Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Inventory Repositioning in On-Demand Rental Networks

We consider a rental service with a fixed number of rental units distributed across multiple locations. The units are accessed by customers without prior reservation and on an on-demand basis. Customers can decide on how long to keep a unit and where to return it. Because of the randomness in demand and in returns, there is a need to periodically reposition inventory away from some locations and into others. In deciding on how much inventory to reposition and where, the system manager balances potential lost sales with repositioning costs. Although the problem is increasingly common in applications involving on-demand rental services, not much is known about the nature of the optimal policy for systems with a general network structure or about effective approaches to solving the problem. In this paper, first, we show that the optimal policy in each period can be described in terms of a well-specified region over the state space. Within this region, it is optimal not to reposition any inventory, whereas, outside the region, it is optimal to reposition but only such that the system moves to a new state that is on the boundary of the no-repositioning region. We also provide a simple check for when a state is in the no-repositioning region. Second, we leverage the features of the optimal policy, along with properties of the optimal cost function, to propose a provably convergent approximate dynamic programming algorithm to tackle problems with a large number of dimensions. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, optimization.
BeFriend: A Context-Aware Ad-hoc Social Networking Platform

Ad-hoc social networks, focused on managing user social relationships in a novel fashion based on establishment of temporary social connections among users with mutual interests and/or needs, provide an innovative medium for upgrading existing, as well as developing new social relationships. This paper describes the BeFriend, a context-aware ad-hoc social networking platform based on Facebook and Google+ social graphs. The BeFriend platform is for mobile users equipped with a smartphone—after installing and activating the BeFriend client, they are able to receive push notifications when a certain rule is triggered (e.g. it is Friday evening, Ewan and Luke are drinking beer in a bar and one of their Facebook/Google+ friends passes nearby). Personal agents within the BeFriend platform provide autonomous decision-making in the platform, decrease the need for user input and enable automated social discovery of new community members. The proof of-concept BeFriend platform presented in this paper is available in form of BeFriend application for users possessing Android-based smartphones.
Luxury Yacht Market and the Anti-cyclical Industry:: An empirical comparison among the worldwide leaders in Italian shipyards

The competitive context in which companies in the luxury nautical sector operate (i.e. Mega Yachts) is characterized by profound structural changes and dynamic developments, caused, above all by the current economic-financial crisis. An understanding, of how the Italian shipyards, world leaders in this sector, are facing this global crisis, one which has affected all sectors of the economy, becomes therefore fundamental. Literature claims that the Mega Yacht sector is characterized by a ‘notable anti cyclical nature’, the shipyards producing luxury ships are immune from the negative effects of the global economic and financial crisis. The luxury nautical sector could be considered untouched by the economic recession, given that the potential clients are High Net Worth Individual (with a patrimony exceeding 30 million dollars). In the light of this consideration this paper proposes an in depth study of Italian worldwide leaders producing Mega Yachts in the period 2006-2011. In particular, we wish to study whether the anti-cyclic nature of the luxury nautical sector can be effectively verified in the leading worldwide luxury yacht production in Italian shipyards. Italy ranks number one in the world for the production of Mega Yachts and has held this position for 10 years, indeed.
Hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage is independent of nuclear calcium but dependent on redox-active ions.

In cells undergoing oxidative stress, DNA damage may result from attack by . OH radicals produced by the Fenton reaction, and/or by nucleases activated by nuclear calcium. In the present study, the participation of these two mechanisms was investigated in HeLa cells. Nuclear-targeted aequorin was used for selectively monitoring Ca2+ concentrations within the nuclei ([Ca2+]n), in conjunction with the cell-permeant calcium chelator bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N', N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA/AM), the lipid-soluble broad-spectrum metal chelator with low affinity for Ca2+ and Mg2+ N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN), and the high-affinity iron/copper chelator 1, 10-phenanthroline (PHE). In Ca2+-containing medium, H2O2 induced extensive DNA strand breaks and an increase in [Ca2+]n that was almost identical to that observed in the cytosol ([Ca2+]c). In cells bathed in Ca2+-free/EGTA medium, in which the increases in [Ca2+]n and [Ca2+]c due to H2O2 were significantly reduced, similar levels of DNA fragmentation also occurred. In cells preloaded with BAPTA/AM or TPEN, the small increase of [Ca2+]n normally elicited by H2O2 in Ca2+-free medium was completely buffered, and DNA damage was largely prevented. On the other hand, pretreatment with PHE did not affect the calcium response in the nuclei, but completely prevented DNA strand breakage induced by H2O2. Re-addition of 100 microM CuSO4 and 100 microM FeSO4 to TPEN- and PHE-treated cells prior to H2O2 challenge reversed the effect of TPEN and PHE, whereas 1 mM was necessary to negate the effect of BAPTA/AM. The levels of DNA strand breakage observed, however, did not correlate with the amounts of 8-hydroxy 2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG): H2O2 did not produce 8-OHdG, whereas PHE alone slightly increased 8-OHdG levels. CuSO4 and FeSO4 enhanced the effects of PHE, particularly in the presence of H2O2. Exposure of cells to a mixture of CuSO4/FeSO4 also resulted in a significant increase in 8-OHdG levels, which was prevented in cells preloaded with BAPTA/AM. Similar results were obtained in a cell-free system using isolated calf thymus DNA exposed to CuSO4/FeSO4, regardless of whether H2O2 was present or not. These results suggest that BAPTA/AM prevents H2O2-induced DNA damage by acting as an iron/copper chelator. These data also indicate that caution must be exercised in using Ca2+ chelating agents as evidence for a role in cellular Ca2+ levels in experimental conditions in which transition-metal-ion-mediated oxidant production is also occurring.
High-Cost Patients in a Fee-for-Service Medical Plan: The Case for Earlier Intervention

