Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergence and Consequences of Drift in Organizational Information Systems

The increasing ubiquity of information systems in organizations has been accompanied by a rise in users adopting technology that is not officially mandated (often known as shadow IT). This study examines the emergence and consequences of such locally-driven but centrally-unintended adaptations of an organization’s collection of IT assets. This phenomenon, referred to as “IS portfolio drift, can be costly: the expenditure on developing, purchasing and supporting the officially-mandated applications is squandered, while additional funds are needed to maintain the shadow systems. Decision quality could be reduced, because of uncertainty over data provenance. However, portfolio drift can also be beneficial: it reflects employees’ innovativeness in adapting to environmental change or in using emerging technologies to enhance their performance. I use a practice theory perspective to highlight how portfolio drift is an ongoing, macro-level outcome of the micro-level actions of various agents. The process of governing an IS portfolio is influenced by the relative allocation of power in an organization, how this allocation came to be, and how it changes. Ten case studies are used to delineate a process theory of portfolio drift, and explain the situated practices that steer the portfolio-in-use to meet the goals of the agents involved.
A new image denoising algorithm based on adaptive threshold and fourth order partial diffusion equation

In this paper, a dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) based hybrid image denoising algorithm which combines fourth order Partial Diffusion Equation (PDE) and adaptive thresholding is proposed for Gaussian noise corrupted images by considering the significant dependences of the wavelet coefficients across different scales. The DTCWT has the advantage of improved directional selectivity, approximate shift invariance, and perfect reconstruction over the discrete wavelet transform. The wavelet filter bank is used to decompose the image into approximation sub band and detail sub band. Though the noise affects both the sub bands the existing wavelet thresholding methods have the final noise reduced image with limited improvement. In the proposed algorithm the fourth order PDE technique is applied on the detail sub band and the adaptive thresholding is applied to the approximate sub band and tested on Gaussian noise corrupted images. The observation of visual quality and quantitative performance in terms of PSNR and SSIM shows improvement of the proposed method over the existing wavelet-based image denoising namely anisotropic diffusion, median filtering and diffusion equation techniques.
Depth map characterization of RGB-D sensor for obstacle detection system

This paper presents a characterization of the depth map from an RGB-D sensor, Kinect 360, to be used as an input to an obstacle detection system. Since the accuracy, reliability and timeliness of the data are crucial in the system, there is a need to characterize it. Sensor repeatability tests are done to characterize the depth map. The mean and standard deviation of measured depths and mean error were computed to describe its detection accuracy and precision. Evident noises during tests were defined.
20 years of Malaysian economy: A structural analysis using input-output approach

xii CHAPTER 1 RESEARCH OVERVIEW 1 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Structural Analysis 1 1.2 The Transformation of Malaysian Economy 2 1.2. 1 Background of the Study 2 1.2. 2 Overview of Malaysia‘s Major Industrial Policies . 3 1.2. 3 The Trend of Industrial Production in Malaysia . 5 1.3 Problem Statements 8 1.4 Research Objectives 10 1.4. 1 General Objectives 10 1.4. 2 Specific Objectives 10 1.5 Significance of the Study 11 1.6 Chapter Layout 12
Theoretical foundations of software ecosystems

Software ecosystems have become a defined and active field of research based on the recent emergence of new open business models leading to new roles and patterns for collaboration, innovation, and value proposition. In this paper we look into the theoretical foundations of this new research field. We review recent publications to describe the present theorization; we discuss the relevance of theory and, in particular, we argue for the relevance of socio- technical theory and the related theory of organizational ecology in the continuing research on software ecosystems. To summarize we define a preliminary theoretical framework to guide and support future research.
A Genetic Variant in the Distal Enhancer Region of the Human Renin Gene Affects Renin Expression

Background The high heritability of plasma renin activity was confirmed in recent investigations. A variation located near the strong enhancer of the human renin gene (REN), C-5312T, has been shown to have different transcription activity levels depending on its allele: the 5312T allele shows transcription levels that are 45% greater than those of the 5312C allele. The purpose of this study was to confirm the hypothesis that variations in the enhancer region of the REN gene are involved in regulating renal expression of renin. Methods Sixty-four subjects with biopsy-proven renal diseases were included in this study (male/female: 35/29, age 41.9 ± 20.9 years, SBP/DBP 123.1 ± 23.7/73.4 ± 14.8 mmHg, s-Cr 0.93 ± 0.63 mg/dl). A genetic variant of REN, C-5312T, was assayed by PCR-RFLP and the TaqMan method. Total RNAs from a small part of the renal cortex were reverse-transcribed and amplified for REN and GAPDH with a real-time PCR system. Results Logarithmically transformed expression values of the relative ratio of REN to GAPDH (10−3) were as follows (mean ± SE): CC (26 cases), 0.016 ± 0.005; CT (33 cases), 0.047 ± 0.021 (p = 0.41 vs. CC); TT (5 cases), 0.198 ± 0.194 (p = 0.011 vs. CC, p < 0.031 vs. CT). Thus, significant differences in REN expression were observed among the genetic variants. Conclusion The results suggest that variants in the enhancer region of the human renin gene have an effect on the expression levels of renin in renal tissue; this observation is in good accordance with the results of the transcriptional assay.
Persistent cerebellar ataxia with cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome due to acute phenytoin intoxication: A case report

