Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insertional mutagenesis by random cloning of antibiotic resistance genes into the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis strain PCC 6803

The facultative heterotrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 was transformed by HaeII Cmr fragments ligated at random to HaeII DNA fragments of the host genome. A similar transformation was done with an AvaII Kmr marker ligated to AvaII host DNA fragments. Integration of the resistance markers into the host genome led to a high frequency of stable Kmr and Cmr transformants. Physical analysis of individual transformants indicated that this result was due to homologous recombination by conversionlike events leading to insertion of the Cmr (or Kmr) gene between two HaeII (or AvaII) sites of the host genome, with precise deletion of the host DNA between these sites. In contrast, integrative crossover of circular DNA molecules with homology to the host DNA is very rare in this cyanobacterium. Strain PCC 6803 was shown to have about 12 genomic copies per cell in standard growth conditions, which complicates the detection of recessive mutations induced by chemical or UV mutagenesis. Random disruption of the host DNA by insertional transformation provides a convenient alternative to transposon mutagenesis in cyanobacteria and may help to overcome the difficulties encountered in generating recessive mutants by classical mutagenesis.
A FeFET based super-low-power ultra-fast embedded NVM technology for 22nm FDSOI and beyond

We show the implementation of a ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) based eNVM solution into a leading edge 22nm FDSOI CMOS technology. Memory windows of 1.5 V are demonstrated in aggressively scaled FeFET cells with an area as small as 0.025 μm2 At this point program/erase endurance cycles up to 105 are supported. Complex pattern are written into 32 MBit arrays using ultrafast program/erase pulses in a 10 ns range at 4.2 V. High temperature retention up to 300 °C is achieved. It makes FeFET based eNVM a viable choice for overall low-cost and low-power IoT applications in 22nm and beyond technology nodes.
Oral dexamethasone for the treatment of pain in children with acute pharyngitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE We compare oral dexamethasone with placebo for the relief of pain in children with acute pharyngitis. METHODS We performed a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of children aged 5 to 16 years who presented to the emergency department with acute pharyngitis. Children rated their pain on a standardized color analog scale and had a rapid streptococcal antigen detection test performed to determine group assignment. Children were randomized to dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg, maximum dose 10 mg) or placebo. Blinded research assistants called all families daily to determine pain scores until the point of complete pain relief. The primary outcome measures were the time to clinically significant pain relief and the time to complete pain relief. RESULTS A total of 184 children were enrolled in the study. There were 85 children in the antigen-positive group, of whom 45 were randomized to dexamethasone and 40 to placebo. In children with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, the median time to clinically significant pain relief was 6 hours in the dexamethasone group versus 11.5 hours in the placebo group (P =.02; effect size of 5.5 hours with 95% confidence interval [CI] of 1.0 and 10.0 hours), and the time to complete pain relief was similar (36 hours for placebo versus 40 hours for dexamethasone, P =.86; effect size of 4.0 hours with 95% CI of -9.3 and 17.3 hours) in the placebo group. There were 99 children enrolled in the antigen-negative group, of whom 47 received dexamethasone and 52 received placebo. In this group, the median time to clinically significant pain relief was 13 hours in the dexamethasone group versus 9 hours in the placebo group (P =.32; effect size of 4 hours with 95% CI of -2 and 10 hours), and the time to complete pain relief was similar (48 hours for placebo versus 50 hours for dexamethasone, P =.61; effect size of 2 hours with 95% CI of -11.8 and 15.8 hours). CONCLUSION For all children with acute pharyngitis, oral dexamethasone does not decrease the time to onset of clinically significant pain relief or time to complete pain relief. However, in the subset of children with positive antigen detection test results, there is a statistically significant improvement in time to onset of pain relief, but it is of marginal clinical importance.
Using IT to Improve Efficiency of Polish Courts: An Action Research Study

The paper presents a research project on identification of good practices based on information technology to improve the efficiency of Polish courts. The research draws from New Institutional Economics – the theory that explains why efforts to improve the efficiency of institutions, specifically judiciary are essential for the transition economy. The methodology relies on action research. It includes theory based identification of areas for improvement and final formulation of good practices related to the use of information technology based information systems solutions (IT/IS) in the courts for their further implementation. The project outcome consists in the report on a thorough diagnosis of the factual state in thirty pilot courts and indicates the key directions for improvement as well as six IT/IS good practices. The authors conclude with the recommendation for follow-up studies that could expand on the subject of good practices for common courts in Poland.
Internet adoption in travel agents across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Evidence from four Emirates

