Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of electronic supply chain design (e-SCD) on coordination and knowledge sharing: an empirical investigation

Customization is a critical success factor in the current business environment. One of the most important components that makes fast and inexpensive customization possible is electronic supply chain design (e-SCD). e-SCD is a supply chain design which integrates and coordinates suppliers, manufacturers, logistic channels, and customers using information technology (IT). In this study, a model that shows the effects of e-SCD on the customization capability of companies is developed. From previous studies, the model identifies three major effects of e-SCD-electronic linkage, supply chain coordination, and co-engineering. The model also shows a process through which an electronic supply chain network is transformed from a simple infrastructure for data exchange into a knowledge-sharing network for fast response and customization. The model is tested using data collected from the automobile industry in Korea. The results show that e-SCD has significant effects on supply chain coordination and co-engineering. This implies that e-SCD can be an effective management tool to deliver customized products with right timing and price. It is also shown that the 'involvement' of entities in a supply chain is a critical factor in converting a supply chain network from an infrastructure for data exchange to a knowledge-sharing network.
Human agency in management accounting change: a cognitive approach to institutional theory

Onderwerp van het onderzoek van Martijn van der Steen is het programma Resultaatgericht Sturen (RS) van de Rabobank. RS werd ontworpen om lokale banken te ondersteunen bij het professionaliseren van de plannings- en controlecyclus. Het onderzoek richtte zich vooral op het menselijke aspect van het programma. Een doelstelling van RS is managers meer bewust te maken van de gevolgen van hun handelen. Van der Steen plaatst dit in een theoretisch kader. Hij concludeert onder meer dat een verandering alleen beklijft als mensen in de gelegenheid worden gesteld om betekenis te geven aan een en ander.
Physiological Parameter Monitoring from Optical Recordings With a Mobile Phone

We show that a mobile phone can serve as an accurate monitor for several physiological variables, based on its ability to record and analyze the varying color signals of a fingertip placed in contact with its optical sensor. We confirm the accuracy of measurements of breathing rate, cardiac R-R intervals, and blood oxygen saturation, by comparisons to standard methods for making such measurements (respiration belts, ECGs, and pulse-oximeters, respectively). Measurement of respiratory rate uses a previously reported algorithm developed for use with a pulse-oximeter, based on amplitude and frequency modulation sequences within the light signal. We note that this technology can also be used with recently developed algorithms for detection of atrial fibrillation or blood loss.
Aquaporins Contribute to ABA-Triggered Stomatal Closure through OST1-Mediated Phosphorylation

The drought-induced hormone abscisic acid increases guard cell water permeability by activating a specific aquaporin, and thereby promoting stomatal closure, in a mechanism involving a protein kinase. Stomatal movements in response to environmental stimuli critically control the plant water status. Although these movements are governed by osmotically driven changes in guard cell volume, the role of membrane water channels (aquaporins) has remained hypothetical. Assays in epidermal peels showed that knockout Arabidopsis thaliana plants lacking the Plasma membrane Intrinsic Protein 2;1 (PIP2;1) aquaporin have a defect in stomatal closure, specifically in response to abscisic acid (ABA). ABA induced a 2-fold increase in osmotic water permeability (Pf) of guard cell protoplasts and an accumulation of reactive oxygen species in guard cells, which were both abrogated in pip2;1 plants. Open stomata 1 (OST1)/Snf1-related protein kinase 2.6 (SnRK2.6), a protein kinase involved in guard cell ABA signaling, was able to phosphorylate a cytosolic PIP2;1 peptide at Ser-121. OST1 enhanced PIP2;1 water transport activity when coexpressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Upon expression in pip2;1 plants, a phosphomimetic form (Ser121Asp) but not a phosphodeficient form (Ser121Ala) of PIP2;1 constitutively enhanced the Pf of guard cell protoplasts while suppressing its ABA-dependent activation and was able to restore ABA-dependent stomatal closure in pip2;1. This work supports a model whereby ABA-triggered stomatal closure requires an increase in guard cell permeability to water and possibly hydrogen peroxide, through OST1-dependent phosphorylation of PIP2;1 at Ser-121.
Collagen gel contraction serves to rapidly distinguish epithelial- and mesenchymal-derived cells irrespective of α-smooth muscle actin expression

