Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitrification of immature bubaline cumulus oocyte complexes by the open-pulled straw and conventional straw methods and their subsequent in vitro fertilization

The in vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF) and morphological changes in buffalo cumu - lus oocyte complexes (COCs) cryopreserved by ultra rapid freezing using conventional (CON) and open-pulled straw (OPS) methods were tested. COCs were cryopreserved using a vitrification solution comprising of DPBS + 0.5M sucrose + 0.4% BSA and two concentrations (4.5 or 5.5M) of each cryoprotectant ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and cryopreserved by either CON or OPS method. Vitrified COCs were stored in LN 2 for seven days and then thawed, and morphologically normal COCs were used for IVM ( n = 864) and IVF (n = 933) in two separate experiments to record (1) morphological damage of COCs due to vitrification, (2) nuclear maturation 24 h after culture (nine replicates) and (3) fertilization 24 h after insemination (10 replicates). The COCs were matured in vitro in TCM-199 medium using hormone supplements and fertilized using TALP-BSA. Freshly collected COCs were separately used for IVM ( n = 110) and IVF (n = 130) and kept as control. The arcsin transformed data of the proportion of COCs matured or fertilized was compared by DNMR test. The highest proportion of morphologically normal COCs were seen in 5.5M EG with CON method (94.5%) and the lowest were seen in 4.5M DMSO with OPS method (82.4%). At the end of Experiment 1, it was revealed that IVM in all vitrification groups was significantly lower ( P < 0.05) compared to control (66.4%). Amongst the various vitrifica - tion treatments the highest IVM was seen in 5.5M EG with OPS method (39.2%) and the lowest in 4.5M DMSO with CON method (19.3%). Comparison of both concentrations of EG and DMSO showed that the proportion of COCs attaining metaphase-II (M-II) increased with increasing concentration of both the cryoprotectants. How - ever, at equal concentration of EG and DMSO the proportion of COCs attaining M-II were significantly higher in OPS method compared to CON method. In Experiment 2, a significantly higher ( P < 0.05) IVF was seen for fresh COCs (45.4%) compared to vitrified COCs. Amongst the vitrification treatments the highest fertilization was seen for 5.5M EG with the OPS method (33.6 %) and the lowest for the 4.5M DMSO with CON method (15.17%). A dose dependant increase in the proportion of oocytes fertilized was seen with increasing concentration of both EG and DMSO (CON: 4.5M (15.2%), 5.5M (25.6%), OPS: 4.5M (21.3%) and 5.5M (27.5%)) in both CON and OPS methods. Comparison of the two cryoprotectants revealed that EG was better compared to DMSO. At equal con - centrations of EG or DMSO a significantly higher ( P < 0.05) proportion of fertilized oocytes were seen in OPS
Corporate Ethics Governance - The Role of Stakeholders in a Framework beyond Codes and Borders

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main issues surrounding ethics-focused corporate governance. Insights into how business ethics have emerged is provided and whether firms are attempting to strike the right balance between regulatory and compliance-led processes on the one hand, and improving their ethical governance by embedding the right corporate culture on the other hand. Thus, the paper examines the benefits of implementing appropriate and effective strategies into a firm’s compliance processes which also considers both macro- and micro-economic conditions and changes in current world markets. The research is primarily based on literature developed since 2000. A range of prior empirical academic findings and existing theories have been compared and contrasted. The findings in the literature show that international organisations face more complex issues than those operating in domestic markets as different standards and values across the different countries need to be considered. A rigid approach adopted across various nations does not appear to work well; instead the implementation of a dynamic and flexible framework is suggested to help in coping with the changing business environments. Effective firm performance furthermore needs to consider the influence that stakeholders have on firms’ strategic decision-making processes. This not only requires the commitment of boards of directors and top level executives, but also every other employee within an organisation. A survey was conducted to understand the perceptions on the effectiveness of ethics measures among a transnational sample from various academic and professional backgrounds targeting those in legal and economics/business management functions and involving those in banking, accounting and finances, sciences and education, sales and operations and human resources. The findings in this study based on the foregoing combined stakeholder management theory and the theory of planned behaviour show that perceived stakeholder pressure and consciously recognised internal and external benefits have a significant effect on firms to exploit their ethics codes. Codes of business conduct or ethics codes utilisation was significantly correlated to perceived internal benefits when it was concerned with deterring unethical behaviour and creating an ethical firm culture but also when the codes were seen as promoting a positive external image. Of particular note, perceptions on efforts in training on ethics codes principles was not found to be effectively integrated into firms’ decision-making processes. This study shall be useful to firms seeking to enhance their ability to manage, monitor and evaluate ethical business practices along with regulatory and compliance-led firm strategies. The time and resource constraints did not allow data collection from a larger sample and an in-depth analysis of the entire set of the data available, thus limiting the results. Also, the sensitive nature of the topic limited the study to quantitative research methods only.
Genetic Screen in Drosophila melanogaster Uncovers a Novel Set of Genes Required for Embryonic Epithelial Repair

