Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of electroporation for transfer of plasmid DNA to Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Listeria, Pediococcus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus and Propionibacterium

Plasmid DNA was introduced by electroporation into Bacillus, Enterococcus, LactobacHlus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Listeria, Pediococcus, Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus as an alternative to competent‐cell or protoplast transformation. Plasmid‐containing transformants were recovered in these recipients at frequencies ranging from 101 105 transformants μg−1 of pGK12. Several parameters of the protocol, including DNA concentration, voltage, plating regimen and electroporation buffers were evaluated to determine conditions that improved transformation frequencies for Lactobacillus acidophilus. Using optimized conditions, the following plasmids were introduced into L. acidophilus: pAMB1, pC194, pGB354, pGKV1, pSA3, pTRK13, pTV1 andpVA797. The ability to transfer plasmid DNA via electroporation will greatly facilitate the application of recombinant DNA methodology and transposon technology to Gram‐positive bacteria for cloning and analysis of significant genes.
A Primer on Energy-Efficient Synchronization of WSN Nodes over Correlated Rayleigh Fading Channels

In this paper we propose a lower bound on the energy required for synchronizing nodes in a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) by using statistical estimation techniques. The energy required to synchronize a pair of nodes within a network with predefined synchronization accuracy is modelled as function of the transceivers power and the number of transmitted messages. In our analysis, we have considered the dynamic nature of nodes communicating within a correlated Rayleigh fading channel. A unified mathematical model has been defined to analyze the impact of nodes' relative velocity on the pairwise energy and synchronization accuracy trade-off.
A Study of Undergraduate Accounting Students' Graduation TrendsResulting from Changes in Requirements for Certified PublicAccountant (CPA) Licensure in New York State

Changes in New York State’s requirements for obtaining a CPA license have necessitated several changes for many accounting departments. This study posed several questions relating to: how students planned to meet the 150 semester hour (credits) education requirement for licensure as well as obtaining the one year experience requirement. The results showed that most students plan to go to graduate school. Many students will also have 150 credits when completing their accounting studies and will not have need for additional education. Finally, students surveyed strayed off the path of public accounting, or more specifically audit (which was traditionally the initial career needed for CPA licensure), as satisfying the one year experience requirement towards licensure.
Prognostic Importance of Impaired Systolic Function in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and the Impact of Spironolactone

Background— Impairment in left ventricular systolic function has been described in heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but its prognostic relevance is not known. We determined whether left ventricular longitudinal strain (LS) is predictive of cardiovascular outcomes in HFpEF beyond clinical and conventional echocardiographic measures. Methods and Results— LS was assessed by 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography at baseline in 447 patients with HFpEF enrolled in the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) trial. At a median follow-up of 2.6 years (interquartile range, 1.5–3.9 years), 115 patients experienced the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death, HF hospitalization, or aborted cardiac arrest. Impaired LS, defined as an absolute LS <15.8%, was present in 52% of patients and was predictive of the composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–3.66; P=0.005), cardiovascular death alone (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.44–7.12; P=0.004), and HF hospitalization alone (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–4.28; P=0.016) after adjustment for clinical and conventional echocardiographic variables. LS was the strongest echocardiographic predictor of the composite outcome. Exploratory analysis in a subset of 131 patients with follow-up LS assessed after 12 to 18 months demonstrated a trend toward improvement in LS associated with spironolactone in patients enrolled in the Americas but not in Russia or Georgia. Conclusions— Impaired left ventricular systolic function is a powerful predictor of HF hospitalization, cardiovascular death, or aborted cardiac arrest in HFpEF independent of clinical predictors. Impaired LS represents a novel imaging biomarker to identify patients with HFpEF at particularly high risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00094302.
Product Development Time Performance: Investigating the Effect of Interactions between Drivers

