Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topographic Organization of Ascending Dopaminergic Projections a

Our understanding of the topographic organization of ascending dopaminergic projections from the midbrain has changed during the past quarter century. The years from 1964 to 1978’-’ were dominated by the concept that dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SN), also known as the A9 group, project to the striatum, forming the nigrostriatal pathway. The DA neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) were thought to give rise to the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways. Thus, the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic systems could be separated on the basis of the lateral-medial (A9-A10) position of the parent DA neurons in the midbrain. In 1978, it was shown that there is another level of complexity in the topography of ascending DA projection~. ~,’ Using combined histochemical, biochemical, anterograde autoradiographic tracing, and HRP retrograde tracing techniques, we observed that the A9 and A10 neurons formed a continuum, with both groups contributing to the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic systems. The topography of the projections were organized in three planes, including a medial-lateral organization, a crude anterior-posterior organization, and a reversed dorsal-ventral organization. It appeared that it was the dorsal-ventral plane that segregated the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic projections. The ventral sheet of A9 and A10 neurons project to the striatum and the dorsal A9 and A10 neurons give rise to the mesocorticolimbic and, to a lesser extent, the nigrostriatal pathways6,’ (the A8 projections are dealt with by A. Deutch in this volume). Because of the dual contribution of the A9 and A10 neurons to both the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic projections, the ascending midbrain DA projections to the forebrain were renamed the mesotelencephalic system, with the subsystems named the mesostriatal and mesocorticolimbic (or mesolimbocortical) systems (for a review, see reference 8). New levels of complexity in these DA systems have recently been presented. It is becoming apparent that “limbic” structures such as the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and olfactory tubercle have “striatal” components and that “striatal” structures such as the caudate-putamen have limbic components (for a review, see reference 9). For example, the caudate-putamen can be subdivided into “patch” and “matrix” compartments, with the patch compartment receiving a prelimbic cortical input and the matrix compartment receiving a neocortical input. The DA input to the patch compart-
CUSTOMER LOYALTY - THE MAJOR GOAL OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

This paper presents the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) and customer loyalty for any organization that whishes to be successful and competitive in the market. A new emphasis in marketing and CRM is more and more widespread - creating customer relationships.In a competitive environment, the organizations have to focus their efforts towards continuous meeting both current and potential needs of all their customers. Many organizations have to consider how to enter a market and then build and protect its competitive position. Traditional marketing has focused on the final consumer seeking to promote brand values and to generate forced demand on the company's product market. The development of the concepts of segmentation, targeting and positioning signified the organizations' refocusing from the market approach as a whole, respectively the "mass market", to targeting and positioning strategies developed to suit the characteristics of the target segments chosen by the organization. The emergence and development of a distinct concept of customer relationship management and CRM software solutions design led to increasing focus on customer organization strategy. In addition to the strategy dedicated to a particular target segment, organizations have begun to design strategies and programs aimed at developing strategic relationships with specific strategic customers.The purpose of any customer relationship strategy should be customer acquisition and retention.Organizations should strive to develop CRM strategies to maintain and strengthen customer loyalty of the important customers
A prototype of an anchoring and extending intestinal micro-robot and an in vitro experiment

In order to minimize the invasiveness of intestinal disease diagnosis and surgery, we propose an anchoring and extending micro-robot. The gait of the micro-robot was designed according to the biomechanical features of the intestinal tract. The locomotion condition showed that the anchoring capability and extending ability should be balanced to enhance locomotion efficiency. The mechanical and control system was designed and fabricated under the requirements of the locomotive model. The assembled micro-robot was 90 mm in length and 13 mm in diameter. The micro-robot prototype was tested in in vitro experiments; its locomotion efficiency was approximately 100% in an ideal environment, but around 50% in a pig’s small bowel (20 mm in diameter). The in vitro experiment results demonstrated that the gait is feasible for locomotion in the small bowel although the diameter of the small bowel is a limiting factor.
How Do Institutional Environments Affect Directors' Behaviors and Their Effectiveness?

We examine how institutional environments affect outside directors’ behaviors and their effectiveness. Extant research on the board of directors has indicated that outside directors play a significant role in exercising independent control over management and providing resources. However, we know little about whether and how the relative importance of the two functions varies across different institutional environments characterized by distinct dominant exchange modes (contractual vs. relational). By differentiating between relationship-based and contractbased exchange regimes, we develop a conceptual model to show how the differences in transaction structures influence the relative importance of outside directors as monitors and resource providers, and consequently the effectiveness of outside directors. We also argue that the relative emphasis on the two roles is contingent on culture. Furthermore, taking a dynamic perspective of institutions, we explore how outside directors’ behaviors change as institutions evolve from a relational one into a contractual one.
Quantification of exponential Na+ current activation in N‐bromoacetamide‐treated cardiac myocytes of guinea‐pig.

