Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesizing Structuration and Institutional Theory: three cases

Research suggests that it is difficult to predict the influence of information technology (IT) on organizations. Using the structuration approach, theorists like Orlikowski suggest technology's effect is context dependent. Within organizations, structuration theory suggests IT's use and understanding reflects the interaction of individuals, social structures, and features of the technology. However, in the public sector, external institutions play an important role in shaping the development of internal structures. This paper develops a conceptual framework that links institutions and organizations social structures to the use and understanding of information technology in the public sector. To develop a more accurate image of the structuring process, it suggests theory should explicitly model the influence of regulative, normative, and cognitive institutions on how technology is used and perceived in government organizations.
Macroeconomic factors and international industry returns

The aim of this article is to examine the global sources of risk in 38 international industries for the period 1987:3–1997:10. Past studies on industry returns and risk have been performed at a national level. However, given the global integration of various industry sectors, it would be interesting to examine the importance of international industry stock returns at the global level. The investment implications of this article, therefore, are that investors could make capital gains by timing their investments, and/or adjust the degree of their portfolio diversification, not only across industries domestically or across countries, internationally but also across global industries. A unique database compiled by Morgan Stanley Capital International on 38 international industries is used. The return on the world equity market portfolio and innovations in the following pre-specified set of global macro variables are employed in the analysis: (i) industrial production, (ii) inflation, (iii) oil prices, (iv) fluctuations in exchange rates against the US dollar, and (v) a measure of credit risk. The most important finding of this paper is that the long run impacts of macroeconomic news have different effects in different industries.
Identification and Real-Time Control of an Electrohydraulic Servo System Based on Nonlinear Backstepping

This paper studies the identification and the real-time control of an electrohydraulic servo system. The control strategy is based on the nonlinear backstepping approach. Emphasis is essentially on the tuning parameters effect and on how it influences the dynamic behavior of the errors. While the backstepping control ensures the global asymptotic stability of the system, the tuning parameters of the controller, nonetheless, do greatly affect the saturation and chattering in the control signal, and consequently, the dynamic errors. In fact, electrohydraulic systems are known to be highly nonlinear and non-differentiable due to many factors, such as leakage, friction, and especially, the fluid flow expression through the servo valve. These nonlinear terms appear in the closed loop dynamic errors. Their values are so large that in the presence of a poor design, they can easily overwhelm the effect of the controller parameters. Backstepping is used here because it is a powerful and robust nonlinear strategy. The experimental results are compared to those obtained with a real-time proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, to prove that classic linear controllers fail to achieve a good tracking of the desired output, especially, when the hydraulic actuator operates at the maximum load. Before going through the controller design, the system parameters are identified. Despite the nonlinearity of the system, identification is based on the recursive least squares method. This is done by rewriting the mathematical model of the system in a linear in parameters (LP) form. Finally, the experimental results will show the effectiveness of the proposed approach in terms of guaranteed stability and zero tracking error
NEUROZONE: On-line recognition of brain structures in stereotactic surgery - application to Parkinson's disease

The success of stereotactic surgery for Deep Brain Stimulation depends critically on the exact positioning of a microelectrode recording in a target area of the brain. This paper presents the software system NEUROZONE composed of two main applications: first, it allows online recognition of brain structures by the analysis of signals from microelectrode recordings (MER), and second, it processes and analyses off-line databases allowing the inclusion of new trained classifiers for automatic identification. The software serves as a support to the analysis done by a medical specialist during surgery, and seeks to reduce the adverse side effects that may occur because of inadequate identification of the target areas. The software also allows the specialists to label recordings obtained during surgery, in order to generate a new off-line database or increase the amount of records in an already existing off-line database. NEUROZONE has been tested for Deep Brain Stimulation performed at the Institute for Epilepsy and Parkinson of the Eje Cafetero (Colombia), achieving positive identifications of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) over to 85% using a naive Bayes classifier.
Nucleotide sequences of the Bacillus subtilis flaD locus and a B. licheniformis homologue affecting the autolysin level and flagellation.

