Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Link between Demographics and Perceive Barriers to Entrepreneurship

The paper contributes to the body of knowledge in the area of entrepreneurship by examining the relationship between demographic variables and perception of barriers to entrepreneurship intention. The research is based on quantitative survey of 136 respondents selected through convenience sampling method. Primary data were collected through self-designed questionnaire, administered during lecture periods. Data was analysed using crosstabulations and chi-square test using SPSS 16.0 version. There is significant association between demographic variables and perceived obstacles to entrepreneurship. Policies aimed at supporting entrepreneurship should incorporate these findings. The study should be replicated in other departments of the institution. Longitudinal study should be looked at in future studies to examine causality issues.
Nanoscale opening fabrication on Si (111) surface from SiO2 barrier for vertical growth of III-V nanowire arrays

We reported here a selectively additive process to fabricate nanoscale openings of an Si (111) surface from an SiO2 barrier layer. Such nanoscale openings are made for the growth of vertical III–V nanowires. The Si (111) surface protected by a patterned SiNx layer was thermally oxidized, which resulted in a selectively added SiO2 barrier layer. After removing the SiNx, nanoscale openings of the Si (111) surface were exposed for the nanowire growth. Arrays with patterned nanoholes of varied diameters from 60 nm to 334 nm have been used for position-controlled catalyst-free growth of vertical InAs nanowire arrays by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Correlations between the nanohole diameter and the diameter, length and growth yield of as-fabricated nanowire arrays have been investigated, showing a repeatable stability. This technique offers an alternative approach for the fabrication of novel III–V nanowire devices using vertical array configuration. A lateral thermal oxidation effect led to a smaller size of the Si opening than that of the SiNx protection nanoislands; therefore, the technique also offers a controllable way to produce nanoholes with an ultra-small diameter.
On the Convergence of National Corporate Governance Systems

Some scholars have argued that the corporate governance systems of the major economies are likely to converge towards the economically best system at a rapid pace, while others maintain that such convergence will not occur because of a variety of forms of path dependence. In this article we first describe the evolution of the different systems. Then we search for evidence that convergence of corporate governance is correlated with globalisation, i.e. governance systems will converge to a certain degree and that the fear of an “inefficient convergence” is unfounded. We do so by describing the present efforts for a unification of the corporate governance systems. The number of standards-setting bodies and multilateral institutions that have been set up in recent times to foster good corporate governance worldwide is testimony to the heightened interest in this particular issue. In addition we present arguments for a further harmonisation and weaken the theories against it. We conclude that the systems will converge because the pressure of change is stronger than the tendencies of persistence. In addition we argue that systems composed of useful elements of different systems can be optimal.
Crowdsourced Selection on Multi-Attribute Data

Crowdsourced selection asks the crowd to select entities that satisfy a query condition, e.g., selecting the photos of people wearing sunglasses from a given set of photos. Existing studies focus on a single query predicate and in this paper we study the crowdsourced selection problem on multi-attribute data, e.g., selecting the female photos with dark eyes and wearing sunglasses. A straightforward method asks the crowd to answer every entity by checking every predicate in the query. Obviously, this method involves huge monetary cost. Instead, we can select an optimized predicate order and ask the crowd to answer the entities following the order. Since if an entity does not satisfy a predicate, we can prune this entity without needing to ask other predicates and thus this method can reduce the cost. There are two challenges in finding the optimized predicate order. The first is how to detect the predicate order and the second is to capture correlation among different predicates. To address this problem, we propose predicate order based framework to reduce monetary cost. Firstly, we define an expectation tree to store selectivities on predicates and estimate the best predicate order. In each iteration, we estimate the best predicate order from the expectation tree, and then choose a predicate as a question to ask the crowd. After getting the result of the current predicate, we choose next predicate to ask until we get the result. We will update the expectation tree using the answer obtained from the crowd and continue to the next iteration. We also study the problem of answering multiple queries simultaneously, and reduce its cost using the correlation between queries. Finally, we propose a confidence based method to improve the quality. The experiment result shows that our predicate order based algorithm is effective and can reduce cost significantly compared with baseline approaches.
Elevated Plasma Glucose and Lowered Triglyceride Levels From Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Type II Diabetes

