Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Privatización y eficiencia en España: un análisis empírico y un modelo teórico a nivel de empresa

La presente Tesis Doctoral proporciona tres aportaciones originales a la literatura sobre privatizaciones. Primera, una revision critica y exhaustiva de la literatura teorica y empirica sobre la relacion entre la privatizacion y la eficiencia. Dicha revision pone de manifiesto que (1) los efectos positivos de la privatizacion(o de la propiedad privada) sobre la eficiencia empresarial que predicen las teorias existentes -agencia, derechos de propiedad, eleccion publica y direccion y organizacion de la empresa publica-no siempre se observan en la practica; y (2) los trabajos anteriores han seguido un enfoque de "caja negra", ignorando el proceso dinamico de cambio interno que la empresa privatizada debe atravesar hasta llegar al aumento de eficiencia previsto. Por lo tanto, cabe afirmar que las preguntas centrales de esta tesis son relevantes,y aun no han sido respondidas. Segunda, las dos cuestiones empiricas de si la eficiencia de las empresas publicas privatizadas en Espana ha mejorado como consecuencia de su privatizacion, y por que o por que no lo ha hecho se examinan mediante el analisis econometrico de una muestra de veinticuatro empresas espanolas que se privatizaron entre 1985 y 1993. Tercera, la pregunta mas general de porque la privatizacion puede no dar lugar al aumento de eficiencia esperado se responde en esta tesis mediante el planteamiento de un modelo teorico y un conjunto de proposiciones contrastables sobre los cambios estrategicos y organizativos que pueden esperarse en la empresa como consecuencia de la privatizacion.
The Role of Boundary Spanning in Outsourced IS Development Projects

Outsourced information systems development projects are especially complex, as they cross both external (clientvendor) and internal boundaries (among stakeholder groups within the client organization). We propose a boundary spanning theoretical lens to assess the quality of external and internal communication among involved groups and suggest that the quality and extent of boundary spanning have an impact on the success of an outsourcing relationship and the project’s outcomes. This paper reports on the development and testing of constructs which are part of a survey instrument assessing the extent and quality of boundary spanning in a client organization. Construct validation is based on responses from 197 project managers. The constructs will be used to test a model of internal and external boundary spanning activity in outsourced IS development. Uncovering the implications of client boundary spanning practices for outsourcing relationship management will be of significant value for researchers and for practicing project managers.
Loss of lysine-specific demethylase 1 nonautonomously causes stem cell tumors in the Drosophila ovary

Specialized microenvironments called niches keep stem cells in an undifferentiated and self-renewing state. Dedicated stromal cells form niches by producing a variety of factors that act directly on stem cells. The size and signaling output of niches must be finely tuned to ensure proper tissue homeostasis. Although advances have been made in identifying factors that promote niche cell fate, the mechanisms that restrict niche cell formation during development and limit niche signaling output in adults remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (Lsd1) regulates the size of the germline stem cell (GSC) niche in Drosophila ovaries. GSC maintenance depends on bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signals produced by a small cluster of cap cells located at the anterior tip of the germarium. Lsd1 null mutant ovaries carry small germline tumors containing an expanded number of GSC-like cells with round fusomes that display ectopic BMP signal responsiveness away from the normal niche. Clonal analysis and cell type-specific rescue experiments demonstrate that Lsd1 functions within the escort cells (ECs) that reside immediately adjacent to cap cells and prevents them from ectopically producing niche-specific signals. Temporally restricted gene knockdown experiments suggest that Lsd1 functions both during development, to specify EC fate, and in adulthood, to prevent ECs from forming ectopic niches independent of changes in cell fate. Further analysis shows that Lsd1 functions to repress decapentaplegic (dpp) expression in adult germaria. The role of Lsd1 in regulating niche-specific signals may have important implications for understanding how disruption of its mammalian homolog contributes to cancer and metastasis.
High-Work-Function Ir/HfLaO ${\rm p}$-MOSFETs Using Low-Temperature-Processed Shallow Junction