The wound healing response is an essential mechanism to maintain the integrity of epithelia and protect all organisms from the surrounding milieu. In the “purse-string” mechanism of wound closure, an injured epithelial sheet cinches its hole closed via an intercellular contractile actomyosin cable. This process is conserved across species and utilized by both embryonic as well as adult tissues, but remains poorly understood at the cellular level. In an effort to identify new players involved in purse-string wound closure we developed a wounding strategy suitable for screening large numbers of Drosophila embryos. Using this methodology, we observe wound healing defects in Jun-related antigen (encoding DJUN) and scab (encoding Drosophila αPS3 integrin) mutants and performed a forward genetics screen on the basis of insertional mutagenesis by transposons that led to the identification of 30 lethal insertional mutants with defects in embryonic epithelia repair. One of the mutants identified is an insertion in the karst locus, which encodes Drosophila βHeavy-spectrin. We show βHeavy-spectrin (βH) localization to the wound edges where it presumably exerts an essential function to bring the wound to normal closure.
Gathering and using information for the selection of trading partners

Examines the nature of the search process used by international firms in identifying trading partners in emerging markets, and to what extent systematic information collection on potential partners is likely to enhance the choice of satisfactory partners. The results, based on 46 Dutch companies, suggest that only a few companies have formal procedures to find trading partners and that they tend to depend on informal and personal contacts for information. A company’s involvement in export/import activities and entry strategy was found to have a positive influence on the actual selection of satisfactory partners. This was also true for formalization of the search process, company size, a more extensive partner‐evaluation and prior research experience with finding trading partners. Proactiveness/breadth of search was not found to have a significant positive effect, and depth of search even happened to be negatively correlated with successful partner selection. Finally, the results did not support modeling searching for importing and exporting relationships separately.
Effect of environment on motivation and sense of presence in healthy subjects performing reaching tasks

Better rehabilitation outcomes have been linked to higher levels of motivation in animal models of stroke recovery. Virtual reality environments have been postulated to increase the participantpsilas level of engagement and motivation in performing motor tasks. We evaluated motivation and presence in two groups of healthy participants (<25 yrs old; ges25yrs old) performing similar reaching tasks in four different environments - physical, 2D virtual reality, 3D virtual reality and video game. Sense of presence and motivation in each environment were assessed. Overall, the participants rated the video gaming environment as being the most motivating and enjoyable. The level of presence was related to motivation for the younger group only for the 2D VR environment but for all three VR environments in the older group. Our findings suggest that training environments can be made more motivating using virtual reality which is an important factor in maximizing motor recovery in neurological patients. Further research is needed to develop highly motivating applications suited to specific rehabilitation goals and patient needs.
Potentials of an Adaptive Rectenna Circuit

Based on simulated and experimental results, this letter discusses the interests of a novel reconfigurable rectenna structure designed for rectification of UHF wireless energy. Several circuit topologies are combined in order to obtain high RF-to-dc energy conversion efficiency over a wide input-power range. Improvements are proposed in order to overcome the need for a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) device and to ensure high efficiency over a wide load-value range.
The First Fully Integrated Quad-Band GSM/GPRS Receiver in a 90-nm Digital CMOS Process

We present the receiver in the first single-chip GSM/GPRS transceiver that incorporates full integration of quad-band receiver, transmitter, memory, power management, dedicated ARM processor and RF built-in self test in a 90-nm digital CMOS process. The architecture uses Nyquist rate direct RF sampling in the receiver and an all-digital phase-locked loop (PLL) for generating the local oscillator (LO). The receive chain uses discrete-time analog signal processing to down-convert, down-sample, filter and analog-to-digital convert the received signal. A feedback loop is provided at the mixer output and can be used to cancel DC-offsets as well to study linearization of the receive chain. The receiver meets a sensitivity of -110 dBm at 60mA in a 1.4-V digital CMOS process in the presence of more than one million digital gates
Market Structure and the Limits of Arbitrage

Financial markets are intermediated by large arbitrageurs that may benet from their market power but face margin constraints. This paper studies how margin constraints aect liquidity provision and welfare under dierent structures of the arbitrage industry. In competitive markets, margin requirements may impair the ability of arbitrageurs to provide liquidity, which reduces other investors’ welfare. Instead, imposing margins on a monopolistic arbitrageur can in some cases make the market more liquid and increase social welfare. Further, for a given level of capital in the arbitrage industry, markets are not necessarily less liquid under a monopolistic structure. A monopolistic arbitrageur captures rents that can be used as collateral, which relaxes her margin constraints and may result in a more liquid market. A delicate interaction between margin constraints and market power thus determines how eciently nancial
DNA encoding the attachment (G) or fusion (F) protein of respiratory syncytial virus induces protection in the absence of pulmonary inflammation.

