Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Managing the Global–Local Dimensions of Clusters and the Role of “Lead” Organizations: The Contrasting Cases of the Software and Medical Technology Clusters in the West of Ireland

The purpose of this paper is to investigate “leading” firms in an industrial cluster to understand how the balance between global and local dimensions of the cluster can be managed. Two cases of industry clusters, the software and medical technology clusters in the west of Ireland, are employed to examine how certain organizations can occupy a “lead” position and how—if at all—such organizations generate an agglomerative effect in a cluster. In the case of the medical technology cluster, the study shows that when large firms enact a leading role by influencing the technology trajectory of the region and stimulating the local dynamic, they can generate agglomerative effects, thereby enhancing the relevance and sustainability of clusters. Most significantly, it shows how leading organizations act as an important facilitator in connecting the global and local dimensions of clusters even in the absence of extensive local formal linkages. At the same time, the case of the software cluster reveals that the presence of large organizations alone does not inevitably stimulate such a clustering effect and emphasizes that appropriate characteristics and conditions need to be in place. Overall, while the study substantiates previous research on the significance of temporary and organized forms of proximity, it also shows the value that permanent geographical proximity can have, thereby contesting recent research that downplays the relevance of the clustering institution (e.g. Lorentzen, A. (2007) The geography of knowledge sourcing—A case study of Polish manufacturing enterprises, European Planning Studies, 15, pp. 467–486; Wickham, J. & Vecchi, A. (2008) Local firms and global reach: Business air travel and the Irish software cluster, European Planning Studies, 16, pp. 693–710).
The Competitiveness of Firms and Regions

In traditional location theory there is a distinction between factors of production for which the costs differ significantly between locations, on the one hand, and production inputs which are in practice available everywhere at more or less the same cost (i.e. so-called ubiquities) on the other. In this article, we discuss the process whereby some previously important location factors are actively converted into ubiquities. With an admittedly rather horrendous term, we label this process ‘ubi-quitification’. It is argued that ubiquitification is the outcome of the ongoing globalization process as well as of a process whereby former tacit knowledge gradually becomes codified. Ubiquitification tends to undermine the competitiveness of firms in the high-cost areas of the world. When international markets are opened up and when knowledge of the latest production technologies and organizational designs become globally available, firms in low-cost areas become more competitive. In a knowledge-based economy, as a consequence, firms in high-cost areas must either shield some valuable pieces of knowledge from becoming globally accessible, or be able to create, acquire, accumulate and utilize codifiable knowledge a little faster than their cost-wise more favourably located competitors. Focusing on learning processes, the article maintains that most firms learn from close interaction with suppliers, customers and rivals. Furthermore, processes of knowledge creation are strongly influenced by specific localized capabilities such as resources, institutions, social and cultural structures.
New Financial Alternatives in Seeding Entrepreneurship: Microfinance, Crowdfunding, and Peer–to–Peer Innovations

New financing alternatives, such as microfinance, crowdfunding, and peer–to–peer lending, have expanded rapidly. To date, few studies have investigated the antecedents and consequences of these financing mechanisms. This special issue provides an academic foundation for understanding new financial options that entrepreneurs can now use to start and grow ventures. In the introductory article, we integrate strands of the literature on emerging innovations in entrepreneurial finance and provide a framework for a systematic approach to new research questions. We conclude with a discussion of the six papers in the special issue and demonstrate how they contribute to the framework.
Thickening Government: Federal Hierarchy and the Diffusion of Accountability

Light presents a revealing look at how thick government bureaucracy really is, how and why thickening occurs, what difference it might make, and what can be done to both reverse the process and keep the thickening from growing back. He shows how the management layers between the top and bottom of government-between air traffic controllers and the Secretary of Transportation, food inspectors and the Secretary of Agriculture, and so on-have steadily increased. He explains how a government of managers means the president has very little direct access or control over what happens far below, a basic problem of accountability. The author concludes that practically nothing by way of quality management, service government, or employee involvement can work with these towering government agencies. But practically nothing will fail if a radical "down-layering" is undertaken now.
Behind the Audit Report: A Descriptive Study of Discussions and Negotiations Between Auditors and Directors

This paper presents direct evidence concerning the extent, nature, and outcome of interactions between the two primary parties in the auditor-client relationship — finance directors (FDs) and audit engagement partners (AEPs). A questionnaire instrument is used to elicit the frequency with which, over a three year period, an extensive set of 46 audit and audit-related issues is discussed, is negotiated, and results in a change to either the accounting numbers or disclosures. Three hundred FDs and 307 AEPs of listed UK companies are surveyed, with response rates of 51% and 80%, respectively. Principal findings are that: (i) compliance issues dominate discussions, while accounting and fee issues dominate negotiations; (ii) audit committees generally reduce the level of negotiation and increase the level of discussion, suggesting that the overall degree of confrontation declines; and (iii) in the majority of cases (57%), negotiation results in a change to the financial statements, providing evidence of the auditor's influence on the financial statements.
Detection of Clostridium difficile in Small and Medium-sized Wild Mammals in Southern Ontario, Canada

