Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Space-Time Associations in the Consumer Patronage of Planned Shopping Centres

In this paper the changing behaviour of three shopping centres over time is described. The middle-ranked centre had stable occupancy levels, and shopping patronage over a finite time period is shown from the Fourier analysis to be periodic. The largest shopping centre does not exhibit the same behavioural characteristics. It is argued that agglomerative effects distort the space — time associations in the patronage distributions there. There is a return to the classical view of space-discounting shopping opportunities in the differential equation, and the results reflect the spatial trends observed in the survey data. When boundary conditions are applied to this equation, particularly for smaller shopping centres, a number of interesting conclusions can be drawn. Of particular significance is that consumers within the centres are viewed as jump discontinuities in the patronage distribution and that the gravity relationship changes depending on the time of survey.
Knowledge management systems and task uncertainty: is Perrow's model a good lens?

This paper focuses on the effectiveness of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) in settings characterised by different task uncertainty. Drawing on Perrow's model of technology and structure, four case studies have been developed. User satisfaction is introduced as a proxy for KMS effectiveness and then as a test of the theoretical propositions developed. The main contribution of the study is that Perrow's model can be used to describe the tasks performed by knowledge workers and provide guidelines for the design of the KMS in terms of the degree of control and codification. Where Knowledge Management (KM) tools fit Perrow's model, user satisfaction (measured in terms of usefulness, appropriateness to the business and frequency of use) is high. Otherwise, where criticisms are stronger, conflicts with Perrow's model emerge.
Granule Exocytosis of Granulysin and Granzyme B as a Potential Key Mechanism in Vaccine-Induced Immunity in Cattle against the Nematode Ostertagia ostertagi

ABSTRACT Ostertagia ostertagi is considered one of the most economically important bovine parasites. As an alternative to anthelmintic treatment, an experimental host-protective vaccine was previously developed on the basis of ASP proteins derived from adult worms. Intramuscular injection of this vaccine, combined with QuilA as an adjuvant, significantly reduced fecal egg counts by 59%. However, the immunological mechanisms triggered by the vaccine are still unclear. Therefore, in this study, the differences in immune responses at the site of infection, i.e., the abomasal mucosa, between ASP-QuilA-vaccinated animals and QuilA-vaccinated control animals were investigated on a transcriptomic level by using a whole-genome bovine microarray combined with histological analysis. Sixty-nine genes were significantly impacted in animals protected by the vaccine, 48 of which were upregulated. A correlation study between the parasitological parameters and gene transcription levels showed that the transcription levels of two of the upregulated genes, those for granulysin (GNLY) and granzyme B (GZMB), were negatively correlated with cumulative fecal egg counts and total worm counts, respectively. Both genes were also positively correlated with each other and with another upregulated gene, that for the IgE receptor subunit (FCER1A). Surprisingly, these three genes were also correlated significantly with CMA1, which encodes a mast cell marker, and with counts of mast cells and cells previously described as globule leukocytes. Furthermore, immunohistochemical data showed that GNLY was present in the granules of globule leukocytes and that it was secreted in mucus. Overall, the results suggest a potential role for granule exocytosis by globule leukocytes, potentially IgE mediated, in vaccine-induced protection against O. ostertagi.
A millimeter-wave ultra-compact broadband diode mixer using modified Marchand balun

In this paper, a broadband mixer has been developed using 0.15-/spl mu/m pHEMT technology. This singly balanced mixer was realized by using Schottky diodes. A modified Marchand balun was employed at the LO port and matched to the diodes directly to achieve wideband performance and compact size. This diode mixer achieves conversion loss of better than 10 dB from 46 to 78 GHz with LO power of 12.5 dBm, and the chip size is only 0.57 mm /spl times/ 0.52 mm. Compared with previously reported MMIC mixers in millimeter-wave frequencies, this circuit has the smallest chip size with competitive performance and wide bandwidth.
Gas prices, beer taxes and GDL programmes: effects on auto fatalities among young adults in the US

Efforts to reduce teenage driving fatalities can be categorized as: enhancing driving skills, constraining driving behaviour and limiting the exposure of young drivers to the road. This article uses state-year specific Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data on the motor vehicle fatalities of young adults aged 15–24 to estimate the effects of gasoline prices, beer taxes and the enactment of Graduated Drivers License (GDL) programmes over the 1985–2006 period. Results indicate that a 10% increase in gasoline prices reduce fatalities by 3.2–6.2%. The largest percentage reductions occurred among 15- to 17-year-old drivers. 10% higher beer taxes were estimated to reduce motor vehicle fatalities among young drivers by approximately 1.3%. In this case, there was virtually no effect on 15- to 17-year-old drivers. Finally, the introduction of more restrictive GDL programmes, those with a 6-month learner's permit phase and subsequent limits on early nighttime driving or on the number of passengers, reduced fatalities among 15- to 17-year-old drivers by 24%. The effects on 18- to 21-year-old drivers were smaller and the weakest GDL programmes had no effect on fatalities.
A high rate gas mixture for glass RPC operated in streamer mode

In Belle, glass RPCs have operated in streamer mode with the Belle standard gas mixture. However, efficiencies of RPCs for the outermost few layers of the endcap region decrease from /spl sim/95% to /spl sim/50% due to hit-rate of 1.4 Hz/cm/sup 2/ from neutron background originated from KEKB with higher beam current operation. To operate efficiently glass RPCs at this high background rate, high rate gas mixtures using SF/sub 6/ have been tested. We report the performance of glass RPC.
New venture support: an analysis of mentoring support for new and early stage entrepreneurs

There has been little research on the processes of providing support to new firm entrepreneurs, and little evaluation of the provision of support to existing small firm entrepreneurs through advice, counselling or consultancy. Despite this lack of research, support for new firm entrepreneurs has been largely withdrawn in England and Wales with the focus of support, through Personal Business Advisers (PBAs), targeted at existing small firm entrepreneurs who employ more than 20 people and have the potential for growth. There are theoretical arguments that suggest support for new start entrepreneurs should be provided on a mentoring basis. If this is provided selectively, then this should have an impact on the management ability and confidence of such new firm starts. This paper reports the results of interviews with new firm entrepreneurs engaged in such a mentoring relationship. The research, undertaken in Scotland, suggests that such a relationship is beneficial. Given the high failure rates of new firm formation, such support could have wider application and benefits. It is suggested that, for certain regions, provision of new firm support can yield positive and worthwhile returns to public sector investment, particularly in a region such as the West of Scotland, characterised by a need to diversify its economy and raise the formation rate of new start small firms and entrepreneurs.
Microtubule Dynamics, Mitotic Arrest, and Apoptosis: Drug-Induced Differential Effects of βIII-Tubulin

Overexpression of βIII-tubulin is associated with resistance to tubulin-binding agents (TBA) in a range of tumor types. We previously showed that small interfering RNA silencing of βIII-tubulin expression hypersensitized non–small cell lung cancer cells to TBAs. To determine whether βIII-tubulin mediates its effect on drug-induced mitotic arrest and cell death by differentially regulating microtubule behavior, the effects of βIII-tubulin knockdown on microtubule dynamics were analyzed in H460 non–small cell lung cancer cells stably expressing green fluorescent protein-βI-tubulin. Interphase cells were examined at three vincristine and paclitaxel concentrations that (a) inhibited cell proliferation, (b) induced 5% to 10% mitotic arrest, and (c) induced 30% to 40% mitotic arrest. In the absence of either drug, βIII-tubulin knockdown caused no significant change in microtubule dynamic instability. At 2 nmol/L vincristine (IC50), overall microtubule dynamicity was significantly suppressed in βIII-tubulin knockdowns (−31.2%) compared with controls (−6.5%). Similar results were obtained with paclitaxel, suggesting that knockdown of βIII-tubulin induces hypersensitivity by enhancing stabilization of microtubule dynamics at low drug concentrations. At higher drug concentrations (≥40 nmol/L vincristine; ≥20 nmol/L paclitaxel), βIII-tubulin knockdown resulted in significantly reduced suppressive effects on microtubule dynamicity with little or no further increase in mitotic arrest, compared with control cells. Importantly, apoptosis was markedly increased by βIII-tubulin knockdown independent of further suppression of microtubule dynamics and mitotic arrest. These results show that βIII-tubulin knockdown enhances the effectiveness of TBAs through two mechanisms: suppression of microtubule dynamics at low drug concentrations and a mitosis-independent mechanism of cell death at higher drug concentrations. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(5); 1339–48. ©2010 AACR.
Understanding strategy processes in family firms: Exploring the roles of actors and arenas

This article contributes to an increased understanding of how strategy processes unfold in family firms by integrating literature on strategy-as-practice and family business strategy. By relying on in-depth case research exploring three small and medium-sized family firms, and by drawing on notions of strategic actors and arenas from the strategy-as-practice literature, the article introduces the concepts of the Simmelian stranger and hybrid arena. These concepts help researchers and practitioners to achieve a richer understanding of how strategy processes unfold in the daily interactions that constitute the strategic work of family firms.
Introducing Participatory Curriculum Development in China's Higher Education: The Case of Community-Based Natural Resource Management

Abstract This article describes and reflects on a novel course developed at China Agricultural University to introduce Community-Based Natural Resource Management at the postgraduate level. This course, part of a larger educational renewal initiative addressing the current reform of China's higher education system, was developed through a participatory curriculum development methodology bringing together teachers and researchers from five different organizations, as well as a dynamic group of MSc and PhD students. The course development process and the actual delivery in the classroom and in the field were guided by insights from adult teaching and learning theory. These were adapted to the Chinese reality. Results assessed to date from the experimentation with this completely new approach in China encompass conceptual, attitudinal, methodological, and practical changes. The experiences and insights accumulated so far serve as entry points for the expansion of participatory curriculum development practice in China. They also provide a ground for deepening learning theory.
Probation Intensity Effects on Probationers' Criminal Conduct

Background Probation is one of the most frequently-used criminal sanctions in the U.S., but it suffers from a lack of resources. Thus, probation agencies need to identify effective and efficient supervision practices. Intensive supervision probation (ISP) is one of the few strategies that has been rigorously evaluated. This approach to supervision involves increasing supervision for high-risk clients, often through frequent contact with the probation officer in small caseloads. The aim of this study is to synthesize the results of existing evaluations of ISP to examine its effectiveness at reducing recidivism.
Circumpolar genetic population structure of capelin Mallotus villosus

Capelin Mallotus villosus is the most abundant pelagic fish species in boreal and sub- arctic waters. The ecological and commercial importance of capelin emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the genetic population structure of the species and the mechanisms underlying its population dynamics. With this aim, 1155 capelin from the entire distributional range of the species were genotyped using 9 recently-developed microsatellite markers. The genetic analyses clearly demonstrated that the circumpolar capelin population can be divided into 4 regional groups: (1) West Pacific, (2) East Pacific, (3) Newfoundland, and (4) Northeast Atlantic and West Greenland. Highly significant genetic differentiation was observed between capelin from the western and eastern Pacific, and a high assignment success within both regions indicated minimal gene flow between these populations. Within the Atlantic Ocean, the Newfoundland population was differentiated from all the other samples. Among the remaining samples within the Atlantic Ocean the microsatellite data were less conclusive. Comparison of our results with studies of species with similar distribution, duration of planktonic stages and dispersal capacity suggests that genetic structuring of capelin within the complex system of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean cannot be ruled out.
Exploring the Environmental Consequences of Tourism: A Satellite Account Approach

This article demonstrates how selected environmental consequences of tourism consumption relating to carbon emissions and waste can be quantified using a tourism satellite account (TSA), and an environmental module associated with an input-output framework. We move beyond the basic identification of the environmental effects of tourism consumption and seek to measure them. We show the types of information that can be derived from the framework, the applicative difficulties of reconciling tourism consumption to environmental outcomes, and explore the practical usage of the framework adopted. We believe that steps taken in the case to examine selected environmental effects of tourism consumption have a universal relevance for tourism policy makers.
Robust pitch estimation in distant speech signals collected from vehicle

Due to significant signal attenuation, the speech signals collected at different distances show degradation in the estimation of speech parameters. Therefore the work presented in this paper proposes an alternate method for improving the F0 parameter estimation from distant speech (DS) signals which are collected through microphones at various distances. The proposed method achieves improved F0 estimation by adding a post processing module for the conventional zero frequency filtering (ZFF) method used for F0 estimation. The conventional ZFF method estimates the F0 parameters by estimating the impulse like discontinuities at the glottal closure instants (GCIs). Since strength of the impulses are heavily attenuated in the case DS signals by reducing the impulse strengths at the GCIs, the F0 estimation from the these signals becomes unreliable and inaccurate. Hence the present work proposes an alternate method for enhancing the impulse strength for DS signals by subjecting the one more level of zero frequency filtering to the conventional zero frequency filtered signal at every fixed windows having 25 ms length. The smoothed zero frequency filtered signal windows are further refined by low pass filtering using locally estimated F0 as cut off frequency. The effectiveness of the proposed method of F0 estimation using refined ZFF method is confirmed based on the comparative performance analysis with the other existing zero frequency post filtering approaches on the state of the art SPEECON database. The performance of the proposed method are evaluated based on the Gross error rates obtained by comparing the estimated F0 values computed from the DS signals and with that of the ground truth close speaking speech signals.
Clients' Attributions of Recalled Important or Helpful Events in a Counseling Interview

Clients' causal explanations for recalled important or helpful events between those of early and of late sessions of counseling interview have been examined. We predicted that (a) for clients' recalled important or helpful events, there will be more internal attribution in late than in early sessions and (b) clients' evaluation of counseling sessions would be positively related to their internal attribution of the recalled important or helpful events. Data were generated from 84 sessions of therapy, with 12 counselor-client dyads conducting seven sessions of therapeutic interviews each. Immediately after each interview, clients were requested to recall and explain the most important or helpful events that happened during the session. Clients' causal explanations of the events were analyzed by two trained judges. Results showed no statistically significant differences in frequencies of internal attribution. Similarly, internal attribution did not covary with clients' evaluation of counseling sessions. The implications of the results are discussed.
Underwater wireless in-pipe communications system

This paper reports on the development of an in-pipe underwater wireless communication system. The wireless system forms an inherent part of an inline tool for the internal inspection of pipelines within the Oil & Gas industry. The wireless system was specifically developed to address the restrictions associated with the use of umbilicals for the control of most state-of-the-art inspection tools. Towards this direction, a full duplex communication scheme was developed for communicating ASCII commands from the external user to the inspection tool. Wireless communication is performed in a “master-slave” mode with the master modem located on the entry point of the robot into the pipe and the slave modem travelling along the pipeline with the robot. The 7-bit ASCII code is employed to convert each text character into a string of 7 bits. Signal modulation is performed based on the Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) method. The exact characteristics of the implemented software were provided and the details of the transmission and reception state diagrams were discussed. Furthermore, details about the hardware implementation were provided. The performance of the wireless communication system was validated in a water-filled pipeline. It was shown that the wireless communication system can operate with voltages in the range 12VDC-16VDC, provided by a battery. During the experiments a data transmission rate of 21bps was achieved for a pipeline experimental set-up of 5m. It was shown that during transmission each modem requires 6.35W. Finally, the propagation range of the wireless communication was theoretically explored based on the fundamental sonar equations. The analysis indicated that wireless communication within the pipe is feasible for a propagation distance of 1000m.
Hyperosmotic stress memory in Arabidopsis is mediated by distinct epigenetically labile sites in the genome and is restricted in the male germline by DNA glycosylase activity

Inducible epigenetic changes in eukaryotes are believed to enable rapid adaptation to environmental fluctuations. We have found distinct regions of the Arabidopsis genome that are susceptible to DNA (de)methylation in response to hyperosmotic stress. The stress-induced epigenetic changes are associated with conditionally heritable adaptive phenotypic stress responses. However, these stress responses are primarily transmitted to the next generation through the female lineage due to widespread DNA glycosylase activity in the male germline, and extensively reset in the absence of stress. Using the CNI1/ATL31 locus as an example, we demonstrate that epigenetically targeted sequences function as distantly-acting control elements of antisense long non-coding RNAs, which in turn regulate targeted gene expression in response to stress. Collectively, our findings reveal that plants use a highly dynamic maternal ‘short-term stress memory’ with which to respond to adverse external conditions. This transient memory relies on the DNA methylation machinery and associated transcriptional changes to extend the phenotypic plasticity accessible to the immediate offspring.
Association between low income, depression, self-efficacy and mass-incident-related strains: an understanding of mass incidents in China.

BACKGROUND This study investigated the associations between income, depression, self-efficacy and health and the strains associated with mass incidents in a Chinese city. It further investigated whether depression, self-efficacy and health status mediate relationships between income and mass-incident-related strains. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A representative sample of mass-incident participants from Chong Qing, aged 18 years and over, participated using a questionnaire. Of the 480 surveys returned, 465 (88%) were usable. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship model to use strains as the main outcome variable, income as a predictor and self-rated general health status, depression and self-efficacy as mediators. RESULTS High levels of strains were significantly associated with low levels of income, and this association was mediated by a fair to poor level of health status, depression and low levels of self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Income as an indicator of social inequality revealed its significant predictive role in the occurrence of mass incidents through its impact on high levels of strains and its association with depression, fair to poor health and low levels of self-efficacy. Further study will benefit from a follow-up study to determine the causal relationship between income and strains, and a representative population that includes children and the elderly be included in the next phase of the study.
Housing for low-income urban families : economics and policy in the developing world

The considerable importance of housing to the urban and national economy contrasts sharply with housing conditions and official policies that exist in many developing countries. For all but the middle- and upper-income groups, housing is usually costly in relation to income and the quality of dwellings available. Cramped, crowded, and unsanitary settlements are the lot of low-income families, conditions that debilitate their energy and reduce national productivity. Families in illegal dwellings constantly face the threat of eviction as well as scarcities of water, sewerage, and transport. Often, under the banner of slum clearance, low-income groups are removed to higher-quality dwellings located far from income-earning opportunities and asked to pay rents they cannot afford. This study is intended to contribute to the discussions of housing policy options among urban planners and policymakers in developing countries. It does not attempt to analyze the optimal allocation of investment in urban areas or to suggest what place housing should have in such investment. There is no argument for a shift of capital and other resources from other sectors into housing. Instead, the principal intention is to achieve a better understanding of the workings of the urban housing market, especially as it affects low-income families, so as to bring about an improved use of the resources already used for housing and to allow new resources to be used effectively.