Significant protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection was induced in mice vaccinated intramuscularly (i.m.) with DNA encoding the F or G protein of RSV. The amounts of IgG1 of IgG2a antibodies in mice immunized with DNA-G alone were similar. However, the antibody response in mice co-immunized with DNA-G and DNA encoding IL-4 (DNA-IL-4) was strongly biased towards IgG1. In contrast, the antibody response in mice co-immunized with DNA-G and DNA-IL-2, -IL-12 or-IFN-gamma was biased towards IgG2a. Mice vaccinated with DNA-F either alone or in combination with DNA encoding cytokines developed a predominant RSV-specific IgG2a response, which was most pronounced in mice co-immunized with DNA-F and DNA-IL-12 or -IFN-gamma. Vaccinated mice developed only a slightly enhanced pulmonary inflammatory response following RSV challenge. More significantly, and in contrast to mice scarified with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the G protein, mice vaccinated i.m. with DNA-G did not develop pulmonary eosinophilia, even when the immune response was biased towards a Th2 response by co-administration of DNA-IL-4.
Douady-Earle section, holomorphic motions, and some applications

We review several applications of Douady-Earle section to holo- morphic motions over infinite dimensional parameter spaces. Using Douady- Earle section we study group-equivariant extensions of holomorphic motions. We also discuss the relationship between extending holomorphic motions and lifting holomorphic maps. Finally, we discuss several applications of holomor- phic motions in complex analysis.
Can mobile services facilitate commerce? Findings from the Greek telecommunications market

Mobile commerce opportunities cover mobile initiatives that are designed to achieve strategic change in downstream activities through direct interaction with the customer. Customer knowledge must reach all the necessary parts of a mobile company to be useful, such as through an electronic knowledge repository. But mobile services involve more than just sending knowledge. They incorporate both technical and cultural challenges. To deliver superior service quality, companies must first understand how customers perceive and evaluate mobile customer services. Marketers need to offer genuinely useful information, adding real value to their corporate messages and transaction simplicity (easy to use, quick to deliver, cheap to process). Mobile technology provides companies with a great number of marketing options. Mobile marketing is considered as a new and effective communication channel to the benefit of consumers.
Prioritizing service quality dimensions

Purpose – The study was undertaken with a purpose to investigate if any generalization in importance of service quality dimensions is possible. Service providers are often not sure of the amount of tangibilisation necessary and the right mix of other service quality dimensions – reliability, assurance, empathy, responsiveness, and the role of price‐added by researcher.Design/methodology/approach – A two stage analysis was deployed. First free listing of important service quality concerns for 16 services across the four service types (as suggested by Lovelock) was done to see if any rank correlation was possible. This was followed by two‐step cluster analysis to reveal natural grouping (or clusters) within a data set for each service quality dimension that would otherwise not be apparent.Findings – Generalization of quality dimensions was not possible among all types of services taken together, however important insights were available pertaining to each service type.Practical implications – Some generaliz.
An inverted-gap analog tuning RF-MEMS capacitor with 250 milliwatts power handling capability

A novel analog tuning MEMS variable capacitor is presented. By using an inverted-gap configuration, the mechanical effects of large RF-signals can be cancelled. Fabricated devices could handle 250 mW of power, with measured 2.2:1 capacitance variation, very high Q, and extremely low parasitic series inductance up to 10 GHz.
A feasibility research on waveform recognition algorithm based on geometric characteristics

ECG analysis diagnosis system mainly consists of two phases: waveform recognition and intelligent diagnostics. In practical applications, the ECG waveform recognition is the key to the system. Accuracy and reliability of the detection determine the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. There are a variety of detection ways mentioned in the relevant papers. In this paper, a waveform recognition algorithm based on geometric characteristics is proposed. At first the ECG signal is filtered by the digital filter such as Butterworth filter, mean filter and so on in this proposed method, and then its first derivative and second derivative are computed respectively, which we employ to determine the trend and to compute the optimum slope of each point. We recognize the peak, onset, offset of ECG waves combined with the geometric features. At last by computer simulation with the PTB diagnostic ECG database, the algorithm is feasible. Keywords-ECG; waveform recognition; geometric characteristics; PTB
Proactive Risk Identification in Cross-organizational Business Processes

Although the alignment of business objectives and corresponding activities in cross-organizational processes is critical in assuring performance from distinct supply chain partners and sustainability of the supply chain, to date the important question – how can this alignment be enabled – remains unresolved. We address this question by formalizing the relationship between individual and shared (dyadic) objectives of supply chain partners and between risk and performance objectives in a dyadic relationship. Further we integrate objectives and business processes at the level of a supply chain buyer-supplier dyadic relationship. In achieving this we use the design science research approach to extend the Risk-aware Value-Focused Process Engineering modeling methodology to formally represent the collaborative risk management objectives of buyers and suppliers, and associated performance creation mechanisms. We then review the merit of this extension through application of the evolved modeling methodology to the process of supply chain sourcing.
Research on determination of clenbuterol and salbutamol in pork by SPE-HPLC