[Extract] Internet adoption has been widely discussed in the context of travel agents (TAs) such as in regard to supplier-networks (e.g. Andreau, Alda, Bigne, & Mattila, 2010), traveler relationship development (Harris & Duckworth, 2005), or the TA industry at large (Abou Shouk, Lim, & Megicks, 2013). Some of the key benefits derived from Internet adoption for the economy and companies are faster design and delivery of new products, direct access to new markets, increased productivity, and hence a contribution to economic growth (Poon, 1993). Small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are often seen as the backbone of economies in developing and developed countries (Manochehri, Al-Esmail, & Ashrafi, 2012). TAs, being a substantial part of the SME service sector, are seen as playing an important role in this context (Andreau et al., 2010). This research note investigates Internet adoption in TAs across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE isa particular case; however, given its relatively fast growing economy, political stability, and on average affluent population, the study could provide revealing insights which might be transferred to other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Marketing Activities to Support ‘Moderately Novel’ Product Innovation: Insights from the Chemical Industry

Scholars often follow a contingency approach to study which marketing activities are suitable for a particular type of product innovation project, thereby making a distinction between incremental and radical innovation only. ‘Moderately novel’ projects, which have intermediate levels of newness, have therefore not been given due attention. This paper focuses on market intelligence generation and the creation of cross-functional linkages as marketing activities that are important in the context of moderately novel product innovation. In addition, the organizational position of the marketers involved in these activities is dealt with. Based on the analysis of four successful projects in the chemical industry, we argue, firstly, that moderately novel innovation projects have their own particular sets of marketing practices and, secondly, that differences exist between projects aiming at a new market segment and projects in which novelty is not related to market segment but to other market dimensions. These differences are especially salient in early project phases. These findings are pertinent to research on the role of marketers in product innovation, and to the study of organizational ambidexterity.
Parents' Discount Rates for Child Quality

Contemporary discussions of economic growth make human capital or knowledge accumulation its primary engine [25]. Human capital as the lead component of the stock of wealth defines a developed economy. Becker and Murphy [4] show that human capital both increases and is increased by the scope of the market. Its rate of return rises with the size of its stock [5]. Human capital also plays significant roles in models of human fertility choice [40], population and environmental degradation [11; 34], capital mobility [3], and endogenous technological progress [33]. A substantial portion of an adult's human capital is accumulated during childhood. Children as children, however, cannot independently contract for the resources required to support investments in this human capital. Though nearly every society grants parents wide discretion about the nurture they provide their children, little is understood about what motivates investment by one generation in another, the relative importance of different investment modes, or the discount rates which parents apply. Whatever the motivation and the mode, because of the long time span between birth and adulthood, parents' discount rates potentially exert great leverage upon the investment decisions they make for their children. Knowledge of these discount rates is a prerequisite to acquiring an improved understanding of the internal decision processes of the household, a collective decision unit which economics mostly treats as a black box.1 Important policy questions, as well as scientific accuracy and logical consistency, demand knowledge of the discount rates parents apply to investments in their children. Healthier, better educated, and wealthier children have a better chance in life. But there is no evident reason to suppose that intrafamily discount rates are socially optimal.2 Many of the private reactions and behaviors which reinforce or temper the intended effects of public policies are internal to the household. When these intended effects have a substantial temporal dimension, parental discount rates will be influential. For example, increased public investments in children can be neutralized
Malnutrition in cardiac surgery: food for thought

Background: Undernourished patients treated in general surgery departments suffer from prolonged and complicated hospitalizations, and higher mortality rates compared with well nourished patients. Pivotal information regarding patients' nutritional status and its effect on clinical outcome is lacking for cardiac surgery patients. We investigated the prevalence of malnutrition risk and its association with 30-day hospital mortality and postoperative complications. Methods and results: Four hundred and three patients who underwent cardiac surgery during 2008 and were screened with the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) on admission were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses compared the association of high and low risk for malnutrition with length of hospitalization (LOS), in-hospital and 30-day mortality, and postoperative complications. Almost 20% of the patients were found to be at high risk for malnutrition. Univariate analyses revealed higher in-hospital mortality rates (p = 0.03) and greater incidence of LOS and antibiotic treatment longer than 21 days (p = 0.002 and p = 0.04, respectively), vasopressor treatment longer than 11 days (p = 0.02), and positive blood cultures (p = 0.02) in patients belonging to the high-risk MUST group. Incorporation of the MUST in a multivariate model with the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) significantly improved postoperative complications prediction, as well as in-hospital and 30-day mortality, compared with the EuroSCORE alone. Conclusions: Malnutrition is prevalent in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, associated with higher postoperative mortality and morbidity. Preoperative MUST screening has emerged as highly relevant for enabling early diagnosis of patients at malnutrition risk, predicting postoperative mortality and morbidity, thus promoting well timed treatment. Prospective studies are needed to explore whether intervention can decrease malnutrition risk.
A part-based online modeling algorithm and its applications on robust visual tracking