We report a high effective work function (Phim-eff) and a very low Vt Ir gate on HfLaO p-MOSFETs using novel self-aligned low-temperature shallow junctions. This gate-first process has shallow junctions of 9.6 or 20 nm that are formed by solid phase diffusion using SiO2-covered Ga or Ni/Ga. At 1.2-nm effective oxide thickness, good Phim-eff of 5.3 eV, low Vt of +0.05 V, high mobility of 90 cm2/V-s at -0.3 MV/cm, and small 85degC negative bias-temperature instability (NBTI) of 20 mV (10 MV/cm for 1 h) are measured for Ir/HfLaO p-MOSFETs.
An application of functional dependencies to the topological analysis of protection schemes

The concept of functional dependency is applied to the problem of relay coordination in protection systems. An algorithm is developed for the identification of a minimal break point set (BPS) of relays of a protection topology. This algorithm is an improvement over existing algorithms in that it identifies a minimal BPS within a time period that is a polynomial function of the number of relays, while the earlier algorithms had exponential time behavior. In the case of large protection schemes, the saving in computation costs is considerable. An algorithm is developed for the selection of a relative sequence matrix; this algorithm also has polynomial time complexity. The functional dependency approach is seen to be more flexible and more powerful than the graph theoretic schemes, and holds out much promise for the development of efficient computer-aided design tools for the protection engineer. >
Development of a NAO Humanoid based Medical Assistant

In this paper1, socially assistive human-robot interaction has been explored on a NAO Humanoid Robot in order to automate the pharmacy and bio-medical sector, with a broader aim of addressing all similar tasks. The problem has been divided into three sub-segments viz. pick and place operation with smooth gripping mechanism, reading printed and handwritten text from prescriptions, and use of smart detection technology, with a focus on barcode detection to locate target objects (medicine flaps) in real time. Iterative Jacobian Pseudo inverse kinematics algorithm is implemented to calculate the joint angles. To account for the poor performance of Google Tesseract for handwritten text, the image contrast is enhanced for histogram equalization and fed to maximally stable extremal regions (MSER) algorithm in a combination with Stroke Width Transform (SWT) to make text detection more robust even in presence of blur, before feeding it to Tesseract. Lastly, two techniques are developed to incorporate barcode integration with NAO, first using ALBarcodeReader API, the limitations of which are solved using vertical descent sobel scharr operator to attain real time barcode scanning for all types of barcodes.
Modeling and analysis of authentication protocols using Colored Petri Nets

Authentication protocols are the basis of security in networks. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that these protocols correctly. However, it is difficult to design authentication protocols that are immune to malicious attack, since good analysis techniques are lacking. In this paper, combining some analysis methods currently for analysis of security protocols based on Petri Nets methods together, a Colored Petri Net for the Andrew secure RPC protocol fixed in [10] has been presented. And then an intruder model is developed and integrated into the protocol model. Model checking is performed in CPN Tools. In the model checking, two methods are used. After model checking and the state space analysis, an attack is found.
Design of a tracking controller for cooperating hydraulic manipulators handling a rigid object

This paper addresses the problem of tracking control of multiple hydraulic manipulators handling a rigid object while sharing the load and maintaining an acceptable internal force on the object. The parasitic effect of friction in the actuators, as well as parametric uncertainties in the manipulators' dynamics, hydraulic functions and the payload, is considered through augmentation of the controller by a set of on-line updating laws. Additionally, an adaptive observer is used along with the controller to avoid acceleration feedback, which could be difficult to obtain in practice. Using Lyapunov analysis, the position tracking error is proven to asymptotically converge to zero while the internal force remains bounded. Simulations are carried out using two MAGNUM hydraulic manipulators and the results clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the developed controller
An extended method for robust image registration

