Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Action and Contingency Postulates in Organization-Environment Relations

Two models of organization-environment relations are examined. One postulates organizational structure or behavior as contingent on environments; organizations are viewed as adapting to environmental changes. Conversely, the second model postulates environments as dependent upon organizations; organizations are viewed as actively manipulating environments. The two alternative models are empirically assessed and compared on a heterogeneous sample of 27 business corporations. In the contingency model, environmental manipulation is used to predict different dimensions of organizational technology. In the action model, the causal order is reversed; technology is used to predict environmental manipulation. Organizational assets are controlled in both models to eliminate the possible bias of differential resources. We find similar predictive power for both models. Explained variance was about equal, and standardized regression coefficients were similar across the models as well. It is thus concluded that a full understanding of organization-environment interaction will require simultaneous consideration of their effects upon one another.
D ESIGN M ETHODOLOGY FOR R ELATIONAL D ATABASES : I SSUES R ELATED TO T ERNARY R ELATIONSHIPS IN E NTITY-R ELATIONSHIP M ODEL AND H IGHER N ORMAL F ORMS

Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling plays a major role in relational database design. The data requirements are conceptualized using an ER model and then transformed to relations. If the requirements are well understood by the designer and then if the ER model is modeled and transformed to relations, the resultant relations will be normalized. However the choice of modeling relationships between entities with appropriate degree and cardinality ratio has a very severe impact on database design. In this paper, we focus on the issues related to modeling binary relationships, ternary relationships, decomposing ternary relationships to binary equivalents and transforming the same to relations. The impact of applying higher normal forms to relations with composite keys is analyzed. We have also proposed a methodology which database designers must follow during each phase of database design.
Symbiotic bacteria appear to mediate hyena social odors

Significance All animals are populated by microbes, and, contrary to popular belief, most microbes appear highly beneficial to their hosts. They are critical in animal nutrition and immune defense, and they can serve as important catalysts for the effective development and functioning of host tissues. It also is becoming increasingly clear that they can contribute to host behavior. It has been hypothesized that one way they do so is by producing the components of chemical signals that animals use to communicate. We tested and confirmed first predictions of this hypothesis in hyenas, demonstrating that the bacterial and odor profiles of hyena scent secretions covaried and that both profiles varied with characteristics of hyenas known to be communicated through their chemical signals. All animals harbor beneficial microbes. One way these microbes can benefit their animal hosts is by increasing the diversity and efficacy of communication signals available to the hosts. The fermentation hypothesis for mammalian chemical communication posits that bacteria in the scent glands of mammals generate odorous metabolites used by their hosts for communication and that variation in host chemical signals is a product of underlying variation in the bacterial communities inhabiting the scent glands. An effective test of this hypothesis would require accurate surveys of the bacterial communities in mammals’ scent glands and complementary data on the odorant profiles of scent secretions—both of which have been historically lacking. Here we use next-generation sequencing to survey deeply the bacterial communities in the scent glands of wild spotted and striped hyenas. We show that these communities are dominated by fermentative bacteria and that the structures of these communities covary with the volatile fatty acid profiles of scent secretions in both hyena species. The bacterial and volatile fatty acid profiles of secretions differ between spotted and striped hyenas, and both profiles vary with sex and reproductive state among spotted hyenas within a single social group. Our results strongly support the fermentation hypothesis for chemical communication, suggesting that symbiotic bacteria underlie species-specific odors in both spotted and striped hyenas and further underlie sex and reproductive state-specific odors among spotted hyenas. We anticipate that the fermentation hypothesis for chemical communication will prove broadly applicable among scent-marking mammals as others use the technical and analytical approaches used here.
Mizoribine Synchronized Methotrexate Therapy should be Considered when Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with an Inadequate Response to Various Combination Therapies

Objective The objective of this study was to confirm the efficacy of low-dose mizoribine (MZR), an inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, as part of synchronized methotrexate (MTX) therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with an inadequate response to various combination therapies of MTX, other synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological DMARDs. Methods Low-dose MZR was administered to 56 uncontrolled RA patients being treated with MTX and various biological DMARDs. The observation period was 12 months, and the disease activity was evaluated based on the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28)-ESR, Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and serum MMP-3 level. Results All of the disease activity indices were significantly improved within three months, and the serum MMP-3 levels were also significantly decreased around four months after starting low-dose MZR therapy. No patients experienced any adverse effects. Conclusion The present preliminary findings suggest that low-dose MZR therapy with MTX should be considered for the treatment of RA patients with an inadequate response to various combination therapies including MTX, other synthetic DMARDs and biological DMARDs or in whom increasing the dose of MTX is difficult for reasons such as adverse effects and complications.
A Labile Component of AMPA Receptor-Mediated Synaptic Transmission Is Dependent on Microtubule Motors, Actin, and N-Ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor

Glutamate receptor channels are synthesized in the cell body, are inserted into intracellular vesicles, and move to dendrites where they become incorporated into synapses. Dendrites contain abundant microtubules that have been implicated in the vesicle-mediated transport of ion channels. We have examined how the inhibition of microtubule motors affects synaptic transmission. Monoclonal antibodies that inactivate the function of dynein or kinesin were introduced into hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells through a patch pipette. Both antibodies substantially reduced the AMPA receptor-mediated responses within 1 hr but had no effect on the NMDA receptor-mediated response. Heat-inactivated antibody or control antibodies had a much smaller effect. A component of transmission appeared to be resistant even to the combination of these inhibitors, and we therefore explored whether other agents also produce only a partial inhibition of transmission. A similar resistant component was found by using an actin inhibitor (phalloidin) or an inhibitor of NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein)/GluR2 interaction. We then examined whether these effects were independent or occluded each other. We found that a combination of phalloidin and NSF/GluR2 inhibitor reduced the response to ∼30% of baseline level, an effect only slightly larger than that produced by each agent alone. The addition of microtubule motor inhibitors to this combination produced no further inhibition. We conclude that there are two components of AMPA receptor-mediated transmission; one is a labile pool sensitive to NSF/GluR2 inhibitors, actin inhibitors, and microtubule motor inhibitors. A second, nonlabile pool resembles NMDA receptor channels in being nearly insensitive to any of these agents on the hour time scale of our experiments.
A Dynamic Overlay Supporting Just-In-Time Assembly to Construct Customized Hardware Accelerators

Barriers that prevent programmers from using FPGAs include the need to work within vendor specific CAD tools, knowledge of hardware programming models, and the requirement to pass each design through synthesis, place and route. In this work, a dynamic overlay is designed to support Just- In-Time assembly by composing hardware operators to construct full accelerators. The hardware operators are pre-synthesized bit- streams and can be downloaded to Partially Reconfigurable(PR) regions at runtime.
War Expansion and War Outcome

Most wars do not expand beyond the initial two participants. Why is this so? We argue that wars remain small because initiators select as targets states that they believe will not receive third-party help and that they can defeat without such help. Drawing on the idea of selection effect, a model of this choice is presented and a hypothesis is derived in which initiators (1) will win most often in wars of one against one and (2) will win least often when the target receives any help. This hypothesis is tested against war outcomes for initiators and targets in the period 1816-1975 using probit regression. The expectation is supported. The authors conclude that initiators act as predators and are likely to attack target states they know they can defeat if these targets are not joined by coalition partners. This selection pattern tends to make small wars likely.
The experience-dependent maturation of a regulatory system in the orbital prefrontal cortex and the origin of developmental psychopathology

Abstract The maturation of corticolimbic systems that neurobiologically mediate essential affective and social regulatory functions is experience dependent. During the first and second years of life, the infant's affective experiences, especially those embedded in the relationship with the primary caregiver, elicit patterns of psychobiological alterations that influence the activity of subcortically produced trophic bioamines, peptides, and steroids that regulate the critical period growth and organization of the developing neocortex. Interactive attachment experiences of psychobiological attunemcnt, stressful misattunement, and stress-regulating repair and reattunement that maximize positive and minimize negative affect are imprinted into the orbitofrontal cortex — the hierarchical apex of the limbic system that is expanded in the early developing right hemisphere. During the critical period of maturation of this system, prolonged episodes of intense and unregulated interactive stress are manifest in disorganizing experiences of heightened negative affect and altered levels of stress hormones, and this chaotic biochemical alteration of the internal environment triggers an extensive apoptotic panellation of corticolimbic circuitries. In this manner less than optimal affect-regulating experiences with the primary caregiver are imprinted into the circuits of this frontolimbic system that is instrumental to attachment functions, thereby producing orbitofrontal organizations that neurobiologically express different patterns of insecure attachments. Such pathomorphogenetic outcomes result in structurally defective systems that, under stress, inefficiently regulate subcortical mechanisms that mediate the physiological processes that underlie emotion. The functional impairments of the cortical-subcortical circuitries of this prefrontal system are implicated in an enduring vulnerability to and the pathophysiology of various later forming psychiatric disorders.
Verbal reasoning test scores and their stability over time

