Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Mixed-Media Dirichlet Multinomial Distribution: A Model for Evaluating Television-Magazine Advertising Schedules

Increasing awareness of the qualitative differences between television and magazine advertisements and the resulting inference that a response to a television ad is much different from a response to a magazine ad suggest the appropriateness of a model which jointly evaluates an advertising schedule including both television and magazines. The mixed-media Dirichlet multinomial distribution model proposed estimates the joint frequency distribution of exposure of such a mixed-media advertising schedule and evaluates response under a variety of alternative theoretical assumptions. An empirical test is performed to evaluate the accuracy of the model, and the model's performance is compared with that of models with different theoretical assumptions. The results have important implications for media planning, with a strong case being made for coordinated planning of the television and magazine advertising schedules.
Destination India: Investigating the impact of Goa's attributes on families' leisure travel experience

Th e recent discourse of tourism development among offi cials within the Government of India has included the state of Goa, mainly because it has consistently witnessed positive economic impacts from tourism. However, in view of competition from other destinations, Goan tourism planners will need to identify important attributes of Goa that will positively aff ect tourists' destination loyalty. Th is study examines the correlation between fi ve attributes of Goa and tourists' loyalty to Goa. Families traveling to Goa are targeted in this research because they represent a signifi cant portion (39.5%) of the overall tourist arrivals in 2012. A sample of 258 families was collected, through convenience sampling, at the departure hall of Goa's Dabolim Airport between September and October 2012. Th e fi ndings of the study revealed that all the attributes investigated have exerted destination loyalty. Moreover, price and accessibility are found to the least signifi cant infl uence on the loyalty to Goa, Th ese fi ndings contradict those from past studies on individual travelers. Implications of the fi ndings along with suggestions for future research for the tourism industry are also presented in the fi nal section of this paper.
Analog Precoder and Equalizer Designs and their Geometry for Multichannel Communication

This is a paper on modulation theory that addresses joint analog precoder and equalizer design for multichannel data transmission over the frequency-selective additive Gaussian noise (AGN) channel. The design goal is to maximize mutual information rate, minimize the mean square error, or minimize the bit error rate subject to a transmit power constraint. We assume a continuous channel model with precoder transmissions for m subchannels that lie in an n-dimensional linear subspace of L2(R). m and n are design parameters. We first design the subspace according to the channel characteristics, and then design the precoders as functions in this subspace. After the design of the optimal precoder and equalizer, we explore the geometry of these designs. We show that all of these precoder and equalizer designs are, in fact, decompositions of a virtual two- channel problem into a system of canonical coordinates, wherein variables in the canonical message channel are correlated only pairwise with corresponding variables in the canonical measurement channel. This finding clarifies the geometry of precoder and equalizer designs and illustrates that they decompose the two-channel communication problem into what might be called the Shannon channel.
On a pleuropneumonia-like organism in lung lesions of rats, with notes on the clinical and pathological features of the underlying condition

1. A pleuropneumonia-like organism resembling L1 in all characteristic features has been isolated from a well-known lung condition of rats of hitherto obscure etiology in seventeen out of nineteen cases. 2. Morphological elements which presumably initiate growth in culture have been demonstrated microscopically in the lesions. 3. Streptobacillus moniliformis (i.e. L1 plus Streptobacillus) is a frequent inhabitant of the nasopharynx of rats with lung lesions; it may secondarily invade the lungs as it is found in severe cases together with the L1 organism. 4. An account is presented of the clinical and pathological features of the underlying condition with which the newly discovered bacteriological findings are associated. 5. The precise role played by the L1 organism in the pathogenesis of the lung lesions in rats has still to be established and further experiments with this end in view are in progress.
Evaluation of the MicroSeq System for Identification of Mycobacteria by 16S Ribosomal DNA Sequencing and Its Integration into a Routine Clinical Mycobacteriology Laboratory