Rapid and punctual new product development (NPD) has become a top priority in many organizations as competitors rush to commercialize emerging technologies and to satisfy customer needs. Despite the importance of this issue, conceptual models or systematic testing of specific drivers that could improve time performances in NPD are few and far between. There is, however, a lack of extensive empirical research into whether ‘‘interactions’’ between different drivers affect time performances. This article aims to investigate whether drivers can interact and can influence time performances with a ‘‘synergistic’’ effect. A survey was carried out in order to study the effects of two-way driver interactions on ‘‘launch on time’’ and ‘‘launch against an accelerated schedule. ’’ Three groups of drivers within the development-process, organizational-mechanisms, and strategic-capabilities were considered. As this is an exploratory study, two-way interactions between drivers of different groups were analyzed in order to detect which drivers had a synergistic effect on time performances. The study was based on a sample of 85 manufacturing firms producing mainly industrial goods. The NPD program within each company was considered, i.e., the new products developed and launched in the last three years. The statistical approach used is suitable for exploratory surveys. In the first phase, the G-correlation test was used to verify the effects of single drivers in order to help interpret the results regarding two-way driver interactions. In the second phase, regression models with two-way driver interaction were performed with both linear and logistic regression in order to discover which significant models had a significant driver interaction. The resulting 13 models showed that interactions played an important role in determining time performances. The following are some of the most interesting results, as they have managerial implications. The NP Strategic Guide (clear definition and communication of new product goals) interacts with and enhances the influence of other drivers, such as predevelopment tasks, project manager use, and supplier and customer involvement. Technological and up-front staff capabilities create important interactions with product definition and with customer involvement, which avoids development delays. Furthermore, the authors of this study discovered that the adoption of an overlapping approach without a high level of interfunctional team use may not be time efficient. Thus, if a firm has to work to a
Respiratory syncytial virus infections in congenital heart defects – hospitalizations and costs

Aims: To register hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections and estimate costs of prophylaxis with humanized monoclonal antibodies (palivizumab) against RSV, compared to hospital care, in cases with congenital heart defects (CHDs). Methods: Population based study with prospective registration of CHDs. Costs for hospital treatment of RSV‐infections in CHD‐patients calculated by means of the Norwegian Diagnosis Related Groups system. Results: In 43 470 infants live born in the population through the 18‐year period 1987–2004 a structural CHD was diagnosed in 527 (1.2%). A total of 898 (2.1%) hospitalizations for RSV‐infections occurred in the study population 1987–2005. The hospital admittance rate was significantly higher for CHD‐cases (4.8%) than for children without CHD (2%) (P=0.002). Severe CHDs (need for surgery or catheter intervention) had a higher admittance rate (9.2%) compared to the group of remaining CHDs (3.3%) (P=0.01). Number needed to treat with palivizumab to avoid one hospitalization for RSV‐infection in cases of severe CHDs was calculated to 24, at costs of US$ 195 000. The expenses for palivizuamab prophylaxis in severe CHDs were 31 times that of hospital treatment.
OCM image texture analysis for tissue classification

This paper proposes a texture analysis technique applied on human breast Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) images to classify different types of breast tissues. Local binary pattern (LBP) image features are extracted. In order to improve classification precision, a new variant of LBP feature, average LBP (ALBP) is proposed. The new LBP is integrated with the original LBP feature to improve classification precision. Our experiments show that by integrating a selected set of LBP and ALBP features, very high classification accuracy is achieved using a AdaBoost meta classifier combined with neural network weak classifiers.
Substitution of the carboxyl-terminal domain of apo AI with apo AII sequences restores the potential of HDL to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis in apo E knockout mice.

HDL metabolism and atherosclerosis were studied in apo E knockout (KO) mice overexpressing human apo AI, a des- (190-243)-apo AI carboxyl-terminal deletion mutant of human apo AI or an apo AI-(1-189)-apo AII-(12-77) chimera in which the carboxyl-terminal domain of apo AI was substituted with the pair of helices of apo AII. HDL cholesterol levels ranked: apo AI/apo E KO approximately apo AI-(1-189)-apo AII- (12-77)/apo E KO > > des-(190-243)-apo AI/apo E KO > apo E KO mice. Progression of atherosclerosis ranked: apo E KO > des-(190-243)-apo AI/apo E KO > > apo AI-(1-189)- apo AII-(12-77)/apo E KO approximately apo AI/apo E KO mice. Whereas the total capacity to induce cholesterol efflux from lipid-loaded THP-1 macrophages was higher for HDL of mice overexpressing human apo AI or the apo AI/apo AII chimera, the fractional cholesterol efflux rate, expressed in percent cholesterol efflux/microg apolipoprotein/h, for HDL of these mice was similar to that for HDL of mice overexpressing the deletion mutant and for HDL of apo E KO mice. This study demonstrates that the tertiary structure of apo AI, e.g., the number and organization of its helices, and not its amino sequence is essential for protection against atherosclerosis because it determines HDL cholesterol levels and not cholesterol efflux. Amino acid sequences of apo AII, which is considered to be less antiatherogenic, can be used to restore the structure of apo AI and thereby its antiatherogenicity.
A Delphi study of Internet banking

