Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating positive habits in water conservation: the case of the Queensland Water Commission and the Target 140 campaign

This case study reports the activities of the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) in securing the water supply for Brisbane and surrounding South East Queensland (SEQ) in response to the worst drought on record. The case focuses on residential water use and examines a three year period from 2006 to 2009. The focus of the study is the interventions of 2007, which centres on the Target 140 campaign. In 2007, the QWC faced with critically low dam levels identified household consumption as responsible for 70% of water use. The eight month Target 140 campaign targeted household users, aiming to change the water use habits of SEQ residents. The campaign achieved not only immediate reductions in water use but also contributed to long term behavioural and attitudinal change. The aim of the campaign was to reduce water consumption from 180 litre/person/day to a target of 140 litres/person/day by the end of 2007. This was achieved with water consumption dropping to an average of 129 litres/person/day during the campaign and saving over 20 billon litres of water. In 2009, despite the drought broken for over a year and the water consumption target lifted to 200 litres/person/day residents were continuing to consume water, on average, less than 140 litres/person/day. The outcome was a capstone result for the QWC, and the Target 140 campaign went on to achieve international industry recognition. This case study demonstrates how attitudinal change, goal setting and feedback were key components of the change strategy and outlines the tactics used during the campaign. Furthermore, the case study discusses these mechanisms for change in terms of a theoretical understanding.
The relationship between capital structure and product market competition

This thesis examines the impact of product market competition on capital structure of listed firms in the Netherlands during the period 2003-2011. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis is used to investigate this impact. The dependent variables used in the regressions are book leverage ratio and market leverage ratio whereas the independent variables include concentration ratio and R&D. We also control for firm size, growth opportunity, non-tax debt shield and tangibility. Industry types and years are two dummy variables. Statistically significant positive relationships between concentration ratio and both book value of long term debt ratio and market value of long term debt ratio are observed respectively. The finding indicates that the product market competition negatively influences capital structure. We also find no evidence of a relationship between R&D and capital structure. In terms of R&D, we can’t find the relationship between product market competition and capital structure.
Mechanical stretch via transforming growth factor‐β1 activates microRNA208a to regulate endoglin expression in cultured rat cardiac myoblasts

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in cardiac remodelling. MiR208a is essential for the expression of the genes involved in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. The mechanism of regulation of miR208a involved in cardiac hypertrophy by mechanical stress is still unclear. We sought to investigate the mechanism of regulation of miR208a and the target gene of miR208a in cardiac cells by mechanical stretch.
Identification of indole-3-acetic acid producing freshwater wetland rhizosphere bacteria associated with Juncus effusus L.

Production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a key physiological feature of culturable, O2-tolerant bacteria associated with the freshwater macrophyte Juncus effusus L. , was examined over a period of 2 years. Up to 74% of rhizobacteria identified and tested produced IAA. The number of indoleacetic acid producers decreased in winter. IAA was produced even when L-tryptophan, a precursor of IAA, was not added to the medium. Most of the IAA-producing strains were dominated by strains that were not identifiable to species level on the basis of API testing. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and fatty acid analysis, it was found that IAA-producing rhizosphere bacteria associated with the freshwater wetland plant Juncus effusus L. are representatives of several families, including the Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Aeromonadaceae, Burkholderiaceae, and Bacillaceae. This study identifies numerous potentially important bacterial physiological groups of freshwater wetlands. Additionally, the study provides a baseline for monitoring and assessing the mutualistic relationships of wetland plants with rhizosphere bacteria in freshwater wetlands.
Performance evaluation of stacked gate-all-around MOSFETs at 7 and 10 nm technology nodes

Performance evaluation of stacked gate-all-around (GAA) MOSFETs on device scaling and performance benchmark against FinFETs based on scale length are presented. While stacked GAA technique provides higher current (per pitch), FinFET counterpart shows its advantage in intrinsic gate delay. Such advantage becomes even more significant toward smaller technology node. By adjusting the aspect ratio of GAA devices based on same scale length, the thinner rectangular GAA case allows more stacked layers than the square case at the same total height and hence provides higher current. However, comparable intrinsic speeds are predicted for both cases.
Semi-Supervised Learning via Geodesic Weighted Sparse Representation

