Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vertical Integration as Organizational Ownership: The Fisher Body-General Motors Relationship Revisited

I have always considered my work with Armen Alchian and Robert Crawford (1978) on vertical integration to represent an extension of Coase's classic article on "The Nature of the Firm. " By focusing on the "hold-up" potential that is created when firm-specific investments are made by transactors, or what we called the appropriation of quasi-rents, I believed we had elucidated one aspect of the Coasian concept of transaction costs associated with market exchange. We hypothesized that an increase in firm-specific investments, by increasing the market transaction costs associated with a hold-up, increased the likelihood of vertical integration. This relationship between firm-specific investments, market transaction costs, and vertical integration was illustrated by examining the contractual difficulties that existed when General Motors purchased automobile bodies from Fisher Body and the corresponding benefits that were created when the parties vertically integrated. It is clear from Coase's lectures that he considers our analysis not to represent an extension of his earlier work, but rather to be an alternative, incorrect explanation for vertical integration (1988: lecture 3). Coase recognizes that an increase in the quasi-rents yielded by firm-specific investments creates a hold-up potential. However, he argues that there is no reason to believe that this situation is more likely to lead to vertical integration than to a long-term contract. Although long-term contracts are imperfect, oppor-
Estimated liver fibrosis and its impact on all-cause mortality of HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected drug users.

UNLABELLED Progression of liver fibrosis is associated with the risk of cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. We aimed to evaluate fibrosis of the liver using three non-invasive indexes (FIB-4, Forns, and Pohl score) and its association with mortality of HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected drug users. PATIENTS AND METHODS longitudinal study in patients admitted to substance abuse treatment between 1994 and 2006. Socio-demographic data, drug use characteristics, blood samples for laboratory tests, and serology for HIV and hepatitis C virus infections were collected at admission. Patients were followed-up until December 2006 and mortality was ascertained through hospital charts and death certificates. RESULTS Four hundred and ninety-seven patients were included (83.1% men); median age at admission was 31 years (IQR: 27-35). The main drugs of abuse were opiates (89.5%) and cocaine (8.3%). Thirty-two percent of patients reported daily alcohol consumption. The estimated prevalence of advanced liver fibrosis (ALF) was higher among HCV/HIV-coinfected patients (9.2% to 17.3% depending on the index analyzed) than among the HCV-monoinfected patients (3% to 3.5%). Odds ratio (OR) for ALF were 3.3 to 6.0 times higher in coinfected patients as compared to the HCV-monoinfected. After a median follow-up time of 7.7 years (IQR: 4.1-9.9 years), almost 20% of patients had died. The estimated ALF at admission was associated with an increased risk of death (RR 1.85 to 3.89 depending on the index). Among those with ALF, mortality rates were similar in HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected patients, as determined by the FIB-4 and Forns indexes. CONCLUSIONS Estimation of liver fibrosis using serum markers may help with clinical decisions to facilitate access to treatment of chronic hepatitis C in this population.
A Critical Review of the Literature on Nutritional Labeling

A comprehensive overview and critique of the nutrition labeling literature is provided. Studies examining the design and features of label formats and their impact on consumers being better informed and engaging in healthier behaviors are examined to summarize available knowledge in the field. The review suggests that while the extant literature has provided worthwhile critiques of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act in terms of meeting its stated goals, as well as other general insights, it allows only for very tentative and conditional statements about factors related to the “bottom line” effectiveness of nutritional labeling. The outcome of the review suggests that a more holistic view of nutritional labeling is needed. Suggestions for future research that focus on both conceptualizations of the studies as well as methodology are made.
Two sides of a coin: ecological and chronobiological perspectives of timing in the wild

Most processes within organisms, and most interactions between organisms and their environment, have distinct time profiles. The temporal coordination of such processes is crucial across levels of biological organization, but disciplines differ widely in their approaches to study timing. Such differences are accentuated between ecologists, who are centrally concerned with a holistic view of an organism in relation to its external environment, and chronobiologists, who emphasize internal timekeeping within an organism and the mechanisms of its adjustment to the environment. We argue that ecological and chronobiological perspectives are complementary, and that studies at the intersection will enable both fields to jointly overcome obstacles that currently hinder progress. However, to achieve this integration, we first have to cross some conceptual barriers, clarifying prohibitively inaccessible terminologies. We critically assess main assumptions and concepts in either field, as well as their common interests. Both approaches intersect in their need to understand the extent and regulation of temporal plasticity, and in the concept of ‘chronotype’, i.e. the characteristic temporal properties of individuals which are the targets of natural and sexual selection. We then highlight promising developments, point out open questions, acknowledge difficulties and propose directions for further integration of ecological and chronobiological perspectives through Wild Clock research. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Wild Clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals’.
Notch signaling in the hematopoietic system

