Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Expert System for Predicting ERP Post-Implementation Benefits Using Artificial Neural Network

Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) is a complex and costly project which usually delivers only a few of expected benefits. Obtaining the expected benefits of ERPs is impressed by a variety of factors and variables which is related to an organization or project environment. In this paper, the idea of predicting ERP post-implementation benefits based on the organizational profiles and factors has been discussed. Regarding the need to form the expectations of organizations about ERP, an expert system is developed by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method to articulate the relationships between some organizational factors and ERP's achieved benefits. The expert system's role is in the preparation to capture the data from the new enterprises wishes to implement ERP and predict likely benefits might be achieved from the system. For this end, factors of organizational profiles (such as industry type, size, structure, and so on) are recognized and a feed-forward architecture and Levenberg-Marquardt (trainlm) neural network model is designed, trained and validated with 171 surveyed data of Middle-East located enterprises experienced ERP. The trained ANN embedded in developed expert system predicts with the average correlation coefficients of 0.745, which is respectively high and proves the idea of dependency of ERP post-implementation benefits on the organizational profiles. Besides, total correct classification rate of 0.701 shows good prediction power which can help firms in predicting ERP benefits before system implementation.
The influence of mutual thermal interactions between power LEDs on their characteristics

The paper concerns the influence of thermal phenomena on the characteristics of power LEDs. The electrothermal model of the power LED for the SPICE software taking into account electric, thermal and optical properties of the considered devices, and particularly the mutual thermal coupling between the devices situated on the common heat-sink or in the LED module, is presented. Using the worked out model the current-voltage characteristics of the selected diodes, dependences of their junction temperature on the forward current and the illuminance of the area lighted by the investigated LED on its forward current are calculated. These characteristics were calculated at different cooling conditions of the investigated LED, and the results of calculations were compared with the results of measurements. The single diode, two diodes situated on the common heat-sink, and the LED module are considered. The good agreement between the results of calculations and measurements confirms the correctness of the worked out model.
Titins: Giant Proteins in Charge of Muscle Ultrastructure and Elasticity

In addition to thick and thin filaments, vertebrate striated muscle contains a third filament system formed by the giant protein titin. Single titin molecules extend from Z discs to M lines and are longer than 1 micrometer. The titin filament contributes to muscle assembly and resting tension, but more details are not known because of the large size of the protein. The complete complementary DNA sequence of human cardiac titin was determined. The 82-kilobase complementary DNA predicts a 3-megadalton protein composed of 244 copies of immunoglobulin and fibronectin type III (FN3) domains. The architecture of sequences in the A band region of titin suggests why thick filament structure is conserved among vertebrates. In the I band region, comparison of titin sequences from muscles of different passive tension identifies two elements that correlate with tissue stiffness. This suggests that titin may act as two springs in series. The differential expression of the springs provides a molecular explanation for the diversity of sarcomere length and resting tension in vertebrate striated muscles.
Tracking Opinion over Time: A method for Reducing Sampling Error

Across a wide range of applications, the Kalman filter- ing and smoothing algorithm provides survey researchers with a sin- gle, systematic technique by which to generate four kinds of useful information. First, it enables survey analysts to differentiate between random sampling error and true opinion change. Second, Kalman smoothing provides a means by which to accumulate information across surveys, greatly increasing the precision with which public opinion is gauged at any given point in time. Third, this technique provides a rigorous means by which to interpolate missing observa- tions and calculate the uncertainty associated with these interpola- tions. Finally, the Kalman algorithm improves the accuracy with which public opinion may be forecasted. Our empirical examples, which focus on party identification, show that the Kalman algorithm can dramatically reduce sampling error in survey data. Since soft- ware implementing this technique is readily available, survey ana- lysts are encouraged to use it to make more efficient use of the data at their disposal. Public opinion analysts frequently encounter problems when they attempt to track the opinions of subpopulations over time. A random national sam- ple of 1,000 adults will contain approximately 121 African-Americans, 126 Californians, and 127 respondents over 65 years of age (U.S. Census Bureau 1995). Charting trends in opinion among such small subgroups immediately raises the question of whether movements from poll to poll are due to real opinion change or merely random sampling variability. donald p. green is professor of political science and director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. alan s. gerber is assistant professor of political science at Yale University. suzanna l. de boef is assistant professor of po- litical science at Pennsylvania State University. The authors wish to thank Jay Emer- son for his programming assistance and the Institution for Social and Policy Studies for its financial support. The data and programs used in this article may be obtained at the Web address http://pantheon.yale. edu/,gogreen.
D Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Alanine to Valine Polymorphism and Risk of Neuropathy and Nephropathy in Egyptian Type 1 Diabetic Patients