As part of an extended study into school assessment practices the use of verbal reasoning tests and their possible contribution to measuring pupil progress is being investigated. One phase of the study has involved testing the stability of individual verbal reasoning scores over time. The findings of this phase are presented here and located within the broader context of intelligence testing. The discussion concludes with a number of questions relating to the use of pupils’ academic achievements as appropriate measures of school success. The ongoing work considers how pupil success could be measured fairly, taking into account individual pupil differences, including both genetic and socio-economic factors. The work being developed has potential for both formative and summative assessment procedures and also as a tool for reporting the achievements of individual pupils and educational establishments. The full work will be published in due course.
Analysis of acoustic-semantic relationship for diversely annotated real-world audio data

A common problem of freely annotated or user contributed audio databases is the high variability of the labels, related to homonyms, synonyms, plurals, etc. Automatically re-labeling audio data based on audio similarity could offer a solution to this problem. This paper studies the relationship between audio and labels in a sound event database, by evaluating semantic similarity of labels of acoustically similar sound event instances. The assumption behind the study is that acoustically similar events are annotated with semantically similar labels. Indeed, for 43% of the tested data, there was at least one in ten acoustically nearest neighbors having a synonym as label, while the closest related term is on average one level higher or lower in the semantic hierarchy.
Exploiting inherent robustness and natural dynamics in the control of bipedal walking robots

Walking is an easy task for most humans and animals. Two characteristics which make it easy are the inherent robustness (tolerance to variation) of the walking problem and the natural dynamics of the walking mechanism. In this thesis we show how understanding and exploiting these two characteristics can aid in the control of bipedal robots. Inherent robustness allows for the use of simple, low impedance controllers. Natural dynamics reduces the requirements of the controller. We present a series of simple physical models of bipedal walking. The insight gained from these models is used in the development of three planar (motion only in the sagittal plane) control algorithms. The first uses simple strategies to control the robot to walk. The second exploits the natural dynamics of a kneecap, compliant ankle, and passive swing-leg. The third achieves fast swing of the swing-leg in order to enable the robot to walk quickly 1.25ms . These algorithms are implemented on Spring Flamingo, a planar bipedal walking robot, which was designed and built for this thesis. Using these algorithms, the robot can stand and balance, start and stop walking, walk at a range of speeds, and traverse slopes and rolling terrain. Three-dimensional walking on flat ground is implemented and tested in simulation. The dynamics of the sagittal plane are sufficiently decoupled from the dynamics of the frontal and transverse planes such that control of each can be treated separately. We achieve three-dimensional walking by adding lateral balance to the planar algorithm;. Tests of this approach on a, real three-dimensional robot will lead to a more complete understanding of the control of bipedal walking in robots and humans. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
The Effect of Four Different Warm-Ups on the Maximum Vertical Jump Test Scores for Female College Athletes

The effectiveness of two specific and two non-specific warm-ups on the vertical jump test for female athletes was the focus of this research. The four warm-up procedures were: (a) weighted jumping (WT), (b) submaximal vertical jumping (SUB), (c) stretching (ST), and (d) no warm-up (NW). To control for learning and fatigue, a counter-balanced design was used to test all participants over four different days. Thus all groups were tested in a predetermined order. Participants were 15 university female athletes (age 18 to 23 years). After warming up using one of the four warm-up procedures, three vertical jumps were measured and the best score was used for analysis. A single factors repeated measure analysis of variance and LSD post hoc tests revealed that the weighted jump warm-up procedure was statistically superior (p<0.01) to all other warm-up procedures. No warm-up was statistically inferior to all other warm-ups and submaximal vertical jumping was not statistically different than stretching. It was conc.
An Examination of Inter-Domain Relationships Among Some Ability and Personality Traits

Linkages between the abilities and personality domains are explicated from the results of a recent study, in which cross-domain correlations between 20 ability variables and 14 personality traits were obtained from a sample of 138 late adolescent males. A model designed to reveal the structure of cross-battery correlations— Tucker's interbattery factor model—was employed, and three interbattery factors were isolated. These inter-domain factors are discussed and related to earlier-discovered second-order factors in the personality domain.
SECOND LANGUAGE SPEECH PERCEPTION AND PRODUCTION: ACQUISITION OF PHONOLOGICAL CONTRASTS IN JAPANESE