We studied the effect of omega-3 fatty acids (ω3FA) on glucose homeostasis and lipoprotein levels in eight type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects ingesting 8 g/day to3FA for 8 wk as marine-lipid concentrate capsules. After ω3FA supplementation, fasting plasma glucose levels increased 22% (P = .005) and meal-stimulated glucose increased 35% (P = .036). The percentage of glucose elevation correlated with percentage ideal body weight (r = .73, P = .04). No significant changes were seen in fasting or meal-stimulated plasma insulin, glucose disposal, or insulin-to-glucagon ratios. Very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels showed consistent reductions of 56% (P < .001) and 42% (P < .001), respectively, after ω3FA supplementation. Total cholesterol levels decreased 7% (P < .05) without alteration in low- or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Thus, ω3FA supplementation at a dose of 8 g/day significantly improves plasma TG levels but increases fasting and meal-stimulated glucose concentrations in the type II diabetic patient not treated with insulin or sulfonylurea agents. Marine-lipid concentrate capsules supplying large amounts of ω3FAs should be used cautiously in the type II diabetic patient.
Nucleotide sequence of the iap gene, responsible for alkaline phosphatase isozyme conversion in Escherichia coli, and identification of the gene product

The iap gene in Escherichia coli is responsible for the isozyme conversion of alkaline phosphatase. We analyzed the 1,664-nucleotide sequence of a chromosomal DNA segment that contained the iap gene and its flanking regions. The predicted iap product contained 345 amino acids with an estimated molecular weight of 37,919. The 24-amino-acid sequence at the amino terminus showed features characteristic of a signal peptide. Two proteins of different sizes were identified by the maxicell method, one corresponding to the Iap protein and the other corresponding to the processed product without the signal peptide. Neither the isozyme-converting activity nor labeled Iap proteins were detected in the osmotic-shock fluid of cells carrying a multicopy iap plasmid. The Iap protein seems to be associated with the membrane.
2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate reveals heterogeneity in receptor-activated Ca(2+) discharge and store-operated Ca(2+) influx.

We have investigated Ca(2+) release and receptor- and store-operated Ca(2+) influxes in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 (CHO) cells, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and RBL-1 rat basophilic leukemia cells using Fura-2 and patch-clamp measurements. Ca(2+) release and subsequent Ni(2+)-sensitive, store-operated influx were induced by thapsigargin and stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors. The alleged noncompetitive IP3 receptor inhibitor,2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) rapidly blocked a major part of the secondary influx response in CHO cells in a reversible manner. It also reduced Mn(2+) influx in response to thapsigargin. Inhibition of Ca(2+) release was also seen but this was less complete, slower in onset, less reversible, and required higher concentration of 2-APB. In RBL-1 cells, I(CRAC) activity was rapidly blocked by extracellular 2-APB whereas intracellular 2-APB was less effective. Store-operated Ca(2+) influxes were only partially blocked by 2-APB. In SH-SY5Y cells, Ca(2+) influxes were insensitive to 2-APB. Ca(2+) release in RBL-1 cells was partially sensitive but in SH-SY5Y cells the release was totally resistant to 2-APB. The results suggest, that 2-APB (1) may inhibit distinct subtypes of IP3 receptors with different sensitivity, and (2) that independently of this, it also inhibits some store-operated Ca(2+) channels via a direct, extracellular action.
Supermodular Batch State Estimation in Optimal Sensor Scheduling