Because of its multiple effects in tissue homeostasis and cancer, Notch signaling is gaining increasing attention as a potential therapeutic target. Notch proteins belong to a family of highly conserved cell surface receptors. Ligand binding leads to proteolytic cleavage of Notch receptors by the γ-secretase complex, followed by translocation of the active intracellular Notch domain into the nucleus and transcriptional activation. Multiple genetic and pharmacological methods are available to inhibit or activate the Notch pathway, some of which are entering human clinical trials. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of Notch signaling in the hematopoietic system. Canonical Notch signaling is essential for the generation of definitive embryonic hematopoietic stem cells, but dispensable for their maintenance during adult life. Notch controls several early steps of T cell development, as well as specific cell fate and differentiation decisions in other hematopoietic lineages. In addition, emerging evidence indicates that Notch is a potent, context-specific regulator of T cell immune responses, including in several disease models relevant to patients. This knowledge will constitute a framework to explore Notch modulation as a therapeutic strategy and to understand potential hematopoietic side effects of systemic Notch inhibition.
Suppressing Random Artifacts in Reference Sensor Pattern Noise via Decorrelation

Photo response nonuniformity noise is a component of sensor pattern noise (SPN) of digital cameras. It characterizes the imaging devices of cameras and has been widely used in source camera identification (SCI). However, the reference SPN always be contaminated by unwanted nonunique artifacts. Previous works reported that these nonunique artifacts were periodic signals shared among cameras, which undergo the same or similar in-camera processing procedures. In this letter, we first illustrate that these nonunique artifacts, in addition to periodic signals, also contain random signals caused by the imperfection of SPN extraction method. To improve the quality of SPN and the performance of SCI, then we propose a scheme to suppress these random signals by decorrelation. In our proposed method, the reference SPN is modeled as a white Gaussian noise, while the random signals introduced by SPN extraction method are correlated noises, we suppress these correlated components to purify the SPN and enhance the performance of SCI. The experimental results on “Dresden” database show that the proposed scheme achieves better receiver operating characteristic curves than the state-of-the-art methods.
'BioGlue' for the repair of aortic insufficiency in acute aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY Concern has been raised regarding the late effects of tissue glues. Herein is described the authors' experience with a new bioadhesive (BioGlue; Cryolife) for repair of the aortic root in acute dissection. METHODS BioGlue is composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glutaraldehyde. Glutaraldehyde exposure causes the lysine molecules of BSA, extracellular proteins and cell surfaces to bind to each other, creating a strong scaffold. Between January 2001 and January 2003, BioGlue was used to repair the aortic root in 22 patients with acute aortic dissection. Moderate or severe insufficiency was present in 16 cases, and mild insufficiency in six. The mechanism of insufficiency was commissure detachment in 15 cases, penetration of the intimal flap into the valve in three, and dilatation of the sinotubular junction in four. The aortic valve was resuspended to the aortic wall using pledgeted sutures. BioGlue was used to glue the dissected layers of the aortic root and create stronger tissue for sewing. Two patients required complete resection of the sinuses and aortic root remodeling with a Dacron graft. RESULTS There were two operative deaths. Postoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed mild or no aortic insufficiency in 18 patients, and moderate insufficiency in two. During follow up (mean 16 months), none of the patients required reoperation for proximal redissection, delayed rupture, or aortic insufficiency. CONCLUSION BioGlue is useful for aortic valve repair in aortic dissection. It is less toxic and has a stronger adhesive effect than the older surgical glues, and is expected to have better long-term results.
Acute leukemia following treatment of polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia with uracil mustard

Transformation to acute leukemia (AL) is known to occur in polycythemia Vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). Myelosuppressive therapy with agents such as 32P and alkylating agents increase this risk in both disorders. The alkylating agent, uracil mustard (UM), which is an effective agent for controlling thrombocytosis, has not been reported to be leukemogenic. We have treated 29 patients with UM (9 treated continuously and 20 treated intermittently): II with PV, 16 with ET, and 2 with myelofibrosis (MF). Three patients developed AL, two after continuous therapy. These two patients with PV had received the fourth highest and highest total dose of UM, and their duration of treatment was the third and fourth longest among the nine patients treated continuously, respectively. One out of 20 patients treated intermittently with UM developed AL. This patient (3) with ET had received the highest total dose of UM, and her duration of treatment was the longest among the 20 patients treated intermittently.
Sustainable Cities: Governing for Urban Innovation

