Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DMB Market and Audience Attitude

Since the late 1990s in Korea, there have been many users of mobile devices, and we have extended leisure time. The terrestrial broadcasting market is very competitive because a lot of media has emerged dividing the market. Therefore, terrestrial broadcasters introduced terrestrial DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) service to sustain audiences for the terrestrial broadcasting market and increase audience satisfaction. In Korea, telecommunication businesses are saturated, and wireless network operators, in their effort to diminish their revenue dependence on mobile voice services on one hand, and to recoup the huge investments made on third generation networks on the other, try to develop new services and business models such as DMB service. Consumer behavior research is critical toward accelerating the diffusion and consumer adoption of new media. However, consumer behavior in DMB has not yet been the subject of much research, though consumer adoption of DMB service is expanding rapidly in Korea. While there is much discussion on the emerging DMB service, there is still little evidence indicating what influences consumers in their decision to adopt DMB service and which specific features they would like included in the DMB service. This article examines behavioral intensions toward DMB service through consumer survey in Korea. More specifically, this study explores the specific using features of DMB service such as the motive for adoption, the satisfaction with DMB service, major using hours, and favorite contents. Additionally, this article investigates the favorite genre of consumers. This study is to explore the emerging marketing challenges in the field of DMB and provide direct managerial implications to the key-market players.
Mergers and acquisitions in family businesses: current literature and future insights

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of literature concerning mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in family businesses and to highlight areas for future research. Design/methodology/approach This literature review systematically analyses the findings of 41 journal articles on M&A in family businesses, identifying key thematic categories according to the main topics of the studies. Findings This study finds that it is important to distinguish and examine the type of governance, such as family and non-family, when studying M&A issues, because their distinctive features influence their strategic choices, business goals, and, thus, M&A behavior. Three topic areas are identified in existing research: M&A propensity, process, and performance. Furthermore, methodological and definitional issues regarding the findings are discussed. Research limitations/implications The findings imply that owing to their idiosyncratic nature, the use of alternative theoretical frameworks in addition to agency theory is encouraged in future studies in order to better capture the nature of family businesses. In general, further research on M&A issues in family business settings is needed, especially in the pre-merger phase, which is crucial to M&A performance. Social implications Overlooking particular issues that may arise in the context of transactions involving family businesses may lead to problems in M&A processes. Recognizing the importance of these issues in such transactions has important value for practitioners supporting family businesses in M&A processes. Originality/value This study takes the first step in analyzing the literature on M&A in family businesses, establishing linkages between family business, corporate governance, and financial management literature, and structuring the existing research to highlight opportunities with relevance for both theory and practice.
Retinoic acid stimulates myocardial expansion by induction of hepatic erythropoietin which activates epicardial Igf2

Epicardial signaling and Rxra are required for expansion of the ventricular myocardial compact zone. Here, we examine Raldh2–/– and Rxra–/– mouse embryos to investigate the role of retinoic acid (RA) signaling in this developmental process. The heart phenotypes of Raldh2 and Rxra mutants are very similar and are characterized by a prominent defect in ventricular compact zone growth. Although RA activity is completely lost in Raldh2–/– epicardium and the adjacent myocardium, RA activity is not lost in Rxra–/– hearts, suggesting that RA signaling in the epicardium/myocardium is not required for myocardial compact zone formation. We explored the possibility that RA-mediated target gene transcription in non-cardiac tissues is required for this process. We found that hepatic expression of erythropoietin (EPO), a secreted factor implicated in myocardial expansion, is dependent on both Raldh2 and Rxra. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies support Epo as a direct target of RA signaling in embryonic liver. Treatment of an epicardial cell line with EPO, but not RA, upregulates Igf2. Furthermore, both Raldh2–/– and Rxra–/– hearts exhibit downregulation of Igf2 mRNA in the epicardium. EPO treatment of cultured Raldh2–/– hearts restores epicardial Igf2 expression and rescues ventricular cardiomyocyte proliferation. We propose a new model for the mechanism of RA-mediated myocardial expansion in which RA directly induces hepatic Epo resulting in activation of epicardial Igf2 that stimulates compact zone growth. This RA-EPO-IGF2 signaling axis coordinates liver hematopoiesis with heart development.
The Effect of Social Security Information on the Labor Supply and Savings of Older Americans