This letter addresses the problem of activating, at each time-step in a finite time horizon problem, a subset of available sensors to generate a “high quality” estimate of the state of a discrete-time linear system operating under limited resources. We propose a sensor schedule that minimizes the mean square estimation error of the batch state vector of the system—the batch state estimation (BSE) problem. Due to the presence of limited resources, we address the cardinality-constrained BSE problem, which is inherently combinatorial and computationally intractable when working with large-scale systems. This NP-hard complexity is overcome by employing a greedy algorithm, which returns a near-optimal sensor schedule with performance guarantees when minimizing a <italic>supermodular</italic> objective over <italic>matroids</italic>. To this end, we prove (despite the existence of counter-examples in literature) that our objective function is supermodular when the batch <italic>prior information</italic> matrix is a strictly diagonally dominant <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-matrix (with a constraint on its inverse and conditions on the measurement model). Hence, we obtain a near-optimal solution to the BSE problem via a greedy algorithm. Additionally, we provide its time complexity.
The Myosin-binding Protein C Motif Binds to F-actin in a Phosphorylation-sensitive Manner*

Cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C) is a regulatory protein expressed in cardiac sarcomeres that is known to interact with myosin, titin, and actin. cMyBP-C modulates actomyosin interactions in a phosphorylation-dependent way, but it is unclear whether interactions with myosin, titin, or actin are required for these effects. Here we show using cosedimentation binding assays, that the 4 N-terminal domains of murine cMyBP-C (i.e. C0-C1-m-C2) bind to F-actin with a dissociation constant (Kd) of ∼10 μm and a molar binding ratio (Bmax) near 1.0, indicating 1:1 (mol/mol) binding to actin. Electron microscopy and light scattering analyses show that these domains cross-link F-actin filaments, implying multiple sites of interaction with actin. Phosphorylation of the MyBP-C regulatory motif, or m-domain, reduced binding to actin (reduced Bmax) and eliminated actin cross-linking. These results suggest that the N terminus of cMyBP-C interacts with F-actin through multiple distinct binding sites and that binding at one or more sites is reduced by phosphorylation. Reversible interactions with actin could contribute to effects of cMyBP-C to increase cross-bridge cycling.
Self-Esteem, Gender, and the Relationship between Extraversion and Subjective Well-Being

We examined the moderating effects of self-esteem and gender on the relationship between extraversion and subjective well-being in Chinese university students. Participants were 542 students (217 men, 325 women; age range = 17–24 years), who completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the extraversion subscale of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, and the General Well-Being Schedule to evaluate self-esteem, extraversion, and subjective well-being, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that self-esteem moderated the association between extraversion and subjective well-being. Among students high in self-esteem, those with high extraversion had higher subjective well-being than did those with low extraversion. Across all participants (high- and low-extraversion groups), subjective well-being was low when self-esteem was low. Gender moderated the link between extraversion and subjective well-being, tending to be a more significant determinant of subjective well-being in men than in women.
Neuropathogenicity of herpes simplex virus in mice: protection against lethal encephalitis by co-infection with a non-encephalitogenic strain.

Intraperitoneal infection of susceptible mice with an apathogenic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain prevented the lethal outcome of a challenge infection with a pathogenic strain, even if the challenge preceded the protective infection. It was found that the protective inoculation blocks the initial replication of the challenge virus. In addition, intraperitoneal infection with the protective HSV-1 strain led to the induction of a refractory state in the central nervous system, resulting in resistance to direct intracranial infection with HSV-1. This state is also inducible locally by intracerebral inoculation of a non-replicating mutant virus. The results indicate that HSV-1 strains differing in neurovirulence may differ in the induction or the sensitivity to this protective effect. Experiments with non-replicating HSV-1 temperature-sensitive strains demonstrated that protection against lethal infection does not depend on replication or expression of late genes of the protective strain. Inoculation of animals with detergent-soluble extracts of infected cells or infected and u.v. -irradiated syngeneic cells protected the animals against co-infection with encephalitogenic challenge virus. The experiments define this protective effect as an antigen-induced-immediate host defence mechanism active within 24 h post-infection.
[Physical fitness evolution in octogenarian population and its relationship with a sedentary lifestyle].

