Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate entrepreneurship: An empirical look at the innovativeness dimension and its antecedents

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to submit and test a model of corporate entrepreneurship (CE). Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 264 employees of a mid‐sized organization, the authors conceptualize three antecedent categories of CE: process, context, and individual characteristics. The authors also test the mediating affect of CE on desirable individual outcomes: job satisfaction, turnover intent, and affective commitment. Findings – The results indicate that the model does an adequate job of explaining CE, and that CE mediates the relationship between our antecedents and individual outcomes. Originality/value – For researchers, the primary value of this research is the opportunity to consider a predictive model of CE on the knowledge base currently in the field. For practitioners, the process seems to offer an important precursor to CE.
SDN based network access controller: A first milestone

Software Defined Network (SDN) protocols, such as OpenFlow, aim at providing a unified and reconfigurable view of communication networks. SDN protocols are not designed with the ability to act on the upper layer of the network protocol stack, where much could be gained from their capabilities. Using the SDN framework, this paper presents the implementation performance of an innovative mechanism that leverages user traffic to dynamically modify upper network layer behaviour. This generic extension of a SDN controller is particularly well suited to applicative proxies and is sufficiently lightweight to be implemented on generic hardware. This paper demonstrates an application injection and proxy redirection, where OpenFlow is used to tunnel user traffic to an SDN controller that enhances the upper layer network function. We demonstrate the feasibility of modifying application layer protocols on top of TCP by adjusting sequence and acknowledgment numbers. The performance of the current implementation is presented and shows that a single controller can handle thousands of concurrent connections.
Can Recognising Multiword Expressions Improve Shallow Parsing?

There is significant evidence in the literature that integrating knowledge about multiword expressions can improve shallow parsing accuracy. We present an experimental study to quantify this improvement, focusing on compound nominals, proper names and adjective-noun constructions. The evaluation set of multiword expressions is derived from Word-Net and the textual data are downloaded from the web. We use a classification method to aid human annotation of output parses. This method allows us to conduct experiments on a large dataset of unannotated data. Experiments show that knowledge about multiword expressions leads to an increase of between 7.5% and 9.5% in accuracy of shallow parsing in sentences containing these multiword expressions.
Classical pathology and mutational load of breast cancer – integration of two worlds

Breast cancer is a complex molecular disease comprising several biological subtypes. However, daily routine diagnosis is still based on a small set of well‐characterized clinico‐pathological variables. Here, we try to link the two worlds of surgical pathology and multilayered molecular profiling by analyzing the relationships between clinico‐pathological phenotypes and mutational loads of breast cancer. We evaluated the number of mutated genes with somatic non‐silent mutations in different subgroups of breast cancer based on clinico‐pathological, including immunohistochemical and tumour characteristics. The analysis was performed for a cohort of 687 primary breast cancer patients with mutational profiling, gene expression and clinico‐pathological data available from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. The number of mutated genes was strongly positively associated with higher tumour grade (p = 1.4e−14) and with the different immunohistochemical and PAM50 molecular subtypes of breast cancer (p = 1.4e−10 and p = 4.3e−10, respectively). We observed significant associations (|R| > 0.4) between the abundance of mutated genes and expression levels of genes related to proliferation in the overall cohort and hormone receptor positive cohort, including the Recurrence Score gene signature (e.g., MYBL2 and BIRC5). Specific mutated genes (TP53, NCOR1, NF1, PTPRD and RB1) were highly significantly associated with high loads of mutated genes. Multivariate analysis for overall survival (OS) revealed a worse survival for patients with high numbers of mutated genes (hazard ratio = 4.6, 95% CI: 1.0 – 20.0, p = 0.044). Here, we report a strong association of the number of mutated genes with immunohistochemical and PAM50 subtypes and tumour grade in breast cancer. We provide evidence that specific levels of the mutational load underlie different morphological and biological phenotypes, which collectively constitute the current basis of pathological diagnosis. Our study is a step towards genomics‐informed breast pathology and will provide a basis for future studies in this field bridging the gap between morphology, tumour biology and medical oncology.
Minimizing The Misclassification Error Rate Using a Surrogate Convex Loss

We carefully study how well minimizing convex surrogate loss functions corresponds to minimizing the misclassification error rate for the problem of binary classification with linear predictors. We consider the agnostic setting, and investigate guarantees on the misclassification error of the loss-minimizer in terms of the margin error rate of the best predictor. We show that, aiming for such a guarantee, the hinge loss is essentially optimal among all convex losses.
3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (vma) by microfiber chromatography.