A DNA fragment containing the flaD locus of Bacillus subtilis, which had been cloned into plasmid pAC3, was subcloned into an M13 phage and sequenced. The sequence contained five open reading frames (ORFs), of which ORF2 was the flaD gene. Unexpectedly, the sequence of the flaD locus was identical to that of sin [sporulation inhibition gene; Gaur, N. K. , Dubnau, E. & Smith, I. (1986). Journal of Bacteriology 168, 860-869]. A B. licheniformis homologue (flaL) of the B. subtilis flaD locus was cloned into pUC19 and identified by colony hybridization. The B. licheniformis DNA was subcloned and sequenced. Two ORFs (ORF1, or L-ORF1; and ORF2, or flaL) were detected, encoding 58 and 111 amino acid residues, respectively. These are almost identical in length to ORF1 (D-ORF1; 57 amino acids) and flaD (111 amino acids) on the fragment of B. subtilis DNA. The overall interspecies differences between the nucleotide sequences of D-ORF1 and L-ORF1, and those of flaD and flaL, were 42% and 11%, respectively, and the differences in the predicted amino acid sequences were 50% and 7%, respectively. The regions 3' of the ORFs (flaL and flaD) in both species resemble rho-independent terminators of transcription. The characteristics of the amino acid sequences are also discussed.
Clear Logic and Fuzzy Guidance: A Policy Capturing Study of Merit Raise Decisions

Policy capturing was used to determine cue weights when a merit raise committee implemented an imprecise directive. Evaluations by three raters of 36 faculty were regressed on actual raises. The committee was consistent in their evaluations, but the policy was similar to that obtained by counting activities in faculty annual reports. This study has implications for organizations that motivate employees through merit pay decisions in ways that are inconsistent with their mission and business objectives.
Immunological cross-reactions and interactions between the Drosophila melanogaster ref(2)P protein and sigma rhabdovirus proteins

The ref(2)P gene is one of the Drosophila melanogaster genes involved in the inhibition of sigma rhabdovirus multiplication. The partial restriction of viral replication varies according to the ref(2)P alleles and virus strains and involves intracellular interactions between parasite and host products. We identified the protein encoded by the ref(2)P gene and produced polyclonal antibodies directed against the whole ref(2)P protein obtained from a recombinant baculovirus and against a part of the protein expressed as a fusion protein. These antibodies were used to study the interactions with sigma virus proteins by different immunoprecipitation techniques. We showed that the native ref(2)P protein shared conformation-dependent common epitopes with the viral structural genome-associated N protein. Furthermore, the cellular protein was found to be associated in complexes with the viral P protein required for RNA polymerase activity. The significance of these observations in the control of sigma virus multiplication by its host is discussed.
Analysis and Clustering of Residential Customers Energy Behavioral Demand Using Smart Meter Data

Clustering methods are increasingly being applied to residential smart meter data, which provides a number of important opportunities for distribution network operators (DNOs) to manage and plan low-voltage networks. Clustering has a number of potential advantages for DNOs, including the identification of suitable candidates for demand response and the improvement of energy profile modeling. However, due to the high stochasticity and irregularity of household-level demand, detailed analytics are required to define appropriate attributes to cluster. In this paper, we present in-depth analysis of customer smart meter data to better understand the peak demand and major sources of variability in their behavior. We find four key time periods, in which the data should be analyzed, and use this to form relevant attributes for our clustering. We present a finite mixture model-based clustering, where we discover ten distinct behavior groups describing customers based on their demand and their variability. Finally, using an existing bootstrap technique, we show that the clustering is reliable. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time in the power systems literature that the sample robustness of the clustering has been tested.
Evaluation of Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Corn Hybrids Against Cry1Ab-Susceptible and -Resistant Sugarcane Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Abstract A Louisiana strain of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), was selected for resistance to the Cry1Ab protein of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) by using an F2 screening procedure. Survival of Bt-resistant, -susceptible, and -heterozygous genotypes of sugarcane borer was evaluated on vegetative and reproductive stages of five non-Bt and seven Bt field corn, Zea mays L. , hybrids in a greenhouse study. Larval survival was recorded 21 d after infestation of neonates on potted plants. Larval survival across the three sugarcane borer genotypes and five non-Bt corn hybrids after 21 d ranged from 23.6 ± 5.2% (mean ± SEM) to 57.5 ± 5.2%. Mean survival of Cry1Ab-resistant larvae on vegetative and reproductive plant stages was 12 and 21%, respectively. During the vegetative stages, all seven Bt corn hybrids were highly efficacious against Cry1Ab-susceptible and -heterozygous genotypes of sugarcane borer, with a larval survival rate of <2% for the Bt-susceptible genotype and ≤5% for the heterozygotes. However, 8–18% of the heterozygous genotype survived on reproductive stage plants for four of the seven Bt corn hybrids tested. The variation in performance of Bt corn cultivars at vegetative and reproductive growth stages against Cry 1Ab resistant sugarcane borer suggests differential seasonal expression that may hasten resistance in the field. Bt corn hybrids expressing a “high dose” for European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), may not produce a sufficient high dose for the sugarcane borer.
Innovation and new product development in the UK medical equipment industry