This paper examines how older workers adjust their labor supply in response to information they receive about their retirement wealth from the provision of the Social Security Statement. We find that older male workers’ labor supply is highly responsive to receiving personalized information about future Social Security benefits, leading to a reduction of 119 hours worked per year, on average. However, our estimates point to significant heterogeneity in this response, with workers at the lower end of the hours-worked distribution increasing their labor supply and those at the high end decreasing their labor supply. We argue differences in knowledge about Social Security benefits across the labor supply distribution can explain much of this heterogeneity. We additionally explore the extent to which the information on the Statement may have led some workers to mistakenly reduce their labor supply by too much due to a lack of understanding of the dynamic nature of the Statement’s benefit projections with respect to earnings. Receipt of a second Statement led all but the lowest hour workers to increase their labor supply relative to workers who did not receive a second Statement. This is consistent with workers misunderstanding the information provided as accumulated rather than projected wealth. Our results point to older workers being very responsive to Social Security information, which highlights the need to accurately convey information about both pension wealth and its sensitivity to changes in earnings.
Influence of consonant environment on duration of vowels produced by normal-hearing, hearing-impaired, and deaf adult speakers.

The results of the present study have revealed that in a normal‐hearing and a hearing‐impaired population, vowels are significantly longer in duration in voiced‐consonant environment, when compared with a voiceless environment. Vowels were also significantly longer in duration in a fricative environment when compared to a plosive environment. For a deaf population, the same trends were evident although the differences were not significant.Subject Classification: [43]70.40, [43]70.75, [43]70.70; [43]65.64.
Adiabaticity in first-principles molecular dynamics.

Car-Parrinello-like simulations critically depend on the ability to control the drift of the electronic wave functions away from the instantaneous ground state. This problem, particularly severe for metals, is gaining more importance as the time scale of such simulations increases. Here a method is proposed that solves the problem by introducing two separate thermostats for ions and electrons, without adding to the computational cost. A detailed analysis of the nonadiabatic behavior leads to a strategy that minimizes the resulting errors. An application of the method to molten aluminum is presented.
Biochemical and cytological analysis of the complex periplasmic flagella from Spirochaeta aurantia

The periplasmic flagella of Spirochaeta aurantia were isolated and were found to be ultrastructurally and biochemically complex. Generally, flagellar filaments were 18 to 20 nm in diameter and appeared to consist of an 11 to 13-nm-wide inner region and an outer layer. The hook-basal body region consisted of two closely apposed disks connected to a hook by a rod. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified flagella together with a Western blot analysis of a motility mutant that produces hooks and basal bodies but not flagellar filaments revealed that the filaments were composed of three major polypeptides of 37,500, 34,000, and 31,500 apparent molecular weight (37.5K, 34K, and 31.5K polypeptides) and three minor polypeptides of 36,000, 33,000, and 32,000 apparent molecular weight (36K, 33K, and 32K polypeptides). Purified hook-basal body preparations were greatly enriched in three polypeptides in the range of 62,000 to 66,000 apparent molecular weight. Immunogold labeling experiments with a monoclonal antibody specific for the 37.5K flagellin and one that reacts with an epitope common to the 36K, 34K, 33K, 32K, and 31.5K flagellins revealed that the 37.5K major polypeptide was a component of the outer layer, whereas one or more of the other polypeptides constituted the core.
Novel techniques of the reduction of standby power consumption for multiple output converters

Recently, the reduction of a standby power consumption is significantly issued in the electronic and electrical industry for the conservation of environment. In the case of a switched mode power supply (SMPS), it is demanded high efficiency at extremely low load conditions by consumers. However, it is very different from high efficiency techniques at full load conditions. In addition, many SMPSs are designed as a multi-output circuit for various loads because of the cost down. This circuit is difficult to implement both the high efficiency and good cross regulation performance, simultaneously. In this paper, novel secondary side post regulator (SSPR), current mode control method, and power sequence control technique are proposed to reduce standby power consumption and to improve the cross regulation performance of the multi-output SMPSs which consist of a single or multiple converter. The proposed methods are analyzed by their operational principles and optimal designs verified by experimental results with 110 W and 270 W SMPSs.
The Relationship Between Aging and P Wave Dispersion

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF), commonly observed in advanced ages, displays striking age dependent increase and increased P wave dispersion (PWD) has been shown to be a predictor of AF. In this study we sought to determine whether P wave duration and PWD increase with aging. Method and Results: Eighty-three elderly subjects (group-I mean age 75±8 years) and 40 healthy young subjects (group-II, mean age 37±6 years) participated in this study. 12-lead ECG recorded at a paper speed of 50mm/s was obtained from each participant. Maximum (Pmax) and minimum P wave duration (Pmin) was measured manually with a caliper and the difference between two values was defined as PWD. Pmax and PWD were significantly higher in group-I compared to group-II. (98±8 vs. 93±8 p=0.01, 41±12 vs. 34±13 p=0.002, respectively). Among the elderly population when those with cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure were excluded, Pmax and PWD were still significantly higher than the young population. (Pmax: 98±7 vs. 93±7, p=0.02 and PWD: 42±11 vs. 34±13, p=0.002). Moreover, on correlation analysis a positive correlation was detected between Pmax and PWD and aging. (r=0.29, p=0.004; r=0.30, p=0.003 respectively). Conclusion: PWD shows age dependent increase and may be a useful marker for estimation the risk of developing AF seen in advanced ages
Exploring the benefits of implementing ISO14001 in Electricity Transmission Utilities : an Eskom study

