Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lentivirus Gene Transfer in Murine Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells Is Compromised by a Delay in Proviral Integration and Results in Transduction Mosaicism and Heterogeneous Gene Expression in Progeny Cells

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1-based lentivirus vectors containing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene were used to transduce murine Lin− c-kit+ Sca1+primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells. Following transduction, the cells were plated into hematopoietic progenitor cell assays in methylcellulose and the colonies were scored for GFP positivity. After incubation for 20 h, lentivirus vectors transduced 27.3% ± 6.7% of the colonies derived from unstimulated target cells, but transduction was more efficient when the cells were supported with stem cell factor (SCF) alone (42.0% ± 5.5%) or SCF, interleukin-3 (IL-3), and IL-6 (53.3 ± 1.8%) during transduction. The, vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein-pseudotyped MGIN oncoretrovirus control vector required IL-3, IL-6, and SCF for significant transduction (39.3 ± 9.4%). Interestingly, only a portion of the progeny cells within the lentivirus-transduced methylcellulose colonies expressed GFP, in contrast to the homogeneous expression in oncoretrovirus-transduced colonies. Secondary plating of the primary GFP+ lentivirus vector-transduced colonies revealed vector PCR+ GFP+ (42%), vector PCR−GFP− (46%), and vector PCR+ GFP−(13%) secondary colonies, indicating true genetic mosaicism with respect to the viral genome in the progeny cells. The degree of vector mosaicism in individual colonies could be reduced by extending the culture time after transduction and before plating into the clonal progenitor cell assay, indicating a delay in the lentiviral integration process. Furthermore, supplementation with exogenous deoxynucleoside triphosphates during transduction decreased mosaicism within the colonies. Although cytokine stimulation during transduction correlates with higher transduction efficiency, rapid cell division after transduction may result in loss of the viral genome in the progeny cells. Therefore, optimal transduction may require activation without promoting intense cell proliferation prior to vector integration.
Improving Predictive Power of Conjoint Analysis by Constrained Parameter Estimation

The prediction of first choice preferences by the full-profile method of conjoint analysis can be improved significantly by imposing constraints on parameters based on a priori knowledge of the ordering of part worths for different levels of an attribute. Constrained estimation however, has little effect on the predictive validity of the tradeoff method because the preference judgments within rows (or columns) of tradeoff tables have largely the same role as the constraints.
An integrating model of autonomy in corporate entrepreneurship

This research in progress paper elucidates the multidimensional phenomenon of autonomy which determines the success of teams developing a new business in small and medium-sized high-tech firms. In a previous inductive study we had revealed that this phenomenon is described through four autonomy dimensions: functional autonomy, decision autonomy, structural autonomy and strategic autonomy. In this paper we operationalize these dimensions on the basis of empirical findings discussed in literature and integrate the operationalized autonomy dimensions into a theoretical model. Thereby the paper contributes to theory because autonomy as a multidimensional phenomenon is not well understood in corporate entrepreneurship and respective models are barely available. In practice, the challenge is to establish a level of autonomy that enables business development teams to experiment in market interaction and at the same time enables the supervising manager to keep control over the new business. Our model describes criteria that facilitate managers to balance the level of autonomy in this manner.
Social Media Strategies in Small Businesses

An exploratory project has been carried out with a number of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) to investigate the use of social media by SMEs. Previous research has highlighted the need for more investigations into the strategies used by businesses in implementing and using social media and in finding out how firms monitor the impact of social media on their business. The objectives of the research were: • To review the literature and existing survey data to develop a framework for understanding strategic approaches to social media use in small businesses, from the perspective of the business owner-manager; • To gain further insights through interviews into social media strategies developed by small businesses; • To examine the extent to which small businesses using social media are monitoring the impacts of social media use on their business; • To investigate the evolution of attitudes and strategic approaches to social media in the new digital economy. The project used mixed methods by first analysing secondary data on social media use in SMEs in the West Midlands, obtained in 2003. This was used to generate questions for semi-structured interviews. Six semi-structured interviews were carried out with SMEs, based in the North West of England. The interviews took place in small businesses with less than 50 staff and were taken from a range of business sectors. The interviews explored four subject areas: • Use of Social Media • Social Media Strategy • Champions of Social Media • Impacts of Social Media
VITS-A Vision System for Autonomous Land Vehicle Navigation

A description is given of VITS (for vision task sequencer), the vision system for the autonomous land vehicle (ALV) Alvin, addressing in particular the task of road-following. The ALV vision system builds symbolic descriptions of road and obstacle boundaries using both video and range sensors. The authors discuss various road segmentation methods for video-based road-following, along with approaches to boundary extraction and transformation of boundaries in the image plane into a vehicle-centered three-dimensional scene model. >
The Use of Small Probe Volumes with Phase Doppler Interferometry