Oxidative stress, characterized by a marked increase in the level of oxygen free radicals (OFR), has been implicated in the development of diabetic microangiopathic complications, such as diabetic neuropathy (DN) and nephropathy (DP). Antioxidant enzymes may protect against the rapid onset and progression of microangiopathy, by reducing the excess of OFR and peroxides. Mutations and polymorphisms in genes encoding such enzymes may therefore result in a predisposition to this disorder. AIM: we investigated the role of genes encoding the antioxidant enzyme, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD2), in DN and DP pathogenesis in an Egyptian population. We studied Ala(-9)Val polymorphism of the Mn-SOD2 gene in type 1 diabetic patients (n = 65) with DN (n = 40) or DP (n = 45). METHODS: we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with restriction fragment length polymorphism for rapid detection of polymorphisms. These assays involved the use of mismatch PCR primers to create restriction sites in the amplified product only in presence of the polymorphic base. The PCR product was then digested with AgeI restriction enzyme to detect Ala(-9)Val polymorphic sites. RESULTS: the frequencies of the Ala allele (odds ratio (OR) = 0.438, 95% CI of 0.247 0.778) and the Ala/Ala genotype (OR = 0.26, 95% CI of 1.39 10.266) were significantly lower in diabetic neuropathy patients. In contrast, the frequencies of the Val allele (OR = 2.282, 95% CI of 1.286 4.05) and the homozygous Val/Val genotype (OR = 6.68, 95% CI of 0.3 0.76) were significantly higher in patients with DN than diabetics without neuropathy. Although the Val allele was more frequently detected in DP patients than diabetics without nephropathy (OR = 3.2), this difference was statistically non-significant. In conclusion, Ala(-9)Val substitution in the Mn-SOD2 gene was associated with DN in Egyptian diabetic children but not a significant factor in diabetic patients with nephropathy.
Two-sided markets: a progress report

The paper provides a road map to the burgeoning literature on two-sided markets and presents new results. It identifies two-sided markets with markets in which the structure, and not only the level of prices charged by platforms matters. The failure of the Coase theorem is necessary but not sufficient for two-sidedness. The paper builds a model integrating usage and membership externalities, that unifies two hitherto disparate strands of the literature emphasizing either form of externality, and obtains new results on the mix of membership and usage charges when price setting or bargaining determine payments between end-users.
Differential Transmembrane Domain GXXXG Motif Pairing Impacts Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class II Structure*

Background: Major histocompatibility complex class II molecules are structurally and functionally heterogeneous. Results: Combined mutagenesis and structural studies establish a role for pairing between conserved transmembrane (TM) GXXXG dimerization motifs in determining class II conformation. Conclusion: Differential pairing of highly conserved TM domain dimerization motifs contributes to class II structure and function. Significance: Global conformation contributes to the function of peptide-class II complexes. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules exhibit conformational heterogeneity, which influences their ability to stimulate CD4 T cells and drive immune responses. Previous studies suggest a role for the transmembrane domain of the class II αβ heterodimer in determining molecular structure and function. Our previous studies identified an MHC class II conformer that is marked by the Ia.2 epitope. These Ia.2+ class II conformers are lipid raft-associated and able to drive both tyrosine kinase signaling and efficient antigen presentation to CD4 T cells. Here, we establish that the Ia.2+ I-Ak conformer is formed early in the class II biosynthetic pathway and that differential pairing of highly conserved transmembrane domain GXXXG dimerization motifs is responsible for formation of Ia.2+ versus Ia.2− I-Ak class II conformers and controlling lipid raft partitioning. These findings provide a molecular explanation for the formation of two distinct MHC class II conformers that differ in their inherent ability to signal and drive robust T cell activation, providing new insight into the role of MHC class II in regulating antigen-presenting cell-T cell interactions critical to the initiation and control of multiple aspects of the immune response.
Semantic Web digital archive integration

The existence of huge amounts of data on the Web has raised an increasing challenge to locate right information at right time, as well as to integrating information effectively to provide a comprehensive source of useful information. Digital archives constitute an important specific domain in which Web Integration needs to be researched. We have implemented the parliamentary Web digital archive of the 'Asamblea' of Madrid (e-government) that is successfully running since 1999. Starting from this previous result, this paper proposes a virtual and dynamic Web integrated architecture, based on mediator and wrappers, containing an ontological kernel for providing a universal semantic unification of virtual integrated digital archive concepts.
Killer behaviour in wild wine yeasts associated with Merlot and Malbec type musts spontaneously fermented from Northwestern Patagonia (Argentina)

