data and estimation methodology allow us to obtain a better understanding of the economic factors underlying prepayment and default decisions. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.
Image‐based quantification and mathematical modeling of spatial heterogeneity in ESC colonies

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have the potential to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers. This unique property has been extensively studied on the intracellular, transcriptional level. However, ESCs typically form clusters of cells with distinct size and shape, and establish spatial structures that are vital for the maintenance of pluripotency. Even though it is recognized that the cells' arrangement and local interactions play a role in fate decision processes, the relations between transcriptional and spatial patterns have not yet been studied. We present a systems biology approach which combines live‐cell imaging, quantitative image analysis, and multiscale, mathematical modeling of ESC growth. In particular, we develop quantitative measures of the morphology and of the spatial clustering of ESCs with different expression levels and apply them to images of both in vitro and in silico cultures. Using the same measures, we are able to compare model scenarios with different assumptions on cell–cell adhesions and intercellular feedback mechanisms directly with experimental data. Applying our methodology to microscopy images of cultured ESCs, we demonstrate that the emerging colonies are highly variable regarding both morphological and spatial fluorescence patterns. Moreover, we can show that most ESC colonies contain only one cluster of cells with high self‐renewing capacity. These cells are preferentially located in the interior of a colony structure. The integrated approach combining image analysis with mathematical modeling allows us to reveal potential transcription factor related cellular and intercellular mechanisms behind the emergence of observed patterns that cannot be derived from images directly. © 2015 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Combinatorial Control Required for the Specificity of Yeast MAPK Signaling

In yeast, an overlapping set of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling components controls mating, haploid invasion, and pseudohyphal development. Paradoxically, a single downstream transcription factor, Ste12, is necessary for the execution of these distinct programs. Developmental specificity was found to require a transcription factor of the TEA/ATTS family, Tec1, which cooperates with Ste12 during filamentous and invasive growth. Purified derivatives of Ste12 and Tec1 bind cooperatively to enhancer elements called filamentation and invasion response elements (FREs), which program transcription that is specifically responsive to the MAPK signaling components required for filamentous growth. An FRE in the TEC1 promoter functions in a positive feedback loop required for pseudohyphal development.
Using Social Media to Create a Global Community of Sustainability-Engaged Students

Colleen Naughton is a doctoral student at the University of South Florida in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is advised by Dr. James R. Mihelcic. Colleen was part of the Peace Corps Master’s International Program where she served and conducted research in Mali, West Africa for three years as a Water and Sanitation Engineer. Her research was focused on ”Monitoring and Evaluation of an Appropriate Handwashing Technology. ” Colleen’s dissertation research involves a human and embodied material energy analysis of the Shea Butter process; mapping the Shea Butter belt using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to estimate the area and population that work with and consume Shea butter; and quantifying emissions of carbon black from the smoking and boiling of shea nuts.
Transsternal Repair of Morgagni Hernia in a Patient with Coexistent Ventricular Septal Defect and Down Syndrome

Abstract Background: Morgagni hernia is a rare diaphragmatic hernia occurring secondary to potential anterior medial defects in the diaphragm. The association of the defect with congenital cardiac pathologies and Down syndrome has already been reported. The defect is repaired usually by transabdominal or transthoracic approaches. Transsternal repair of the hernia is preferred in patients undergoing concomitant open heart surgery. Case: An eight-month old child with Down syndrome and congenital hypothyroidism underwent concomitant repair of Morgagni hernia and closure of his ventricular septal defect under cardiopulmonary bypass. The hernia was repaired by the sternotomy approach, without opening the hernia content, before the correction of the cardiac pathology. Comment: As Morgagni hernia can accompany some congenital cardiac anomalies, cardiac surgeons should be familiar with the transsternal approach to the defect which is as effective as other surgical approaches.