1. Sustainability and the City? 2. Conceptualising Urban Sustainability: The Process Perspective 3. Past and Present Policy Discourses 4. The Global Picture 5. New Governance Challenges 6. The Rise of the Urban Sustainability Framework 7. Sustainability through Knowledge 8. Sustainable Cities: Towards a More Public Governance
Direct Detection of Staphylococcus Osteoarticular Infections by Use of Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT We evaluated the Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI real-time PCR assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) directly on perioperative bone and joint samples. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were, respectively, 100% and 98.3%, 100% and 100%, and 100% and 95.3%. The median total test turnaround time was 72 min for PCR versus 79 h for culture. Using these rapid results, appropriate antibiotic treatment could be rapidly initiated.
A Novel Classifier Selection Approach for Adaptive Boosting Algorithms

Boosting is a general approach for improving classifier performances. In this research we investigated these issues with the latest Boosting algorithm AdaBoostMl. A trial and error classifier feeding with the AdaBoostMl algorithm is a regular practice for classification tasks in the research community. We provide a novel statistical information- based rule method for unique classifier selection with the AdaBoostMl algorithm. The solution also verified a wide range of benchmark classification problems.
Coffee Intake is Associated With Lower Levels of Oxidative DNA Damage and Decreasing Body Iron Storage in Healthy Women

Habitual coffee drinking has been linked to a lower risk for some forms of cancer, but the mechanism remains elusive. Coffee may decrease oxidative DNA damage, an important pathway to carcinogenesis. We examined the association between coffee consumption and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) concentrations, a biomarker of systemic oxidative DNA damage and repair, in 507 healthy subjects (298 men and 209 women aged 21–67 yr) while adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, body mass index, job type, and fasting blood glucose in multivariable regression models. The association with green tea consumption was also assessed. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations tended to decrease with coffee consumption in women (trend P = 0.046), with women drinking 2–3 cups of coffee per day showing the lowest mean of urinary 8-OHdG concentrations. This association was largely attenuated after further adjustment for serum ferritin concentrations, a marker of body iron storage (trend P = 0.96). Green tea consumption was not associated with urinary 8-OHdG concentrations. Coffee drinking may be associated with decreased systemic oxidative DNA damage through decreasing body iron storage in women.
International Transfers--Strategic Losses and the Blocking of Mutually Advantageous Transfers

Recent studies indicate the possibility that, in the more-than-two-country model, a coalition may block a competitive equilibrium by means of mutually advantageous transfers among its members. This study demonstrates that even the equilibrium which is to be established after a mutually advantageous transfer may be blocked. In order to form a blocking coalition, a country may take a strategic loss, i.e., give or receive a transfer which reduces its own utility. This provides a possible reason why a country may, not out of benevolence, give or receive a transfer which it knows to reduce its own utility. Copyright 1991 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
[Study on specificity of acupuncture effect of Shenmen (HT 7) and Daling (PC 7)].

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of acupunture at Shenmen (HT 7) and Daling (PC 7) on different cerebral functional regions by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and discuss the relative specificity of effect of these two acupoints. METHODS Ten healthy right-handed volunteers were enrolled in this research. Under the scan of fMRI with the pattern of "rest-stimulation-rest-stimulation-rest", acupuncture stimulation was given at Shenmen (HT 7) and Daling (PC 7) on the right side, and all the data were analyzed with Matlab software and SPM5 package to observe the activated cerebral regions. RESULTS The activated brodmann areas by acupuncture at Shenmen (HT 7) were mainly BA10 BA13, BA47, BA22 on the left side and BA40 BA44 on the right side, while the activated areas by acupunoture at Daling (PC7) were BA46, BA47, BA22 BA10. BA45 on the left side and BA44 BA9, BA6. BA40 on the right side. CONCLUSION The activated cerebral functional regions of acupuncture stimulation at Shenmen (HT 7) and Daling (PC 7) are not exactly the same, which indicates that the acupuncture effects of the two acupoints are specific. With the same activated areas of language and cognitive function, the Shenmen (HT 7) specializes in emotion control while the Daling (PC 7) could active the autonomic nerve function area.
Comparison of Workforce Diversity in Public and Private Business Organizations

