Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to Product Innovation in Small Manufacturing Firms

MARK S. FREEL IS A LECTURER IN THE Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. This paper seeks to understand the nature and extent of barriers to innovation within a sample of small manufacturing firms. After identifying from the literature four broad categories of constraint (finance, management and marketing, skilled labour, and information) it is found, inter alia, that: * while the sample provides no evidence that innovators are more likely to apply for external finance (as a proxy for greater need), the data does suggest that, of those firms who had applied for external funds, innovators were less likely to have been successful than their less innovative peers. This latter finding is tempered by generally low levels of applications and application failures. However, perhaps of more concern, there remains a heavy reliance on short-term debt funding for innovation. * improving in-house technical and marketing competencies are identified by the firms as key to improving their innovative activity rather than accessing external skills and increasing the number of internal 'experts' and in preferen-ce to managemenit, finanice and exporting skills. * the study also signals the eiiployment of graduates as imnportan-t to innovation, although the nature of cause and effect is unclear. * finally, the study suggests that the level of firm interaction with external agencies is disappointingly low and that the principal barriers to collaboration are "lack ol trust" and "inability to find suitable partner", Public policy may find such intangible 'barriers' somewhat intractable.
Neurology of the newborn.

Neural Tube Formation and Prosencephalic. Neuronal Proliferation, Migration, Organization and Myelination. The Neurological Examination: Normal and Abnormal Features. Specialized Studies in the Neurological Evaluation. Neonatal Seizures. Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Biochemical and Physiological Aspects. Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Intrauterine Assessment. Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Neuropathology and Pathogenesis. Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Clinical Aspects. Intracranial Hemorrhage: Subdural, Primary Subarachnoid, Intracerebellar, Intraventricular (Term Infant) and Miscellaneous. Intracranial Hemorrhage: Germinal Matrix. Intraventricular Hemorrhage or the Premature Infant. Hypoglycemia and Brain Injury. Bilirubin and Brain Injury. Hyperammonemia and Other Disorders of Amino Acid Metabolism. Disorders of Organic Acid Metabolism. Degenerative Diseases of the Newborn. Neuromuscular Disorders: Motor System, Evaluation and Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Neuromuscular Disorders: Levels Above the Lower Motor Neuron to the Neuromuscular Junction. Neuromuscular Disorders: Muscle Improvement and Restricted Disorders. Viral, Protozoan and Related Intracranial Infections. Bacterial and Fungal Intracranial Infections. Injuries of Extracranial, Cranial, Intracranial, Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nervous System Structures. Brain Tumors and Vein of Galen Malformations. Teratogenic Effects of Drugs and Passive Addiction.
Multi-Level Liveness Verification for Face-Voice Biometric Authentication

In this paper we present the details of the multilevel liveness verification (MLLV) framework proposed for realizing a secure face-voice biometric authentication system that can thwart different types of audio and video replay attacks. The proposed MLLV framework based on novel feature extraction and multimodal fusion approaches, uncovers the static and dynamic relationship between voice and face information from speaking faces, and allows multiple levels of security. Experiments with three different speaking corpora VidTIMIT, UCBN and AVOZES shows a significant improvement in system performance in terms of DET curves and equal error rates (EER) for different types of replay and synthesis attacks.
Evolutionand pathogenesis ofStaphylococcus aureus : lessons learned fromgenotypingand comparative genomics

Evolutionand pathogenesis ofStaphylococcus aureus : lessons learned fromgenotypingand comparative genomics Ye Feng, Chih-Jung Chen, Lin-Hui Su, Songnian Hu, Jun Yu & Cheng-Hsun Chiu James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; and Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Glutathione-dependent Binding of a Photoaffinity Analog of Agosterol A to the C-terminal Half of Human Multidrug Resistance Protein*

MRP1 is a 190-kDa membrane glycoprotein that confers multidrug resistance (MDR) to tumor cells. MRP1 is characterized by an N-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD0), which is connected to a P-glycoprotein-like core region (ΔMRP) by a cytoplasmic linker domain zero (L0). It has been demonstrated that GSH plays an important role in MRP1-mediated MDR. However, the mechanism by which GSH mediates MDR and the precise roles of TMD0 and L0 are not known. We synthesized [125I]11-azidophenyl agosterol A ([125I]azidoAG-A), a photoaffinity analog of the MDR-reversing agent, agosterol A (AG-A), to photolabel MRP1, and found that the analog photolabeled the C-proximal molecule of MRP1 (C932–1531) in a manner that was GSH-dependent. The photolabeling was inhibited by anticancer agents, reversing agents and leukotriene C4. Based on photolabeling studies in the presence and absence of GSH using membrane vesicles expressing various truncated, co-expressed, and mutated MRP1s, we found that L0 is the site on MRP1 that interacts with GSH. This study demonstrated that GSH is required for the binding of an unconjugated agent to MRP1 and suggested that GSH interacts with L0 of MRP1. The photoanalog of AG-A will be useful for identifying the drug binding site within MRP1, and the role of GSH in transporting substrates by MRP1.
Molecular subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma arise by distinct genetic pathways