This article describes the high-cost and very high-cost patients in the feefor- service medical plan of one of the nation's largest banks in terms of their demographics and medical plan expenses and utilization, within a single year and during a period of 4 consecutive years. High-cost patients ($5,000-25,000 annually) were dominated by older persons and women 20 to 39 years, while the very high-cost patients (at least $25,000) tended to be older men and infants of both genders. Very high-cost patients used 5 to 7 times more hospital patient days and visited with a physician on an outpatient basis twice as often as high-cost patients. In turn, the high-cost patients experienced 37 to 50 times as many patient days and twice as many outpatient visits as patients whose annual expenses were below $5,000. Longitudinal analyses suggested that while most of the high-cost patients are typically low-cost patients or nonusers of services who experience high-cost time spans, some of them suffer from more serious chronic health problems and are apt to become very high-cost patients. Focusing case-management interventions on this small subgroup of high-cost patients may prevent some very high-cost cases in the future.
The evolution and development of the dens of the mammalian axis

Certain members of the extinct reptilian group from which mammals evolved possessed both a dens and an atlas body. Available paleontologic evidence supports the conclusion that the dens evolved as an addition to the atlas body. There‐fore, the dens is not homologous with the atlas body as is generally claimed on the basis of supposed developmental evidence. The atlas body is large in the most primitive of living mammals, the monotremes, which also possess a dens of typical mammalian proportions. In metatherian and most eutherian mammals, both a dens and an atlas body remnant of variable size are present. The development of the dens in the Virginia opossum, Didelphis marsupialis, confirms the fact that the dens arises from, but does not replace, the atlas body anlage. The dens evolved as a functional replacement of the atlanto‐axial articular processes which were lost when the mammalian atlanto‐axial joint became specialized for rotational movement.
Effects of ethanol and maternal nutritional status on fetal development.

This study investigated the interactive effects of alcohol and nutritional status of the pregnant female on fetal growth and development. Three liquid diets were formulated ranging in protein content from suboptimal to supraoptimal: diet I provided 18% kcal as protein and 1.0 kcal/ml; diets II and III provided 25 and 32% kcal, respectively, as protein and 1.2 kcal/ml. In all cases, alcohol provided 36% of total calories. Both pair-fed and ad libitum fed control groups were included. We found that blood alcohol levels were consistently high in all three diet regimens throughout gestation. Alcohol intake suppressed weight gains and increased adrenal weights and placenta weights in pregnant females. Both body weights and brain weights were reduced in alcohol-exposed fetuses. However, relative brain weights were found to be increased in alcohol fetuses, indicating "brain sparing. " Maternal nutritional status had no major effect on developmental outcome. Thus, with alcohol administered as a high proportion of total daily calories, increasing dietary protein levels did not attenuate the major adverse effects of alcohol on fetal development.
Friction coefficients for mechanically damaged bovine articular cartilage