Phenytoin is one of the commonly used antiepileptic drugs. The common dose dependent and reversible neurological side effects of phenytoin are nystagmus, diplopia, dysarthria, ataxia, incoordination, chorioathetosis, orofacial dyskinesias and drowsiness. Persistent cerebellar dysfunction with cerebellar atrophy is a well known complication of long term phenytoin use. There are several mechanisms proposed including hypoxia due to frequent seizures or toxic effects of phenytoin on cerebellar Purkinje cells. However, irreversible cerebellar dysfunction following acute phenytoin intoxication is rare. We report a 20 year old female who presented with nystagmus, dysarthria, limb and truncal ataxia with orofacial dyskinesias and chorea. She also had cognitive and affective symptoms in the form of reduced attention, slow responses, lalling speech, blunting of affect, inappropriate laughter, reduced self care and executive dysfunction. The symptoms started 2 weeks following the initiation of phenytoin 300mg/ day, given prophylactically following left basal ganglia bleed. Her serum phenytoin was in toxic range, hence phenytoin was stopped. Her PET scan revealed bilateral cerebellar hypometabolism. At 6 months follow up, she had persistent ataxia with cognitive and affective dysfunction and follow up MRI showed diffuse cerebellar atrophy. The clinical and radiological fi ndings suggest that acute phenytoin intoxication is responsible for persistent ataxia and cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome.
A Directional Statistics-based Reflectance Model for Isotropic BRDFs

We introduce a novel parametric BRDF model that can accurately encode a wide variety of realworld isotropic BRDFs with a small number of parameters. The key observation we make is that a BRDF may be viewed as a statistical distribution on a unit hemisphere. We derive a novel directional statistics distribution which we refer to as the hemispherical exponential power distribution and model realworld isotropic BRDFs as mixtures of it. We derive a canonical probabilistic method for estimating the parameters, including the number of components, of this novel directional statistics BRDF (DSBRDF) model. We show that the model captures the full spectrum of real-world isotropic BRDFs with high accuracy but with a small footprint. We also demonstrate the advantages of the novel BRDF model by showing its use for reflection component separation and for exploring the space of isotropic BRDFs.
Politics of classroom life : classroom management in international perspective

Classroom management in the US - the evolving terrain of teaching, 1790-1990, Barbara Finkelstein classroom management in the US - a shifting paragidm, Carol S. Weinsten theoretical and historical approaches to classroom management in England - control and discipline, Gary McCulloch classroom management in England's times of turmoil - the impact of recent curriculum reforms, Gill Helsby and Peter Knight classroom management in Sweden - rhetoric and practice, Kjell Granstrom current classroom management in Sweden - two case studies, Christer Stensmo a social history of classroom life and management in Japan - the dilemma of teaching and learning, Manabu Sato Japanese classroom management -building a classroom community, Nobuo K. Shimahara art and science of Chinese classroom management - personalizing groupism, Grace C.L. Mak classroom management in Israel - issues and concerns, Miriam Ben-Peretz.
ORTHOGONAL SIMPLE COMPONENT ANALYSIS

A new methodology to aid interpretation of a principal component analysis is presented. While preserving orthogonality, each eigenvector is replaced by a vector, close to it in angle terms, whose entries are small integers. We call such vectors simple. The approach is exploratory, a range of sets of pairwise orthogonal simple components being systematically obtained, from which the user may choose. Examples and simulations show that this approach effectively combines simplicity, retention of optimality and computational efficiency. Further, when the population eigenvectors have simple structure, this can be recovered using only the information from the sample. The methodology can also be used to simplify a given subset of components. An efficient algorithm for the computationally challenging problem of producing orthogonal components is provided.
Development of a wearable input device based on human hand-motions recognition