ABSTRACT An evaluation of the MicroSeq 500 microbial identification system by nucleic acid sequencing and the Mayo Clinic experience with its integration into a routine clinical laboratory setting are described. Evaluation of the MicroSeq 500 microbial identification system was accomplished with 59 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains and 328 clinical isolates of mycobacteria identified by conventional and 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing by using the MicroSeq 500 microbial identification system. Nucleic acid sequencing identified 58 of 59 (98.3%) ATCC strains to the species level or to the correct group or complex level. The identification results for 219 of 243 clinical isolates (90.1%) with a distance score of <1% were concordant with the identifications made by phenotypic methods. The remaining 85 isolates had distance scores of >1%; 35 (41.1%) were identified to the appropriate species level or group or complex level; 13 (15.3%) were identified to the species level. All 85 isolates were determined to be mycobacterial species, either novel species or species that exhibited significant genotypic divergence from an organism in the database with the closest match. Integration of nucleic acid sequencing into the routine mycobacteriology laboratory and use of the MicroSeq 500 microbial identification system and Mayo Clinic databases containing additional genotypes of common species and added species significantly reduced the number of organisms that could not be identified by phenotypic methods. The turnaround time was shortened to 24 h, and results were reported much earlier. A limited number of species could not be differentiated from one another by 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing; however, the method provides for the identification of unusual species and more accurate identifications and offers the promise of being the most accurate method available.
Glycoprotein gL-Independent Infectivity of Pseudorabies Virus Is Mediated by a gD-gH Fusion Protein

ABSTRACT Envelope glycoproteins gH and gL, which form a complex, are conserved throughout the family Herpesviridae. The gH-gL complex is essential for the fusion between the virion envelope and the cellular cytoplasmic membrane during penetration and is also required for direct viral cell-to-cell spread from infected to adjacent noninfected cells. It has been proposed for several herpesviruses that gL is required for proper folding, intracellular transport, and virion localization of gH. In pseudorabies virus (PrV), glycoprotein gL is necessary for infectivity but is dispensable for virion localization of gH. A virus mutant lacking gL, PrV-ΔgLβ, is defective in entry into target cells, and direct cell-to-cell spread is drastically reduced, resulting in only single or small foci of infected cells (B. G. Klupp, W. Fuchs, E. Weiland, and T. C. Mettenleiter, J. Virol. 71:7687–7695, 1997). We used this limited cell-to-cell spreading ability of PrV-ΔgLβ for serial passaging of cells infected with transcomplemented virus by coseeding with noninfected cells. After repeated passaging, plaque formation was restored and infectivity in the supernatant was observed. One single-plaque isolate, designated PrV-ΔgLPass, was further characterized. To identify the mutation leading to this gL-independent infectious phenotype, Southern and Western blot analyses, radioimmunoprecipitations, and DNA sequencing were performed. The results showed that rearrangement of a genomic region comprising part of the gH gene into a duplicated copy of part of the unique short region resulted in a fusion fragment predicted to encode a protein consisting of the N-terminal 271 amino acids of gD fused to the C-terminal 590 residues of gH. Western blotting and radioimmunoprecipitation with gD- and gH-specific antibodies verified the presence of a gDH fusion protein. To prove that this fusion protein mediates infectivity of PrV-ΔgLPass, cotransfection of PrV-ΔgLβ DNA with the cloned fusion fragment was performed, and a cell line, Nde-67, carrying the fusion gene was established. After cotransfection, infectious gL-negative PrV was recovered, and propagation of PrV-ΔgLβ on Nde-67 cells produced infectious virions. Thus, a gDH fusion polypeptide can compensate for function of the essential gL in entry and cell-to-cell spread of PrV.
Consequences of Tibial Tunnel Reaming on the Meniscal Roots During Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Cadaveric Model, Part 1