We used a pin‐on‐disc tribometer to measure the friction coefficient of both pristine and mechanically damaged cartilage samples in the presence of different lubricant solutions. The experimental set up maximizes the lubrication mechanism due to interstitial fluid pressurization. In phosphate buffer solution (PBS), the measured friction coefficient increases with the level of damage. The main result is that when poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or hyaluronic acid (HA) are dissolved in PBS, or when synovial fluid (SF) is used as lubricant, the friction coefficients measured for damaged cartilage samples are only slightly larger than those obtained for pristine cartilage samples, indicating that the surface damage is in part alleviated by the presence of the various lubricants. Among the lubricants considered, 100 mg/mL of 100,000 Da MW PEO in PBS appears to be as effective as SF. We attempted to discriminate the lubrication mechanism enhanced by the various compounds. The lubricants viscosity was measured at shear rates comparable to those employed in the friction experiments, and a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring was used to study the adsorption of PEO, HA, and SF components on collagen type II adlayers pre‐formed on hydroxyapatite. Under the shear rates considered the viscosity of SF is slightly larger than that of PBS, but lower than that of lubricant formulations containing HA or PEO. Neither PEO nor HA showed strong adsorption on collagen adlayers, while evidence of adsorption was found for SF. Combined, these results suggest that synovial fluid is likely to enhance boundary lubrication. It is possible that all three formulations enhance lubrication via the interstitial fluid pressurization mechanism, maximized by the experimental set up adopted in our friction tests. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1769–1778. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spectrum of harmonic excitations on fractals

The density of states and the nature of the eigenmodes of the vibrating d-dimensional Sierpinski gasket are investigated. The results hold for the tight-binding or any general quadratic Hamiltonian. For d>1, the spectral measure is show to be a superposition of two distinct pure point measures of relative weights d/(d+1) and 1/(d+1). The eigenmodes associated with each part are explicitly calculated. The first part of the spectrum is associated with localized modes, with non zero amplitudes only on a finite number of sites (molecular modes), Whereas the second part is associated with a new kind of states: the hierarchical modes. The influence of the boundary conditions is also elucidated as well as the importance of this kind of spectrum in quantum percolation and incommensurate potentials Etude de la densite d'etats et de la nature des etats propres d'un reseau de Sierpinski a n dimensions, les resultats etant valables aussi pour le modele de liaisons fortes et pour tout hamiltonien quadratique. Pour d>1, la mesure spectrale est la superposition de deux mesures purement ponctuelles, de poids relatifs d/(d+1) et 1/(d+1). Calcul explicite des modes propres associes. Association de la 1ere partie du spectre a des modes localises d'amplitudes non nulles seulement sur un nombre fini de sites (modes moleculaires), et de la 2eme partie a un nouveau type d'etats: des modes hierarchiques. Interpretation de l'influence des conditions aux limites et de l'importance de ce type de spectre en percolation quantique et pour les potentiels incommensurables
A Novel Approach to Malicious Executables Detection and Containment Based on Distributed System Architecture

Malicious executables have become a major threat to the integrity of hosts and the privacy of users, however, traditional manual analysis and containment does not scale to increasing unknown malware/variants. This paper proposes a novel approach that combines behavioral and content-based fingerprints, which scales to unknown malicious executables in an automated fashion. Our approach first extracts behavioral features to train classifiers using data mining techniques that can distinguish malicious and benign executables, and then host level agents are introduced to block the execution of malware instances with their content-based fingerprints. To increase accuracy, an algorithm is proposed that applies a classifier to raw audit data as well as observes the executions of malware in virtualized environments. Moreover, distributed system architecture is used to optimize efficiency and real-time containment. Experiment results show good performance with high accuracy and low overhead.
Strategic Information Transmission in Peer-to-Peer Lending Markets

Peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplaces, such as Uber, Airbnb, and Lending Club, have experienced massive growth in recent years. They now constitute a significant portion of the world's economy and provide opportunities for people to transact directly with one another. However, such growth also challenges participants to cope with information asymmetry about the quality of the offerings in the marketplace. By conducting an analysis of a P2P lending market, the authors propose and test a theory in which countersignaling provides a mechanism to attenuate information asymmetry about financial products (loans) offered on the platform. Data from a P2P lending website reveal significant, nonmonotonic relationships among the transmission of nonverifiable information, loan funding, and ex post loan quality, consistent with the proposed theory. The results provide insights for platform owners who seek to manage the level of information asymmetry in their P2P environments to create more balanced marketplaces, as well as for P2P participants interested in improving their ability to process information about the goods and services they seek to transact online.
Multiplicity of serogroups and adhesins in enteropathogenic and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from acute diarrhea in Senegal

Escherichia coli strains were isolated from 228 children with diarrhea in Senegal from 1982 to 1984. Among these E. coli involved in cases of diarrhea, we found that 20.3% were enteropathogenic E. coli. Only 3.9% of the strains adhered to the brush borders of human intestinal enterocytes, and they belonged to different serotypes. All these adhesion-positive strains possessed genes encoding for the heat-stable enterotoxin, but their adhesive factors were different regarding serology with anti-colonization factor sera, hemagglutination patterns, electron microscopy structures, or major surface protein subunits.
Continuous Monitoring of Cerebral Oxygen Saturation in Elderly Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery Minimizes Brain Exposure to Potential Hypoxia

