Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optokinetic stimulation increases corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA in inferior olivary neurons of rabbits

Stimulus-specific changes in levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA in inferior olivary neurons were studied in unanesthetized rabbits. The possible functional importance of CRF, a neuropeptide that is expressed in all inferior olivary neurons, in cerebellar synaptic transmission was investigated in a subpopulation of inferior olivary neurons, the caudal dorsal cap. Previous studies have shown that unidirectional, binocular optokinetic stimulation increases the level of discharge in neurons located in one of the caudal dorsal caps of the inferior olive and decreases the level of discharge in neurons in the opposite dorsal cap. We investigated the influence of prolonged (1–144 hr), unidirectional, binocular, optokinetic stimulus on the levels of CRF mRNA in dorsal cap neurons, measured with the technique of hybridization histochemistry. Rabbits were placed at the center of a cylindrical optokinetic drum that rotated at a constant velocity of 5 deg/sec, stimulating one eye in the posterior-to-anterior direction and the contralateral eye in the anterior-to-posterior direction. Posterior- to-anterior stimulation of the left eye evoked increased activity of inferior olivary neurons located in the right caudal dorsal cap. Conversely, anterior-to-posterior stimulation of the right eye evoked decreased activity of neurons in the left caudal dorsal cap. The levels of CRF mRNA in dorsal cap neurons that were activated by prolonged optokinetic stimulation were increased by a factor of 4 to 7 after 48 hr of stimulation and by more than a factor of 10 after 144 hr of optokinetic stimulation. These optokinetically induced increases in CRF mRNA decayed to background levels after 30 hr. Our observations implicate CRF in visual olivocerebellar function and suggest that CRF may play a role in the plastic control of eye movement mediated by the visual olivocerebellar system.
Competing Values in Organizations: Contextual Influences and Structural Consequences

Managers recognize that they must satisfy a variety of demands, some contradictory. The authors investigated this circumstance using Quinn and Rohrbaugh's competing values model. They report the findings of a study that identified and measured the four competing values (internal process value, rational goal value, human relations value, and open system value) across organizations and investigated whether contextual and structural variables were systematically associated with those value sets.Data were gathered from a large sample of United States Air Force Commands. Results showed that the operating units pursued the four values defined by the model, but did not emphasize them equally. Certain environmental characteristics (information and resource scarcity and technological uncertainty) and aspects of the units' technology (their task routineness, workflow interdependence, and training complexity) were associated with organizational value sets. The values emphasized were associated in turn with the coordinating structure (vertical or horizontal coordination) adopted by the units.The study attempted to move the competing values model beyond theoretical concepts. The results confirm the competing values at work in organizations and also suggest that value sets differ from unit to unit. Certain patterns of values appear to exist within particular environmental and technological contexts. These findings indicate tradeoffs among values. Emphasizing some values may hamper pursuit of others. So when managers decide to give priority to programs designed to strengthen to the human relations value, efficiency and short-term profitability may drop off. Managers must be aware of this shifting balance. They must evaluate whether prescriptions for organizational success make sense. Decisions should reflect the organization's value structure (and its deficiencies), its technology, its environment, and its structure as well as show these elements fit together.
A solvable two-dimensional singular stochastic control problem with non convex costs

In this paper we provide a complete theoretical analysis of a two-dimensional degenerate non convex singular stochastic control problem. The optimisation is motivated by a storage-consumption model in an electricity market, and features a stochastic real-valued spot price modelled by Brownian motion. We find analytical expressions for the value function, the optimal control and the boundaries of the action and inaction regions. The optimal policy is characterised in terms of two monotone and discontinuous repelling free boundaries, although part of one boundary is constant and the smooth fit condition holds there.
The rhetoric and reality of supply chain integration

The terminology “supply chain management” is used frequently in today’s materials management environment and is generally associated with advanced information technologies, rapid and responsive logistics service, effective supplier management, and increasingly with customer relationship management. Most materials managers are familiar with the supply chain mantra of “suppliers’ supplier to customers’ customer”. However, experience shows that few companies are actually engaged in such extensive supply chain integration. To obtain an accurate view of SCM as it is currently practiced, the experience and insight of industry managers engaged in supply chain initiatives was sought via a multi‐method empirical approach involving both surveys and case study interviews. The findings reveal that supply chain practice seldom resembles the theoretical ideal. Three different levels of SCM implementation are identified and a series of limiting factors are discussed. Managers must recognize the tension that exists between SCM’s competitive potential and the inherent difficulty of collaboration.
A laboratory test of the isotropy of light propagation at the 10−17 level