We sampled 325 small and medium-sized wild mammals in Ontario, Canada in 2007 and 2010 to determine the prevalence and characteristics of Clostridium difficile in wild mammals living in proximity to captive wildlife and livestock. Clostridium difficile was isolated from five of 109 animals (4.6%) on four of 25 farms (16%), but was not isolated from any of the 216 samples from raccoons (Procyon lotor) living on the grounds of the Toronto Zoo. The positive animals included two raccoons from one beef farm, one raccoon from a different beef farm, one raccoon from a swine farm, and a shrew (Blarina brevicauda) from a dairy farm. None had evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Three of the five isolates were toxinotype variants (II, IV, and XIII) that are rarely identified in humans and domestic animals. The other two were toxinotype 0, a common toxinotype in humans and animals; however, all five isolates were of different ribotypes. None of the recovered ribotypes were recognized as ribotypes present in the authors’ reference library of over 3,000 human and domestic animal C. difficile isolates. Neither the public health nor the animal health relevance of these findings is clear. It is not known whether C. difficile is a pathogen of small and medium-sized wild mammals, although the susceptibility of various laboratory species suggests it could cause disease.
Regional Factors Affecting Proliferation in the Large Intestine of the Rat

Abstract Colonic neoplasia is more frequent in the distal colon than in the proximal colon in spontaneous human disease and in carcinogen-induced tumors in rodents. The possibility that this may reflect regional differences in morphology and in proliferative responses to fasting and refeeding was explored in this study in rats. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the density of colonic crypts was 36% higher in the distal than in the proximal colon, while light microscopy revealed that distal crypts had 70% more colonocytes than proximal crypts. Thus, the number of colonocytes per unit area in the distal colon is approximately twice that in the proximal colon. Proliferation was assessed by the uptake of bromodeoxyuridine in vivo and showed that regions of the distal colon had greater suppression of proliferation during fasting than the cecum, and greater enhancement of proliferation during refeeding than that observed in the cecum or the proximal colon. Changes in proliferation associated with fasting and refeeding were accompanied by changes in the concentrations of short chain fatty acids, but the data did not support the hypothesis of a direct relationship between increasing concentrations of short chain fatty acids and enhanced proliferation. Regional differences in morphology and proliferation could be relevant to the greater susceptibility of the distal colon to neoplasia.
Splicing inhibition at the level of spliceosome assembly in the presence of herpes simplex virus protein ICP27.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) immediate-early protein ICP27 is a multifunctional regulator of viral and cellular gene expression. It has previously been shown that ICP27 directly or indirectly modulates several posttranscriptional processes, such as pre-mRNA splicing and polyadenylation. We show here that pre-mRNA splicing is inhibited in nuclear extracts prepared from cells in which ICP27 has been transiently expressed. Our results show that splicing inhibition in ICP27 extracts is manifested at early stages of the splicing process. Furthermore, our results suggest that an enzymatic activity in ICP27-containing extracts causes the splicing inhibition.
Measuring Semantic Similarity in Wordnet

Semantic similarity between words is a generic problem for many applications of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence. The difficulty of this task lies in how to find an effective way to simulate the process of human judgment of word similarity by combining and processing a number of information sources. This paper presents a novel model to measure semantic similarity between words in the WordNet, using edge-counting techniques. The fundamental idea of this model is based on the assumption that human judgment process for semantic similarity can be simulated by the ratio of common features to the total features between words. According to the experiment against a benchmark set by human similarity judgment, our measure achieves a better result. The correlation is 0.926 with average human judgment on a standard 28 word-pair dataset, which outperforms other previous reported methods.
Understanding HRD: a research based approach

This paper essentially explores the theoretical perspectives of Human Resource Development (HRD), by providing an overview of the range of theoretical paradigms, which are applied in both the USA and Europe. This affords a deeper understanding of the academic boundaries and scope of the discipline of HRD. It applies a conceptual framework to a comparative analysis of current research in HRD, facilitating analysis in relation to theoretical stance, empirical contexts and methodological position for a range of specific research projects and the wider research community, as reported in recent literature. The paper concludes by presenting a range of critical reflections on HRD research.
Joint Adaptive Rate and Scheduling for Unicasting Video Streams in Cellular Wireless Networks