A method is presented for the rapid, precise, quantitative measurement of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (VMA) in urine. The method is unique in that it utilizes silica-gel-impregnated glass fiber as a support medium for thin-layer chromatography. An ethyl acetate extract of acidified urine was spotted and chromatographed in an ascending technic using tolulene, glacial acetic acid, and ethyl acetate (70:20:5) as a solvent system. The VMA is identified by spraying the chromatogram with diazotized p-nitroanaline. Semiquantitation was made with accuracy by visual inspection and comparison with simultaneously spotted standards. Precise quantitation was made by strip scanning. Diet and a variety of medication did not interfere. The normal range was found to be 0-4 mg. /L.
The strategic importance of motivational rewards for lower-level employees in the manufacturing and retailing industries

One of the biggest challenges that managers face in executing business strategies to achieve competitive advantage, is the employment of motivational techniques that build wholehearted commitment to operating excellence. Much confusion however still exists on the question of which rewards really motivate employees. This study investigates which rewards motivate lower-level employees (N = 367) in both manufacturing and clothing retail firms. The results show that the most important individual motivational reward for blue-collar employees is paid holidays and for frontline employees, retirement plans. The most important motivational reward category for both blue-collar and frontline employees is fringe benefits (paid holidays, sick leave and housing loans).
Effects of Growth Hormone on Growth, Insulin Resistance and Related Hormones (Ghrelin, Leptin and Adiponectin) in Turner Syndrome

Background:Concomitant evaluation of the metabolic and growth-promoting effects of growth hormone (GH) therapy in Turner syndrome (TS) may be used in the prediction of the growth response to GH therapy. Aim: To evaluate the metabolic effects of GH therapy in TS and correlation with the short-term growth response. Patients: 24 prepubertal children with TS, aged 9.4 ± 2.6 years were followed for auxology and IGF-I, IGFBP-3, leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, lipids and OGTT results in a prospective multicenter study. Intervention: GH (Genotropin®) in a dose of 50 µg/kg/day for 1 year. Results: Height standard deviation score (SDS) increased from –3.9 ± 1.5 to –3.5 ± 1.4 (p = 0.000) on therapy. BMI did not change. IGF-I SDS increased from –2.3 ± 0.4 to –1.6 ± 1.1 at 3 and 6 months (p = 0.001) and decreased thereafter. Serum leptin decreased significantly from 2.3 ± 3.9 to 1.7 ± 5.3 ng/ml (p = 0.022) at 3 months and increased afterwards. Serum ghrelin decreased from 1.2 ± 0.8 to 0.9 ± 0.4 ng/ml (p = 0.005) with no change in adiponectin. Basal and stimulated insulin levels also increased significantly. Δ height SDS over 1 year showed a significant correlation with Δ IGF-I0–3 months (r = 0.450, p = 0.027). Conclusion: IGF-I may be considered as a marker of growth response in TS at short term. Leptin shows a decrease at short term but does not have a correlation with growth response. The decrease in ghrelin in face of unchanged weight seems to be associated with increase in IGF-I and insulin levels. The unchanged adiponectin levels in spite of an increase in insulin levels indicates that adiponectin is mainly affected by weight, not insulin.
Myocardial capillary density after neuropeptide Y antagonist administration in normal and high-fat diet C57BL6 mice

Background: Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino acid peptide, has several effects on cardiovascular system. It is demonstrated that the angiogenic activity of NPY is similar to fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of systemic administration of antagonist of NPY receptor (BIIE0742) on coronary angiogenesis in normal and diet-induced obese animals. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male mice were received high-fat diet (HFD) or normal diet (ND) for 14 weeks. Then, each group was randomized to the treatment of antagonist of NPY receptor (BIIE0246) or saline as following: ND+ BIIE0246 (100 μl/kg; i.p.), ND+ saline, HFD+ BIIE0246, HFD+ saline. After 14 days, blood samples were taken, and myocardial tissue (left ventricle) from all experimental groups was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Serum VEGF concentration and VEGF: Soluble VEGF receptor (sVEGFR)-1 ratio in obese animals was higher than normal group. Administration of BIIE0246 significantly reduced serum VEGF and VEGF: sVEGFR-1 ratio and increased serum sVEGFR-1 concentrations in obese animals (P < 0.05). In normal animals, BIIE0246 increased serum sVEGFR-1 level and decreased VEGF: sVEGFR-1 ratio. Serum nitrite did not alter after administration of BIIE0246 in both groups (P > 0.05). Myocardial capillary density expressed as the number of CD31 positive cells/mm2 was reduced after NPY antagonist treatment in obese and normal animals (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Administration of NPY antagonist impairs myocardial capillary density, reduces angiogenic factors and elevates anti-angiogenic factors, and there are no differences between obese and normal animals.
Transgenic animals: The melding of molecular biology and animal reproduction