This paper proposes a part-based online object modeling and tracking method. The desired object is first tracked by IVT tracker which returns the appearances of objects in several leading frames. On these appearance subimages of object the SIFT key points are collected to build the training set for part detecting and modeling. NCut clustering then partitions key points into groups and the Gaussian models are employed to build the structure of object. Groups with the minimum variances of Gaussian models are considered as the parts. Given the learned parts, their corresponding appearance-based detectors are set by the solutions to the out-of-sample problem of NCut. Once a new key point is found in testing frames, the key point is classified by the part detectors and only the member of the learned parts are the survivals. The detected new part then spreads its scores around the potential centers indicated by its corresponding Gaussian model. The assembly of parts thus is completed by sum all scores up for all new instances in one frame. The maximum of sum scores points out the object locations if the score is above a fixed threshold. Otherwise, the re-training stage is called to update the detectors and the models. The experimental results on several challenging video sequences demonstrates the successful use of the proposed method.
Space-Varying Regression Coefficients: A Semi-parametric Approach Applied to Real Estate Markets

This paper presents a method for estimating home values by non-parametrically incorporating the physical location of the properties. Specifically, I allow the parameters of the observed covariates to vary in space. This approach mitigates one of the biggest deficiencies inherent in hedonic pricing models-omitted variables. I demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method using real estate transaction data from Los Angeles County. The estimation finds a substantial spatial variation of the marginal values of the hedonic characteristics and provides an insight into the segmentation of the market. The proposed method is an extension of semi-parametric multi-dimensional k-nearest-neighbor smoothing. It alleviates a fundamental problem known as the curse of dimensionality by incorporating parametric components into a non-parametric estimation. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.
Corporate Governance in Nigeria: The Status Quo

It is generally believed that poor corporate governance has been the Achilles' heel of many corporations in both rich and poor nations. This is particularly true of Nigeria, where corruption is endemic. However, following the change of government in 1999, the Federal Government is keen to attract foreign investments into the country. Given the high correlation between corporate governance and investor decisions, the government is keen to position the country to take advantage of the opportunities in the global market by adhering to principles of good governance. Yet not much is known about the state of, or the current framework for, corporate governance in Nigeria. By providing a comprehensive review of the state of corporate governance in Africa's most populous country, this paper makes a contribution to the literature on the state of corporate governance in developing countries. The paper examines the mechanism for corporate governance, including the requirements of the recently established Code of Best Practices for Public Companies in Nigeria. In particular, it examines the roles of the government, the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the representatives of the shareholders of the companies, directors, auditors and the Audit Committee in the governance process. The paper addresses the issue of whether the governance mechanisms in Nigeria are adequate in the face of the changes and challenges in the global corporate scene. It argues that whilst there is a case for adherence to global corporate governance standards, any Code of Best Practices adopted in Nigeria must reflect its peculiar socio-political and economic environment, whilst at the same time providing the right assurance to prospective and existing shareholders. Copyright (c) 2007 The Author; Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Capital in the American Economy: Its Formation and Financing. By Simon Kuznets. Princeton, N. J.: Published for the National Bureau of Economic Research by Princeton University Press, 1961. Pp. 664. $12.00

(Arbeiterbeschaffungspolitik) which was effective but less costly for employers than wage rates determined by freely interacting quantities in functioning labormarkets. The investigation of Kurt Hinze leads him to revise Schmoller's thesis on the social policy of the Prussian mercantilist state. Rather than "assuring the worker a standard of living at least equal to the masters of the guilds," the policy resulted (so the author finds) in workers' being supported only when this benefited the business of employers. One omission has to be recorded which deals with the controversy between Sombart and Max Weber on the relationship between mercantilism and capitalism. Sombart saw mercantilism as the early phase of capitalism, while Weber emphasized a lack of continuity since most of the mercantilist establishments perished when the support of the state was withdrawn and they can not be regarded as the immediate forerunner of the modern capitalist enterprise. It is deplorable that the author did not use the second edition of the book to throw new light on an old but again relevant issue of our time. ARTHUR SCHWEITZER, Indiana University
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Input Parameters and Sensitivity