Deregulation has brought down the boundaries of the banking industry, allowing new entrants and enabling a greater degree of competition. Into this scenario arrived the Internet – another radical technological innovation with the potential to change the structure and nature of banking. Many banks have adopted the Internet as a delivery channel (indeed, some banks have set up as Internet‐only delivery). This paper reports a Delphi study of the Internet momentum in banking. Informed by diffusion of innovation theory, the study sought to discern the key issues and to explore the future of Internet banking. The results show that Internet banking is a very important issue in retail banking. However, the Internet will contribute as part of a multi‐channel (bricks and clicks) strategy, rather than as a stand‐alone (clicks only) strategy. The developing functionality of Internet banking may enable some banks to achieve competitive advantage through delivering higher perceived customer value.
Comparison of Support Vector Machines and Bayesian Neural Networks Performance for Breast Tissues Using geostatistical Functions in Mammographic Images

Female breast cancer is a major cause of deaths in occidental countries. Computer-aided Detection (CAD) systems can aid radiologists to increase diagnostic accuracy. In this work, we present a comparison between two classifiers applied to the separation of normal and abnormal breast tissues from mammograms. The purpose of the comparison is to select the best prediction technique to be part of a CAD system. Each region of interest is classified through a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) as normal or abnormal region. SVM is a machine-learning method, based on the principle of structural risk minimization, which shows good performance when applied to data outside the training set. A Bayesian Neural Network is a classifier that joins traditional neural networks theory and Bayesian inference. We use a set of measures obtained by the application of the semivariogram, semimadogram, covariogram, and correlogram functions to the characterization of breast tissue as normal or abnormal. The results show that SVM presents best performance for the classification of breast tissues in mammographic images. The tests indicate that SVM has more generalization power than the BNN classifier. BNN has a sensibility of 76.19% and a specificity of 79.31%, while SVM presents a sensibility of 74.07% and a specificity of 98.77%. The accuracy rate for tests is 78.70% and 92.59% for BNN and SVM, respectively.
Multiport Sensor RFIDs for Wireless Passive Sensing of Objects—Basic Theory and Early Results

A new family of passive sensor radio-frequency identification devices is here proposed for applications in the context of wireless sensor networks. The new tags, working in the ultra-high frequency band, are able to detect the value or the change of some features of the tagged body without using any specific sensor. Such tags are provided with multiple chips embedded either within a cluster of cooperating antennas or in a single multiport antenna, and exploit the natural mismatch of the antenna input impedance caused by the change of the tagged object. A basic theory of multiport sensor tags is formulated with the purpose to describe the possible classification and detection performances in a unitary context. Some numerical examples and a first experiment corroborate the feasibility of the idea.
Tissue-engineered total disc replacement: final outcomes of a murine caudal disc in vivo study

Selected abstracts delivered at the 9th Annual AOSpine North America Fellows Forum Consistent with EBSJ’s commitment to fostering quality research, we are pleased to feature some of the most highly rated abstracts from the 9th Annual AOSpine North America Fellows Forum in Banff, Canada. Enhancing the quality of evidence in spine care means acknowledging and supporting the efforts of young researchers within our AOSpine North America network. We look forward to seeing more from these promising researchers in the future.
Transitional Care: A Critical Dimension of the Home Healthcare Quality Agenda

&NA; Focusing on the critical transitions of patients and their caregivers across healthcare settings and among providers is a promising approach to enhancing care coordination and improving quality. This article describes the research base for the transitional care of older adults and offers recommendations to advance the science, translate best practices into home healthcare settings, and improve the transitions of high‐risk older adults to and from home healthcare. Home healthcare is a component of the healthcare industry uniquely positioned to improve transitional care and outcomes for the growing population of older adults with continuous complex needs.
The Informational Feedback Effect of Stock Prices on Corporate Disclosure

This paper studies whether managers use information contained in stock prices when making forward-looking disclosures. Using annual management forecasts from 1996 to 2010, I find that the association between forecast revisions and stock price changes over the revision periods is stronger when there is more informed trading. Further, I find that the positive effect of investors’ information on the revision-return relation is more pronounced when the information is more relevant to predicted earnings. In addition, more investor information contained in stock prices leads to a greater improvement in forecast accuracy. My study highlights the two-way information flows between firms and capital markets. JEL Classification: G14, G30, M41
Determinants of customer satisfaction with thermal hotels