1. The activation kinetics of the Na+ current was investigated in single ventricular cells of the guinea‐pig heart using an improved oil‐gap voltage clamp method. The inactivation of the current was removed by an intracellular application of N‐bromoacetamide (NBA) for less than 1 min. Although the NBA treatment slightly decreased the peak amplitudes (81.7 +/‐ 13.4% of control, n = 15), the Na+ current remained stable after the removal of inactivation. 2. On depolarization, the activation of Na+ current took an exponential time course after the capacitive current decreased to 5% of its peak amplitude (40‐100 microseconds after the pulse onset). The time course of deactivation, recorded on repolarization from 1.2 ms depolarization, was also a single exponential. 3. The time constants of activation and deactivation were almost identical when compared at a given test potential within a range of ‐50 to ‐30 mV. These findings indicate that the cardiac Na+ current activation is determined by m1 kinetics, or one rate‐limiting step. 4. At potentials negative to ‐60 mV, the deactivation was complete, and its time constant decreased e‐fold per 20.3 +/‐ 1.8 mV hyperpolarization (n = 7). 5. The degree of steady‐state activation (m(infinity)) was fitted to a Boltzmann equation with a slope factor of 7.4 +/‐ 0.3 mV and a half‐maximum potential of ‐33.3 +/‐ 0.8 mV (n = 8). 6. Rate constants for the rate‐limiting activation step between a closed state and an open state (alpha m, beta m), were determined from m(infinity) and tau m over a potential range between ‐100 and +50 mV. On a logarithmic scale, beta m‐1 was a linear function of the membrane potential over the range ‐100 and ‐30 mV. 7. Fitting the newly determined activation kinetics to the rising phase of the action potential indicated that the activation kinetics in the present study is relevant to the physiological action potential. The density of the Na+ channels thus obtained was 1075 +/‐ 186 pF‐1 (n = 6). 8. The measurements in the NBA‐treated Na+ current were compared with those obtained without treatment.
Comparison of the Roche COBAS Amplicor™ Monitor, Roche COBAS Ampliprep™/COBAS Taqman™ and Abbott RealTime™ Test assays for quantification of hepatitis C virus and HIV RNA

Abstract Background: We have evaluated the performance of two newly developed automated real-time PCR assays, the COBAS Ampliprep™/COBAS TaqMan™ (CAP/CTM) and the Abbott RealTime tests, in the quantification of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA. The widely used semi-automated COBAS Amplicor™ Monitor (CAM) assay served as the reference test. Methods: Several specimens were analyzed, including 102 plasma samples from HCV patients and 109 from HIV patients and 10 samples from negative donors, as well as Quality Control in Molecular Diagnostics (QCMD) and National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls (NIBSC) proficiency program panels. Results: Good correlation was observed among the three assays, with correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.8 (CAM-CAP/CTM), 0.89 (CAM-RealTime) and 0.91 (CAP/CTM-RealTime) for HCV and 0.83 (CAM-RealTime), 0.85 (CAM-CAP/CTM) and 0.89 (CAP/CTM-RealTime) for HIV. The overall concordance for negative/positive results was 100% for HCV and 98% for HIV. All assays were equally able to quantify HCV genotypes 1, 3, 5 and HIV group M (subtypes A–H) and N from QCMD and NIBSC panels. In terms of workflow, the RealTime assay requires more hands-on-time than the CAP/CTM assay. Conclusions: The results indicate that real-time PCR assays can improve the efficiency of end-point PCR tests by better covering viral dynamic ranges and providing higher throughput and automation. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:917–22.
Design and measurement of a low-noise 64-channel front-end readout ASIC for CdZnTe detectors

In this paper, we report on the recent development of a 64-channel low-noise front-end readout ASIC for cadmium zinc telluride detectors aimed to X-ray and γ-ray imaging systems. There are 64 readout channels and 2 test channels in this ASIC. The readout ASIC is implemented in TSMC 0.35-μm mixed-signal CMOS technology, the die size of the prototype chip is 2.7 mm × 8.0 mm. At room temperature, the equivalent noise charge of a typical channel reaches 66 e- (rms) for the zero input capacitance with the average power consumption of 8 mW per channel. The linearity error is less than 1%. The overall gain of the readout channel is 200 mV/fC. The inconsistency among the channels is less than 2.86%. By connecting this readout ASIC to an 8×8 pixel CdZnTe detector, we obtained a γ-ray spectrum, the energy resolution of which is 4.5% at the 59.5-keV line of 241 Am source.
Promoting transition towards formalization: Selected good practices in four sectors