Biotechnology applied to livestock encompasses various reproductive techniques supported by molecular biology. Technologies for the transfer of gene constructs involve microinjection into the pronucleus of fertilized oocytes or DNA mass transfer. The last one can be made through the use of sperm, which carry the incorporated gene construct into the ovum at fertilization, or through the use of retroviral vectors in cell lines. One of the prerequisites to establishing transgenic lines is the presence of the foreign DNA in the gametes or one-cell embryos to ensure that the conceptus develops into a transgenic animal. To reach this objective, foreign genes can be transferred using different methods and strategies depending up on the species of domestic animal used for this venture and their biological potential. Transgenic animals are now commonly used worldwide as models for human disease and the commercial availability of transgenic protein products for therapeutic use is thought to be nearing realization. Advanced research is being conducted in areas such as organ development for human transplantation and improved animal production. Transgenic animals provide a true in vivo environment for evaluating the mechanisms by which gene expression is modulated during development and in adults. “Animal pharming”, the process of using transgenic animals to produce pharmaceutical proteins for human use, is staking its claim in a lucrative world market since the inserted gene, enables an animal to generate the targeted pharmaceutical protein in its milk, urine, blood, sperm, or eggs, or to grow rejectionresistant organs for transplant. This paper is a brief review of the most recent events in the area of domestic animal trangenesis.
CloudAnalyzer: Uncovering the Cloud Usage of Mobile Apps

Developers of smartphone apps increasingly rely on cloud services for ready-made functionalities, e.g., to track app usage, to store data, or to integrate social networks. At the same time, mobile apps have access to various private information, ranging from users' contact lists to their precise locations. As a result, app deployment models and data flows have become too complex and entangled for users to understand. We present CloudAnalyzer, a transparency technology that reveals the cloud usage of smartphone apps and hence provides users with the means to reclaim informational self-determination. We apply CloudAnalyzer to study the cloud exposure of 29 volunteers over the course of 19 days. In addition, we analyze the cloud usage of the 5000 most accessed mobile websites as well as 500 popular apps from five different countries. Our results reveal an excessive exposure to cloud services: 90 % of apps use cloud services and 36 % of apps used by volunteers solely communicate with cloud services. Given the information provided by CloudAnalyzer, users can critically review the cloud usage of their apps.
Greedy methods for simultaneous sparse approximation

This paper extends greedy methods to simultaneous sparse approximation. This problem consists in finding good estimation of several input signals at once, using different linear combinations of a few elementary signals, drawn from a fixed collection. The sparse algorithms for which simultaneous versions are proposed are namely CoSaMP, OLS and SBR. These approaches are compared to Tropp's S-OMP algorithm using simulation signals. We show that in the case of signals exhibiting correlated components, the simultaneous versions of SBR and CoSaMP perform better than S-OMP and S-OLS.
Maintainance of sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation.

I read with interest the article by Plewan et al. that compared head-tohead the efficacy of sotalol vs bisoprolol in the maintenance of sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation. Their study failed to show any benefit of sotalol over bisoprolol during a follow-up period of 1 year, and showed more adverse effects with sotalol, principally due to proarrhythmia. Several considerations have to be made, however, before banning sotalol indefinitely from our therapeutic arsenal against atrial fibrillation. The first point concerns efficacy. The dose of sotalol was 80 mg b.i. d, which has been shown to be no more effective than placebo for maintaining sinus rhythm in a randomized placebo-controlled dose-response study. In that study, the optimal dose of sotalol was suggested to be 120 mg b.i. d. Therefore the dose of sotalol may have been too low to show any benefit over bisoprolol. The second issue concerns proarrhythmia with sotalol, with an incidence of torsades de pointes of 3·1%. The majority of patients had structural heart disease, with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction of around 40%. About a third of the patients had coronary artery disease. In a trial using d-sotalol in patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less and with either a recent myocardial infarction or symptomatic heart failure with a remote myocardial infarction, administration of d-sotalol was associated with increased mortality as compared to placebo, presumably due to arrhythmias. Therefore proarrhythmia in the study may have been reduced by excluding patients with a depressed left ventricular function and ischaemic heart disease.
Fermentation, Hydrogen, and Sulfur Metabolism in Multiple Uncultivated Bacterial Phyla