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the changes in physical fitness over two years of following up in octogenarian people and to check whether a sedentary lifestyle modify these variations. METHODS Physical fitness of 182 subject (48 men, 134 women) with a mean age of 82,3 ± 2,3 years were evaluated using 8 different tests. A repeated measures analysis was carried out to see the differences between the two evaluation periods and to see the physical fitness differences between sedentary people (sit ≥ 4 hours/day) and non sedentary people (sit < 4 hours/day). RESULTS Between the two evaluation periods, we found a significant decrease in the agility test (p < 0.05), walking speed (p < 0.01) and endurance (p < 0.01). In relation to the subjects who spent sitting 4 hours/day there was a decrease in the walking speed test between the two evaluations (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a decrease of walking speed and endurance between the two evaluation periods in both sedentary and nonsedentary people (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION In two years of following up, there are adverse changes in the level of physical fitness in octogenarians. Long periods of sitting time may translate into a loss of agility. Walking speed and endurance seem to be the components of physical fitness more affected by the ageing process in this population; and this loss is not determined by the hours of sitting per day.
Localized Hypersensitivity and Late Coronary Thrombosis Secondary to a Sirolimus-Eluting Stent: Should We Be Cautious?

Background—The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning of subacute thrombosis and hypersensitivity reactions to sirolimus-eluting stents (Cypher). The cause and incidence of these events have not been determined. Methods and Results—We present findings of a 58-year-old man who died of late stent thrombosis 18 months after receiving 2 Cypher stents for unstable angina. Although angiographic and intravascular ultrasound results at 8 months demonstrated the absence of neointimal formation, vessel enlargement was present. An autopsy showed aneurysmal dilation of the stented arterial segments with a severe localized hypersensitivity reaction consisting predominantly of T lymphocytes and eosinophils. Conclusions—The known pharmacokinetic elution profile of Cypher stents and the presence of polymer fragments surrounded by giant cells and eosinophils suggest that a reaction to the polymer may have caused late stent thrombosis. Careful long-term follow-up of patients with vessel enlargement after Cypher stent placement is recommended.
Androgens Alter Corticotropin Releasing Hormone and Arginine Vasopressin mRNA Within Forebrain Sites Known to Regulate Activity in the Hypothalamic‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis

To reveal direct effects of androgens, independent of glucocorticoids, we studied the effects of gonadectomy (GDX) in adrenalectomized (ADX) rats with or without androgen replacement on corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA expression within various forebrain sites known to regulate the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis. These included the medial parvocellular portion of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (mp PVN), the central and medial nuclei of the amygdala and bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BNST). In the mp PVN, ADX stimulated both CRH and AVP mRNA expression. Combined ADX + GDX inhibited only AVP, and testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) restored AVP mRNA. In the central nucleus of the amygdala, ADX decreased CRH mRNA expression, and this response was unaffected by GDX ± testosterone or DHT replacement. In the medial amygdala, AVP mRNA expression was decreased by ADX, abolished by ADX + GDX, and restored by androgen replacement. ADX had no effect on CRH and AVP mRNA expression in the BNST. GDX + ADX, however, reduced CRH mRNA expression only within the fusiform nuclei of the BNST and reduced the number of AVP‐expressing neurones in the posterior BNST. Androgen replacement reversed both responses. In summary, in ADX rats, AVP, but not CRH mRNA expression in the amygdala and mp PVN, is sensitive to GDX ± androgen replacement. Both CRH‐ and AVP‐expressing neurones in the BNST respond to GDX and androgen replacement, but not to ADX alone. Because androgen receptors are not expressed by hypophysiotropic PVN neurones, we conclude that glucocorticoid‐independent, androgenic influences on medial parvocellular AVP mRNA expression are mediated upstream from the PVN, and may involve AVP‐related pathways in the medial amygdala, relayed to and through CRH‐ and AVP‐expressing neurones of the BNST.
Antarctic Ice Cloud Identification and Properties Using Downwelling Spectral Radiance From 100 to 1,400 cm−1