Elderly patients are more prone than younger patients to develop cerebral desaturation because of the reduced physiologic reserve that accompanies aging. To evaluate whether monitoring cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) minimizes intraoperative cerebral desaturation, we prospectively monitored rSO2 in 122 elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery with general anesthesia. Patients were randomly allocated to an intervention group (the monitor was visible and rSO2 was maintained at ≥75% of preinduction values; n = 56) or a control group (the monitor was blinded and anesthesia was managed routinely; n = 66). Cerebral desaturation (rSO2 reduction <75% of baseline) was observed in 11 patients of the treatment group (20%) and 15 patients of the control group (23%) (P = 0.82). Mean (95% confidence intervals) values of mean rSO2 were higher (66% [64%–68%]) and the area under the curve below 75% of baseline (AUCrSO22< 75% of baseline) was lower (0.4 min% [0.1–0.8 min%]) in patients of the treatment group than in patients of the control group (61% [59%–63%] and 80 min% [2–144 min%], respectively; P = 0.002 and P = 0.017). When considering only patients developing intraoperative cerebral desaturation, a lower Mini Mental State Elimination (MMSE) score was observed at the seventh postoperative day in the control group (26 [25–30]) than in the treatment group (28 [26–30]) (P = 0.02), with a significant correlation between the AUCrSO2 < 75% of baseline and postoperative decrease in MMSE score from preoperative values (r2= 0.25, P = 0.01). Patients of the control group with intraoperative cerebral desaturation also experienced a longer time to postanesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge (47 min [13–56 min]) and longer hospital stay (24 days [7–53] days) compared with patients of the treatment group (25 min [15–35 min] and 10 days [7–23 days], respectively; P = 0.01 and P = 0.007). Using rSO2 monitoring to manage anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery reduces the potential exposure of the brain to hypoxia; this might be associated with decreased effects on cognitive function and shorter PACU and hospital stay.
Saudi Arabian Banks on the Web

The advent of Internet has set in motion an electronic revolution in the global banking sector since 1995. Internet banking has become a major fully-fledged distribution channel of banking products and services in developed world. Within one year of the introduction of internet service in Saudi Arabia, Saudi banks have at least decided on their Internet presence. 73% of the Saudi banks possess their own web sites and 25% of the web sites are offering full services over Internet. They are increasingly viewing the Internet as a key alternative delivery channel. However, there is no specific strategy for exploiting the opportunities offered by Internet. Hence, Saudi banks via Internet have much to improve in their Websites.
The influence of cultural values on green purchase behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of consumers’ collectivism and long-term orientation (LTO) cultural values on their purchase intention in relation to environment-friendly products. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a hypo-deductive research design. A unique conceptual model was developed by linking cultural values to key determinants of green purchase behaviour. This model was then tested using a quantitative survey of 682 shoppers in popular Vietnamese electrical appliance stores. Findings Analysis using structural equation modelling reveals that consumers with greater adherence to collectivism and LTO tend to engage in green purchase behaviour owing to their positive environmental attitudes, strong subjective norms and tolerance of inconvenience associated with eco-friendly product purchase. Gender is found to moderate the relationship between the determinants and purchase intention. Practical implications Marketers including manufacturers and policymakers must endeavour (change globally) to reduce or eliminate perceived inconvenience associated with green purchases. They should also effectively communicate messages stressing that eco-friendly product purchases are crucial for environmental protection and benefit consumer groups including family, peers and society in the long-run. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind which links consumers’ cultural values at a personal level to all the elements of the theory of planned behaviour. This research also extends current knowledge about green purchase behaviour in emerging markets by focussing on Vietnam.
A systematic review of future research challenges and prospects of organizational learning research in small medium size enterprises

Abstract This paper is a systematic review of studies on the implementation of organizational learning (OL) in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). The review demonstrates the need for a flexible but inclusive approach which accommodates nuances and complexities of SMEs’ dynamic operating environment and multiple stakeholders. Key findings from the study include recognition of the important role of informal and formal learning strategies, the need for a participatory approach towards learning and development of learning networks as part of communities of practices within SME clusters. Practical implications that emerge include the need for E-learning innovations that are relevant for SMEs, importance of context compatibility, the need for inclusive management practices and alignment of external training expertise with SMEs’ life cycle stage. A key research implication that emerges is the need for development of measurement scales to measure the various OL themes. Future research direction opportunities are also identified.