Background: The current standard for treating complete tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is reconstruction, which requires reaming a tibial tunnel. Based on recent anatomic and biomechanical studies, this reconstruction tunnel may cause injuries to the anterior meniscal root attachments. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to determine if injuries occurred to the anteromedial (AM) and anterolateral (AL) meniscal root attachments because of reaming a tibial reconstruction tunnel in the anatomic center of the ACL footprint. It was hypothesized that tibial tunnel reaming for ACL reconstruction would result in significant decreases in the attachment area and in ultimate failure strength for the AL root. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twelve matched pairs of human cadaveric knees were tested. One knee from each pair remained intact, while the contralateral knee was reamed with a tibial tunnel for an anatomic ACL reconstruction. The attachment areas of the anterior meniscal roots were measured with a coordinate measuring device before and after tunnel reaming. The anterior meniscal roots were then pulled to failure with a dynamic tensile testing machine. Results: There was a significant mean decrease in the attachment area for the AL root (%Δ, 38%; 95% CI, 25-51) after ACL tunnel reaming compared with the intact state (P = .003). The mean ultimate failure strength of the native AL root (mean, 610 N; 95% CI, 470-751) was significantly stronger (P = .015) than that of the AL root with a reamed ACL reconstruction tunnel (mean, 506 N; 95% CI, 353-659). Tunnel reaming did not significantly affect the AM root attachment area or ultimate failure strength. Conclusion: Tibial tunnel reaming during anatomic single-bundle ACL reconstruction significantly decreased the AL meniscal root attachment area and ultimate failure strength. The AM root was not significantly affected by reaming of the ACL reconstruction tunnel. Future studies should investigate the clinical importance of these iatrogenic injuries to the AL root. Clinical Relevance: The ACL reconstruction tunnels reamed in the center of the ACL tibial footprint caused a significant decrease in the attachment area and ultimate strength of the AL meniscal root attachment. Clinically, repositioning guide pins placed in the lateral aspect of the ACL attachment before tibial tunnel reaming may minimize iatrogenic injuries to the AL meniscal root attachment.
Dynamic path replanning algorithm for data gathering AUV

Underwater dynamics can include static and dynamic obstacles and drift. Following the estimated shortest path for Autonomous underwater vehicle(AUVs) to reach the target location is impractical due to these underwater dynamics. Thus an efficient path replanning mechanism for AUVs that attempt to re-align itself with the estimated shortest path is required. This paper presents an efficient algorithm which estimates path dynamically towards the target. It uses a local search approach using image acquisition and segmentation that is simple to implement. A delay of 2 milliseconds is considered between capturing of two successive images on every local search to check the direction of movement of obstacle. The proposed algorithm re-plan its path from source to target faster and near to shortest distance in dynamic underwater scenario. Experiments were conducted to study the percentage deviation in the re-planned path distance to the target location indicated an average of 6.5 percent and 50 percent deviation for the cases of no drift and with drift respectively from the original shortest path distance.
The management of export marketing in engineering industries

Represents some of the preliminary results of a research project being undertaken at the University of Salford (UK), into the management of export marketing in the textile machinery, agricultural machinery, and mechanical handling equipment industries. Bases analysis on information obtained in interviews with top executives in the 40 firms so far visited, of varying size and covering all the major sections of the three industries. States the standard of export marketing is not solely a function of the size and resources of individual firms – it also depends on the extent to which the policy makers in a firm are prepare to gear its operations to overseas markets. Concludes in the last resort it is the firms that must do the exporting, and it is directors” and managers” quality that determines their response to improvements in services and incentives.
Neural information processing with dynamical synapses