One year (2013) of high spectral resolution measurements of downwelling radiance in the 100–1,400 cm−1 range, taken by the Fourier Transform Spectrometer REFIR‐PAD at the research station Concordia (Antarctic Plateau), is analyzed. Optically thin ice clouds are identified by means of a new identification/classification tool based on a Support Vector Machine algorithm. The use of transparent microwindow channels in the Far InfraRed (FIR) spectral region (100–667 cm−1) is shown to be of great importance in the identification and classification of cloud type. In particular, the channels between 380 and 575 cm−1 are key channels for the clear/cloud and phase identification due to their sensitivity to cloud properties; in addition, FIR channels down to 238 cm−1 are exploited for the selection of precipitating or nonprecipitating cases because of their sensitivity also to water vapor content. A subset of 26 cases of nonprecipitating ice clouds is selected based on the presence of colocated LIDAR and radiosonde data. REFIR‐PAD channel in the 800–1,000 cm−1 are used to derived optical and microphysical properties for four different assumptions concerning the crystal habits. Results, showing a correlation between cloud base temperature, optical depth, and particle size distribution effective dimensions, are compared with what found in literature. Based on the retrievals, forward simulations are also run over the whole sensor spectral interval, and results are compared to data. The simulation‐data residuals in the FIR are evaluated for selected “window” channels and analyzed in relation to crystal's habit assumption, cloud retrieved features, and atmospheric water vapor content.
EXPLOSION POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT OF HEAT EXCHANGER NETWORK AT THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN STAGE

The failure of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers (STHE) is being extensively observed in the chemical process industries. This failure can cause enormous production loss and have a potential of dangerous consequences such as an explosion, fire and toxic release scenarios. There is an urgent need for assessing the explosion potential of shell and tube heat exchanger at the preliminary design stage. In current work, inherent safety index based approach is used to resolve the highlighted issue. Inherent Safety Index for Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (ISISTHE) is a newly developed index for assessing the inherent safety level of a STHE at the preliminary design stage. This index is composed of preliminary design variables and integrated with the process design simulator (Aspen HYSYS). Process information can easily be transferred from process design simulator to MS Excel spreadsheet owing to this integration. This index could potentially facilitate the design engineer to analyse the worst heat exchanger in the heat exchanger network. Typical heat exchanger network of the steam reforming process is presented as a case study and the worst heat exchanger of this network has been identified. It is inferred from this analysis that shell and tube heat exchangers possess high operating pressure, corrected mean temperature difference (CMTD) and flammability and reactive potential needs to be critically analysed at the preliminary design stage.
Using HFire for Spatial Modeling of Fire in Shrublands

An efficient raster fire-spread model named HFire is introduced. HFire can simulate single-fire events or long-term fire regimes, using the same fire-spread algorithm. This paper describes the HFire algorithm, benchmarks the model using a standard set of tests developed for FARSITE, and compares historical and predicted fire spread perimeters for three southern California fires. HFire is available for download at http://firecenter.berkeley. edu/hfire.
Sequoia: a fault-tolerant tightly coupled multiprocessor for transaction processing

The Sequoia computer is a tightly coupled multiprocessor that avoids most of the fault-tolerance disadvantages of tight coupling by using a fault-tolerant hardware-design approach. An overview is give of how the hardware architecture and operating system (OS) work together to provide a high degree of fault tolerance with good system performance. A description of hardware is followed by a discussion of the multiprocessor synchronization problem. Kernel support for fault recovery and the recovery process itself are examined. It is shown the kernel, through a combination of locking, shadowed memory, and controlled flushing of non-write-through cache, maintains a consistent main memory state recoverable from any single-point failure. The user shared memory is also discussed. <<ETX>>