Gene-expression profiling has been used to define 3 molecular subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), termed germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) DLBCL, activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL). To investigate whether these DLBCL subtypes arise by distinct pathogenetic mechanisms, we analyzed 203 DLBCL biopsy samples by high-resolution, genome-wide copy number analysis coupled with gene-expression profiling. Of 272 recurrent chromosomal aberrations that were associated with gene-expression alterations, 30 were used differentially by the DLBCL subtypes (P < 0.006). An amplicon on chromosome 19 was detected in 26% of ABC DLBCLs but in only 3% of GCB DLBCLs and PMBLs. A highly up-regulated gene in this amplicon was SPIB, which encodes an ETS family transcription factor. Knockdown of SPIB by RNA interference was toxic to ABC DLBCL cell lines but not to GCB DLBCL, PMBL, or myeloma cell lines, strongly implicating SPIB as an oncogene involved in the pathogenesis of ABC DLBCL. Deletion of the INK4a/ARF tumor suppressor locus and trisomy 3 also occurred almost exclusively in ABC DLBCLs and was associated with inferior outcome within this subtype. FOXP1 emerged as a potential oncogene in ABC DLBCL that was up-regulated by trisomy 3 and by more focal high-level amplifications. In GCB DLBCL, amplification of the oncogenic mir-17–92 microRNA cluster and deletion of the tumor suppressor PTEN were recurrent, but these events did not occur in ABC DLBCL. Together, these data provide genetic evidence that the DLBCL subtypes are distinct diseases that use different oncogenic pathways.
Music in mind, a randomized controlled trial of music therapy for young people with behavioural and emotional problems: study protocol.

AIMS This article is a report of a trial protocol to determine if improvizational music therapy leads to clinically significant improvement in communication and interaction skills for young people experiencing social, emotional or behavioural problems. BACKGROUND Music therapy is often considered an effective intervention for young people experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. However, this assumption lacks empirical evidence. STUDY DESIGN Music in mind is a multi-centred single-blind randomized controlled trial involving 200 young people (aged 8-16 years) and their parents. Eligible participants will have a working diagnosis within the ambit of international classification of disease 10 mental and behavioural disorders and will be recruited over 15 months from six centres within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services of a large health and social care trust in Northern Ireland. Participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive standard care alone or standard care plus 12 weekly music therapy sessions delivered by the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust. Baseline data will be collected from young people and their parents using standardized outcome measures for communicative and interaction skills (primary endpoint), self-esteem, social functioning, depression and family functioning. Follow-up data will be collected 1 and 13 weeks after the final music therapy session. A cost-effectiveness analysis will also be carried out. DISCUSSION This study will be the largest trial to date examining the effect of music therapy on young people experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties and will provide empirical evidence for the use of music therapy among this population. Trial registration. This study is registered in the ISRCTN Register, ISRCTN96352204. Ethical approval was gained in October 2010.
On the Economic Impact of Smoking Bans

Abstract: This paper comprises two related essays that consider the economic impact of government ordinances to ban smoking in all public places, including privately owned establishments. It is hoped that this analysis will contribute to the public discourse about smoke-free laws that are being considered in many communities around the District. Part I: “Commentary on the Economics of Smoking Bans: Aggregate Effects, Economic Efficiency, and Political Economy” The first essay is a critical evaluation of the literature on the economic effects of smoking bans. By focusing exclusively on aggregate economic impact, many studies tend to overlook the importance of distributional effects. In terms of economic welfare, some consumers and businesses may be better off after a government ban, while others will be worse off. These differential effects reveal inefficiencies that should be considered as economic costs. Distributional effects also account for the political economy of smoking bans: Government proposals pit competing economic interests against one another, igniting controversy and public debate. The political resolution of this conflict often involves ordinances with exemptions for certain types of establishments. The prevalence of these exemptions tends to limit the applicability of many existing studies to the more comprehensive smoking ban proposals that are presently under consideration in many communities.
Evidence for distinct genetic effects on obesity and lipid‐related CVD risk factors in diabetic compared to nondiabetic American Indians: the Strong Heart Family Study