Local Lorentz Invariance (LI) is a postulate of today's theories of the fundamental interactions. Theoretical work towards a unified theory suggests that LI may only be an approximate symmetry. This motivates experimental tests of LI with increased sensitivity. One aspect of LI is isotropy, the independence of the results of any local experiment from its orientation in space. We report on the results of a strongly improved test of the isotropy of light propagation (Michelson-Morley-type experiment).
The Effect of Screw Parameters on Pullout Strength of Screw Fixation in Cervical Spine

The pullout strength had an effect on the stability of plate screw fixation when inserted in the cervical spine. Nine different titanium alloy bone screws were used to test the pullout strength through finite element analysis. The result showed that the Moss Miami I can bear the highest pullout force at 1,075 N, which causes the maximum von Mises stress at 858.87 MPa, a value over the yield strength of titanium. The bone screw should have large outer diameter, core diameter and proximal root radius to increase the pullout strength. Keywords—Pullout strength, Screw parameter, Cervical spine, Finite element analysis.
DFT-Based Approach for Reducing Switching Activity during Scan Shift

Power dissipation in digital circuits during scan based test is generally much higher than that during functional operation. Unfortunately, this increased test power can create hot spots that may damage the silicon, the bonding wires, and even the package. It can also cause intensive erosion of conductors-severely decreasing the reliability of a device. Finally, excessive test power may also result in extra yield loss. To address these issues, this paper first presents a detailed investigation of a benchmark circuit’s switching activity during different modes of operation. Specifically, the average number of transitions in the combinational logic of a benchmark circuit during scan shift is found to be approximately 2.5 times more than the average number of transitions during the circuit’s normal functional operation. A DFT-based approach for reducing circuit switching activity during scan shift is proposed. Instead of inserting additional logic at the gate level that may introduce additional delay on critical paths, the proposed method modifies the design at the register transfer level (RTL) and uses the synthesis tools to automatically deal with timing analysis and optimization.
PHOTOCATALYTIC COMPOSITE MATERIALS BASED ON GRAPHENE AND TITANIUM OXIDE PREPARED BY DIFFERENT METHODS

Titanium(IV) oxide graphene [1] or graphene oxide nano composite [2] were prepared by one-pot thermal hydrolysis of suspension graphene or graphene oxide nanosheets and titanium oxide in three different forms as a starting materials. Graphene nanosheets were produced in a large quantity from natural graphite using a high intensity cavitation field in a pressurized ultrasonic reactor [3]. The graphene oxide was prepared by improved Hummers method [4]. The direct interaction between TiO2 nanoparticles and graphene sheet prevents the re-agregation of the exfoliated sheets of graphene. Graphene and even graphene oxide has the ability to locally reduce the titanium to active form of Ti3+ ion. The grapheme nanosheets make Ti3+ ions stable in the TiO2 matrix and form a heterojunction system with titania.
Automatic Alignment between Wikipedia Attributes and DBpedia Properties

DBpedia plays a central role in Linked Open Data (LOD), due to the large and growing number of resources linked to it. Currently, this project extracts information from Wikipedia to represent in RDF triples. The extraction procedure required to manually map Wikipedia infobox attributes into the DBpedia properties. However, the number attributes are so large for all Wikipedia editions in different languages. This task therefore is time-consuming and labor intensive. We propose a novel method to mapping automatically basing on instance-based approach enhanced by using label translation. Experiments on Vietnamese Wikipedia confirm the significant improvement when applying our method.
On the Occurrence of Anoxic Microniches, Denitrification, and Sulfate Reduction in Aerated Activated Sludge

ABSTRACT A combination of different methods was applied to investigate the occurrence of anaerobic processes in aerated activated sludge. Microsensor measurements (O2, NO2−, NO3−, and H2S) were performed on single sludge flocs to detect anoxic niches, nitrate reduction, or sulfate reduction on a microscale. Incubations of activated sludge with15NO3− and35SO42− were used to determine denitrification and sulfate reduction rates on a batch scale. In four of six investigated sludges, no anoxic zones developed during aeration, and consequently denitrification rates were very low. However, in two sludges anoxia in flocs coincided with significant denitrification rates. Sulfate reduction could not be detected in any sludge in either the microsensor or the batch investigation, not even under short-term anoxic conditions. In contrast, the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria was shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes and by PCR-based detection of genes coding for the dissimilatory sulfite reductase. A possible explanation for the absence of anoxia even in most of the larger flocs might be that oxygen transport is not only diffusional but enhanced by advection, i.e., facilitated by flow through pores and channels. This possibility is suggested by the irregularity of some oxygen profiles and by confocal laser scanning microscopy of the three-dimensional floc structures, which showed that flocs from the two sludges in which anoxic zones were found were apparently denser than flocs from the other sludges.
Non-Smad TGF-β signals