Experimental data have consistently revealed that the neuronal connection weight, which models the efficacy of firing of a pre-synaptic neuron in modulating the state of the post-synaptic neuron, varies on short time scales, ranging from tens to thousands of milliseconds (Markram and Tsodyks, 1996; Zucker and Regehr, 2002). This is called short-term plasticity (STP). Two types of STP, with opposite effects on the connection efficacy, have been observed in experiments, which are known as short-term depression (STD) and short-term facilitation (STF). Computational studies have explored the impact of STP on single neuron and network dynamics, and found that STP can generate very rich intrinsic dynamical behaviors, including adaptation, temporal filtering, damped oscillation, state hopping with transient population spike, traveling front and pulse, spiral wave, rotating bump state, robust self-organized critical activity and so on. These studies also strongly suggest that STP may play many important roles in neural computation. For instances, STD may generate a dynamic control mechanism that allows equal fractional changes on rapidly and slowly firing afferents to produce post-synaptic responses, realizing Weber's law (Abbott et al., 1997); STD may generate a mechanism to close down network activity naturally, achieving iconic sensory memory (Fung et al., 2012); STD may provide a mechanism for memory searching by destabilizing attractor states (Torres et al., 2007); and STF may provide a mechanism for implementing work memory without recruiting neural firing (Mongillo et al., 2008). From the computational point of view, the time scale of STP resides between fast neural signaling (on the order of milliseconds) and slow experience-induced learning (on the order of minutes or above), and it is on the time order of many important temporal processes occurring in our daily lives, such as motion control, speech recognition and working memory. Thus, STP may serve as a substrate for neural systems manipulating temporal information on the relevant time scales. This Research Topic presents new results in the study of STP and summarizes some recent progress in the field. It includes the works on analyzing the phenomenological models of STP, the effects of STP on single neuron and network dynamics, and the roles of STP in a number of neural information processes.
Effect of ultrasound‐induced hyperthermia and cis‐diamminedichloride platinum II on murine renal function

Murine renal function was evaluated after ultrasound‐induced kidney hyperthermia (42.5°C and 46,5%deg; C for 35 minutes) and the administration of cis‐diamminedichloride platinum II (8 mg/kg). A quantitative immunonephelometric technique was employed to determine urinary total protein (TP) and albumin (Alb) 1–180 days post‐treatment. Hyperthermia of 46.5°C elevated urinary TP excretion significantly more than that of 42.5°C cis‐diamminedichloride platinum (Cis DDP) administration greatly increased urine TP with a peak mean TP concentration of 488 μg/ml, four days after Cis DDP (normal range was 26–48 μg/ml). This returned to normal by day 14. The TP excretion after 42.5°C hyperthermia with concurrent Cis DDP was similar to Cis DDP alone, implying there was no potentiation of early or late Cis‐DDP‐induced renal damage by hyperthermia. Late mouse mortality was greater (P = 0.08) after Cis DDP alone, than Cis DDP with 42.5°C hyperthermia. There was a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) in the Alb/TP exccetion ratio after the addition of 42.5°C hyperthermia to Cis DDP, implying an alteration in the site or nature of the Cis DDP renal lesion by hyperthermia.
The process and experience of implementing the Balanced scorecard technique: A case study of Stanbic Bank Ltd, Nairobi

This study aims at establishing how the Balanced Scorecard as a Performance Measurement tool was implemented at Stanbic Bank. Kenya. The Balanced Scorecard is a new Management technique for measuring business performance by applying the financial as well as non-financial performance measures. It is an improvement over the traditional performance measurement technique, which only recognised the financial measures. However, in Kenya the concept is still new and most organizations still don't even know about it. while most of those who have heard about it still do not have adequate information on how it can be implemented and its effects. The study reported here was conducted in the months of August and September 2002 using a case study of Stanbic Bank Kenya. The objectives o f the study were to find out:• How the Balanced Scorecard technique was communicated to the employees of Stanbic Bank. Kenya • The process (key activities) and strategies used by the Bank to implement the Balanced Scorecard System and • The experiences and the perception of the employees on the implementation o f the Balanced Scorecard System. The data was collected through two sets o f questionnaires (one completed by the leader o f the implementation team and the other completed by the uniomsable staff representative). A structured interview schedule was also used. The data was then analyzed through content analysis, comparing the data from the three data collection instruments. A summary and conclusion was then drawn after discussing the research findings From the study, it was established that Stanbic Bank had systematically undertaken specific steps in implementing the system. Effective communication of the concept to the employees was a key activity in the pre-implementation stage. It was also established that at the initial stages of implementing the system, most o f the Bank's employees were skeptical about the system. The Bank has in this respect put in place certain strategies in order to positively change the attitude, increase awareness and facilitate acceptance of the system among the employees. Such strategies include: training and coaching, creating commitment at the top, linking the new systems with effective compensation or reward program, and breaking down of organizational barriers. In his conclusion, the researcher outlines recommendations for effective implementation o f the system. The researcher also recognizes the limitations o f the study and suggests areas of further research.
Contribution of a Thickened Cell Wall and Its Glutamine Nonamidated Component to the Vancomycin Resistance Expressed by Staphylococcus aureus Mu50