This research examined the Innovation Process for 34 UK medical equipment innovations developed by 11 companies, 26 through multiple and continuous interaction between the entrepreneurs and other actors in networks. There were ten stages identified in the innovation cycle and the effective management ensured opportunities for sustainable cost advantage and/or product or process differentiation at the different stages in the cycle. The networking enabled both outside and inside product champions to flourish within a learning process consisting of learning by doing, learning by using and learning by interaction. The speed and flexibility of the innovation process was enhanced by an overlapping approach at the different stages and the sharing of intense and rich information, the latter being enabled through linkages within the organization and with the accumulated knowledge embedded in society and with research. For successful innovation, the integration of the activities of the actors in the network, the management of the sequential learning process, the adoption of an overlapping approach, the linking to knowledge in society, using complementary assets and creating credibility in the innovations was seen as essential.
Modeling of the SLIPI technique with the large scatterer approximation of the RTE

To overcome the blur when visualizing of the interior of a turbid media by means light-based methods, a technique called Structured Laser Illumination Planar Imaging (SLIPI) is employed. The method is based on a ‘light coding’ strategy to distinguish between directly and multiply scattered light, allowing the intensity from the latter to be suppressed by post-processing data. In this paper, we explain the origin of the deviations between SLIPI measurements and the results obtained by the Bouguer-Beer law. The explanation employs the large scatterer approximation of the Radiative Transfer Equation. Our results indicate that forward-scattering can lead to deviations between experiments and theoretical predictions, especially when probing relatively large particles.
Evidence for Modulation of Melatonin Secretion in Men With Benign and Malignant Tumors of the Prostate: Relationship With the Pituitary Hormones

The serum levels of the pineal hormone melatonin were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in 4‐h intervals throughout a 24‐h period in elderly men with different types of prostate tumors: benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, n = 13), incidental carcinoma (PCi, n = 5), and nonmetastasizing carcinoma (PC, n = 9), as well as in young men (YM, n = 10). Simultaneously, the pituitary hormones prolactin, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone and follicle‐stimulating hormone were measured by RIA. All subjects were untreated and free of serious complaints, and they stayed in the same environment. The data were analyzed by the population mean‐cosinor method, and linear correlation coefficients between the five hormones were calculated for each group.
Dietary supplementation of heat-treated Gracilaria and Ulva seaweeds enhanced acute hypoxia tolerance in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

ABSTRACT Intensive aquaculture practices involve rearing fish at high densities. In these conditions, fish may be exposed to suboptimal dissolved O2 levels with an increased formation of reactive O2 species (ROS) in tissues. Seaweeds (SW) contain biologically active substances with efficient antioxidant capacities. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of heat-treated SW (5% Gracilaria vermiculophylla or 5% Ulva lactuca) on stress bioindicators in sea bream subjected to a hypoxic challenge. 168 fish (104.5 g average weight) were distributed in 24 tanks, in which eight tanks were fed one of three experimental diets for 34 days: (i) a control diet without SW supplementation, (ii) a control diet supplemented with Ulva, or (iii) a control diet with Gracilaria. Thereafter, fish from 12 tanks (n=4 tanks/dietary treatment) were subjected to 24 h hypoxia (1.3 mg O2 l−1) and subsequent recovery normoxia (8.6 mg O2 l−1). Hypoxic fish showed an increase in hematocrit values regardless of dietary treatment. Dietary modulation of the O2-carrying capacity was conspicuous during recovery, as fish fed SW supplemented diets displayed significantly higher haemoglobin concentration than fish fed the control diet. After the challenge, survival rates in both groups of fish fed SW were higher, which was consistent with a decrease in hepatic lipid peroxidation in these groups. Furthermore, the hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities were modulated differently by changes in environmental O2 condition, particularly in sea bream fed the Gracilaria diet. After being subjected to hypoxia, the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and molecular chaperones in liver and heart were down regulated in sea bream fed SW diets. This study suggests that the antioxidant properties of heat-treated SW may have a protective role against oxidative stress. The nature of these compounds and possible mechanisms implied are currently being investigated. Summary: The physiological response and survival rate of gilthead sea bream to hypoxia was highly modulated by dietary supplementation of heat-treated seaweed.
Testing for time-varying fractional cointegration using the bootstrap approach

Fractional cointegration has attracted interest in time series econometrics in recent years (see among others, Dittmann 2004). According to Engle and Granger (1987), the concept of fractional cointegration was introduced to generalize the traditional cointegration to the long memory framework. Although cointegration tests have been developed for the traditional cointegration framework, these tests do not take into account fractional cointegration. This paper proposes a bootstrap procedure to test for time-varying fractional cointegration.
New insights into mechanisms regulating differential accumulation of phenylpropanoid-polyamine conjugates (PPCs) in herbivore-attacked Nicotiana attenuata plants