A method determining the clenbuterol and salbutamol in pork was developed. The method was based on SPE(C18), separated by ZOBAX SB C18,and using a mobile phase of 0.01mol/L Sodium dihydrogen phosphate - Acetonitrile in gradient clution, detected with wavelength 210nm. The linear relations in the scope of 1.0∼10mg/kg, 3.0∼30mg/kg. The recoveries ranged from 91.3%∼97.2%, 79.7%∼89.3%. The detection limits 0.02mg/kg, 0.05mg/kg.
Title Genetic variation in circadian regulation of nocturnal stomatal conductance enhances carbon assimilation and growth Permalink

Circadian resonance, whereby a plant’s endogenous rhythms are tuned to match environmental cues, has been repeatedly shown to be adaptive, although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Concomitantly, the adaptive value of nocturnal transpiration in C3 plants remains unknown because it occurs without carbon assimilation. These seemingly unrelated processes are interconnected because circadian regulation drives temporal patterns in nocturnal stomatal conductance, with maximum values occurring immediately before dawn for many species. We grew individuals of six Eucalyptus camaldulensis genotypes in naturally lit glasshouses and measured sunset, predawn and midday leaf gas exchange and whole-plant biomass production. We tested whether sunrise anticipation by the circadian clock and subsequent increases in genotype predawn stomatal conductance led to rapid stomatal opening upon illumination, ultimately affecting genotype differences in carbon assimilation and growth.We observed faster stomatal responses to light inputs at sunrise in genotypes with higher predawn stomatal conductance. Moreover, early morning and midday stomatal conductance and carbon assimilation, leaf area and total plant biomass were all positively correlated with predawn stomatal conductance across genotypes. Our results lead to the novel hypothesis that genotypic variation in the circadian-regulated capacity to anticipate sunrise could be an important factor underlying intraspecific variation in tree growth. Key-words: adaptation; anticipation hypothesis; biomass enhancement; circadian clock; CO2; gas exchange; genotype; memory; nocturnal transpiration; stomata.
Entrepreneurial Training: A Comparative Study across Fifteen European Countries

This paper arises from the contents of the Lisbon Strategy, a set of cooperation policies stressing the role of education and training. The findings from a comparative study of the influence that entrepreneurial training – classified as formal or informal – can have on start-up expectations are analysed. The study covers fifteen European countries and uses data derived from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) website. The results of a logistic regression model show significant differences across Europe: in some countries, start-up expectations are influenced only by participation in formal entrepreneurial training programmes; in others, they are affected only by participation in informal entrepreneurial training activities; in yet others, such expectations are induced by both formal and informal entrepreneurial training. Regarding the current status of entrepreneurial training, it appears that although the fifteen European countries are following the correct path there is still much to do to achieve the overall objectives established by the Lisbon Strategy. Some recommendations for policy makers and the implications for future research are suggested in the concluding section of the paper.
Hierarchical Hidden Markov Models for User/Process Profile Learning

This paper presents an algorithmfor automatically constructing sophisticated user/process profiles from traces of their behavior. A profile is encoded by means of a Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HHMM), which is a well formalized tool suitable to model complex patterns in long temporal or spatial sequences. A special sub-class of this hierarchical model, oriented to user/process profiling, is also introduced. The algorithm follows a bottom-up strategy, in which elementary facts in the sequences (motifs) are progressively grouped, thus building the abstraction hierarchy of a HHMM, layer after layer. The method is firstly evaluated on artificial data. Then a user identification task, from real traces, is considered. A preliminary experimentation with several different users produced encouraging results.
HDM: A Composable Framework for Big Data Processing

Over the past years, frameworks such as MapReduce and Spark have been introduced to ease the task of developing big data programs and applications. However, the jobs in these frameworks are roughly defined and packaged as executable jars without any functionality being exposed or described. This means that deployed jobs are not natively composable and reusable for subsequent development. Besides, it also hampers the ability for applying optimizations on the data flow of job sequences and pipelines. In this paper, we present the Hierarchically Distributed Data Matrix (HDM) which is a functional, strongly-typed data representation for writing composable big data applications. Along with HDM, a runtime framework is provided to support the execution, integration and management of HDM applications on distributed infrastructures. Based on the functional data dependency graph of HDM, multiple optimizations are applied to improve the performance of executing HDM jobs. The experimental results show that our optimizations can achieve improvements between 10 to 40 percent of the Job-Completion-Time for different types of applications when compared with the current state of art, Apache Spark.