The occurrence of killer wine yeasts in Comahue Region (Patagonia, Argentina) was studied. Wild wine yeasts were isolated from spontaneously fermenting Merlot and Malbec type musts. Out of 135 isolates analyzed 37% were sensitive to some well characterized killer toxins as K1–K10 and did not show killer activity (sensitive phenotype, S), 21% showed neutral phenotype (N) and 42% demonstrated killer activity (killer phenotype, K). All but two killer strains, identified as Candida pulcherrima and Kluyveromyces marxianus, were Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Additionally, all killer strains were sensitive to some killer reference strains, showing a killer‐sensitive phenotype (KS); neither Saccharomyces or non‐Saccharomyces wild yeasts were phenotype killer‐resistant (KR).
Welfare Transfers in Two-Parent Families: Labor Supply and Welfare Participation Under Afdc-Up

This paper examines the effect of cash transfers and food stamp benefits on family labor supply and welfare participation among two-parent families. The Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Unemployed Parent Program has been providing cash benefits to two-parent households since 1961 and recent congressional action has increased its importance. In this model, the husband's and wife's labor supply decisions are constrained by a family budget constraint which is non-convex due to features of the AFDC-UP program. The husband's and wife's labor supply decisions are restricted to no work, part-time work and full-time work. Features of the tax and transfer programs are modeled formally using kinked budget restraints. Maximum likelihood techniques are used to estimate parameters of the underlying hours of work and welfare participation equations. The estimates from the model are used to determine the magnitude of the work disincentive effects of the AFDC-UP program, and to simulate the effects of changes in AFDC-UP benefit and eligibility rules on family labor supply and welfare participation. The results suggest that labor supply and welfare participation among two-parent families are highly responsive to changes in the benefit structure under the AFDC-UP program.
"Stock Markets' Integration Analysis"

Globalization brought increased attention to stock markets throughout the world. As a straightforward consequence of the economic integration between the European country members, the stock markets of these countries are expected to follow a path of steadily increasing integration due to the gradual intensification of the economic and monetary integration. However the establishment of EMU and the introduction of the common currency do not have the same effect on the European stock markets. The members of EMU were at different point of readiness when the final decision had been taken since many countries in EU were already taking part in other kind of integration initiatives. The main aim of this study is to analyze daily data of selected European stock markets in an attempt to point out significant changes in the degree of market integration among different stock markets using different econometric techniques.
Pharmacoepidemiology of Benzodiazepine and Sedative-Hypnotic Use in a Canadian General Population Cohort during 12 Years of Follow-up

Objective: Benzodiazepines (BDZs) and similar sedative-hypnotics (SSHs) can have both beneficial and adverse effects. Clinical practice guidelines indicate that the course of treatment should usually be brief (a few weeks), but patients often take these medications for longer periods of time. We hypothesized that treatment with antidepressants (ADs) would be associated with a shorter duration of SSHs use as mood and anxiety disorders may underlie the symptoms usually targeted by BDZ treatment. Method: Our study used data from a Canadian longitudinal general health study, the National Population Health Survey, which has collected data since 1994. Data are currently available to 2006. At each interview, all medications taken in the preceding 2 days are recorded. In our study, we used proportional hazard models to describe patterns of initiation and discontinuation of these medications in the general population. Results: At each interview, the frequency of BDZ-SSH use was 2% to 3%. About 1% of the population initiated use in each 2-year follow-up period. Contrary to expectation, taking ADs predicted initiation of BDZ-SSHs, but not discontinuation. Conclusions: Unexpectedly, respondents taking ADs had a higher frequency of new BDZ-SSH use. AD use may be a marker for depression severity or comorbidity, such that the observed results may be an artifact of confounding by these factors. Irrespective of etiology, initiation of AD treatment does not appear to negate the risk of long-term BDZ-SSH use.
Structure and expression of the human gene encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor, PAL1

The gene (pail) encoding human plasminogen activator inhibitor, PAIwas cloned from a IEMBL3 genomic library and was found to span approx. 12 kb and to contain eight introns. Primer extension and Sl nuclease analyses both showed the transcription start point to be located 142 nt upstream from the start codon. The 5’-flanking region was sequenced and found to contain a TATA box, but no CAAT sequence. When a fragment containing 730 nt of 5’ -untranslated region was placed upstream from a promoterless cut gene, it was shown to function as a promoter when transfected into COS cells. Northern-blot analysis was consistent with low level expression of the endogenous pail gene in COS cells. When the pail gene structure was compared to those of other members of the serine-protease-inhibitor encoding gene family, little conservation of intron positions was observed.
An Incentive Compatible Conjoint Ranking Mechanism