Ubiquitously occurring phenylpropanoid-polyamine conjugates (PPCs) in plants show both developmental and stress inducible patterns of accumulation. The presence of high PPC levels in reproductive organs of plants resulted in a long lasting controversy whether PPCs could play important roles in the development of reproductive tissues; their accumulation in response to stresses, suggested a potential defensive function. The discovery and use of a key regulator, MYB8 in jasmonic acid signal transduction pathway, that controls the accumulation of major PPCs in native tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata) plants, has now provided the first clear evidence of defense-related functions for PPCs in higher plants, and contributed to our understanding of how the perception of herbivore-associated elicitors can modulate anti-herbivore defenses in plants.
R&D expenses and firm valuation: a literature review

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on R&D expenses and subsequent firm valuation and to briefly highlight some gaps and implications for future research. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is a review of studies on R&D and valuation between 1978 and 2007. The valuation issues have been grouped into general topics identified among the overall volume of research: economic characteristics, actual and forecast firm performance, capital structure, risk, and other topics which do not fit into the previous categories. Findings - The paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the literature findings on a variation of valuation topics useful for internal and external users of financial statements of firms intensive in R&D investments. It sheds light on certain literature limitations and thus guides the users of financial statements regarding to which issues they should pay attention when analysing the financial statements of firms intensive in R&D. Research limitations/implications - Existing research on R&D and valuation focuses mainly on the USA and UK and therefore raises issues of generalisation of the results. Practical implications - The paper provides a useful guide for the users of financial statements of R&D intensive firms, since it provides information on possible consequences of these expenses regarding a variety of valuation issues. Originality/value - The paper fills an information gap by addressing a range of valuation issues on R&D and offers relevant information guidance to the users of financial statements.
Changes in the Distribution of Long-Run Earnings and Retirement Incomes - Have Recent Cohorts Fallen Behind?

This study is motivated by the well-documented increase in wage inequality during the 1980s and the continued high levels of inequality during the 1990s. Specifically, we examine changes in the distribution of long-run earnings and changes in economic mobility for recent cohorts. These cohorts, who either entered retirement in the 1990s or are nearing retirement, experienced very different labor market conditions during their working lives than did earlier cohorts. Economic growth led to higher mean earnings for recent cohorts but the distribution of yearly earnings became less equal. As a result of these changes, the average worker nearing retirement had higher long-run earnings than members of previous cohorts. This, however, need not have translated into higher long-run earnings across the board. Those at the bottom of the distribution of long-run earnings might actually have had lower accumulated earnings than previous cohorts if the gains from growth were more than offset by the increase in inequality of earnings during the 1980s. If the accumulated earnings of those at the bottom of the distribution fell, then this could have had an impact both on decisions about whether to continue to work after the period of normal retirement and on Social Security benefits. The second, and related, policy question is whether mobility has increased. If mobility has increased, then this may partially offset the impact of the increase in earnings inequality. Outcomes may be less equal, but there is less chance of being stuck with a bad outcome. Our ability to measure earnings mobility for five cohorts spanning a twenty-five-year period allows us to address this important question.
Physiological basis for residual feed intake 1

Residual feed intake (RFI) is a measure of feed efficiency that is independent of level of production, such as size and growth rate in beef cattle, and thus is a useful new trait for studying the physiological mechanisms underlying variation in feed efficiency. Five major physiological processes are likely to contribute to variation in RFI, these being processes associated with intake of feed, digestion of feed, metabolism (anabolism and catabolism associated with and including variation in body composition), physical activity, and thermoregulation. Studies on Angus steers following divergent selection for RFI estimated that heat production from metabolic processes, body composition, and physical activity explained 73% of the variation in RFI. The proportions of variation in RFI that these processes explain are protein turnover, tissue metabolism and stress (37%); digestibility (10%); heat increment and fermentation (9%); physical activity (9%); body composition (5%); and feeding patterns (2%). Other studies in cattle and studies in poultry similarly found these processes to be important in explaining RFI. The physiological mechanisms identified so far are based on very few studies, some of which have small sample sizes. The genomic basis to variation in these physiological processes remains to be determined. Early studies have shown many hundred genes to be associated with differences in RFI, perhaps in hindsight not surprising given the diversity of physiological processes involved. Further research is required to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the variation in RFI in target populations and to marry the physiological information with molecular genetics information that will become the basis for commercial tests for genetically superior animals.