Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of the Fast-Track Corporate Rehabilitation Program on the ICR of the Companies Under Court Receivership (패스트트랙 기업회생절차가 법정관리 기업의 이자보상비율에 미친 영향)

The limitation of the work-out system, revealed in the process of addressing insolvent companies, brings the necessity for markets to prepare the grounds of corporate restructuring. In addition, the role of the court in restructuring insolvent firms is emphasized. The court employes the Fast-Track corporate rehabilitation program for swift rehabilitation proceedings; and recently, the rehabilitation-specialized court has been set up, combining the advantages of work-out and legal management. Given the fact that a swift rehabilitation procedure is very critical due to the risk of the collapse of business foundation (e.g. falling asset value), this paper analyzes the effect of the Fast-Track program, introduced for a swift rehabilitation procedure. We use a Differences-in-Differences model, an econometric technique, to analyze and compare prior-and-post effects of policy implementation. The analysis result shows that the effect of this program on the ICR of the companies under court receivership is positive except enough statistical significance. Their business foundation has been undermined before and after court receivership and they have difficulties in securing funds due to bankruptcy stigma even after the termination of receivership, resulting in curbing the effect of the program. The same result is observed in the estimation by size and business (e.g. large companies, small and medium companies, and manufacturing). As for certain industries, subject to government restructuring, we do not find enough statistical significance in the analysis of Fast-Track effect, except for chemistry. In the case of chemistry, the Fast-Track program is helpful to increase the chances for rehabilitation owing to domestic companies' strong competitiveness. For steel and shipbuilding, however, the effect of Fast-Track seems to be not enough; their industrial competitiveness has been weakened, notably, in small and medium sized companies. This result has following implications. First, to improve the effect of Fast-Track, institutional efforts are required to reduce disadvantages induced by bankruptcy stigma (e.g. a fall in credit rating and high risk premiums). In particular, specific measures are needed for companies, graduating from court receivership, to do business as normal companies. Next, as observed in the empirical analysis of steel and shipbuilding, the effect of Fast-Track may not be exercised to the full with weakened industrial competitiveness. Therefore, restructuring efforts such as business reshuffle seem to be necessary. If these issues are resolved, the Fast-Track effect will be gradually improved, and consequently the Fast-Track program will be successfully settled.
Use of chromosomal gene fusions to investigate the role of repetitive DNA in regulation of genes involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Haemophilus influenzae

The lic3 locus of Haemophilus influenzae consists of four open reading frames. The derived amino acid sequences of orf2 and orf4 exhibit homology to Escherichia coli GalE and AdK, respectively. The functions of orf1 and orf3 remain unknown. orf1 contains multiple tandem repeats of the tetrameric DNA sequence CAAT near the 5' end. Two possible translational starts (ATG1 and ATG2) lie upstream. We have used lacZ fusions to investigate whether changes in the number of CAAT repeats in conjunction with differential usage of the upstream frames control the expression of lic3-orf1. Phase-variable expression of lacZ was observed for individual colonies and could be related to variable numbers of CAAT repeats. Of the three possible upstream frames, only one, containing the more downstream of the two possible ATG start codons (ATG2), is used for strong expression of lacZ. Utilization of the more upstream ATG (ATG1) or ATG2 was observed with medium-level expression, while utilization of any of the three possible frames was observed when lacZ was expressed at low to undetectable levels, indicating that other mechanisms may affect expression. To investigate this, lacZ was fused in frame with ATG2 of lic3-orf1, with concomitant deletion of the repeats. Phase-variable expression was still observed, supporting the view that an alternative level of control operates in conjunction with the repeat mechanism.
An On-Chip Multi-Voltage Power Converter With Leakage Current Prevention Using 0.18 $\mu$m High-Voltage CMOS Process

In this paper, we present an on-chip multi-voltage power converter incorporating of a quad-voltage timing-control rectifier and regulators to produce ±12 V and ±1.8 V simultaneously through inductive powering. The power converter achieves a PCE of 77.3% with the delivery of more than 100 mW to the implant. The proposed rectifier adopts a two-phase start-up scheme and mixed-voltage gate controller to avoid substrate leakage current. This current cannot be prevented by the conventional dynamic substrate biasing technique when using the high-voltage CMOS process with transistor threshold voltage higher than the turn-on voltage of parasitic diodes. High power conversion efficiency is achieved by 1) substrate leakage current prevention, 2) operating all rectifying transistors as switches with boosted gate control voltages, and 3) compensating the delayed turn-on and preventing reverse leakage current of rectifying switches with the proposed look-ahead comparator. This chip occupies an area of 970 μm × 4500 μm in a 0.18 μm 32 V HV CMOS process. The quad-voltage timing-control rectifier alone is able to output a high DC voltage at the range of [2.5 V, 25 V]. With this power converter, both bench-top experiment and in-vivo power link test using a rat model were validated.
Selective Depletion of Cross-Presenting Dendritic Cells Enhances Islet Allograft Survival