A simple method for making ranking-based conjoint analysis incentive compatible is proposed. The incentive compatible mechanism involves people purchasing a product profile with a probability proportional to its assigned rank. In an empirical application related to consumer preferences for beef attributes, we find that the forecasted market share for a new pasture-raised steak obtained using incentive-compatible rankings was significantly greater than that implied from traditional hypothetical conjoint rankings. People's rankings of ground beef products were not affected by the mechanism or by information about pasture-raised beef. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Commentary: Bias Attenuation and Identi ﬁ cation of Causal Effects With Multiple Negative Controls

In this commentary, we describe several extensions to the interesting and important negative control exposure approach for partial confounding adjustment in time-series analysis proposed by Flanders et al. ( Am J Epidemiol . 2017;185(10):941 – 949). Speci ﬁ cally, by leveraging the availability of exposure time series, we show that under certain additional fairly reasonable assumptions, one can incorporate both past and future exposures as multiple negative control exposures to further attenuate confounding bias. We further describe 2 speci ﬁ c settings in which multiple controls can be used to fully account for confounding bias; the ﬁ rst assumes a forward-in-time version of the familiar autoregressive model for the exposure time series, while the second combines a negative control exposure with a negative control outcome for joint indirect adjustment of confounding. We brie ﬂ y illustrate how one might apply our proposed framework in time-series studies. Both the original method of Flanders et al. and our proposed extensions are particularly well-suited for time-series data such as the air pollution study considered in their paper, and as such should be considered in routine environmental health studies.
Voluntary Pollution Reduction Programs, Environmental Management, and Environmental Performance: An Empirical Study

This paper examines, empirically, the mechanism by which a voluntary pollution reduction program (VPR) achieves pollution reductions. We find that participation in the 33/50 program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first VPR, spurred the adoption of total quality environmental management (TQEM), an environmental management system that views pollution as a quality defect to be continuously reduced through the development of products and processes that minimize waste generation at source. We find in turn that TQEM had a significant negative effect on 33/50 releases and that 33/50 participation produced additional direct pollution reduction benefits both during and after the program years. (JEL C23, Q58)
A Natural Experiment in Political Decentralization: Local Institutions and Citizens' Political Engagement in Uruguay

Abstract The potential democratizing effect of political decentralization reforms has been a matter of substantial theoretical and empirical debate. This article analyzes the effect of local democratic institution building on the political attitudes and behavior of citizens living in small towns in Uruguay. More specifically, using a natural experiment design, this research seeks to establish the causal impact of recently established elections of local authorities on individuals' political engagement. It develops a comparative case study analyzing the consequences of this institutional innovation in two towns. It shows that individuals from the town where citizens have the opportunity to elect their local authorities have more positive attitudes toward politics than those from the town without such elections.
Functional Reintegration of Sensory Neurons and Transitional Dendritic Reduction of Mitral/Tufted Cells during Injury-Induced Recovery of the Larval Xenopus Olfactory Circuit

Understanding the mechanisms involved in maintaining lifelong neurogenesis has a clear biological and clinical interest. In the present study, we performed olfactory nerve transection on larval Xenopus to induce severe damage to the olfactory circuitry. We surveyed the timing of the degeneration, subsequent rewiring and functional regeneration of the olfactory system following injury. A range of structural labeling techniques and functional calcium imaging were performed on both tissue slices and whole brain preparations. Cell death of olfactory receptor neurons and proliferation of stem cells in the olfactory epithelium were immediately increased following lesion. New olfactory receptor neurons repopulated the olfactory epithelium and once again showed functional responses to natural odorants within 1 week after transection. Reinnervation of the olfactory bulb (OB) by newly formed olfactory receptor neuron axons also began at this time. Additionally, we observed a temporary increase in cell death in the OB and a subsequent loss in OB volume. Mitral/tufted cells, the second order neurons of the olfactory system, largely survived, but transiently lost dendritic tuft complexity. The first odorant-induced responses in the OB were observed 3 weeks after nerve transection and the olfactory network showed signs of major recovery, both structurally and functionally, after 7 weeks.
Do Environmental Practices of Enterprises Constitute an Authentic Green Marketing Strategy? A Case Study From Mexico

Private enterprises have responded to the increasing concern about environmental deterioration by implementing green actions with different grades of efficacy in terms of environmental and business performance. The aim of this work was to outline how firms that operate in a context with weak social and governmental pressures like Mexico are considering environmental issues into their strategies. By using a qualitative research approach, this study collected information of multiple cases comprising multinationals, Mexican firms with international operations and Mexican firms with local operations. Information was analyzed to get a deep understanding about how 4Ps of product, price, place (distribution) and promotion (communication) of the traditional marketing mix are addressed via green practices. The two dominant greening strategies identified, “resource savings and waste reduction” and “certification and acknowledgment of environmental responsibility”, reflect a short-term perspective driven by immediate economic and legitimacy benefits. A well structured green marketing strategy was not identified even for large multinationals.