Abstract : Phase Doppler interferometry utilizing a probe volume much smaller than the droplets being measured has been shown to work well when coupled with a phase and intensity validation scheme which is capable of eliminating trajectory dependent scattering errors. Measurements in monodispersed droplet streams have been performed to characterize the probe volume, and an intensity validation scheme and corresponding probe volume correction factor have been developed. Volume flux measurements in dilute sprays have shown a significant improvement over standard phase Doppler interferometry techniques at small beam waist to droplet size ratios.
Maintaining consistency in distributed software engineering environments

The authors argue that immutability is a suitable base on which to build distributed software engineering environments. They discuss the various approaches to maintaining consistency in immutable object systems and compare D.P. Reed's model of time domain addressing (ACM Trans. Comput. Syst., vol.1, no.1, p.3-23, Feb. 1983), with their own model of domain relative addressing. They demonstrate the suitability of domain relative addressing for use in distributed-software engineering environments. <<ETX>>
Adaptive shadow detection using global texture and sampling deduction

An adaptive shadow detection algorithm is proposed to eliminate interference on object detection from the shadow. The algorithm uses three components in YUV colour space to identify shadow pixels from the candidate foreground. An adaptive threshold estimator is designed to improve shadow detection accuracy and adaptive capacity in various lighting conditions. This estimator uses edge detection method to obtain global texture, as well statistical calculations to obtain the thresholds. Algorithm has the characteristic of low complexity and little restraint; hence it is suitable for real time-moving shadow detection in various lighting conditions. Experiment results show that this algorithm can obtain a high detection accuracy and the time-assume is greatly shortened compared with other algorithms with similar accuracy.
Feature based disparity estimation using hill-climbing algorithm

Stereo matching is an active research area in computer vision for decades. This paper introduces a new disparity map estimation algorithm based on image segments. The reference image is segmented using hill-climbing algorithm. The initial disparity map is estimated Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) feature points matching between two stereo images in each segment by Sum of Absolute Difference (SAD) approach. Next, the initial disparity estimation is improved with Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) robust plane fitting method. Finally, the disparity plane in each segment region is set by incorporating energy minimization on smoothness constraints between neighboring segments using graph cuts. Experimental results show that the performance of proposed approach on Middlebury test set results are comparable to current state-of-the art approaches and final disparity maps are close to the ground truth data.
Conflict and advertising planning: consequences of networking for advertising planning

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the tensions and basis for conflict within relationships that embed and connect networked companies involved in the planning of advertising, with broader relevance for professional service organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Framed within a social network perspective, this interpretive study draws on 22 in‐depth interviews to discuss the emergence and consequences of conflict within relationships shared by advertising creatives, account managers, researchers and media planners located in Scotland.Findings – The paper identifies four dominant themes which contribute toward relational conflict: the intensity of involvement in advertising planning, the emergence of role ambiguity, cultural stereotyping, and conflicts of interest.Originality/value – The paper provides a valuable antidote to studies reliant on dyadic client‐agency perspectives. Adopting a network perspective, it recognizes the importance of the multiple, simultaneous relationships involved .
A spatial constraint and deep learning based hyperspectral image super-resolution method

The image super-resolution (SR) technique, which aims at reconstructing a high-resolution (HR) image from a single low-resolution (LR) image, is a classical problem in computer vision. Limited by the imaging hardware, the spatial resolution of a hyperspectral images (HSI) is usually very coarse. Meanwhile, the spectral information of the HSI is extremely important for its applications and cannot be severely distorted. This paper presents a spatial constraint (SCT) strategy with combination of a deep learning method for HSI SR. The SCT strategy restraints the LR HSI generated by the reconstructed HR HSI should be spatially close to the input LR HSI. The deep learning method learns an end-to-end mapping between the spectral difference of the LR HSI and that of the HR HSI. The mapping is represented as a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN learned spectral difference is utilized to super-resolve the LR HSI while preserve the important spectral information of the desired HR HSI. Experiments have been conducted on three databases that contains both indoor scenes and outdoor scenes. Comparative analyses have verified the effectiveness of the overall method.
Mossy fibres sending retinal‐slip, eye, and head velocity signals to the flocculus of the monkey.