MHC class I presentation of peptides derived from exogenous antigens (not synthesized within the antigen-presenting cell) is called cross-presentation and is mediated by selective subsets of dendritic cells (DC). A proportion of both donor and host DC may cross-present. Although there has been many studies that have investigated the role of donor versus host DC (i.e., direct vs. indirect pathway), what role cross-presenting DC play in allograft rejection has not been determined. We recently identified an agent, cytochrome c (cytc), that selectively depletes cross-presenting DC in vivo. By administering cytc we were able to study the impact of cross-presenting DC on rejection of islets grafted into fully mismatched mice. We found that cytc protected about half of the islet allografts from rejection. Our results indicate that cross-presenting DC can make potent contributions to the immune response to islet allografts, and contend that agents such as cytc that selectively target DC heralds a novel method of immunosuppression.
Fragment-based Visual Tracking with Multiple Representations

We present a fragment-based tracking algorithm that considers appearance information characterized by a non-parametric distribution and spatial information described by a parametric representation. We segment an input object into several fragments based on the appearance similarity and spatial distribution. Spatial distribution and appearance are important for distinguishing different fragments. We employee such information for separating an object from its background: Appearance information is described by nonparametric representation such as kernels; spatial information is characterized by Gaussians with spatial distribution of fragments. We integrate appearance and spatial information for target localization in images. The overall motion is estimated by the mean shift algorithm. This motion can deviate from the true position in the overall motion estimation because of the mean-shift drifting. We refine the estimated position based on the foreground probabilities. The proposed tracker gives better target localization results and better foreground probability images. Our experimental results demonstrate that the integration of appearance and spatial information by combining parametric and non-parametric representation is effective for tracking targets in difficult sequences.
Application of efficient and specific gene transfer systems and organ culture techniques for the elucidation of mechanisms of epithelial– mesenchymal interaction in the developing gut

Epithelial–mesenchymal interactions are very important in the development of the vertebrate gut. In the avian embryonic stomach (proventriculus), expression of embryonic chick pepsinogen (ECPg) gene, which is specific to developing glandular cells in stomach epithelium, is regulated by mesenchymal influence. Molecular mechanisms of tissue‐specific transcriptional regulation of the ECPg gene and the molecular nature of the mesenchymal signals were analyzed using a combination of the classic organ culture system and gene transfer strategies. In the present review, three methods for the introduction of DNA into tissues are described: lipofection, electroporation and retroviral infection, and characteristics of each system are discussed.
Determining the Relationship between Organizational Agility and Work Organization in Branches of Saman Bank in Isfahan

In modern world, complexity, instability and unpredictability of environmental changes and conceptions of traditional design have influenced organizations. Thus, organizations must be able to respond to these changes and move toward agility. Accordingly, agility is defined as the organization ability to identify the need to change in internal and external sources so that the changes will take place uniform and the operation will be kept beyond average level. The present research intends to investigate the relationship between organization agility and work organization in branches of Saman Bank in Isfahan. So by using an agility model, organization agility in work organization will be investigated. The questions of the questionnaire will measure each of the variables and determine the goodness of fit model and the developed structural model. There is a significant and positive relationship between research variables so that all the hypotheses are approved. Furthermore, in order to determine the reliability of the questionnaire Cronbachâ€™s alpha is used and to determine its validity, visual and structural validity is used. In this research, PLS method is used for data analysis and testing the hypotheses. The results obtained from the research states that the model applied in the study was an appropriate theoretical model for predicting the agility impact on work organization.
Local Semidefinite Programming-Based Node Localization System for Wireless Sensor Network Applications

Node localization has been identified as a fundamental and essential issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which is able to determine nodes' locations in location-aware applications and provide different types of services based on the location information. This paper presents a distributed approach based on local semidefinite programming (LSDP) to solve the localization problem in large-scale WSNs. At first, we propose a new technique to divide a large-scale WSN into several overlapped local networks, each of which creating a local map according to the LSDP algorithm. Then, a novel merging algorithm is presented to effectively merge all local maps into a global map, which contains the exact position of interested nodes. Extensive simulations demonstrate that our proposed method can achieve better scalability and higher accuracy and is also robust to the measurement noise.
Service Regulations, Input Prices and Export Volumes: Evidence from a Panel of Manufacturing Firms