Discounted cash flow analysis provides a means of relating the magnitude of expected future cash profits to the magnitude of the initial cash investment required to purchase an asset or to develop it for commercial production. The objectives of discounted cash flow analysis are to determine: < The net present value of a stream of expected future cash revenues and expenditures. < The rate of return which the expected future cash flows will yield on a given level of initial cash investment. In the case of mineral properties, discounted cash flow analysis is generally accepted as the preferred method of valuation, whenever sufficient data are available to permit its reasoned application. Sufficient data are required to support estimation of all of the individual elements of cash revenue and cash expenditure which will be associated with the development and operation of the property, up to the end of its estimated life. It is the accuracy of these input estimates which determines the validity of the resulting determinations of profitability and rate of return on invested capital. In undertaking any discounted cash flow analysis, it is important to recognize certain fundamental attributes of the mining industry: < The basis of any mineral development is the existence of an ore reserve. < Costs are determined by the number of tonnes mined and processed, while revenues are determined by the number of pounds or ounces of metal produced. The two are related by the recovered grade of the ore. < Profit is typically more sensitive to changes in revenue than it is to changes in cost. < Commodity price is a principal determinant of revenue, but it is also the factor with which is associated the greatest level of financial risk. In the end, of all of the factors which must be considered in the discounted cash flow valuation of a mineral property, the most significant are the reliability of the reserve estimate, particularly with respect to recovered grade, the price at which the product is to be sold, and the risk of not maintaining the projected level of price.
Toward a multiscale model of antigen presentation in immunity

Summary: A functioning immune system and the process of antigen presentation in particular encompass events that occur at multiple length and time scales. Despite a wealth of information in the biological literature regarding each of these scales, no single representation synthesizing this information into a model of the overall immune response as it depends on antigen presentation is available. In this article, we outline an approach for integrating information over relevant biological and temporal scales to generate such a representation for major histocompatibility complex class II‐mediated antigen presentation. In addition, we begin to address how such models can be used to answer questions about mechanisms of infection and new strategies for treatment and vaccines.
Applied Math for Derivatives: A Non-Quant Guide To The Valuation And Modeling Of Financial Derivatives

Acknowledgments. Preface. GETTING STARTED. Introduction. Fundamentals of Derivative Valuation. A Review of Financial Math. FORWARDS AND FUTURES. The Role of Forwards Market. Interest Rate Forwards. Foreign Exchange Forwards. Equity Forwards. SWAPS. Swap Fundamentals. Interest Rate Swaps. Cross Currency Swaps. Equity Swaps. OPTIONS. Option Fundamentals. Equity Options. Interest Rate Options. Currency Options.
Substrate integrated waveguide quasi-elliptic bandpass filter with meander-slot coupling structures

This paper presents a novel cross-coupled bandpass filter using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity resonators. A special negative coupling scheme with symmetrical meander slots on the top and bottom metal planes is applied. The design strategies and performances are introduced and discussed in detail. The proposed fourth-order filter shows a fractional bandwidth of 8.2% at 15.24 GHz with a return loss of better than -17.25 dB, an insertion loss of less than -1.8 dB, and excellent frequency selectivity.
Mesoangioblasts, Vessel-Associated Multipotent Stem Cells, Repair the Infarcted Heart by Multiple Cellular Mechanisms: A Comparison With Bone Marrow Progenitors, Fibroblasts, and Endothelial Cells

Objective—To test the potential of mesoangioblasts (Mabs) in reducing postischemic injury in comparison with bone marrow progenitor cells (BMPCs), fibroblasts (Fbs), and embryonic stem cell–derived endothelial cells (ECs), and to identify putative cellular protective mechanisms. Methods and Results—Cells were injected percutaneously in the left ventricular (LV) chamber of C57BL/6 mice, 3 to 6 hours after coronary ligation, and detected in the hearts 2 days and 6 weeks later. Echocardiographic examinations were performed at 6 weeks. LV dilation was reduced and LV shortening fraction was improved with Mabs and BMPCs but not with ECs and Fbs. Donor cell colonization of the host myocardium was modest and predominantly in the smooth muscle layer of vessels. Capillary density was higher in the peripheral infarct area and apoptotic cardiomyocytes were fewer with Mabs and BMPCs. Mabs and BMPCs, but not Fbs or ECs, promoted survival of cultured cardiocytes under low-oxygen in culture. This activity was present in Mab-conditioned medium and could be replaced by a combination of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), all of which are produced by these cells. Conditioned medium from Mabs, but not from Fbs, stimulated proliferation of smooth muscle cells in vitro. Conclusions—Mabs appear as effective as BMPCs in reducing postinfarction LV dysfunction, likely through production of antiapoptotic and angiogenic factors.