In this paper, a new wearable input device recognizing human hand-motion, a keyglove, is proposed. The glove can resolve the disadvantages of the conventional input devices and can be adapted to the mobile computing environment The device is applicable as the touch-typing input method for users' easy understanding and improvement of input speed. The hand-motion for touch-typewriting using QWERTY keyboard, which is most widely being used currently, is analyzed. The analyzed results show that the model with 21 DOF can be reduced to one with approximately 14 DOF. The hand-motion capture module using low price sensors is also developed for hand-motion recognition. In general, however, typists using the keyglove system can not exactly determine the key position of desired input letter because the virtual keyboard does not have the physical location of key layouts, and that causes many typewriting errors at a long typewriting time. Therefore, an algorithm is needed to cope with the problem and to reduce typewriting errors due to personal disparities such as hand shapes and typewriting habits. For this reason, the time-variant prediction algorithm is proposed to minimize typewriting errors, and the possibility of the developed keyglove system is also verified.
Automatic Construction of Ontologies for Intelligent E-Learning Systems

Intelligence, to the use of cognitive modelling, to the extensive use of the Internet, and to new educational ideas such as the student-centered education, Knowledge Management. The automatic construction of ontologies provide means of automatically updating the knowledge bases of their respective ILS, and of increasing their interoperability and communication among them, sharing the same ontology. The paper presents a new approach, able to produce ontologies from a small number of documents such as those obtained from the Internet, without the assistance of large corpora, by using simple syntactic rules and some semantic information. The method is independent of the natural language used. The use of a multi-agent system increases the flexibility and capability of the method. Although the method can be easily improved, the results so far obtained, are promising.
A Possible Role of Intestinal Microbiota in the Pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and the spine, for which the pathogenesis is thought to be a result of the combination of host genetic factors and environmental triggers. However, the precise factors that determine one’s susceptibility to AS remain to be unraveled. With 100 trillion bacteria residing in the mammalian gut having established a symbiotic relation with their host influencing many aspects of host metabolism, physiology, and immunity, a growing body of evidence suggests that intestinal microbiota may play an important role in AS. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the potential role of the microbiome in the etiology of AS, such as alterations of intestinal permeability, stimulation of immune responses, and molecular mimicry. In this review, the existing evidence for the involvement of the microbiome in AS pathogenesis was discussed and the potential of intestinal microbiome-targeting strategies in the prevention and treatment of AS was evaluated.
Nuclear obscuration and scattering in Seyfert 2 galaxies

We study the relation between gaseous absorbing column density (N$_{\rm H}$), infrared colors and detectability of the broad lines in a large sample of Seyfert 2 galaxies(Sy2s). We confirm that Sy2s without polarized broad lines tend to have cooler 60$\mu$m/25$\mu$m colors; this correlation was previously ascribed to the effect of obscuration towards the nuclear region. We find some evidence that Sy2s without polarized broad lines have larger absorbing column density (N$_{\rm H}$) and that a fraction of them are characterized by dust lanes crossing their nuclei. However, we find that the IR colors do not correlate with N$_{\rm H}$, in disagreement with the obscuration scenario. Also, Sy2s without polarized broad lines follow the same radio-FIR relation as normal and starburst galaxies, at variance with Sy2s with polarized broad lines. These results indicate that the lack of broad lines in the polarized spectrum of Sy2s is mostly due to the contribution/dilution from the host galaxy or from a circumnuclear starburst, though at a lower extent the obscuration toward the nuclear region also plays a role.
Coordinated Packet Traceback in Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have emerged as an important technology to deliver pervasive network access and ubiquitous mobile applications in various scenarios, such as disaster relief operations, ad hoc network support in convention centers, remote or hard-to-reach terrains with their promise of rapid deployments and reconfigurable architecture. In most cases, WMNs were intended to provide Internet access capabilities by extending existing network coverage areas, and reducing the cost of backhaul connections to distant base-stations. Standard organizations are actively calling for specifications for mesh networking, for instances, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16 and IEEE 802.20.
Business Cycles, Consumption and Risk-Sharing: How Different is China?

Can standard business-cycle methodology be applied to China? In this chapter, we address this question by examining the macroeconomic time series and identifying dimensions in which China differs from economies (such as Canada and the U.S.) that are typically the subject of business-cycle research. We show that naively applying the standard business-cycle tools to China is no more ridiculous than applying it to Canada, although the dimensions along which the model struggles is different. For China, the model cannot account for the low level of consumption (or high saving) as a proportion of income observed in the data. An examination of provincial level consumption data suggests that the absence of channels for intranational consumption risk sharing may be an important reason why the business-cycle model has trouble accounting for Chinese consumption and saving behavior.
Transparency and Governance in a Global World

In some circles, transparency has become a buzzword as organizations face increasing pressure from institutional shareholders and regulators, banks and other stakeholders needing to monitor financial conditions and managerial decisions more closely to protect their interests. The call for corporate transparency has also intensified for banks since the recent global financial crises and as a result of a series of egregious financial scandals. For this volume we have collected 12 original research papers dealing with various issues relating to transparency. This topic spans many disciplines beyond accounting and finance, intersecting economics, law and management, embracing sociology and political science, and offering opportunities for creative interdisciplinary research. We hope this volume is a useful one-stop reference for students and scholars as well as practitioners and policymakers interested in such work.
The Business Case for Gender Diversity: Examining the Role of Human Resource Management Investments