The relationship between diabetes and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is well established. Previous data from the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS) have demonstrated significant heritabilities for CVD risk factors and implicated diabetes as an important predictor of several of the phenotypes in three large groups of American Indians in Arizona (AZ), Oklahoma (OK), and the Dakotas (DK). However, the genetic architecture of this relationship is not well understood. The purpose of the present paper is to determine whether the genetic effects on CVD risk factors in the SHFS are different in diabetic and nondiabetic individuals.
Optimal Inflation for the US Economy

This paper studies the optimal long-run inflation rate (OIR) in a small New Keynesian model, where the only policy instrument is a short-term nominal interest rate that may occasionally run against a zero lower bound (ZLB). The model allows for worst-case scenarios of misspecification. The analysis shows first, if the government optimally commits, the OIR is below 1 percent annually. Second, if the government re-optimizes each period, the OIR rises markedly to 17 percent. Third, if the government commits only to an inertial Taylor rule, the inflation bias is eliminated at very low cost in terms of welfare for the representative household. (JEL E12, E31, E43, E52, E58)
Supply chains, maintenance and safety in the Australian airline industry

This article examines potential regulatory and safety problems arising from the outsourcing and offshoring of heavy aircraft maintenance. We raise questions about the advisability of using increasingly complex supply chains in the aircraft maintenance industry where safety standards are paramount. Greater disarticulation of maintenance work makes regulatory oversight more convoluted and expensive to do thoroughly and transparently. Using a Pressure, Disorganisation and Regulatory Failure model, the article highlights how new work arrangements involving increased use of supply chains are developing more quickly than adequate airline, union and regulator responses to the safety problems engendered by those changes. In often heated industrial debates between licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) and airline managers about business needs and safety, we urge that more attention be paid to LAME concerns about outsourcing.
The Determination of L.D.50 and Its Sampling Error in Bio-Assay.

The formation of clavacin in the culture medium corresponded with the maximum growth, as measured by the complete consumption of the sugar in the medium and by maximum nitrogen utilization. After the maximum antibacterial activity had been reached in the medium, the activity of the clavacin was rapidly destroyed. This was found to be due not to the disappearance of the substance itself from the medium but to its inactivation. Only six of the fifteen strains of A. clavatus produced considerable amounts of clavacin. The remaining nine strains gave only traces of the active substance. The clavacin produced by the different active strains of A. clavatus was found to be the same biologically, as shown by its activity against different bacteria, and apparently the same chemically, as shown bv solubility studies and chemical behavior. Attention is directed to too hasty generalizations concerning the ability of certain fungus species to produce antibacterial substances, based upon the study of single strains of a given organism.
Characterization of Neurotrophic Activity in the Silicone-Chamber Model for Nerve Regeneration

In the present study, the authors reevaluated the temporal course and properties of neurotrophic activities present in the fluid accumulating in the silicone-chamber model for nerve regeneration. The fluid collected from silicone chambers was tested in four different dissociated neuronal cell cultures. Furthermore, the activity of the chamber fluid was examined, using a cell blot technique. There was one major peak of neurotrophic activity and this activity peaked early, about 3 to 6 hr after nerve injury. Results also indicate that the chamber fluid contains at least two types of neurotrophic activities, namely nerve growth factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor.
High-Efficient Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on TiO2/Ag/TiO2 Multilayer Films

In this paper, the TiO2/Ag/TiO2 (TAT) multilayer thin films were deposited on a corning glass substrate at room temperature using radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The TAT multilayer was characterized by field-emission scanning microscope, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy. The TAT multilayer can be optimized to obtain a transmittance more than 80%. With a 360-nm illumination and 5 V applied bias, it was found that the fabricated UV photodetectors (PDs) with TAT structure showed much higher photoresponse (10 A/W) than traditional TiO2 metal-semiconductor-metal PDs (0.08 A/W). This indicated that the TAT multilayer structures have potential to be employed in the PD devices of high performance.
A chaotic mixer for magnetic bead-based micro cell sorter