SummaryMesenchymal-like cells in the stroma of breast cancer may arise as a consequence of plasticity within the epithelial compartment, also referred to as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or by recruitment of genuine mesenchymal cells from the peritumoral stroma. Cells of both the epithelial compartment and the stromal compartment express α smooth muscle actin (α-sm actin) as part of a myoepithelial or a myofibroblastic differentiation program, respectively. Moreover, because both epithelial- and mesenchymal-derived cells are nontumorigenic, other means of discrimination are warranted. Here, we describe the contraction of hydrated collagen gels as a rapid functional assay for the distinction between epithelial-cell lines and three genuine mesenchymal-derived breast cell lines were plated on top of hydrated collagen lattices. Reduction in gel height was measured every hour for 6 h and after 22 h using an x−y−x automated position table. Significantly, the epithelial-derived cells, irrespective of a high α-sm actin expression, had a fivefold lower contractility (10.0% reduction in gel height) than their true mesenchymal counterparts (53.1% reduction in gel height). To test whether at all force generation could be induced in the nonmesenchymal cells by α-sm actin, transductions were performed to obtain a tetracycline-dependent expression. Expression under these conditions did not augment contractility. It is concluded that epithelial-derived mesenchymal-like cells are functionally defective within a connective tissue environment irrespective of an apparent contractile phenotype.
Model of soft-switching converter and power control of grid-connected photovoltaic systems

This paper presents a modeling technique, so called Power Oriented Graph, suitable for designing and simulating new topologies of inverter in energy generation system and reducing production cost. This technique is used for modeling a recently proposed soft-switching grid-connected DC/AC power converter for photovoltaic systems. Modifications in the structure of the DC/DC converter and in the control of the DC/AC converter are proposed. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the presented model and the introduced improvements.
Practical overview of analytical methods for endocrine-disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water and wastewater

The detection of organic micropollutants, such as endocrine-disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, in wastewater and the aquatic environment has brought increasing concern over their potential adverse ecological and human impacts. These compounds are generally present at trace levels (ng l−1) and in complex water matrices, such as wastewaters and surface waters, making their analysis difficult. Currently, no standardized analytical methods are available for the analysis of organic micropollutants in environmental waters. Owing to the diversity of physico-chemical properties exhibited by the various classes of organic micropollutants, the majority of established analytical methods described in the literature focus on a specific class of compounds, with few methods applicable to multi-class compound analysis. As such, analytical challenges and limitations contribute to the lack of understanding of the effectiveness of drinking water and wastewater treatment processes to remove organic micropollutants. This paper provides a practical overview of current analytical methods that have been developed for the analysis of multiple classes of organic micropollutants from various water matrices and describes the challenges and limitations associated with the development of these methods.
Investigations on the shielding function of task sets and its underlying mechanism

The flexibility of the human mind is often studied using the task switching paradigm. Subjects are instructed to alternate between two or more tasks and typically perform worse on a task switch than on a repetition. Dreisbach and colleagues (Dreisbach et al., 2007; Dreisbach & Haider, 2008, 2009) investigated whether rule use is only associated with this detrimental effect – the cost of switching – or also offers benefits. They found that applying categorization rules instead of seemingly arbitrary stimulus-response mappings results in reduced susceptibility to distraction and termed this effect the shielding function of task sets. The present thesis addressed open questions regarding this shielding function. I investigated how shielding affects task-related distraction as compared to the irrelevant distracters Dreisbach and Haider had used. In addition, shielding was studied in the context of unpredictable and predictable task switching in order to further investigate its underlying mechanism. Results show that using task rules enables subjects to avoid distraction by focusing on task-related information. This was deduced from the facts that a) stimuli that fit the instructed categories were automatically categorized and b) a reduction of shielding did not result in an overall increased distractibility but led to attenuated interference by task-related distracters. Overall, shielding seems to be possible because – in contrast to arbitrary SR mappings – rules offer a single and common response-defining stimulus feature. The observed preference for such task-related information is modulated by task activation, as evidenced by a reduction of shielding on unpredictable but not on predictable task switches.
Linear MMSE Transceiver Design in Amplify-and-Forward MIMO Relay Systems

We consider the precoding problem in an amplify-and-forward (AF) multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) relay system in which multiple antennas are equipped at the source, the relay, and the destination. Most existing methods for this problem only consider the design of the relay precoder, and some even ignore the direct link. In this paper, we consider a joint source/relay precoder design problem, taking both the direct and the relay links into account. Using a minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) criterion, we first formulate the problem as a constrained optimization problem. However, it is found that the mean square error (MSE) is a highly nonlinear function of the precoders, and a direct optimization is difficult to conduct. We then design the precoders to diagonalize the MSE matrix in the cost function. To do that, we pose certain structural constraints on the precoders and derive an MSE upper bound. It turns out that minimization with respect to this bound becomes simple and straightforward. Using the standard Lagrange technique, we can finally obtain the solution with an iterative water-filling method. Simulation results show that the proposed method, with an additional precoder, outperforms the existing methods, in terms of either the MSE or the bit error rate (BER).
Women Who Choose Islam