This publication is a collection of innovative practices and policies, which address formalization in the sectors selected by the constituents during the inception of the Way Out of Informality project. The scope of this paper is to build a deeper understanding on specific strategies, which facilitate, through an integrated approach, progressive and step-wise formalization of workers and enterprises.
The p38/RK mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway regulates interleukin‐6 synthesis response to tumor necrosis factor.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine, the activities of which include effects on gene expression, cell growth and cell death. The biological signalling mechanisms which are responsible for these TNF effects remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the stress‐responsive p38 mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase is involved in TNF‐induced cytokine expression. TNF Treatment of cell activated the p38 MAP kinase pathway, as revealed by increased phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase itself, activation of the substrate protein MAPKAP kinase‐2, and culminating in the phosphorylation of the heat shock protein 27 (hsp27). Pretreatment of cells with the highly specific p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580 completely blocked this TNF‐induced activation of MAPKAP kinase‐2 and hsp27 phosphorylation. Under the same conditions, SB203580 also completely inhibited TNF‐induced synthesis of interleukin (IL)‐6 and expression of a reporter gene that was driven by a minimal promoter containing two NF‐Kappa B elements. However, neither TNF‐induced DNA binding of TNF‐Kappa B nor TNF‐induced phosphorylation of its subunits was modulated by SB203580, suggesting that NF‐Kappa B is not a direct target for the p38 MAP kinase pathway. Interestingly, TNF‐induced cytotoxicity was not affected by SB203580, indicating that p38 MAP kinase might be an interesting target to interfere selectively with TNF‐induced gene activation.
A Feasibility Study on Business Consulting Services to Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by Public University in Malaysia

Realizing the potential market opportunity for business consulting services for Small Medium Enterprises or SMEs and the need for university to generate its own income, most public universities in Malaysia plan to embarks on business consulting services with the vision of enhancing SMEs capabilities to its full potentials. Furthermore, it also means that public universities can capitalize its resources (infrastructures and human capital) to spearhead revenue-based activities. This feasibility study has enabled public university, the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) in this study to clearly see what business the entity is in and where it is headed. The university no longer sees itself as simply in the business of consulting industry. It now sees itself in the business of "developing talent in SMEs sector". By defining the business in this way the university has identified possible new services such as contract service agreements and training. It sees new opportunity in helping SMEs Malaysia by capitalizing enterprising brains at public university via the establishment of strategic business unit (SBU) with its branding – “Empowering SMEs – Nurturing Leaders”.
Diagnosis of Q Fever

Query (Q) fever, due to Coxiella burnetii, is a ubiquitous zoonosis. It was first described by Derrick (29) in 1935 in Queensland, Australia, during an outbreak of a febrile illness among abattoir workers. Subsequently, Burnet and Freeman (19) isolated a fastidious intracellular bacterium from guinea pigs that had been injected with blood or urine from Derrick’s patients and named it Rickettsia burnetii. This bacterium was morphologically and biochemically similar to other gram-negative bacteria. On the basis of cultural and biochemical characteristics, Philip (137) classified R. burnetii in a new genus, Coxiella, named after Herald R. Cox, who first isolated this microorganism in the United States. This genus contained only one species, C. burnetii. Since then, it has been isolated from several mammals and from ticks, and it may persist in the environment. The disease may be acquired by the respiratory or digestive route. The incidence of Q fever is unknown and may be underestimated. Over the last few years, the apparent increase in the incidence of this disease may be due to increased reporting or diagnosis. The clinical presentation of Q fever is polymorphic and nonspecific and may be acute, most often pneumonia or hepatitis, or chronic, most often endocarditis. Inapparent and subclinical infections are common. The diagnosis of Q fever relies mainly upon serology, the most commonly used method being the immunofluorescence assay. Serological testing for Q fever should always be done for a patient with a febrile illness and negative blood cultures.
Quantifying the Effects of Enforcing Disentanglement on Variational Autoencoders

The notion of disentangled autoencoders was proposed as an extension to the variational autoencoder by introducing a disentanglement parameter $\beta$, controlling the learning pressure put on the possible underlying latent representations. For certain values of $\beta$ this kind of autoencoders is capable of encoding independent input generative factors in separate elements of the code, leading to a more interpretable and predictable model behaviour. In this paper we quantify the effects of the parameter $\beta$ on the model performance and disentanglement. After training multiple models with the same value of $\beta$, we establish the existence of consistent variance in one of the disentanglement measures, proposed in literature. The negative consequences of the disentanglement to the autoencoder's discriminative ability are also asserted while varying the amount of examples available during training.
Genetic algorithms approach to a negotiation support system