Integrating opposing theoretical perspectives from the past literature, the authors hypothesize and test a U-shaped curvilinear relationship between gender diversity and workforce productivity. They further propose that the curvilinear effects vary depending on the levels of an organization's human resource management (HRM) investments in pay, benefit, training, and communication; that is, the patterns are more salient when HRM investments are high rather than low. To enhance understanding of how HRM investments have impact on diverse employees, the authors also examine the moderating influence of organizational identification of diverse members that can exert proximal influence on the diversity-productivity relationship. As predicted, results reveal that high levels of HRM investments influence the gender diversity–workforce productivity association to form a U-shaped curvilinear relationship. Organizational identification also yields the same moderating patterns. Research and practical implications are discussed
Validation of Anthropometric Indices of Adiposity against Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging – A Study within the German European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Cohorts

Background In epidemiological studies, measures of body fat generally are obtained through anthropometric indices such as the body mass index (BMI), waist (WC), and hip circumferences (HC). Such indices, however, can only provide estimates of a person’s true body fat content, overall or by adipose compartment, and may have limited accuracy, especially for the visceral adipose compartment (VAT). Objective To determine the extent to which different body adipose tissue compartments are adequately predicted by anthropometry, and to identify anthropometric measures alone, or in combination to predict overall adiposity and specific adipose tissue compartments, independently of age and body size (height). Methods In a sub-study of 1,192 participants of the German EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) cohorts, whole-body MRI was performed to determine adipose and muscle tissue compartments. Additional anthropometric measurements of BMI, WC and HC were taken. Results After adjusting for age and height, BMI, WC and HC were better predictors of total body volume (TBV), total adipose tissue (TAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) than for VAT, coronary adipose tissue (CAT) and skeletal muscle tissue (SMT). In both sexes, BMI was the best predictor for TBV (men: r = 0.72 [0.68–0.76], women: r = 0.80 [0.77–0.83]) and SMT (men: r = 0.52 [0.45–0.57], women: r = 0.48 [0.41–0.54]). WC was the best predictor variable for TAT (r = 0.48 [0.41–0.54]), VAT (r = 0.44 [0.37–0.50]) and CAT (r = 0.34 [0.26–0.41]) (men), and for VAT (r = 0.42 [0.35–0.49]) and CAT (r = 0.29 [0.22–0.37]) (women). BMI was the best predictor for TAT (r = 0.49 [0.43–0.55]) (women). HC was the best predictor for SAT (men (r = 0.39 [0.32–0.45]) and women (r = 0.52 [0.46–0.58])). Conclusions Especially the volumes of internal body fat compartments are poorly predicted by anthropometry. A possible implication may be that associations of chronic disease risks with the sizes of internal body fat as measured by BMI, WC and HC may be strongly underestimated.
The nature and origin of Mafic Mound in the South Pole‐Aitken Basin

“Mafic Mound” is a distinctive and enigmatic feature 75 km across and 1 km high near the center of the vast South Pole‐Aitken Basin (SPA). Using several modern data sets, we characterize the composition, morphology, and gravity signature of the structure in order to assess its origin. Mafic Mound is found to exhibit a perched circular depression and a homogeneous high‐Ca pyroxene‐bearing composition. Several formation hypotheses based on known lunar processes are evaluated, including the possibilities that Mafic Mound represents (1) uplifted mantle, (2) SPA‐derived impact melt, (3) a basalt‐filled impact crater, or (4) a volcanic construct. Individually, these common processes cannot fully reproduce the properties of Mafic Mound. Instead, we propose a hybrid origin in which Mafic Mound is an edifice formed by magmatic processes induced by the formation and evolution of SPA. This form of nonmare volcanism has not previously been documented on the Moon.
Enforcing Reliability of Discrete-Time Models in Modelica

Modelica models involving discrete-time aspects may lead to surprising results due to the way events are currently handled in the language. Indeed, simultaneity is interpreted as synchronism (see [2] for details) and, as a consequence, two unrelated sources of events may interfere in unexpected ways. In this paper, we present minimal examples of models that exhibit unexpected or surprising results, then we explain the general causes of such behaviors and propose to introduce the notion of clock in the language to solve the issues. In contrast to [1] and [2], we focus here on models resulting from the composition of other models: we aim at showing that the current discrete-time theoretical model of Modelica is not robust with respect to model composition. For the final user, it means that it is generally not possible to build reliable models involving discrete-time aspects by simply connecting generic library models: manual adjustments are often required to obtain the expected behavior 1 .