SECOND LANGUAGE SPEECH PERCEPTION AND PRODUCTION: ACQUISITION OF PHONOLOGICAL CONTRASTS IN JAPANESE. Takako Toda. Landam, MD: University Press of America, 2003. Pp. 213. $63.00 cloth. This volume is an investigation into second language (L2) phonology. The subject of Toda's study is the development of the syllable timing system of Japanese by learners who are native speakers of English. Toda points out that acquiring a L2 phonology involves more than producing the language without an accent. It is also necessary to develop a system of representations and rules that will govern language use. English and Japanese differ in that while English relies on stress to determine syllable weight, Japanese uses time. This study investigates the extent to which learners of Japanese as a L2 have acquired that aspect of the Japanese syllable and makes use of both perception and production tasks. One of the assumptions of this study—an assumption founded on previous studies in L2 phonology—is that perception and production are interrelated, but that they are not mirror images of one another.
Maternal mRNA expression levels of H19 are inversely associated with risk of macrosomia

Introduction To investigate the associations between the mRNA levels of H19 in term placenta and risk of macrosomia. Material and methods Term placentas were collected from 37 macrosomia and 37 matched neonates with normal birth weight (controls) born in Changzhou Women and Children Health Hospital, Jiangsu province, P. R. China from March 1 to June 30, 2008. The mRNA levels of H19 in those placentas were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Simple and multiple logistic regression models were used to explore the risk factors in the development of macrosomia. All analyses were performed using Stata 10.0 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas, USA). Results The average H19 mRNA level of the macrosomia group was 1.450 ±0.456 while in the control group it was 2.080 ±1.296. Based on the result of Student's t test, there was a significant difference in H19 mRNA level between the macrosomia group and the control group (p = 0.008). After controlling for potential confounders, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio (OR) of macrosomia for those in the highest tertile of H19 mRNA level was 0.12 (95% CI: 0.02–0.59) when compared to those in the lowest tertile (p for linear trend = 0.009). Conclusions The term placental H19 mRNA levels were inversely related to the occurrence of macrosomia. Our findings suggest that the low expression of H19 mRNA may contribute to the development of macrosomia.
Floral responses to photoperiod are correlated with the timing of rhythmic expression relative to dawn and dusk in Arabidopsis

Daylength, or photoperiod, is perceived as a seasonal signal for the control of flowering of many plants. The measurement of daylength is thought to be mediated through the interaction of phototransduction pathways with a circadian rhythm, so that flowering is induced (in long-day plants) or repressed (in short-day plants) when light coincides with a sensitive phase of the circadian cycle. To test this hypothesis in the facultative long-day plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, we used varying, non-24-hr light/dark cycles to alter the timing of circadian rhythms of gene expression relative to dawn and dusk. Effects on circadian rhythms were correlated with those on flowering times. We show that conditions that displaced subjective night events, such as expression of the flowering time regulator CONSTANS into the light portion of the cycle, were perceived as longer days. This work demonstrates that the perception of daylength in Arabidopsis relies on adjustments of the phase angle of circadian rhythms relative to the light/dark cycle, rather than on the measurement of the absolute duration of light and darkness.
Seismic Velocity Estimation in the Curvelet Domain

Curvelets can be seen from the geophysical point of view as the representation of local plane waves. They are known to efficiently decompose any seismic gathers and possibly imaging operators. We study here how curvelets can be useful for velocity estimation. In that context, we first show that the Differential Semblance Optimization technique has a very simple expression in the curvelet domain. We then derive the gradient of the cost function, still in the curvelet domain. An application on a 2-D synthetic data set, generated in a smooth heterogeneous model and with a complex reflectivity, demonstrates the usefulness of curvelets to derive how the velocity model can be improved to better focalize energy in the sub-surface after migration.
APE1- and APE2-dependent DNA breaks in immunoglobulin class switch recombination

Antibody class switch recombination (CSR) occurs by an intrachromosomal deletion requiring generation of double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in switch-region DNA. The initial steps in DSB formation have been elucidated, involving cytosine deamination by activation-induced cytidine deaminase and generation of abasic sites by uracil DNA glycosylase. However, it is not known how abasic sites are converted into single-stranded breaks and, subsequently, DSBs. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE) efficiently nicks DNA at abasic sites, but it is unknown whether APE participates in CSR. We address the roles of the two major mammalian APEs, APE1 and APE2, in CSR. APE1 deficiency causes embryonic lethality in mice; we therefore examined CSR and DSBs in mice deficient in APE2 and haploinsufficient for APE1. We show that both APE1 and APE2 function in CSR, resulting in the DSBs necessary for CSR and thereby describing a novel in vivo function for APE2.