Abstract Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion and with 6 million to 8 million Muslims in North America, it remains a sizable minority. To facilitate understanding. the seven basic beliefs and five obligatory duties/pillars of Islam are stated. Perceptions and possible misconceptions regarding the status of women in Islam are discussed and clarified. To enhance practice strategy for professionals in time-limited settings, information from several interviews with women who became Muslim are presented along with the findings of previous research. Discussion focuses on significant issues, changes, and challenges encountered. Issues identified involved family and social life changes, employment, dress and attire, learning and practicing the basic tenets of the faith. avoiding physical contact with men who are not related by a blood or marital bond, acceptance by other Muslims, and how to best raise children to be good Muslims. To facilitate therapy, helping professionals need to be “self-aware” and enlightened regarding their clients’ ethnic background and how these perceptions and beliefs can affect the helping relationship. Professionals are encouraged to identify, acknowledge, and anticipate the struggle(s) faced by clients in order to provide equitable ethnicsensitive practice. Recommendations are made for sensitivity training regarding Islam, Muslims, and American Muslim women.
PARP-14 Binds Specific DNA Sequences to Promote Th2 Cell Gene Expression

PARP-14, a member of the poly ADP-ribose polymerase super family, promotes T helper cell 2 (Th2) differentiation by regulating interleukin-4 (IL-4) and STAT6-dependent transcription. Yet, whether PARP-14 globally impacts gene regulation has not been determined. In this report, using an RNA pol II ChIP-seq approach, we identify genes in Th2 cells that are regulated by PARP-14, and either dependent or independent of ADP-ribosyltransferase catalytic activity. Our data demonstrate that PARP-14 enhances the expression of Th2 genes as it represses the expression of Th1-associated genes. Among the relevant targets are Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription genes required for polarizing Th1 and Th2 cells. To define a mechanism for PARP-14 function, we use an informatics approach to identify putative PARP-14 DNA binding sites. Two putative PARP-14 binding motifs are identified in multiple Th2 cytokine genes, and we demonstrate that PARP-14 interacts with each motif using in vitro binding assays. Taken together our results indicate that PARP-14 is an important factor for T helper cell differentiation and it binds to specific DNA sequences to mediate its function.
Measuring Facial Expression and Emotional Experience under Diverse Social Context in a Negative Emotional Setting

This paper presents an empirical study of the social context effect on facial expressions in a negative emotional setting. In this study participants watched sadness-inducing film clips under different social context (alone, with stranger or with friend) and their facial expressions were coded with the Observer XT using the Facial Expression Coding System (FACES; [1]). According to Fridlund’s Behavioral Ecology View [2], the presence of an intimate social interactant may facilitate negative expression. Yet the assessment and evaluation of facial behavior and selfreports of emotion revealed that negative expression did not vary as a function of sociality whereas positive expression was facilitated with the presence of a friend despite the negative valence of the stimuli. Furthermore participants reported being less sad in the presence of a friend. The finding may imply that the effect of the social context may show a different pattern regarding negative and positive facial expression in different emotional settings.
Design and Management of Complex Technical Processes and Systems by means of Computational Intelligence Methods Methods for the Analysis of Evolutionary Algorithms on Pseudo-Boolean Functions

Many experiments have shown that evolutionary algorithms are useful randomized search heuristics for optimization problems. In order to learn more about the reasons for their efficiency and in order to obtain proven results on evolutionary algorithms it is necessary to develop a theory of evolutionary algorithms. Such a theory is still in its infancy. A major part of a theory is the analysis of different variants of evolutionary algorithms on selected functions. Several results of this kind have been obtained during the last years. Here important analytical tools are presented, discussed, and applied to well-chosen example functions.
Parallel Tools for Solving Incremental Dense Least Squares Problems: Application to Space Geodesy

We present a parallel distributed solver that enables us to solve incremental dense least squares arising in some parameter estimation problems. This solver is based on ScaLAPACK [8] and PBLAS [9] kernel routines. In the incremental process, the observations are collected periodically and the solver updates the solution with new observations using a QR factorization algorithm. It uses a recently defined distributed packed format [3] that handles symmetric or triangular matrices in ScaLAPACK-based implementations. We provide performance analysis on IBM pSeries 690. We also present an example of application in the area of space geodesy for gravity field computations with some experimental results.
Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Recording Reveals Subthreshold Sound-Evoked Postsynaptic Currents in the Inferior Colliculus of Awake Bats