Potential of human resource has always been considered as at the heart of a business organization. An effective human resource can not only ignite the organizational excellence but it is also a cornerstone for the consistency of optimal level of business performance. The aim of research paper is one of the most discussed areas in the literature related to human resource management called “Workforce diversity”. Right from the start of modern business practices public and private business organizations came into existence and so the difference in human resource focus of both these types of business organizations. Focus of this study is to explore the difference among employees of both types of above mentioned business organizations, keeping in view the level of workforce diversity in their respective organizations. The said research gap is that no such study has been done before in literature keeping in view Pakistani business environment. Target population comprising of banking sector, health and medical services sector was studied and brought under light by taking a sample of 150 employees. In order to analyze the acquired data statistical tools like independent t test and frequency test were also applied for findings. Findings of the study state that there exists huge difference among employees working in public and private sector organizations due to conception and application of workforce diversity in both of these business organization types. It was also found that middle and operational levels of workforce are more diverse in comparison with top levels of workforce. Workforce diversity is properly planned in most of the private organizations while public sector organizations are still lagging behind. Due to significantly highlighted importance of organizational performance in public sector organizations; public sector is now improving application of workforce diversity in its practices. Keywords: Workforce Diversity, Public & Private Sector, Culture, Organizational Performance.
The importance of iodine nutrition during pregnancy

Abstract Objective: To examine the importance of iodine nutrition during pregnancy. Design: Review of existing literature of iodine in pregnancy. Setting: Population surveys and metabolic studies. Subjects: Pregnant women. Results: The main changes in thyroid function associated with pregnancy are due to an increase in hormone requirements that begin in the first trimester of gestation. This increase can only be met by a proportional increase in hormone production, something that depends directly upon the availability of iodine. When dietary iodine is lacking, an adequate physiological adaptation is difficult to achieve and is progressively replaced by pathological alterations that occur in parallel with the degree and duration of iodine deprivation. Conclusions: Iodine prophylaxis should be given systematically to women during pregnancy. In most public health programmes dealing with the correction of iodine deficiency disorders, iodised salt has been used as the preferred means to deliver iodine to households. Iodised salt, however, is not the ideal means of delivering iodine in the specific instances of pregnancy, breast-feeding and complementary feeding because of the need to limit salt intake during these periods. In European countries, presently it is proposed that iodine is given to pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers by systematically administering multivitamin tablets containing iodine in order to reach the recommended dietary allowance of 250 μg iodine day-1.
Podcast Lectures as a Primary Teaching Technology: Results of a One-Year Trial

How useful are podcasts in the political science classroom? Some educators argue that podcasts will revolutionize education; others are less convinced. However, to date, the evidence on podcasts has been slim. This article reports the results of a year-long trial using podcasts to aid in teaching political science to undergraduates at a research university. This trial does not test hypotheses but constitutes an exploratory probe that tells us more about how students and educators use, and react to, podcast lectures. The results suggest that podcasts are not likely a revolutionary teaching technology but can nonetheless have useful roles in the college classroom. Students liked the control, but few took advantage of the podcasts' portability, and most preferred to listen to them while reading lecture notes. No evidence was found for a relationship between student performance and their opinion of, or technique for using, the podcasts. For the professor, podcast lectures appeared to create time both in and out of class for more productive pursuits. Other findings, based on quantitative and qualitative survey data, generate some initial correlations and highlight anomalies for future pedagogy research.
A novel point mutation in CD18 causing the expression of dysfunctional CD11/CD18 leucocyte integrins in a patient with leucocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD)

Leucocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD‐1) is characterized by the incapacity of leucocytes to carry out their adhesion functions via their CD11/CD18 antigens, which are also referred to as the leucocyte integrins. The patients generally suffer from poor wound healing and recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. In severe cases, the infections are often systemic and life‐threatening. A LAD patient (AW) of moderate phenotype has been identified but, unlike most other cases, the level of CD11/CD18 antigens on her leucocytes are uncharacteristically high for a LAD patient. Molecular analysis revealed that she is a compound heterozygote for CD18 mutations. She has inherited a D231H mutation from her father and a G284S mutation from her mother. By transfection studies, it was established that the G284S mutation does not support CD11/CD18 antigen expression on the cell surface. In contrast, the D231H mutation does not affect CD18 forming integrin heterodimers with the CD11 antigens on the cell surface. However, the expressed integrins with the D231H mutation are not adhesive to ligands.
Regional Policy In A Changing World

Regional Development Policy. - Regional Change and Regional Development Planning in Postwar France. - The Evolution of Regional Policy in Great Britain. - Regional Economic Development Policies and Programs in the United States. - Regional Development Policy. - Integration of National and Regional Policy. - Regional Disparities in a Large, Upper-Income Developing Country. - Conclusions.