Using a panel of firm-level data from Spanish manufacturers, this study shows that better service regulation reduces the price of intermediate inputs paid by downstream firms. The beneficial cost effects of services reforms extend to both large and small-to-medium sized corporations (SMEs), but the former tend to enjoy greater gains. This feature also manifests itself in international markets. We identify an input cost channel through which service regulations affect the volume of exports of large manufacturers, while the evidence of such channel is weaker for SMEs. Our estimates indicate that, from 1991 till 2007, large firms increased their volume of exports by an average of 22% as a result of the direct input cost effect of services reforms, such that the firms that benefited the most typically belonged to industries more dependent on service inputs. Furthermore, convergence to the “best practice” regulatory framework in services would have raised exports at least by an additional 10%. We conclude that firm size is relevant for the connection between services reforms, intermediate input prices and export volumes
UB at the NTCIR-13 STC-2 Task: Exploring Syntactic Similarities and Sentiments

The University at Buffalo (UB) team participated in the STC-2 Chinese task at the NTCIR-13, working on the retrievalbased subtask. We investigated the use of manually crafted rules for improving resulted returned by an Okapi BM25 IR system. Comments that are too syntactically similar to the query post are first excluded from the result set. We then raised the ranks of those comments that contain positively sentimental/opinionated words if the test post also contains any positively sentimental/opinionated word. We also tried a method of first retrieving posts from the collection for a new post and then extracting comments that corresponded to these posts. Finally, we tested the effectiveness of combining the ranked lists from these runs. The official evaluation results show that while our baseline IR approach is effective, the usefulness of other techniques that we tried is limited. Future research directions are discussed.
Melanopsin and Mechanisms of Non-visual Ocular Photoreception*

In addition to rods and cones, the mammalian eye contains a third class of photoreceptor, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell (ipRGC). ipRGCs are heterogeneous irradiance-encoding neurons that primarily project to non-visual areas of the brain. Characteristics of ipRGC light responses differ significantly from those of rod and cone responses, including depolarization to light, slow on- and off-latencies, and relatively low light sensitivity. All ipRGCs use melanopsin (Opn4) as their photopigment. Melanopsin resembles invertebrate rhabdomeric photopigments more than vertebrate ciliary pigments and uses a Gq signaling pathway, in contrast to the Gt pathway used by rods and cones. ipRGCs can recycle chromophore in the absence of the retinal pigment epithelium and are highly resistant to vitamin A depletion. This suggests that melanopsin employs a bistable sequential photon absorption mechanism typical of rhabdomeric opsins.
Using process models to improve spatial analysis

This paper describes a method of improving spatial analyses by using a process model to define the sampling window. This method allows the sample to adapt to changing conditions as they occur in the dataset, rather than applying the same geometric shape to all locations. Such a sampling method can be used to reduce the noise in the sample, and thus generate more sensible results. The general approach may be applied to other processes that influence or control the distribution of spatial variables, provided the processes are known and can be modelled. The method also enables exploration of the degree to which a spatial variable is controlled by an assumed driving process. In this study the sampling windows for each location are defined using uphill and downhill watersheds, and are applied to geochemical variables across a 1100 km2 area in Weipa, Queensland, Australia. The utility of the approach is assessed using variograms and the Getis-Ord G*i statistic. Results indicate an improvement over omnidirectional and wedge-shaped sampling, with the most improvement where the variable is highly mobile in solution. These areas are considered to be under modern hydrological control. Most errors in the example are attributed to the effect of other landscape processes, such as aeolian transport and marine incursions.
Correlation between Etest®, disk diffusion, and microdilution methods for antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida species from infection and colonization

The correlation between the microdilution (MD), Etest® (ET), and disk diffusion (DD) methods was determined for amphotericin B, itraconazole and fluconazole. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of those antifungal agents was established for a total of 70 Candida spp. isolates from colonization and infection. The species distribution was: Candida albicans (n=27), C. tropicalis (n=17), C. glabrata (n=16), C. parapsilosis (n=8), and C. lusitaniae (n=2). Non‐Candida albicans Candida species showed higher MICs for the three antifungal agents when compared with C. albicans isolates. The overall concordance (based on the MIC value obtainedwithin two dilutions) between the ET and the MD method was 83% for amphotericin B, 63% for itraconazole, and 64% for fluconazole. Considering the breakpoint, the agreement between the DD and MD methods was 71% for itraconazole and 67% for fluconazole. The DD zone diameters are highly reproducible and correlate well with the MD method, making agar‐based methods a viable alternative to MD for susceptibility testing. However, data on agar‐based tests for itraconazole and amphotericin B are yet scarce. Thus, further research must still be carried out to ensure the standardization to other antifungal agents. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 23:324–330, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Invoice Financing for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on an Online Platform: An Action Design Research using a Transaction Cost Perspective on Platform Theories applied in a Start-up