This study aims to identify tourists' level of satisfaction with thermal tourism, using Structural Equation Models (SEM). In order to understand tourists' level of satisfaction, both the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were applied to the data sets using the SPSS and LISREL statistical package programs. The results of the EFA found five factors that make up tourists' satisfaction. The analysis indicates that while the tourists' perception of the ‘Cleanliness of Private Units’ has the greatest influence on ‘Private Thermal Unit’ features, the perception of ‘Additional Services’ has it on ‘General Physical Features’ on tourists' level of satisfaction with thermal tourism.
Pedestrian Detection Fusion Method Based on Mean Shift

Detecting pedestrians is a challenging task, which requires precise localization of pedestrians that appear in images and videos. Window-scanning based detection methods have demonstrated their promise by scanning the image densely with multi-scale detection window. However, an essential and critical issue, i.e., how to fuse these dense detections obtained through pedestrian detector and yield the final target detection, is not well addressed in the literature. This paper proposes and implements a general method for fusing pedestrian detections. In this method, detection fusion is regarded as a kernel density estimate and implemented through mean shift iterative procedure. Moreover, the notion of nearest neighbor consistency is adopted, which significantly accelerates the fusion procedure. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the mean shift-based fusion method.
Assessing agricultural risks of climate change in the 21st century in a global gridded crop model intercomparison

Significance Agriculture is arguably the sector most affected by climate change, but assessments differ and are thus difficult to compare. We provide a globally consistent, protocol-based, multimodel climate change assessment for major crops with explicit characterization of uncertainty. Results with multimodel agreement indicate strong negative effects from climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes where developing countries are concentrated. Simulations that consider explicit nitrogen stress result in much more severe impacts from climate change, with implications for adaptation planning. Here we present the results from an intercomparison of multiple global gridded crop models (GGCMs) within the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. Results indicate strong negative effects of climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes; models that include explicit nitrogen stress project more severe impacts. Across seven GGCMs, five global climate models, and four representative concentration pathways, model agreement on direction of yield changes is found in many major agricultural regions at both low and high latitudes; however, reducing uncertainty in sign of response in mid-latitude regions remains a challenge. Uncertainties related to the representation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and high temperature effects demonstrated here show that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies.
Service Encounter and Customer Psychological Contract

The high-quality service has become the first important factor in enterprise’s survival and development. This research aims to probe into influences of service encounter to customer psychological contract, studying relationships between service encounter and psychological contract, service providers and customers. Method of the questionnaire was used to get information. The result indicates that good service scene and high-quality service have important effects on customers’ behavior intention, thus producing improvement of customers’ satisfaction and loyalty to the enterprises.
The Impact of Reputation in the Performance of the Organization in the Perspective of Members of the Cooperatives

Corporate reputation (CR) is often an important intangible asset of a company. This study investigates the role of CR on cooperative members’ behavior and organizational performance, considering loyalty, satisfaction, trust and image. The study aims to verify the effects of communication, culture and satisfaction with management as antecedents of CR. To achieve the research objectives and based on a literature review, the study proposes a conceptual framework and tests the framework using structural equation modeling. For this purpose, 263 valid questionnaires were collected a research sample comprised of members of the biggest dairy three co-operatives in Iberia. The results show that communication has an impact on CR as well as on culture and on satisfaction with management. CR has a significant impact on co-operatives members’ loyalty and performance. The model provides a wider comprehension of the CR concept and introduces both the drivers and consequences.
On the Picard number of a complex projective variety

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A study on the behavioral intention of implementing RFID System — Taiwan logistics as an example

The research study aimed to find out about the factors that influence the behavioral intention for possible implementation of the Radio Frequency identification (RFID) system in almost all areas of Taiwan's logistic management for their company's improvement of efficiency. A survey questionnaire adopted from various studies in business information systems was used to gather data for the study in order to answer the three specific research questions from the one hundred respondents randomly sampled from a selected group of possible RFID system users, working and residing in Taipei suburbs, Taiwan. The research found that the majority of the respondents believe that the adoption of the RFID system will improve the efficiency of the company's operation, it can get jobs easily done, it is compatible with their current company's needs, and their company has enough budget in informational technology that would be use for RFID implementation.