Image Registration is the process of transforming sets of data acquired at different time-points, sensors and viewpoints into a single coordinate system. It is widely used in computer vision, medical imaging and satellite image analysis. Although it has been a central research topic in computer vision and medical image analysis for a long time, there are still unresolved issues and success rates seem to be data-dependent. There are many categories of methods that that are able to align images, but usually they are either specialized and accurate for specific types of data or more generic and error-prone, frequently stumbling upon pitfalls. In this work, we present our implementation and results on Maes’ method[1]. By using three different variants of mutual information (used as the similarity measure), we present indicative results from different imaging domains and discuss the drawbacks/pitfalls of the method especially with regard to initial transformation selection and the initial direction vectors. Different starting point or/and different initial direction vectors may lead to different “optimal” alignment registration results which very often are erroneous. In order to solve this problem, we propose an extension of this method by enhancing its global optimization scheme by means of stochastic optimization.
Model Based on Sweeping the Cross-Section along the Yarn Path

Modeling the 3D geometric configuration of yarn is the base of building the 3D fabric structure. The surfaces of the yarns are modeled by many facets. To improve the efficiency of modeling, 3D yarn is usually designed by Bezier curve, spline curve or B-spline curve on the principle of Computer Graphics. The paper reviews different 3D modeling methods for single yarn from the view of cross-section and central line. Some improvements for a better visual effect such as inserting twist and hairiness are illustrated as well. Based on the single yarn, the folded yarn and some fancy yarns can also be modeled in 3D space as long as the cross-sections of the control sections of the component single yarn are determined. Applications of the various 3D yarns are demonstrated. The advantages and the drawbacks of various methods are explained and compared as well. Comparatively speaking, modeling technology based on spline curve is more convenient and flexible, perhaps it is the most popular tool since it is capable of designing different kinds of yarns mentioned above and gets the maximum support from the different developing platforms such as OpenGL, 3DS-MAX, Solid Works CAD, etc.
Imagining Autism: Feasibility of a drama-based intervention on the social, communicative and imaginative behaviour of children with autism

We report the feasibility of a novel, school-based intervention, coined ‘Imagining Autism’, in which children with autism engage with drama practitioners though participatory play and improvisation in a themed multi-sensory ‘pod’ resembling a portable, tent-like structure. A total of 22 children, aged 7–12 years, from three UK schools engaged in the 10-week programme. Measures of social interaction, communication and emotion recognition, along with parent and teacher ratings, were collected before and up to 12 months after the intervention. Feasibility was evaluated through four domains: (1) process (recruitment, retention, blinding, inter-rater reliability, willingness of children to engage), (2) resources (space, logistics), (3) management (dealing with unexpected changes, ease of assessment) and (4) scientific (data outcomes, statistical analyses). Overall, the children, parents and teachers showed high satisfaction with the intervention, the amount of missing data was relatively low, key assessments were implemented as planned and evidence of potential effect was demonstrated on several key outcome measures. Some difficulties were encountered with recruitment, test administration, parental response and the logistics of setting up the pod. Following several protocol revisions and the inclusion of a control group, future investigation would be justified to more thoroughly examine treatment effects.
Spectral characterization of brain signal under silent state

Signal Processing has a major role in most of the research areas. It has exploited well in biological and biomedical fields since some decades. Biomedical signal processing has been occupied an important space in current research. In this work, a case of unconsciousness condition has been analysed. Authors have worked for brain signal analysis and characterize using spectral methods. The silence condition along with unconscious state has been analyzed in this work. The spectral analysis methods as FFT, CZT and WT are used to characterize for different states. The spectral change result are clearly indicated in this three different states. For this method, the EEG signal has been acquired from normal, alcoholic and epileptic subjects.
How philosophy of mind can shape the future

A bright metallic thread of future-oriented thinking runs through the tapestry of the philosophy of mind, especially in those parts of the fi eld that have grappled with the possibility of minds as machines. Can a robot feel pain? Can a suitably programmed computer think actual thoughts? Could humans survive the total replacement of their nervous system by neural prosthetics? As the pace of technological change quickens, what was once purely speculative is becoming more and more real. As society moves further into the 21st century, what are the ways that philosophy of mind can shape the future? What challenges will the future bring to the discipline? In this chapter, we examine a few suggestive possibilities. We begin with what we suspect will be a game changer – the development of AI and artifi cial general intelligence (AGI). We then turn to radical brain enhancements, urging that the future will likely introduce exciting new issues involving (inter alia) the extended mind hypothesis, the epistemology of evaluating the thoughts of vastly smarter beings, mind uploading, and more.
Parental decision making and the choice of communication modality for the child who is deaf.

BACKGROUND Early intervention decisions for a deaf or hard of hearing child are difficult to make, partly because of the lack of definitive proof of the superiority of any particular communication approach. OBJECTIVE To compare the relative importance of the child's hearing loss and parental attitudes, beliefs, values, and aspirations in the decision process. METHODS Eighty-three parents were surveyed about decision factors that may have affected their choice of communication modality, including resource availability, attitudes and beliefs about hearing loss, values, trade-offs, and goals. Parental preference ratings on hypothetical outcomes were also collected in 4 domains: communication, academic performance, social functioning, and emotional well-being. RESULTS The child's extent of hearing loss was the most influential decision factor (P<.001). Beyond the extent of hearing loss, logistic regression further showed that parental cognitive-attitudinal factors were important in the inclination to favor an oral approach-if they believed that deafness can and should be corrected and if they desired the child to be able to speak (P =.03 and.04, respectively). Technology that aims at improving the child's ability to speak (eg, cochlear implants) had no significant impact on the decision to choose oral only training. CONCLUSIONS Professionals who work with deaf children and their parents should recognize the presence of many relevant issues beyond the extent of the child's hearing loss. Interventions may be most effective if aimed at balancing parental beliefs and aspirations and audiologic considerations.
Discovery of sarcosine dimethylglycine methyltransferase from Galdieria sulphuraria

An enzyme with sarcosine dimethylglycine methyltransferase (SDMT) activity has been identified in the thermophilic eukaryote, Galdieria sulphuraria. The crystal structure of the enzyme, solved to a resolution of 1.95 Å, revealed a fold highly similar to that of mycolic acid synthases. The kcat and apparent KM values were 64.3 min−1 and 2.0 mM for sarcosine and 85.6 min−1 and 2.8 mM for dimethylglycine, respectively. Apparent KM values of S‐adenosylmethionine were 144 and 150 μM for sarcosine and dimethylglycine, respectively, and the enzyme melting temperature was 61.1°C. Modeling of cofactor binding in the active site based on the structure of methoxy mycolic acid synthase 2 revealed a number of conserved interactions within the active site. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cultivation of the bacillus of Whipple's disease.

BACKGROUND Whipple's disease is a systemic bacterial infection, but to date no isolate of the bacterium has been established in subculture, and no strain of this bacterium has been available for study. METHODS Using specimens from the aortic [corrected] valve of a patient with endocarditis due to Whipple's disease, we isolated and propagated a bacterium by inoculation in a human fibroblast cell line (HEL) with the use of a shell-vial assay. We tested serum samples from our patient, other patients with Whipple's disease, and control subjects for the presence of antibodies to this bacterium. RESULTS The bacterium of Whipple's disease was grown successfully in HEL cells, and we established subcultures of the isolate. Indirect immunofluorescence assays showed that the patient's serum reacted specifically against the bacterium. Seven of 9 serum samples from patients with Whipple's disease had IgM antibody titers of 1:50 or more, as compared with 3 of 40 samples from the control subjects (P<0.001). Polyclonal antibodies against the bacterium were generated by inoculation of the microorganism into mice and were used to detect bacteria in the excised cardiac tissue from our patient on immunohistochemical analysis. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene of the cultured bacterium was identical to the sequence for Tropheryma whippelii identified previously in tissue samples from patients with Whipple's disease. The strain we have grown is available in the French National Collection. CONCLUSIONS We cultivated the bacterium of Whipple's disease, detected specific antibodies in tissue from the source patient, and generated specific antibodies in mice to be used in the immunodetection of the microorganism in tissues. The development of a serologic test for Whipple's disease may now be possible.
High‐rate ferric sulfate generation by a Leptospirillum ferriphilum‐dominated biofilm and the role of jarosite in biomass retainment in a fluidized‐bed reactor