Access to financing is a serious concern for many Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in need of cash. Invoice financing ? in which a business sells its accounts receivables ? has not been well adopted, seemingly due to the information intensive transactions that it requires. This paper describes the design of a digital Multi-sided Platform that provides invoice financing to SMEs to overcome this problem. It does this by deriving design guidelines from transaction cost literature and concurrently ‘action designing’ a live prototype. The results of the evaluation of the prototype show that the design is a promising solution for SMEs in need of liquidity, as it is being evaluated positively on the criteria aimed at lowering the transaction cost of invoice financing. More design research is suggested on the impact of a platform setup on transaction cost.
A caregiver-child socioemotional and relationship rating scale.

This article reports the construction and pilot reliability, validity, and psychometric properties of a new caregiver-child rating scale that emphasizes caregiver-child socioemotional interactions and relationships. While the scale was developed and studied in orphanages for young children, it potentially could be used in nonresidential early care and education settings as well as for parent-child interactions in the home. The intent was to assess a few dimensions that comprehensively cover the range of caregiver-child socioemotional interactions and relationships, by means of a scale that could be administered in a relatively short time period in a variety of situations and would not require extensive coder training, manuals, or materials. Results showed that the scale can be reliably administered even using observation periods as short as 5 min, that inter-rater reliability was acceptable (based on data from two raters working in two orphanages, and five raters working in another), and that ratings of caregivers were similar across different types of caregiving activities (i.e., feeding, dressing/bathing, free play) and for caregivers attending to children birth to 4 and 4 to 8 years of age. In the orphanage context, factor analyses showed that the scale primarily reflects caregiver-child mutual engagement and relationship with subordinate components of caregiver punitiveness and caregiver- versus child-directed behaviors and intrusiveness.
Right ventricular outflow tract spectral signal: a useful marker of right ventricular systolic performance and pulmonary hypertension severity.

AIMS Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) acceleration shortens with chronic pulmonary hypertension (cPH). However, the overall value of this spectral Doppler signal in the assessment of PH patients is not well understood. METHODS AND RESULTS Markers of RV systolic performance, time to onset, time to peak, and total duration of the RVOT systolic spectral Doppler signal were examined. Group I consisted of 28 patients without PH [50 +/- 15 years and mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) of 30 +/- 8 mmHg] and Group II included 52 patients with cPH (56 +/- 14 years and mean PASP of 80 +/- 27 mmHg; P < 0.0001). As expected, Group II patient's markers showed worse RV performance. In addition, Group II had a longer time to onset, a shorter time to peak, and a shorter total duration of the RVOT systolic signal than Group I. Both time to onset (r = 0.66 vs. r = -0.53; P < 0.0001) and time to peak (r = 0.65 vs. r = 0.50; P < 0.0001) of the RVOT signal correlated better with PH than RV fractional area change. Conversely, RV fractional area change correlated better with total duration of RVOT ejection (r = 0.66 vs. r = 0.58; P < 0.0001) than with PASP. CONCLUSION Timing of onset and peak of the RVOT systolic spectral signal appears to be useful in characterizing the severity of the PASP, while the total duration of RVOT ejection is a better predictor of the systolic performance of the RV in PH patients. More studies are now required to determine the clinical utility of prospectively measuring RVOT in cPH.
"Salla disease": a new lysosomal storage disorder.

Severe mental retardation, coarse facial features, clumsiness, and speech failure were common findings in three brothers and one female third-cousin of a family from northern Finland. All the patients had vacuolated lymphocytes in peripheral blood smears, and electron microscopy of fresh skin biopsy specimens showed abundant cytoplasmic inclusions in various types of cells of the skin. Eight lysosomal hydrolases were assayed in peripheral blood lymphocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts, but no enzyme deficiency was detected. Urinary excretion of mucopolysaccharides, amino acids, glycoasparagines, and oligosaccharides was normal. Clinical findings, course of the disease, and the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions, indicating lysosomal storage phenomenon, suggest that the patients suffer from a genetic lysosomal storage disorder not described earlier. The eponym "Salla disease" was introduced, referring to the geographically restricted area where the family resides.
Bioprocess Development for the Expansion of Embryonic Stem Cells

Megan M. Hunt1,3, Roz Alfred1,3, Derrick E. Rancourt2, Ian D. Gates3 and Michael S. Kallos1,3 1Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF), Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Alberta 2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta 3Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada