Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Explanation of terms of grey clustering evaluation models

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the terms of grey clustering evaluation models. Design/methodology/approach The definitions of basic terms about grey clustering evaluation models are presented one by one. Findings The reader could know the basic explanation about the important terms about various grey clustering evaluation models from this paper. Practical implications Many of the authors’ colleagues thought that unified definitions of key terms would be beneficial for both the readers and the authors. Originality/value It is a fundamental work to standardise all the definitions of terms for a new discipline. It is also propitious to spread and universal of grey system theory.
The influence of board independence, competency and ownership on earnings management in Malaysia

This paper examines the roles of independent members on the board, chief executive officer who also serves as a chairman of the company, board competency and management’s share ownership on earnings management practices. Different from prior research, it also investigates whether independent board competency (an interaction of independence and competency) and independent board share ownership (an interaction of independence and management ownership) would lead to better monitoring over earnings management. It also examines whether board competency and share ownership could compensate the missing role of monitoring when CEO duality exists. The results indicate that excessive shareholding beyond 25% by managers may induce managers to manage earnings, and a combined chairman-CEO roles (CEO duality) does not influence the practice of earning management in Malaysian firms. The results also indicate that the minimum composition of one-third independent director, as suggested by the Code of Corporate Governance in Malaysia is not adequate to monitor the management from earnings management practices.
Market based organisational learning, dynamic, and substantive capabilities: an integrative framework

This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of the antecedents to sustainable competitive advantage by integrating insights from the perspectives of both marketing and strategic management. This approach is innovative because it focuses on synergistic insights from different management fields, and contributes to our understanding of how firm performance may be affected, both directly and indirectly, by the marketing and learning orientations of the firm, as well as by the capabilities it develops as a result of the learning processes informed by these orientations. To achieve this aim we start by reviewing the literature in the fields of both marketing and strategic management to examine the current trends, limitations and commonalities between these fields. We then propose a conceptual model and propositions that can help link these two fields into an integrative framework. Our model portrays both direct and mediated effects, and highlights the mediating role of learning processes in understanding how marketing and learning orientations might influence a firm's dynamic and substantive capabilities.
Effective gene therapy for an inherited CNS disease in a large animal model

Genetic diseases affecting the brain typically have widespread lesions that require global correction. Lysosomal storage diseases are good candidates for central nervous system gene therapy, because active enzyme from genetically corrected cells can be secreted and taken up by surrounding diseased cells, and only small amounts of enzyme (<5% of normal) are required to reverse storage lesions. Injection of gene transfer vectors into multiple sites in the mouse brain has been shown to mediate widespread reversal of storage lesions in several disease models. To study a brain closer in size to the human brain, we evaluated the extent of storage correction mediated by a limited number of adeno‐associated virus vector injections in the cat model of human α‐mannosidosis. The treated cats showed remarkable improvements in clinical neurological signs and in brain myelination assessed by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Postmortem examination showed that storage lesions were greatly reduced throughout the brain, even though gene transfer was limited to the areas surrounding the injection tracks. The data demonstrate that widespread improvement of neuropathology in a large mammalian brain can be achieved using multiple injection sites during one operation and suggest that this could be an effective treatment for the central nervous system component of human lysosomal enzyme deficiencies. Ann Neurol 2005;57:355–364
Investor Trading Behavior and Performances: Evidence from Taiwan Stock Index Options

A unique data set allows us to examine trading behavior and realized returns of all participants in the Taiwan stock index options. On average individual investors lose money and foreign institutions profit from trading options, even when they use the same trading strategy and for the same type of options. Foreign institutions that trade out-of-the-money options most frequently have the highest returns, while individual investors who predominately trade short-term and out-of-the-money options have the worse performance. Option trades initiated via market orders or aggressive limit orders have a higher probability of correctly predicting the underlying stock index movements and higher realized returns. Individual investors' trading performance improves with experience and sophistication. Finally, disposition effect distracts from trading performance.
NCL-Tester: Graphic Application for NCL Documents Temporal Test Creation

Interactive digital TV applications with runtime errors would certainly damage the viewer's experience. Testing NCL multimedia applications is very important to ensure that they will run appropriately on a digital TV receiver and really fits the author's specification. In the literature, there are works that propose tools for checking consistency of NCL documents. However, most of these works do not provide a graphical editor that facilitates the specification of temporal tests that can be used to verify if a document executes as desired. This paper proposes a new graphical tool, called NCL-Tester, which offers such functionality for NCL documents. Through NCL-Tester, an NCL application designer can specify temporal relationships between its media components and test whether these relationships will be respected when the NCL application runs. NCL-Tester uses aNaa (API for NCL Authoring and Analysis) to run the tests and returns to the author a success or error message for each test. The usefulness of the proposed tool was verified by usability tests.
Failure of a PCR Screening Method to Detect MRSA

To the Editor: Infections due to methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become an increasing problem worldwide since the initial report of resistance some 30 years ago. The increased morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with MRSA infections are a major incentive to control the spread of this organism within acute-care facilities. Since 1995, healthcare facilities in Ontario, Canada, have experienced spread of an epidemic strain of MRSA throughout the province. In an effort to control this spread, most hospitals have instituted screening of all admissions with a past history of hospitalization or nursing home admission within the previous 6 months. Because of this increased level of surveillance and the associated cost, and to provide more rapid turnaround times, our laboratory adopted a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening method that detects the mecA and nuclease (nuc) genes. We report a nuc-negative strain of S aureus that was missed using this test, which led to us modify our screening method.
17-AAG: mechanisms of antitumour activity

Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone involved in three-dimensional folding, intracellular translocation and degradation of multiple key regulatory proteins. Accumulated evidence has indicated an important role of Hsp90 in several signal transduction pathways that are deregulated in carcinogenesis. 17-Allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), a selective inhibitor of Hsp90, is currently under clinical investigation in advanced malignancies in which Hsp90 client proteins are implicated. This article discusses the mechanistic evidence underlying 17-AAG’s cytostatic, proapoptotic, antiangiogenic and anti-invasive properties that provide the basis for its antitumour activity and underscores its unique therapeutic potential as a multi-targeted agent, as opposed to most of the current-generation molecular therapeutics.
O-Serotype Conversion in Salmonella Typhimurium Induces Protective Immune Responses against Invasive Non-Typhoidal Salmonella Infections

Salmonella infections remain a big problem worldwide, causing enteric fever by Salmonella Typhi (or Paratyphi) or self-limiting gastroenteritis by non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) in healthy individuals. NTS may become invasive and cause septicemia in elderly or immuno-compromised individuals, leading to high mortality and morbidity. No vaccines are currently available for preventing NTS infection in human. As these invasive NTS are restricted to several O-antigen serogroups including B1, D1, C1, and C2, O-antigen polysaccharide is believed to be a good target for vaccine development. In this study, a strategy of O-serotype conversion was investigated to develop live attenuated S. Typhimurium vaccines against the major serovars of NTS infections. The immunodominant O4 serotype of S. Typhimurium was converted into O9, O7, and O8 serotypes through unmarked chromosomal deletion–insertion mutations. O-serotype conversion was confirmed by LPS silver staining and western blotting. All O-serotype conversion mutations were successfully introduced into the live attenuated S. Typhimurium vaccine S738 (Δcrp Δcya) to evaluate their immunogenicity in mice model. The vaccine candidates induced high amounts of heterologous O-polysaccharide-specific functional IgG responses. Vaccinated mice survived a challenge of 100 times the 50% lethality dose (LD50) of wild-type S. Typhimurium. Protective efficacy against heterologous virulent Salmonella challenges was highly O-serotype related. Furthermore, broad-spectrum protection against S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and S. Choleraesuis was observed by co-vaccination of O9 and O7 O-serotype-converted vaccine candidates. This study highlights the strategy of expressing heterologous O-polysaccharides via genetic engineering in developing live attenuated S. Typhimurium vaccines against NTS infections.
Research of base station spatial distribution model based on real metropolis data

The study of base station (BS) distribution model is critical in intensive deployment scenario of modern wireless communication especially in crowded metropolis. In this paper, the distribution pattern of BS location and neighbor distances were analyzed based on massive real data of BS locations in representative metropolis of France. Using Delaunay triangulation and fine classification, the BS distribution is verified to be non-Poisson with repulsive interaction between BS. And Strauss-Hardcore point process is the closest model to describe actual BS distribution. The studied stochastic characteristics can provide empirical suggestions for wireless network planning and optimization.
A privacy-preserving Concept for Smart Grids

The smart grid is seen as the greatest technological invention — in the context of energy supply — since the grid connection of millions of households. Smart metering, as the enabling technology for the future grid, attracts attention of industry, politics, and the scientific community. As smart meters are spreading into more and more households, electricity customers are directly affected by the technology. At the same time, critical voices accuse smart metering of violating customers’ privacy. Personal data are collected, allowing electricity service providers a monitoring of customers’ habits. In this paper, we propose a solution that provides anonymity for customers towards their ESP. At the same time, we do not limit the functionality that the ESP is asking for, especially the periodic reporting of customers’ current electricity consumption values. Moreover, our concept allows for the ESP to build trust in the software that is executed within their customers’ smart meters.
Transnational Media Corporations’ Strategies in Post-WTO China: Approaches of three Global Leaders

Abstract This study examines transnational media corporations’ (TNMCs’) strategies in the Chinese media market after its WTO entry, employing a theoretical model that involves the interactions of a company’s risk in terms of environmental uncertainties and control in terms of equity ownership. Interviews were used as the primary research method, with 15 informants from three global media giants—Disney, News Corporation and Sony. Findings suggested that in response to the risk they perceive, TNMCs have plans for increasing control through engaging in higher forms of ownership, developing connections with governments and distributors, localizing their products, and differentiating the products vis-à-vis their competitors. These plans comprise a roadmap for TNMCs’ long-term development in China.
A controlled study of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure.

Cardiovascular responses to stress reactivity has been proposed as a risk factor for hypertension. In this study, we evaluated the effects of stress reduction on both laboratory cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure in real life on 39 normotensive male subjects who were pretested for ambulatory blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity to stress using a battery of laboratory stressors. Thereafter, subjects were randomly assigned to practice either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique or a cognitive-based stress education control (SEC) for four months. After 4 months, there was no change in cardiovascular response to stressors between the TM and control groups. However, the subjects regularly practicing TM demonstrated a significant reduction of 9 mm Hg (p < .04) in average ambulatory DBP compared to controls. Since ambulatory BP monitoring has been shown to be a better predictor of cardiovascular complications of hypertension than clinic BP, this finding may have important implications for primary prevention of CVD in normotensive subjects.
Inverse obstacle scattering for elastic waves

Consider the scattering of a time-harmonic plane wave by a rigid obstacle which is embedded in an open space filled with a homogeneous and isotropic elastic medium. An exact transparent boundary condition is introduced to reduce the scattering problem into a boundary value problem in a bounded domain. Given the incident field, the direct problem is to determine the displacement of the wave field from the known obstacle; the inverse problem is to determine the obstacle’s surface from the measurement of the displacement on an artificial boundary enclosing the obstacle. In this paper, we consider both the direct and inverse problems. The direct problem is shown to have a unique weak solution by examining its variational formulation. The domain derivative is derived for the displacement with respect to the variation of the surface. A continuation method with respect to the frequency is developed for the inverse problem. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Announcement Effect of Dividend in Presence of Dividend Tax: Possible Agency Problem and Macro Level Inefficiency?

This article evaluates the efficiency of existing dividend distribution tax in India from the perspective of investors’ preference pattern, as revealed in the market. It investigates the announcement effect of dividend in India in the presence of dividend distribution tax with specific legislative intent of discouraging dividend distribution. Using data on large profitable firms, we show that despite firm-level tax, higher dividend payout announcement leads to significant rise in share price. This implies that despite being tax-disadvantaged, investors of large profitable firms prefer higher payout, because it mitigates agency cost of retention. This shows that dividend distribution tax is inefficient. JEL Classification: G32, G35
Service offshoring: a challenge for employment? : evidence from Germany

Besides material offshoring, economists have started to analyze the impact of service offshoring on domestic employment. Services are of particular interest since their significance has grown not only in terms of quantity, but also of qualitative understanding. One decade ago, most services were considered non-tradable, but the appearance of new information and communication technologies has contributed to overcoming geographical distance. The introduction of the paper aims at giving an appropriate definition of service offshoring also taking into account the different motives behind offshoring. The theoretical part gives a brief literature overview of the predicted effects of offshoring on domestic employment. The empirical part first compares import data of computing and information as well as other business services and states that service offshoring is more relevant in Germany than in most other countries. Secondly, German service offshoring intensities are calculated on a sectoral basis using input-output data. This measurement represents the proportion of imported service inputs used in home production. Germany's average service offshoring intensity more than doubled from 1991 to 2002. Besides this, indications for a possible negative correlation between German service offshoring and manufacturing employment are given. Thirdly, the impact of service offshoring on German domestic manufacturing employment is estimated at a sectoral level. The author refers to the labor demand specification of Hamermesh using sectoral wages, output and other input prices as exogenous variables. The estimation results indicate that service offshoring was negatively related to manufacturing employment in Germany between 1991 and 2000.
A New and Efficient Method for Optimal Design of Large Offshore Wind Power Plants

This work addresses the problem of the optimal micro-siting of the wind turbines in large offshore wind power plants with the aim of maximizing the economic profitability of the project. To achieve this goal it is first necessary to estimate the required investment and, secondly, the yearly operation and maintenance costs as well as the yearly income resulting from the operation of the wind power plant over its life span. With this purpose, a complete and realistic model of economic behavior for offshore wind farms has been developed. The optimal turbines layout of a wind farm is a challenge both from a mathematical and technological point of view. The size of the solution space (computational complexity) of the problem addressed in this work dramatically increases with an increase in size of the wind farm. In order to address this difficulty, a new and computationally efficient algorithm is proposed. The method is based in the division of available marine plot in smaller areas of suitable size, sequentially optimized by an improved genetic algorithm.
EMS and UV Mutagenesis in Yeast

Many fundamental biological processes have been elucidated by the isolation and analysis of mutants that are defective in such processes. Therefore, the methods to generate mutants are of great importance in model organisms. This unit describes two protocols for mutagenesis of yeast—using ethyl methanesulfate (EMS) and ultraviolet (UV) light. Each of these methods has been used successfully for many years. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 82:13.3B. 1‐13.3B. 5. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Implementation of technical change as organizational problem-solving process : management and user activities

During the last two decades the growing innovation and management research has paid attention to the aspects of technical change. However, there are differing assumptions about the nature of the process of change. According to the innovation design dilemma two categories of innovation related to technical change have been identified, technical and organizational innovation. It has been become evident that there is a growing need to unite these two types of innovation into a common approach. The focus of the study is the planning and implementation process of technical change in the user organization. The aim is to find out what kinds of planning and implementation models, methods and organizational forms can further innovative and organizational problem-solving activity in the implementation process of technical systems, which is contributing to the success of this process. The study is based on long term and intensive development and research activity concerning the implementation process of three Flexible Manufacturing Systems in two companies. The FMS-study began in 1985 and was completed in 1992. Through the developmental approach based on experimental development research, the study was able to specify in great detail the progress of the implementation process in the cases. Attention was paid to social activity of the implementation process. The issue is how and by whom new techno-organizational solutions are finally brought about and carried out inside the user organization. New training, planning, organization and development methods were introduced and experimented with in the intensive cases, which created a rich and real picture of development potentials of the organization. The analysis of the case study results showed that the implementation process of technical change consisted of a series of problem-solving and development steps taken by the user organization and its actors. This was a controversial, complex and long process in which the management, planners, support persons and users with different interests and ways of acting designed and constructed, mainly in a step by step way, the concrete technical and organizational characteristics of the activity system. This was performed by solving planned and unanticipated problems that
Exploring the Relationship Between Changes in Weight and Utterances in an Online Weight Loss Forum: A Content and Correlational Analysis Study

Background There is increasing interest in the use of online forums as a component of eHealth weight loss interventions. Although the research is mixed on the utility of online forums in general, results suggest that there is promise to this, particularly if the systems can be designed well to support healthful interactions that foster weight loss and continued engagement. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the styles of utterances individuals make on an online weight loss forum and week-to-week fluctuations in weight. This analysis was conducted to generate hypotheses on possible strategies that could be used to improve the overall design of online support groups to facilitate more healthful interactions. Methods A convenience sample of individuals using an online weight loss forum (N=4132) included data both on online forum use and weight check-in data. All interactions were coded utilizing the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) system. Mixed model analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between these LIWC variables and weight over time. Results Results suggested that increased use of past-tense verbs (P=.05) and motion (P=.02) were associated with lower weekly weights whereas increased use of conjunctions (eg, and, but, whereas; P=.001) and exclusion words (eg, but, without, exclude; P=.07) were both associated with higher weight during the weeks when these utterances were used more. Conclusions These results provide some insights on the styles of interactions that appear to be associated with weight fluctuations. Future work should explore the stability of these findings and also explore possibilities for fostering these types of interactions more explicitly within online weight loss forums.