i Preface. ii Abbreviations and Acronyms . iii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Background of the study . 1 1.2 Research aims and objectives . 4 1.3 Chapter summary . 5 Chapter 2: Research Methodology . 6 2.
Galaxies–intergalactic medium interaction calculation – I. Galaxy formation as a function of large-scale environment

[Abridged] We present the first results of hydrodynamical simulations that follow the formation of galaxies to z=0 in spherical regions of radius ~20 Mpc/h drawn from the Millennium Simulation. The regions have overdensities that deviate by (-2, -1, 0, +1, +2)sigma from the cosmic mean, where sigma is the rms mass fluctuation on a scale of ~20Mpc/h at z=1.5. The simulations have mass resolution of up to 10^6 Msun/h, cover the entire range of large-scale environments and allow extrapolation of statistics to the entire 500 (Mpc/h)^3 Millennium volume. They include gas cooling, photoheating from an ionising background, SNe feedback and winds, but no AGN. We find that the specific SFR density at z <~ 10 varies systematically from region to region by up to an order of magnitude, but the global value, averaged over all volumes, reproduces observational data. Massive, compact galaxies, similar to those observed in the GOODS fields, form in the overdense regions as early as z=6, but do not appear in the underdense regions until z~3. These environmental variations are not caused by a dependence of the star formation properties on environment, but rather by a strong variation of the halo mass function from one environment to another, with more massive haloes forming preferentially in the denser regions. At all epochs, stars form most efficiently in haloes of circular velocity ~ 250 km/s. However, the star formation history exhibits a form of "downsizing" (even in the absence of AGN): the stars comprising massive galaxies at z=0 have mostly formed by z=1-2, whilst those comprising smaller galaxies typically form at later times. However, additional feedback is required to limit star formation in massive galaxies at late times.
Effects of regulatory BC1 RNA deletion on synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory

Nonprotein coding dendritic BC1 RNA regulates translation of mRNAs in neurons. We examined two lines of BC1 knockout mice and report that loss of BC1 RNA exaggerates group I mGluR-stimulated LTD of the Schaffer collateral synapse, with one of the lines showing a much more enhanced DHPG-induced LTD than the other. When the animals were given the hippocampus-synaptic plasticity-dependent active place avoidance task, learning and memory were impaired in the BC1-KO line with the more severely altered DHPG-induced LTD. These findings indicate a role for BC1 RNA control of mGluR-dependent synaptic function in hippocampus and associated cognitive ability.
A Localized Model for Residential Property Valuation: Nearest Neighbor with Attribute Differences

A special type of spatial dependence model has been developed for the valuation of residential property by using a Bayesian approach which takes into account the unique attributes of Hong Kong property. Inspired by an approach that bases transactions on nearest neighbor estimation, the current model has fine-tuned the spatial dependence method of deriving value from the transactions of the real estate closest in proximity by factoring in differences in structural and auxiliary attributes for more precise property valuation. The model is established on a dataset that covers all residential real estate transactions in a new town in Hong Kong during a given period of time. This model excels other valuation methods with its unique reference to attribute differences, which may impact the valuation results of properties in close vicinity. With this calibration method, we hope to improve the accuracy of real estate appraisals, thus enabling potential homeowners, lenders and investors to make better informed decisions.
Placing links in mobile banking application

This study compares two alternative ways to organize links as navigation elements in mobile banking applications. For the comparison, two alternative banking applications were tested. The applications that were tested had the same content but different ways to navigate with links. One of them provided a system where the user was required to use specific menu pages for navigation and where there were no cross-navigation enabling links on content pages. The other application had cross-navigation enabling links on content pages. The comparison was done by conducting a usability test with 30 test users. The users' performance and subjective feedback were measured in the test. The application with links hierarchically beneath each other on menu pages and having no cross-navigating links on content pages was considered better by the test users than the application with cross-navigation enabling links on content pages. In addition to their academic contribution, the study results can guide the development of current mobile banking services for the participating bank and the development of mobile application guidelines for the participating handset manufacturer. We also believe that the study results can be generalized over other mobile internet applications.
Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients with Acute Leukemia and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Patients with acute leukemia (AL) and hematologic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients are at increased risk for the development of invasive fungal infections (IFI) due to prolonged neutropenia and severe immunosupression. The incidence of IFI in these patients has increased in recent years [1], which likely reflects changes in clinical practice including escalation of treatment intensity; more frequent use of unrelated, mismatched or alternative donors as stem cell source; rising number of multiple transplantations; and more frequent use of T-cell depleted grafts [2-3]. IFI are associated with high morbidity and mortality in the patients with AL and represent a leading cause of infectious mortality in allogeneic HCT (allo-HCT) recipients. Therefore, effective preventive strategies, accurate diagnostic techniques and optimal treatment approaches are required for an optimal management of high risk patients with AL and HCT recipients.
GEE for Multinomial Responses Using a Local Odds Ratios Parameterization