During the past 10 years, it has been firmly established that Smad pathways are central mediators of signals from the receptors for transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily members to the nucleus. However, growing biochemical and developmental evidence supports the notion that alternative, non-Smad pathways also participate in TGF-β signalling. Non-Smad signalling proteins have three general mechanisms by which they contribute to physiological responses to TGF-β: (1) non-Smad signalling pathways directly modify (e.g. phosphorylate) the Smads and thus modulate the activity of the central effectors; (2) Smads directly interact and modulate the activity of other signalling proteins (e.g. kinases), thus transmitting signals to other pathways; and (3) the TGF-β receptors directly interact with or phosphorylate non-Smad proteins, thus initiating parallel signalling that cooperates with the Smad pathway in eliciting physiological responses. Thus, non-Smad signal transducers under the control of TGF-β provide quantitative regulation of the signalling pathway, and serve as nodes for crosstalk with other major signalling pathways, such as tyrosine kinase, G-protein-coupled or cytokine receptors.
The Atmosphere as a Global Commons - Challenges for International Cooperation and Governance

This article analyzes global climate policy as the problem of transforming governance of the atmosphere from an open-access into a global commons regime. This involves several challenges. First, setting an atmospheric stabilization goal requires balancing risks of climate change and risks of mitigation. Second, limiting the atmospheric disposal space for carbon devalues fossil resources and creates a novel climate rent, thus raising distributional issues. Third, policy instrument choice needs to consider the supply side dynamics of global fossil resource markets. Fourth, global climate policy entails strong free-riding incentives. The article reviews incentives for unilateral action and policy instruments as well as alternative conceptualizations of the emissions game that may somewhat alleviate this collective action problem. Finally, the literature on fiscal federalism and fiscal decentralization is considered, promising novel perspectives on designing an efficient decentralized governance regime of the atmospheric commons.
Brand Name and Country of Origin Effects in the Emerging Market Economies of Russia, Poland and Hungary

The economic reforms sweeping Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union point to a critical need for consumer‐based market research in the region. In this study, conjoint analysis was used to analyse Russian ( n=88), Polish (n=77), and Hungarian (n=113) consumers′ decision behaviour in a single product category, colour televisions. Of particular interest were the separate and joint roles played by brand name and country of origin in the decision processes of former Socialist consumers. The results show that Russian and Polish consumers place considerable emphasis on the product′s place of manufacture, while the Hungarians were more “functional” in their decision strategy, focusing on the product′s intrinsic properties. Contrary to expectations, brand name was less important than other attributes in the decision making of all three groups. Each group also showed minimal concern with the interaction between brand name and country of origin. Discusses implications for Western firms which are seeking market .
Corporate Social Responsibility and Wealth Maximization

Organizations should be more concerned with corporate social responsibility rather than focusing on wealth maximization only. The objectives of an organization are the leading justifications for its existence. Commercial objectives exist to make the maximum possible profits for the shareholders. Wealth accumulation can be termed as the leading motivation for business practice. However, business does not take place in a vacuum. There are concerns of the public who relate with the business that needs to be addressed by the organization. Jonathan and Guay (2006), notes that the existence of an organization should have positive impacts on its host society. Its negative effects should be minimal and mitigated. This reduction of the negative effects while ensuring positive impacts both directly and indirectly is described as the concept of social responsibility. Debate ranges on whether organizations should concentrate in wealth accumulation without social responsibility or whether they should give back a section of their profits to the host community. Prioritizing profit maximization and social responsibility is an issue that calls for attention.This paper explores the relationships between wealth creation for an organization and corporate social responsibility. Focus is on the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to an organization’s wealth maximization ability. The place of CSR in non-profit organizations is generally given prominence. This paper addresses the essence of prioritizing CSR rather than sticking to profit maximization. There is an analysis of the arguments that discredit prioritizing for CSR and a hybrid explanation that takes into consideration all the arguments for or against giving priority to CSR.
Sovereign Borrowing Cost and the Imf's Data Standards Initiatives

The effects of the IMF's data standards initiatives on sovereign borrowing costs in private capital markets are investigated for 26 emerging market and developing countries. Stable and significant panel econometric estimates indicate that subscription to the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) reduces launch spreads by an average of 20 percent while participation in the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) reduces spreads for those countries with access to capital markets by an average of 8 percent. These estimates correspond to discounts of some 50 and 20 basis points, respectively. Evidence of similar discounts is also found when launch yields are analyzed.
Career Development: a Shared Responsibility

With the workplace in a seemingly constant state of transition, independence and self-sufficiency have been promoted as the stabilizing factor in the quest for employment security. Concepts of career resilience, self-reliance, free agency, and flexible work arrangements all focus on the theme of assuming responsibility for ones work life. This perspective moves control of employment into the negotiating hands of both employers and employees.
Review of new technologies in “Green” optical network