We develop and study adaptive rate scheduling mechanisms over cellular wireless networks, as used for the unicast provision of video streams to client mobiles at variable quality of experience (QoE) levels. Under service type I, mobile users receive video streams at a QoE level that is not lower than a specified value. In addition, mobile users that experience sufficiently high communications channel quality levels may be provided video streams at higher video quality levels. Under service type II, mobile clients receive their video streams at QoE levels that are based on their recorded signal to noise and interference levels. Resource allocations among mobiles are, however, subjected to absolute and proportional fairness objectives. We employ a proxy video manager and resource controller that is located at (or associated with) the base station node. The manager intercepts a channel quality indicator message reported by a mobile client, using it to determine the QoE level at which a requested video stream will be provided. It then selects the proper source and channel encoding schemes to be used for producing and transmitting a compressed version of the stream. To regulate inter-cell signal interference, we examine the joint employment of a number of different spectral-reuse and fractional frequency reuse (FFR) scheduling schemes. To illustrate the use of our models to configure system parameters, we consider a performance metric that incorporates a will-to-pay utility function. We develop analytical techniques for the modeling, analyzing, and designing of such systems. We confirm the precision of these models through the conduct of simulation analyses. Also, we show that, under certain system configurations, FFR-based schemes can lead to substantial enhancement of the system's performance behavior.
[Serous microcystic adenoma of the head of the pancreas causing an obstructive jaundice].

BACKGROUND Serous microcystic adenoma is a rare benign tumor of the exocrine pancreas originating from the ductal system and composed of a large number of small cysts covered by cuboid cells, filled with clear serous fluid and separated with fibrocolagenous stroma. Most frequently it appears in women in 7th and 8th decades, in the distal pancreas. It shows a very low malignant potential. In 2/3 of patients symptoms are uncharacteristic and in 1/3 they are absent When localised within the head of the pancreas it rarely causes an obstructive jaundice. CASE REPORT We presented a 61-year-old female patient who for months had had mild and nonspecific abdominal symptoms developing to progressive obstructive jaundice. At surgery we revealed a rather large policystic mass of the head of the pancreas causing not only obstructive jaundice but also a venous stasis by compression and dislocation of the portomesenteric vein. The tumor was removed with pylorus preserving cephalic duodenopancreatectomy (Whipple's procedure modified by Longmire-Traverso). Histology confirmed serous microcystic adenoma of the pancreas. The postoperative recovery was uneventful and preoperative symptoms disappeared. CONCLUSION Although very rare, serous microcystic adenoma might appear within the head of the pancreas and has to be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the head of the pancreas. Very rarely the tumour might cause obstructive jaundice. Surgical resection, which might be demanding, leads to complete recovery.
No : ND 08-06 FARM-SCALE RECONNAISSANCE OF ESTROGENS IN SUBSURFACE WATERS by

5 Acknowledgements.5 Introduction . 5 Background.6 Objectives.6 Materials and Methods.7 Site Description.7 Soil Description . 8 Sampling protocol.8 Field Procedure.9 Laboratory Procedure.9 Extraction Procedure.10 Solid Phase Extraction . 10 Chemical Analysis . 10 Statistical Analysis.11 Laboratory Dissipation Study.13 Results and Discussion.14 Analysis of Composite Data . 14 Spatial and Temporal Variability.14 Possible climatic effects on temporal variation.15 Depth Effects . 17 Effects of soil properties.19 Results of Laboratory Dissipation Study.24 Effects of Manure Application . 26 First Field Season (2006). 26 Second field season (2007). 27 Toxicological Comparisons.28 Consideration of E2 Sources . 28 Conclusions . Error! Bookmark not defined. References . 31
Beyond the Union‐Centred Approach: A Critical Evaluation of Recent Trade Union Elections in China

Many Western scholars have regarded union democracy and elections as affairs that are internal to trade unions and unconnected with outside forces. Going beyond the mainstream union-centred approach, this study critically assesses one significant type of union election that has been emerging in China since 2010 and that has been driven by different forces from previous elections. Previous workplace union elections had been ‘top-down’ — initiated by the party-state or its apparatuses, or else transnational corporation-induced — but this newer type of election has been driven by workers' strikes. This study illustrates how the dynamics among the quadripartite actors — party-state, higher-level trade unions, capital and labour — have shaped these strike-driven elections. Contrary to the claim that these elections have been ‘direct’ and ‘democratic’, our case studies show that they have been indirect and quasi-democratic in nature.
A new curriculum for junior-high in computer science