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus Mu50, which has reduced susceptibility to vancomycin, has a remarkably thickened cell wall with an increased proportion of glutamine nonamidated muropeptides. In addition, Mu50 had enhanced glutamine synthetase andl-glutamine d-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase activities, which are involved in the cell-wall peptidoglycan synthesis pathway. Furthermore, significantly increased levels of incorporation of 14C-labeledd-glucose into the cell wall was observed in Mu50. Unlike afemC mutant S. aureus strain, increased levels of production of nonamidated muropeptides in Mu50 was not caused by lower levels of glutamine synthetase activity but was considered to be due to the glutamine depletion caused by increased glucose utilization by the cell to biosynthesize increased amounts of peptidoglycan. After the cells were allowed to synthesize cell wall in the absence or presence of glucose and glutamine, cells with different cell-wall thicknesses and with cell walls with different levels of cross-linking were prepared, and susceptibility testing of these cells demonstrated a strong correlation between the cell-wall thickness and the degree of vancomycin resistance. Affinity trapping of vancomycin molecules by the cell wall and clogging of the outer layers of peptidoglycan by bound vancomycin molecules were considered to be the mechanism of vancomycin resistance of Mu50. The reduced cross-linking and the increased affinity of binding to vancomycin of the Mu50 cell wall presumably caused by the increased proportion of nonamidated muropeptides may also contribute to the resistance to some extent.
Çalışma Sermaye Yönetiminin Firma Karlılığı Üzerine Etkisi: Panel Veri Analizi

This study aims to examine the effects of working capital management on firms’ profitability by using panel data analysis. We used panel data obtained from firms operating in food and beverages sector listed on Borsa Istanbul for 2009-2013 period. The results show that cash conversion period has an insignificant negative effect on firms’ profitability. Also accounts collection period and current ratio have a negative and significant effect on firms’ profitability. These findings imply that finance managers can increase profitability of firms by managing their working capital in an efficient way.
Cytogenetics in oncology: From hematologic malignancies to solid tumors

Abstrak Walaupun saat ini kanker dikenal sebagai penyakit yang berkaitan dengan lingkungan dan muncul secara sporadis, namun kanker dipertimbangkan sebagai suatu penyakit genetik karena adanya mutasi gen sebagai faktor yang konsisten. Kromosom Philadelphia yang ditemukan pada pasien-pasien leukemia granulositik kronik (LGK) merupakan penemuan kelainan kromosom bermakna pertama yang berkaitan dengan jenis keganasan tertentu. Berawal dari penemuan ini, sitogenetika yang mempelajari kromosom telah menjadi perangkat yang berharga dalam penatalaksanaan kanker – membantu penegakan diagnosis, panduan terapi, dan petanda prognosis. Pada kegananasan hematologi, kelainan kromosom sebagian besar ditemukan pada sumsum tulang, dan penemuan tersebut lebih patognomonik. Keadaan yang berbeda ditemukan pada tumor padat, dimana saat tumor terlihat dengan mata telanjang telah terjadi perubahan kromosom yang kompleks sehingga menimbulkan kesulitan teknis bagi para ahli sitogenetika. Namun para ilmuwan percaya bahwa adanya kemajuan dalam teknologi kromosom, dari sitogenetika konvensional menjadi sitogenetika molekuler, akan menyediakan informasi lebih lanjut, berkaitan dengan tumor padat. (Med J Indones 2009; 18: 69-75)