The inferior colliculus receives excitatory and inhibitory input from parallel auditory pathways that differ in discharge patterns, latencies, and binaural properties. Processing in the inferior colliculus may depend on the temporal sequence in which excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs are activated and on the resulting balance between excitation and inhibition. To explore this issue at the cellular level, we used the novel approach of whole-cell patch-clamp recording in the midbrain of awake bats (Eptesicus fuscus) to record EPSCs or IPSCs. Sound-evoked EPSCs were recorded in most neurons. These EPSCs were frequently preceded by an IPSC, followed by an IPSC, or both. These findings help explain the large latency range and transient responses that characterize inferior colliculus neurons. The EPSC was sometimes followed by long-lasting oscillatory currents, suggesting that a single brief sound sets up a pattern of altered excitability that persists far beyond the duration of the initial sound. In three binaural neurons, ipsilateral sound evoked a large IPSC that partially or totally canceled the EPSC evoked by contralateral sound. In one binaural neuron with ipsilaterally evoked IPSCs, contralaterally evoked IPSCs occurred in response to frequencies above and below the neuron’s best frequency. Thus, both monaural and binaural interactions can occur at single inferior colliculus neurons. These results show that whole-cell patch-clamp recording offers a powerful means of understanding how subthreshold processes determine the responses of auditory neurons.
Parallel-Transmission: A New Usage of Multi-Radio Diversity in Wireless Mesh Network

To fully utilize the diversity of multi-radio, a ne w parallel transmission method for wireless mesh ne twork is proposed. Compared with conventional packet transmi ssion which follows “one flow on one radio”, it use s the radio diversity to transmit the packets on diff erent radios simultaneously. Three components are presented to achieve parallel-transmission, which a re control module, selection module and schedule mo dule. A localized selecting algorithm selects the right r adios based on the quality of wireless links. Two k inds of distributed scheduling algorithms are implemented t o transmit packets on the selected radios. Finally, parallel-adaptive routing metric is presented. Simu lation results by NS2 show that this parallel-trans mission scheme could enhance the average throughput of netw ork by more than 10%.
The emerging threat of light truck impacts with pedestrians

In the United States, passenger vehicles are shifting from a fleet populated primarily by cars to a fleet dominated by light trucks and vans (LTVs). Because light trucks are heavier, stiffer, and geometrically more blunt than passenger cars, they pose a dramatically different type of threat to pedestrians. This paper investigates the effect of striking vehicle type on pedestrian fatalities and injuries. The paper presents and compares pedestrian impact risk factors for sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, vans, and cars as developed from analyses of U.S. accident statistics. For the covering abstract see ITRD E111577.
Emotion recognition from Mandarin speech signals

In this paper, a Mandarin speech based emotion classification method is presented. Five primary human emotions including anger, boredom, happiness, neutral and sadness are investigated. In emotion classification of speech signals, the conventional features are statistics of fundamental frequency, loudness, duration and voice quality. However, the recognition accuracy of systems employing these features degrades substantially when more than two valence emotion categories are invoked. For speech emotion recognition, we select 16 LPC coefficients, 12 LPCC components, 16 LFPC components, 16 PLP coefficients, 20 MFCC components and jitter as the basic features to form the feature vector. A Mandarin corpus recorded by 12 non-professional speakers is employed. The recognizer presented in this paper is based on three recognition techniques: LDA, K-NN, and HMMs. Experimental results show that the selected features are robust and effective for emotion recognition, not only in the arousal dimension but also in the valence dimension.
Dynamic Autoregulation Testing in Patients With Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis

Background and Purpose— Cross-spectral analysis (CSA) of spontaneous oscillations in cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and arterial blood pressure is considered a sensitive and convenient method for dynamic autoregulation testing. So far, it has been unclear whether CSA can be used to assess stenoses of the intracranial arteries. Methods— This study for the first time applies CSA to 26 patients with low-, moderate-, and high-degree M1 stenoses and 14 normal control subjects. Using CSA, we studied spontaneous oscillations (M waves, 3 to 9 cpm; B waves, 0.5 to 3 cpm) in continuous recordings of transcranial Doppler of the middle cerebral artery and simultaneously recorded beat-to-beat blood pressure. Results— A gradual decrease in pulsatility indexes confirmed the increasing hemodynamic relevance of the stenoses. Compared with control subjects, M-wave phase shifts between CBFV and blood pressure were gradually reduced with increasing degree of M1 stenosis (control subjects, 44.6±21.1°; high-degree stenosis, 16.7±19.5°). The phase relation between B waves in blood pressure and CBFV was shifted to positive values (low-degree stenosis, −9.7±108.4°; high-degree stenosis, 50.9±43.8°). Conclusions— Because B- and M-wave phase shifts seem to characterize the degree of autonomy of CBFV modulation, this study suggests that with increasing degree of M1 stenosis, the arteriolar function is impaired. It shows that CSA is of indicative use for the assessment of intracranial artery stenosis.
The Assets and Liabilities of Active Faultlines: The Role of Cognitive and Affective Processes in Team Performance

We test how active faultlines affect group performance through both cognitive and affective integration processes. We develop a framework to explain how and when active faultlines strain the interpersonal relationships within a group or, on the contrary, maintain distinct perspectives and improve performance. We test this theory using 64 MBA project teams. Our findings support our general hypotheses that a common thinking style can integrate distinct viewpoints on the team and promote positive effects of diversity on team performance, while high trust, respect, and liking between group members will limit the negative effects of diversity on team satisfaction.