Israel's Ministry of Education has launched a unique program to enhance science - technology education. It is a six year program for grades seven through twelve. The program introduces a new curriculum in computer science for junior-high school students. The computer science curriculum focuses on developing computational thinking. The purpose of this paper is to describe that curriculum and the preliminary evaluation of students' achievements.
Income and Inequality in China: Composition, Distribution and Growth of Household Income, 1988 to 1995

The first comprehensive effort to estimate household income and its distribution in China according to standard international definitions was made for the year 1988 by an international group of economists working with members of the host institution, the Economics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The sample survey designed by this team produced estimates of household income that were substantially different from those of the State Statistical Bureau (SSB), based on its annual surveys, with different implications for both the average standard of living and the degree of inequality of income distribution. The study, first reported in the pages of this journal in December 1992, found that per capita household income was both substantially higher and more unequally distributed than suggested by the SSB estimates. It also provided insights into sources of inequality in China that were unobtainable from the published official data on income and its distribution.
Monetary Policy Regime Shifts: New Evidence from Time-Varying Interest Rate Rules

We estimate forward-looking interest-rate rules, for major advanced countries, allowing for time variation in their parameters. Traditional constant-parameter reaction functions likely blur the impact of i) model uncertainty, ii) conflicting objectives, iii) shifting preferences and iv) nonlinearities of policymakers choices. We find that monetary policies followed by the US, the UK, Germany, France and Italy, often described in terms of standard Taylor rules, are best summarized by feedback rules that allow for time variation in their parameters. Estimated rules point to sizeable differences in the actual conduct of monetary policies, even in the countries now belonging to the EMU. Also, our TVP specification outperforms the conventional Taylor rule in tracking the actual Fed funds rate.
IFN-γ Induces the Erosion of Preexisting CD8 T Cell Memory during Infection with a Heterologous Intracellular Bacterium1

Memory T cells are critical for the control of intracellular pathogens and require few signals for maintenance; however, erosion of established preexisting memory CD8+ T cells has been shown to occur during infection with heterologous viral infections. We evaluated whether this also occurs during infection with various intracellular bacteria and what mechanisms may be involved. We demonstrate that erosion of established memory is also induced during infection of mice with various intracellular bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, and Mycobacterium bovis (bacillus Calmette-Guérin). The extent of erosion of established CD8+ T cell memory was dependent on the virulence of the heterologous pathogen, not persistence. Furthermore, when antibiotics were used to comprehensively eliminate the heterologous pathogen, the numbers of memory CD8+ T cells were not restored, indicating that erosion of preexisting memory CD8+ T cells was irreversible. Irrespective of the initial numbers of memory CD8+ T cells, challenge with the heterologous pathogen resulted in a similar extent of erosion of memory CD8+ T cells, suggesting that cellular competition was not responsible for erosion. After challenge with the heterologous pathogen, effector memory CD8+ T cells were rapidly eliminated. More importantly, erosion of preexisting memory CD8+ T cells was abrogated in the absence of IFN-γ. These studies help reveal the paradoxical role of IFN-γ. Although IFN-γ promotes the control of intracellular bacterial replication during primary infection, this comes at the expense of erosion of preexisting memory CD8+ T cells in the wake of infection with heterologous pathogens.
Motion probes for fault detection and recovery in networked control systems

In this paper we address the problem of how to excite networked control systems in such a way that faulty, and possibly malicious, agents can be detected. In particular, we envision a scenario in which a subset of the agents in the network are executing a different control strategy than what has been prescribed and the problem under consideration consists of two subtasks, namely detection of the faulty agents, and isolation and mitigation of their impact on the remaining agents. We achieve this by proposing a collection of "motion probes" that leave certain aspects of the network invariant while ensuring that non-cooperative agents are identified and isolated. While we propose a useful tool to identify the faulty agents, the actual algorithms and policies that make use of the motion probes are left to future research.
EFFECT OF STRESSFUL AND NONSTRESSFUL GROWTH TEMPERATURES ON VARIATION OF STERNOPLEURAL BRISTLE NUMBER IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Abstract The effect of stressful (31°C) and nonstressful (25°C) growth temperatures on quantitative variation and developmental stability (fluctuating asymmetry) of Drosophila melanogaster was examined in a short-term selection experiment on sternopleural bristle number. Realized heritabilities based on 10 generations of selection in an upward direction did not differ between the two temperature regimes, which indicated that additive genetic variation was not affected by a high, stressful temperature. Phenotypic variability and fluctuating asymmetry of sternopleural bristles were significantly higher under stressful conditions when averaged over generations, although most pairwise comparisons in separate generations showed nonsignificant differences between temperatures. Corresponding Editor: L. Nunney