Discharges of mossy fibres were recorded from the cerebellar flocculus of monkeys trained to fixate a small visual target and to track the target when it moved slowly. The experimental paradigms used were designed to study neural responses to retinal‐slip velocity, eye velocity, or head velocity, individually or in combination. Among 485 mossy‐fibre units recorded from the flocculus, sixty‐four units (or 13%) responded to movement of the visual stimulus in the horizontal plane. Two distinct groups of visual mossy fibres were found: they were designated 'visual units' (thirty‐nine/sixty‐four units or 61%) and 'visuomotor units' (twenty‐five/sixty‐four units or 39%). The visual units responded exclusively to the retinal‐slip velocity. Stationary fixation was necessary for clear cyclic modulation of activity. Their responses declined when the retinal‐slip velocity was reduced by eye movements in the same direction. The responses of the visual units were directionally selective and lagged behind the occurrence of 'turnabouts' (changes in direction of stimulus movement) and their peak discharges also lagged the occurrence of peak velocity. Each visual unit had a limited range of velocity sensitivity; in some units the range covered the velocity range of smooth‐pursuit eye movements. The visuomotor units had visual receptive fields in the peripheral retina (outside of the central 10 deg); they received also oculomotor and vestibular signals. When the head was stationary, the visuomotor units responded to the target velocity (or visual stimulus velocity) which is the algebraic sum of the retinal‐slip velocity and the eye velocity. Their responses reflected the retinal‐slip velocity during stationary fixation and the eye velocity during smooth‐pursuit eye movements. The responses to stimulus movements were, therefore, almost identical regardless of whether the eyes remained stationary or moved with the stimulus. In response to sinusoidal stimulus movements, the responses of the visuomotor units frequently preceded the stimulus velocity, and the phase lead relative to the velocity curve increased when the frequency of sinusoidal movements was increased. This reflected a relatively constant lead of neural discharges (circa 125 ms) during various frequencies. When the head was moved, the responses of the visuomotor units were dominated by the head velocity, and discharges in response either to the retinal‐slip velocity or to the eye velocity (both in the direction opposite to the head velocity) were occluded. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
CT of Liver Steatosis after Subtotal Pancreatectomy

The liver attenuation of 50 patients operated with a subtotal pancreatectomy for pancreatic and duodenal tumors was evaluated with CT. Of 18 patients surviving more than 18 months after surgery, 7 developed a markedly reduced liver attenuation indicating liver steatosis. No patient became diabetic or showed evidence of malnutrition after surgery. No correlation between the liver attenuation values and the patients' liver function tests was noted. The steatosis was reversible in 4 of the 7 patients. The pathophysiological cause of the steatosis remains unknown. Partial pancreatectomy should be included among the reasons listed for liver steatosis.
Evaluating the Quality of Health Web Sites: Developing a Validation Method and Rating Instrument

Within the field of consumer health informatics there is a need to develop transparent validation methods and rating instruments both of sufficient complexity and reliability to help designers, evaluators and patients to evaluate the quality of health web sites and health information on the Web. Further refinement and validation of the Bomba and Land Consumer Health Website Rating Index (v.1) was conducted. This paper reports on the validation approach utilised (a combination of the Delphi Technique and Sullivan's 5 step process) to produce version 2 of the Bomba and Land Index.
Mining Non-Redundant Substitution Rules between Sets of Items in Large Databases

The mining of association rules has been studied for years, but few studies have considered the mining of substitution rules though such rules also provide valuable knowledge of market prediction. In prior work, several efficient mining algorithms were proposed to explore substitution rules. However, all the methods may produce redundant substitution rules. Therefore, this paper discusses the problem of mining non-redundant substitution rules and proposes the NRM (non-redundant substitution rules mining) algorithm as a solution. A substitution rule is said to be non-redundant if the provided information is not covered by other rules. To make the mining process more efficient, the property of frequent closed patterns is utilized and three lemmas are proposed to prune redundant substitution rules. Our experimental results show that the performance of NRM algorithm is superior to that of naive apriori-based approaches
Interaction and Living Arrangements of Older Parents and their Children

This article addresses several specific questions which have arisen from speculation about the impact of recent social, economic, and demographic trends on the older family. The availability of and interaction with children among elderly Americans over the past two decades is examined. Causal models are used to explore the effects of social, economic, and demographic change on family interaction and living with a child. Finally, the implications of these findings for the future are reviewed. Analyses are based on the 1984 National Health Interview Survey Study on Aging and the 1962 and 1975 Survey of the Aged studies.
Integrating Financial And Non-Financial Performance Measures: The State Of The Art And Research Opportunities