Though introducing the conception of “green” to optical networks, we discuss three key technologies to enhance the network energy efficiency rate (NEER), including General Multiple Protocols Label Switch (GMPLS), Passive Optical Network (PON), and Network Redundant Element Shutdown (NRES) technology. The optimization and improvement methods as well as the situation of application of the three technologies are analyzed. Then we explore the prospective development of the green optical networks.
An optimal sequential information acquisition model subject to a heuristic assimilation constraint

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the optimal sequential information acquisition process of a rational decision maker (DM) when allowed to acquire n pieces of information from a set of bi-dimensional products whose characteristics vary in a continuum set. Design/methodology/approach – The authors incorporate a heuristic mechanism that makes the n-observation scenario faced by a DM tractable. This heuristic allows the DM to assimilate substantial amounts of information and define an acquisition strategy within a coherent analytical framework. Numerical simulations are introduced to illustrate the main results obtained. Findings – The information acquisition behavior modeled in this paper corresponds to that of a perfectly rational DM, i.e. endowed with complete and transitive preferences, whose objective is to choose optimally among the products available subject to a heuristic assimilation constraint. The current paper opens the way for additional research on heuristic information acquisitio.
International market entry strategies and performance of United States catalog firms

This article analyzes the international market entry strategies of U.S. catalog firms. Market entry strategy was conceptualized in terms of market selection (English- or non-English-speaking country) and mode (exporting, licensing, joint ventures, subsidiaries, and retail stores). The results of a sample of 57 firms active in international markets found that firms entering a culturally close market (English-speaking) were more likely to report greater revenues per catalog and overall performance than those that entered non-English-speaking countries. A cluster analysis of several modes reported by the sample of firms revealed four generic modes. These four generic modes ranged from simple direct exporting to more complex ones that used subsidiaries and retail stores in international markets. Mode of entry was not related to performance. U.S. catalog firms are using a conservative approach to international markets by exporting to countries where the level of uncertainty is low. Firms using this strategy may benefit from lower costs and greater revenues per catalog.
AN APPRAISAL OF ACCOUNTING METHODS ADOPTED BY COMPANIES IN KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The present study appraises the Accounting Methods adopted by companies operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Besides, the study examines factors responsible for the selection of Accounting Method in the Kingdom using 24 years data on six companies listed in the Stock Exchange (Tadawul) from 2010 to 2013. Data were extracted from the companies’ annual reports. Statistical Tools applied were Correlation and Regression Analysis. Income strategy as dependent variable and Size of the firms, Leverage ratios, Labour Force Intensity, Internal Financing as independent variables are used. The results show that significant factors responsible for the determination of Accounting Methods are leverage ratio and labour force intensity. It has been found that companies in Saudi Arabia follow more income increasing accounting policies. Moreover, the results show that these companies rely more on equity than debt and a significant amount of profit is distributed as dividends.
Angiotensin II-induced vasopressin release is mediated through alpha-1 adrenoceptors and angiotensin II AT1 receptors in the supraoptic nucleus.

The central actions of angiotensin II (ANG II) include the release of vasopressin (AVP) from the supraoptic nucleus (SON) via the pituitary gland into the blood. In conscious rats, we investigated whether catecholamines in the SON are involved in this release process. It was found that i.c. v. injections of ANG II (100 ng) selectively increased the release of norepinephrine (NA) from the SON. Like the ANG II i.c. v. -induced AVP release, this effect was prevented by i.c. v. pretreatment with the ANG II AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan (5 micrograms). The alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (0.7 nmol), injected bilaterally into the SON, significantly reduced the ANG II 100-ng i.c. v. -induced AVP release. Pretreatment with the alpha-2, beta-1 and beta-2 adrenoceptor antagonists, idazoxan, atenolol and ICI 118551, respectively, had no effect. Injections of NA into the SON increased plasma AVP at doses up to 10 nmol but not at higher doses (30-100 nmol). The effects of NA were mimicked by the alpha-1 adrenoceptor agonist, methoxamine (1-5 nmol). Bilateral pretreatment of the SON with losartan (5 micrograms) markedly inhibited the i.c. v. ANG II 100 ng-induced AVP release. The increase in AVP release after ANG II injections into the SON was also inhibited by losartan pretreatment into the SON, whereas prazosin had no effect. These results demonstrate that the ANG II-induced release of AVP is initiated through periventricular ANG II AT1 receptors and involves postsynaptic alpha-1 adrenoceptor stimulation in the SON. In addition, ANG II AT1 receptors in the SON can contribute to AVP release after periventricular ANG II receptor stimulation.