It is argued that negotiation rules can be learned and invented by means of genetic algorithms. The work presented introduces a method, a system design, and a prototype implementation that uses genetic-based machine learning to acquire negotiation rules. The learned rules support a party involved in a two-party bargaining problem with multiple issues. It is assumed that both parties work towards a compromise deal. The method provides a framework in which genetic-based learning is applied repetitively on a changing problem representation. System design proposes a problem representation that is adequate to express bargaining processes and that is at the same time conducive to genetic-based learning. The authors report results of experiments with the prototype implementation. These results indicate that genetically learned rules, when used in real negotiations, yield results that are better than results obtained by humans in the same negotiation. The experiments indicate considerable robustness of genetically learned rules with respect to varying parameters defining the genetic operations on which the system relies in modeling negotiations. In terms of user support, experimental results show that in the bargaining process, a good rule is one that advises conceding in small steps and bringing new issues into the negotiation process. >
Comparative analysis on security mechanisms in cloud

Cloud computing confers benefits to its customers but regardless of all the advantages, information security is one of the major concerns on cloud paradigm. Information security challenge rises from the fact that consumer of public cloud services has no access to physical servers while utilizing different cloud services. Several security mechanisms such as access control, privacy management and trust management are used to enhance security at cloud epitome. This research discuses several techniques proposed by different researchers related to different security mechanisms for cloud platform. A brief comparison of all identified techniques is presented based on the criteria identified by National Institute of standards and technology for good practices and quality assessment of security mechanisms.
Criteria for Identifying Cingulate Epilepsies*

The concept of focal cortical epilepsies has changed during the past two decades. Our own point of view is not the same as in 1948 when we first monitored operations electrocort icographically . The interdependence of each neuronal population and the neuronal systems to which it is connected, and the interaction of all the neuronal loops make it necessary to define “focal cortical epilepsy” : hypersynchronous, rhythmic, self-sustaining neuronal discharges arising from a restricted portion ofthe cortex and spreading or propagating from that cortical area. Thus the anatomical lesions are not specific nor are the anatomical alterations restricted to the area of onset of the discharges. It is impossible to avoid a cybernetic concept of the activity of the neurones, and “localization” of a disturbance has to be considered in terms of modification of balance in a system of loops interconnected both inside a given structure (Le. cerebral cortex) and with distant formations (subcortical). In accordance with this scheme we realize that the pericallosal gyms, one of the cortical structures from which cortical epileptic discharges arise, is so important that the term “cingulate epilepsy” is appropriate to characterize a clinical, anatomical and electrographic entity. We would like to present the evidence by which the cingulate epilepsies can be identified.
International retail brand origin recognition

Recent academic literature into consumer perceptions of Country of Origin (C-O-O) raises questions regarding the importance of this concept, indicating that few consumers have clear or accurate perceptions of products’ or brands’ C-O-O. In contrast, the international retailing literature suggests that place, or C-O-O, is important to large and small retail luxury brands operating in international markets. However, these findings are part of wider studies on internationalisation rather than dedicated studies of C-O-O in a retail context. The current research addresses this gap in the literature and provides a cross-cultural, empirical analysis into the relationship between C-O-O recognition and brand perceptions for luxury and middle-market retail brands. Results indicate significant differences in C-O-O recognition among cultures and among luxury versus middle-market international retail brands, suggesting that brand provenance and authenticity plays a role in brand recognition.
Keratometry and Axial Length in Pigment Dispersion Syndrome: A Descriptive Case-Control Study

PurposePigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma are characterized by loss of pigment from the posterior surface of the iris due to reverse pupillary block. This may be due to an anomalous relation between the position of the globe within the orbit, the axial length of the globe, and the corneal curvature. The authors compared axial length, keratometry, and exophthalmometry in patients with pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma and in healthy controls. MethodsThirteen pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma and 17 controls underwent refraction, keratometry, A-scan and exophthalmometry. Patients with pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma were selected in a university glaucoma practice, and controls were selected for their age and refraction from the staff of the hospital. Both groups were comparable in age and refraction. ResultsMean age of pigment dispersion syndrome patients and healthy controls was 46.54 and 41.82 years (P = 0.30), ,respectively, and mean refraction (spherical equivalent) was −4.53 and −4.32 diopters, (P = 0.84), respectively. No statistical differences were noted in axial length measured with A-scan (25.98 and 25.14, P = 0. 15) or anterior chamber depth and lens thickness. The pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma group had flatter keratometry than the myopic controls. Mean keratometry was 42.39 ± 1.77 and 44.34 ± 1.50 (P = 0.003), respectively. ConclusionThe results show that patients with pigment dispersion syndrome have flatter keratometry of approximately 2 diopters compared with age-matched myopic controls. This finding suggests a difference in architecture of the anterior segment.
Power delivery solutions in 3-D processor-DRAM systems in presence of hot spots

An important application of 3-D integration technology is stacked processor-DRAM systems. One of the major design issues in 3-D processor-DRAM stacks is power delivery. Presence of hot spots, high density power regions, in processor die poses serious challenges to the design of power distribution network (PDN). In this paper, we investigate solutions to ensure power integrity in the hot spot regions.