This paper aims to provide a literature review of the need for integrating financial and non-financial performance measures. More specifically, it aims to provide a framework for the adoption of the balanced scorecard (BSC) at strategic business unit level (SBUs). Different aspects of BSC are identified. They include: integrating financial and non-financial performance measures; allocating the financial and non-financial performance measures to the four perspectives (BSC usage); examining the relative weight placed to the four perspectives; questioning the purpose of using BSC. In addition, the management accounting literature provides many contingent variables influencing the different aspects of BSC. They include: the role of consulting firms; organisation size; perceived environmental uncertainty; business unit strategy; product life-cycle; management style; other factors including national and organisational culture. Following the ideas of the contingency theory relating to the proper fit between contingent variables, aspects of BSC and the effectiveness of BSC, several measures of effectiveness are presented. Drawing off the literature and the suggested framework of the adoption of BSC, several areas for future research are identified. The first is to develop an overall measure that includes the different aspects of BSC. The second is to examine the direct and indirect relationship between the contingent variables and the aspects of BSC. The third is to explain why subjective and objective measures of effectiveness of BSC may agree or disagree. The final area is to examine the relationship between BSC for a given business unit with other BSCs of other business units and that of higher organisational level.
Demonstration of avulsion fracture of the inferior pole of the patella by magnetic resonance imaging. A case report.

Houghton and Ackroyd described an avulsion fracture of the patella in which a substantial sleeve of cartilage had been pulled from the patella along with a fragment of bone from the inferior pole. Although the diagnosis can be suggested by the clinical evaluation and initial radiographs, it may be missed, especially if the radiographs do not show the fragment of bone clearly. Magnetic resonance imaging is commonly used to demonstrate injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and menisci’2. It has also delineated acute ruptures of the patellar ligament and avulsion fractures of the patella27”.
A Probabilistic Model of Time Perception

The ability to perceive the passage of time is a crucial feature of the brain. Without this ability, it would be impossible to form meaningful relationships among changing spatial stimuli in order to gain useful knowledge about the world. Despite this fact, the question of how time is perceived and used in the brain has not been nearly as well-studied as perception and usage of spatial stimuli. This is perhaps because it seems easier to conduct very direct experiments with spatial stimuli, whereas experiments with temporal stimuli may be more difficult to design. The visual pathway has been explored extensively to discover the structure of receptive fields in neurons that are tuned to the orientations of edges, through such classic experiments as that of Hubel and Wiesel in 1962, among others [1] [2]. However, little is known about the mechanisms for processing timing of changes in the visual field, or any other any other area for that matter [3].
Toward a Conceptualization of Customer Productivity: The Customer's Perspective on Transforming Customer Labor into Customer Outcomes Using Technology-Based Self-Service Options

Technology-based self-service is a rapidly emerging service option within retailing, with customers often serving as coproducers or quasi-employees, increasingly taking an active role in the production and delivery of the service experience. Traditional measures of productivity only refer to "provider-induced productivity" within these service settings. This internal orientation does not consider customers as a production factor but treats them as a free utility. This conceptual paper fills an important gap by promoting the concept of customer productivity as perceived by the customer (versus the perspective of the organization) and proposing a customer productivity framework.
DETERMINATIONS OF URINARY 17-HYDROXYCORTICOSTEROIDS AND THEIR RELATION TO CORTISOL SECRETION.

A method for the determination of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids employing periodate oxidation was studied for reliability, and the secretion rate of cortisol was then compared with urinary steroid excretion in a number of subjects. The urinary assay was found to be satisfactory in terms of precision and accuracy. The correlation between urinary steroid excretion and secretion rate was acceptable in the normal range, but became poor as the secretion rate increased. Two patients with Cushing's syndrome showed elevated cortisol secretion rates as compared to the control subjects, but urinary steroid excretion was within the normal range. Examination of the percentage conversion of cortisol to urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids suggests there is a progressive decrease in the proportion converted as the secretion rate rises. It is concluded that a progressive alteration in steroid metabolism occurs as the secretion rate of cortisol rises, with the formation of metabolites which are not included in the urinary assay.
The CLOCK 3111T/C single nucleotide polymorphism and daytime fluctuations of gastric motility in healthy young women: A preliminary study

ABSTRACT The 3111T/C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput (CLOCK) gene reportedly affects gastric motility before breakfast. It is of interest to know whether this SNP can affect the motility during the daytime. We investigated the association between the CLOCK 3111T/C SNP and several gastric motility parameters during the time period from 8:00 to 20:00 in 34 young women with scheduled meals. There were similar daytime fluctuations in gastric motility before and after the meals between the major (T/T) and minor (T/C) allele carriers. The CLOCK SNP may affect daytime gastric motility less than food stimulation.