Bacterial PERegrinations Many branches of the bacterial domain of life are only known from sequences that turn up in metagenomic analyses and are still only named by acronym—for example, the phylum-level groups BD1-5, OP11, OD1, and the PERs. The parent organisms are probably widespread, but they have not been cultured, and very little is known about their metabolisms or their contributions and functions in the natural environment. Wrighton et al. (p. 1661) pumped acetate into an aquifer in Colorado to prompt the naturally occurring bacteria into action and then, from the runoff, filtered out the smaller microbial cells for further analysis. Mass-spectrometry–based proteomics was used to test for functional activity, and 49 distinct genomes were recovered, many with surprising functional attributes. All of the recovered organisms appeared to be strict anaerobes with a full glycolytic pathway that were capable of augmenting energy production by coupling proton-pumping activity to adenosine triphosphate synthase. Several hydrogenases were found that seemed to be able to switch between hydrogen production and polysulfide reduction, depending on the substrate available. Notably, carbon dioxide assimilation was a common feature, with many genes having similarity to those of archaea. Near-complete reconstruction of the genomes of 21 widespread uncultured environmental bacteria reveals metabolic novelties. BD1-5, OP11, and OD1 bacteria have been widely detected in anaerobic environments, but their metabolisms remain unclear owing to lack of cultivated representatives and minimal genomic sampling. We uncovered metabolic characteristics for members of these phyla, and a new lineage, PER, via cultivation-independent recovery of 49 partial to near-complete genomes from an acetate-amended aquifer. All organisms were nonrespiring anaerobes predicted to ferment. Three augment fermentation with archaeal-like hybrid type II/III ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBisCO) that couples adenosine monophosphate salvage with CO2 fixation, a pathway not previously described in Bacteria. Members of OD1 reduce sulfur and may pump protons using archaeal-type hydrogenases. For six organisms, the UGA stop codon is translated as tryptophan. All bacteria studied here may play previously unrecognized roles in hydrogen production, sulfur cycling, and fermentation of refractory sedimentary carbon.
Cadherin point mutations alter cell sorting and modulate GTPase signaling

Summary This study investigated the impact of cadherin binding differences on both cell sorting and GTPase activation. The use of N-terminal domain point mutants of Xenopus C-cadherin enabled us to quantify binding differences and determine their effects on cadherin-dependent functions without any potential complications arising as a result of differences in cytodomain interactions. Dynamic cell-cell binding measurements carried out with the micropipette manipulation technique quantified the impact of these mutations on the two-dimensional binding affinities and dissociation rates of cadherins in the native context of the cell membrane. Pairwise binding affinities were compared with in vitro cell-sorting specificity and ligation-dependent GTPase signaling. Two-dimensional affinity differences greater than five-fold correlated with cadherin-dependent in vitro cell segregation, but smaller differences failed to induce cell sorting. Comparison of the binding affinities with GTPase signaling amplitudes further demonstrated that differential binding also proportionally modulates intracellular signaling. These results show that differential cadherin affinities have broader functional consequences than merely controlling cell-cell cohesion.
Scaling School Turnaround

This article explores the research on turning around low performing schools to summarize what we know, what we don't know, and what this means for scaling school turnaround efforts. School turnaround is defined here as quick, dramatic gains in academic achievement for persistently low performing schools. The article first considers the case set out in a recent paper and then expands the discussion to explore the scalability of strategies for turning schools around. Following this paper, it appears that chartering alone is not enough to effect turnaround. Other existing turnaround options have not clearly led to successful turnaround at scale, but research does suggest turnaround practices and approaches to scaling.
The Use of Equivocal Messages in Responding to Corporate Challenges

A framework is constructed to examine communication professionals’ views regarding the use of equivocal and nonequivocal messages for managing initial statements about corporate challenges. As predicted, equivocal responses were viewed as more appropriate to use and linked to a positive corporate reputation when the crisis situation contained avoidance–avoidance goal conflicts, whereas nonequivocal responses were viewed as more appropriate and linked to a positive corporate reputation when the crisis situation did not contain avoidance–avoidance goal conflicts. Communication professionals also judged nonequivocal and equivocal messages to be appropriate and linked to a positive corporate reputation when they believed the specific message would satisfy the multiple goals of the crisis situation. Implications for public relations practice are discussed.
The influence of balanced and imbalanced resource supply on biodiversity–functioning relationship across ecosystems

Numerous studies show that increasing species richness leads to higher ecosystem productivity. This effect is often attributed to more efficient portioning of multiple resources in communities with higher numbers of competing species, indicating the role of resource supply and stoichiometry for biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Here, we merged theory on ecological stoichiometry with a framework of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning to understand how resource use transfers into primary production. We applied a structural equation model to define patterns of diversity–productivity relationships with respect to available resources. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the findings across ecosystem types ranging from aquatic ecosystems to grasslands and forests. As hypothesized, resource supply increased realized productivity and richness, but we found significant differences between ecosystems and study types. Increased richness was associated with increased productivity, although this effect was not seen in experiments. More even communities had lower productivity, indicating that biomass production is often maintained by a few dominant species, and reduced dominance generally reduced ecosystem productivity. This synthesis, which integrates observational and experimental studies in a variety of ecosystems and geographical regions, exposes common patterns and differences in biodiversity–functioning relationships, and increases the mechanistic understanding of changes in ecosystems productivity.