An efficient magnetic force driven mixer with simple configuration is designed, fabricated, and tested. It is designed to facilitate the mixing of magnetic beads and biomolecules in a microchannel, where mixing is unavoidably inefficient due to its low Reynolds number. With appropriate temporal variations of the force field, chaotic mixing is achieved, hence the mixing becomes effective. The mixing device consists of embedded microconductors as a magnetic field source and a microchannel that guides the streams of working fluid. It is demonstrated that a pair of integrated micro conductors provides a local magnetic field strong enough to attract nearby magnetic beads. Mixing of magnetic beads is accomplished by applying a time-dependent control signal to a row of conductors, at the Reynolds number of as low as 10/sup -2/. Two-dimensional numerical simulation has been performed to design the configuration of the channel and electrodes, which creates chaotic motion of beads. It is found that a simple two-dimensional serpentine channel geometry with the transverse electrodes is able to create the stretching and folding of material lines, which is a manifestation of chaos. The mixing pattern predicted by the simulation has been confirmed by both flow visualization and PTV (particle tracking velocimetry) in the chaotic mixer fabricated, which should greatly increase the attachment of beads onto the target biomolecules. The optimum frequency of applied control signal is searched by evaluating the Lyapunov exponent in both numerical and experimental particle tracking. It is found that the range of optimum Strouhal number is 5
Shipping and investment incentives: a trilogy††

Governments may often try to stimulate investment in their own country by altering the climate in which such decisions are made. They achieve this by means of fiscal and financial regimes which may offer investment incentives for particular forms of investment and/or favourable financial arrangements to facilitate the purchase of particular assets. This paper discusses the form which such incentives might take and considers the literature to examine how such incentives have been perceived by businessmen whose actions they are intended to influence.
Projecting Behavioral Responses to the Next Generation of Retirement Policies

This paper examines retirement and related behavioral responses to policies that on average are actuarially neutral. Many conventional models predict that actuarially neutral policies will not affect retirement behavior. In contrast, our model allows those with high time preference rates to find that the promise of an actuarially fair increase in future rewards does not balance the loss from foregone current benefits. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we find that from age 62 through full retirement age, the earnings test reduces full-time work by married men by about four percentage points, or by about ten percent of married men at full-time work. Abolishing the requirements on many jobs that an individual work full-time or not at all, what we term a minimum hours constraint on employment, would induce more than twice as many people to enter partial retirement as would leave full-time work, so that total full-time equivalent (FTE) employment would increase, although by a modest amount. If all benefits from personal accounts could be taken as a lump sum, the fraction not retired at age 62 would fall by about 5 percentage points compared to a system where there is mandatory annuitization of benefits.
Clinical factors associated with calcific aortic valve disease. Cardiovascular Health Study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of aortic sclerosis and stenosis in the elderly and to identify clinical factors associated with degenerative aortic valve disease. BACKGROUND Several lines of evidence suggest that degenerative aortic valve disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging and may be associated with specific clinical factors. METHODS In 5,201 subjects > or = 65 years of age enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study, the relation between aortic sclerosis or stenosis identified on echocardiography and clinical risk factors for atherosclerosis was evaluated by using stepwise logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Aortic valve sclerosis was present in 26% and aortic valve stenosis in 2% of the entire study cohort; in subjects > or = 75 years of age, sclerosis was present in 37% and stenosis in 2.6%. Independent clinical factors associated with degenerative aortic valve disease included age (twofold increased risk for each 10-year increase in age), male gender (twofold excess risk), present smoking (35% increase in risk) and a history of hypertension (20% increase in risk). Other significant factors included height and high lipoprotein(a) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS Clinical factors associated with aortic sclerosis and stenosis can be identified and are similar to risk factors for atherosclerosis.
LIFE: A predictive approach for VM placement in cloud environments

The key to maintaining high standards of quality and power conservation of physical machines in data centers lies in efficient consolidation of virtual machines (VMs). Several schemes have been proposed for this purpose; and these include online migration and VM placement — which can offer the best in terms of resource utilization. The consolidation process can be made effective by finding “opportunities” to migrate VMs as well approximating the resource utilization for the VM placement. An inefficient placement scheme, however, will lead to a substantial overloading of physical machines. This proposed VM placement scheme uses correlation coefficient and predicted future requirements of computing resources to accurately compute the value/s of variable, and has been termed LIFE — Lowest Interdependence Factor Exponent. This variable shows the extent to which a VM can be associated with a target physical machine. Higher value of LIFE will correspondingly result in a larger impact factor influencing the performance of existing VMs whenever a VM is selected for migration to a target machine. To minimize performance degradation, migration of a VM to a target machine will only take place if it is found to correspond with a value of LIFE that is found to be the lowest. Intensive experiments show that the proposed scheme offers better performance attributes over Minimum Correlation Coefficient (MCC) and Power Aware Best Fit Decreasing (PABFD) schemes measured in terms of the following metrics: power consumption by 44.08% and 27.52%, SLA violation by 50.90% and 19.53% and number of VM migration by 52.91% and 9.66% respectively.