The aims of this work were to develop a high‐rate fluidized‐bed bioprocess for ferric sulfate production, to characterize biomass retainment, and to determine the phylogeny of the enrichment culture. After 7 months of continuous enrichment and air aeration at 37°C, the iron oxidation rate of 8.2 g Fe2+ L−1h−1 (4.5·10−12 g Fe2+ cell−1 h−1) was obtained at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.6 h. However, oxygen supply became the rate‐limiting factor. With gas mixture (99.5% O2 /0.5% CO2 (vol/vol)) aeration and HRT of 0.2 h, the iron oxidation rate was 26.4 g Fe2+ L−1h−1 (1.0·10−11 g Fe2+ cell−1 h−1). Leptospirillum sp. was predominant in the mesophilic fluidized‐bed reactor (FBR) enrichment culture as determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization, while Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was not detected. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the amplified partial 16S rDNA showed only three bands, indicating a simple microbial community. DGGE fragment excision and sequencing showed that the populations were related to L. ferriphilum (100% similarity in sequence) and possibly to the genus Ferroplasma (96% similarity to F. acidiphilum). Jarosite precipitates accumulated on the top of the activated carbon biomass carrier material, increasing the rate of iron oxidation. The activated carbon carrier material, jarosite precipitates, and reactor liquid contained 59% (or 3.71·109 cells g−1), 31% (or 3.12·1010 cells g−1) and 10% (or 1.24·108 cells mL−1) of the total FBR microbes, respectively, demonstrating that the jarosite precipitates played an important role in the FBR biomass retainment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Just lying there, remembering: Improving recall of prose in amnesic patients with mild cognitive impairment by minimising interference

The hallmark of amnesia is poor explicit long‐term memory along with normal short‐term memory. It is often stated that information encountered by amnesic patients is forgotten within 1 minute of presentation. However, previous work has not distinguished between forgetting as a function of time versus the interfering material occupying that time. We show that there is a marked benefit of reduced interference in amnesic patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that is characterised by anterograde amnesia in the absence of other neuropsychological deficits and carries an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. The result suggests that long‐term memory is encoded in these patients to a greater extent than had been realised but that their memory is highly vulnerable to interference.
Resistant starches differentially stimulate Toll-like receptors and attenuate proinflammatory cytokines in dendritic cells by modulation of intestinal epithelial cells.

SCOPE Main objectives of this study were (1) to demonstrate direct signaling of starch on human dendritic cells (DCs), (2) to study whether this is mediated by the pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and (3) to study whether intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are involved in modulating the starch induced immune activation of DCs. METHODS AND RESULTS Two different types of resistant starch, High-maize® 260 (RS2) and Novelose® 330 (RS3) were characterized for their starch content and particle size. Human DCs and reporter cells for TLRs were incubated with starches and analyzed for NF-kB/AP-1 activation. Complex coculture systems were applied to study the cross-talk. High-maize® 260 predominantly binds to TLR2 while Novelose® 330 binds to TLR2 and TLR5. The strong immune-stimulating effects of High-maize® 260 were attenuated by starch-exposed IECs illustrating the regulatory function of IECs. Despite these attenuating effects, DCs kept producing Th1 cytokines. CONCLUSION Resistant starch possesses direct signaling capacity on human DCs in a starch-type-dependent manner. IECs regulate these responses. High-maize® 260 skews toward a more regulatory phenotype in coculture systems of DCs, IEC, and T cells.