In this article, we propose a generalized estimating equations (GEE) approach for correlated ordinal or nominal multinomial responses using a local odds ratios parameterization. Our motivation lies upon observing that: (i) modeling the dependence between correlated multinomial responses via the local odds ratios is meaningful both for ordinal and nominal response scales and (ii) ordinary GEE methods might not ensure the joint existence of the estimates of the marginal regression parameters and of the dependence structure. To avoid (ii), we treat the so‐called “working” association vector α as a “nuisance” parameter vector that defines the local odds ratios structure at the marginalized contingency tables after tabulating the responses without a covariate adjustment at each time pair. To estimate α and simultaneously approximate adequately possible underlying dependence structures, we employ the family of association models proposed by Goodman. In simulations, the parameter estimators with the proposed GEE method for a marginal cumulative probit model appear to be less biased and more efficient than those with the independence “working” model, especially for studies having time‐varying covariates and strong correlation.
Personalized Differential Privacy Preserving Data Aggregation for Smart Homes

The aggregation of residents’ private data drives improvements in the smart homes, however it comes with compromising on privacy. Hence, privacy preservation has become an increasing requirement for residents. Since users might have different privacy requirements, and their privacy requirements might be sensitive information, smart homes need a privacy preservation scheme to meet their demands. In this scheme, a user preserves the privacy of his/her data and privacy level locally by specifying his own privacy level in confidence, without trusting anyone else in smart homes. In addition, a user replies a single data element to the collector each time, instead of the whole dataset. It makes the scheme more challenging than the traditional centralized situation. In this paper, we propose a novel personalized local differential privacy preservation scheme for smart homes, which retains desirable utility while providing rigorous privacy guarantee. Keywords-smart homes; aggregation; differential privacy;
Palatability and Antipredator Response of Yosemite Toads (Anaxyrus canorus) to Nonnative Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California

Abstract In the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Yosemite Toads (Anaxyrus canorus) have declined throughout their range where Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have been widely introduced. Amphibians that evolved in fishless habitats often lack the necessary chemical defenses and behavioral responses to avoid predation. True Toads (family Bufonidae), however, possess noxious chemicals that often deter predators. Our goal was to test whether eggs, tadpoles, and postmetamorphic toads of A. canorus are a palatable food source for S. fontinalis, assess the antipredator behavior of tadpoles of A. canorus by exposing them to various predator chemical cues, and determine sublethal effects on three lifestages of A. canorus from sampling by S. fontinalis. We found that eggs, tadpoles, and postmetamorphic toads of A. canorus exhibit absolute unpalatability to S. fontinalis. In addition, tadpoles of A. canorus did not exhibit a significant difference in behavior when exposed to chemical stimuli. Moreover, observational experiments revealed that trout would sample, then reject lifestages of A. canorus unharmed, while trout readily consumed tadpoles of Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla). We therefore infer that early lifestages of A. canorus likely possess existing chemical defenses as a result of interactions with native predators that adequately protect them from nonnative trout predation. Although trout removal often leads to the recovery of other Sierra Nevada amphibian populations, trout removal would likely have no effect on populations of A. canorus given our results. Therefore, we suggest that other factors thought to be contributing toward A. canorus decline should be investigated before efforts are concentrated on removing trout from toad habitats.
A dynamic real-time benchmark for assessment of QoS and resource management technology

The paper presents DynBench, a benchmark suite that is representative of the emerging generation of dynamic real time distributed systems. The characteristics and architecture of the benchmark application suite are described. Additionally, the paper discusses the DynBench environment, which includes: (1) a technique for specification of "repeatable" dynamic execution scenarios; (2) mechanisms for control (start, stop, replicate and move) of the benchmark applications; (3) interfaces for collection of QoS metrics from the benchmark applications; and (4) an infrastructure for collection of metrics for assessment of adaptive resource management algorithms. The effectiveness of the benchmark for discriminating between good and bad QoS and resource management algorithms is shown via extensive experimentation.