SUMMARY The label estimation technique provides a new way to de-sign semi-supervised learning algorithms. If the labels of the unlabeled data can be estimated correctly, the semi-supervised methods can be replaced by the corresponding supervised versions. In this paper, we propose a novel semi-supervised learning algorithm, called Geodesic Weighted Sparse Representation (GWSR), to estimate the labels of the unlabeled data. First, the geodesic distance and geodesic weight are calculated. The geodesic weight is utilized to reconstruct the labeled samples. The Euclidean distance be-tween the reconstructed labeled sample and the unlabeled sample equals the geodesic distance between the original labeled sample and the unlabeled sample. Then, the unlabeled samples are sparsely reconstructed and the sparse reconstruction weight is obtained by minimizing the L1-norm. Finally, the sparse reconstruction weight is utilized to estimate the labels of the unlabeled samples. Experiments on synthetic data and USPS hand-written digit database demonstrate the e ﬀ ectiveness of our method.
The New Strategic Brand Management : Advanced Insights and Strategic Thinking Ed. 5

Adopted internationally by business schools and MBA programmes, The New Strategic Brand Management is simply the reference source for senior strategists, positioning professionals and postgraduate students. Over the years it has not only established a reputation as one of the leading works on brand strategy, but also has become synonymous with the topic itself. Using an array of international case studies, Jean-Noel Kapferer covers all the leading issues faced by the brand strategist today. With both gravitas and intelligent insight, the book reveals new thinking on topics such as putting culture and content into brands, the impact of private labels and the comeback of local brands. This updated fifth edition of The New Strategic Brand Management builds on its impressive reputation by including new information to enable students and practitioners to stay up to date with targeting, adding recent research and market knowledge to the discipline. With dedicated sections for specific types of brands (luxury, corporate and retail), international examples and case studies from companies such as Audi, Nivea, Toyota and Absolut Vodka, plus models and frameworks such as the Brand Identity Prism, it remains at the forefront of strategic brand thinking.
Reasons for Delisting and Consequences: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

This paper discusses the literature on delisting, drawing on USA and international evidence. Given the great heterogeneity in delisting operations, we first consider the standard existing typology based on the initiator of the delisting (the stock market authorities, or the firm itself). Second, while managers often cite high compliance costs (especially due to Sarbanes–Oxley Act implementation) as the official reason for the voluntary delisting of their firm, we highlight that firms face different trade-offs in their delisting decision. We also examine the reasons for involuntary delisting, especially the delisting dilemma faced by stock market authorities when the firm violates the listing requirements. Next, we review the economic consequences of delisting in terms of value creation or value destruction for shareholders. Finally, noting gaps in the literature and other contrasting results, we propose suggestions for future research.
Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design

A crucial step in designing a user interface for a software application is to design a coherent, task-focused conceptual model (CM). With a CM, designers design better, developers develop better, and users learn and use better. Unfortunately, this step is often skipped, resulting in incoherent, arbitrary, inconsistent, overly-complex applications that impede design, development, learning, understanding, and use. This course covers what CMs are, how they help, how to develop them, and provides hands-on experience.
Safety and efficacy of a pentavalent human-bovine (WC3) reassortant rotavirus vaccine.

BACKGROUND Rotavirus is a leading cause of childhood gastroenteritis and death worldwide. METHODS We studied healthy infants approximately 6 to 12 weeks old who were randomly assigned to receive three oral doses of live pentavalent human-bovine (WC3 strain) reassortant rotavirus vaccine containing human serotypes G1, G2, G3, G4, and P[8] or placebo at 4-to-10-week intervals in a blinded fashion. Active surveillance was used to identify subjects with serious adverse and other events. RESULTS The 34,035 infants in the vaccine group and 34,003 in the placebo group were monitored for serious adverse events. Intussusception occurred in 12 vaccine recipients and 15 placebo recipients within one year after the first dose including six vaccine recipients and five placebo recipients within 42 days after any dose (relative risk, 1.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.4 to 6.4). The vaccine reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits related to G1-G4 rotavirus gastroenteritis occurring 14 or more days after the third dose by 94.5 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 91.2 to 96.6 percent). In a nested substudy, efficacy against any G1-G4 rotavirus gastroenteritis through the first full rotavirus season after vaccination was 74.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 66.8 to 79.9 percent); efficacy against severe gastroenteritis was 98.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 88.3 to 100 percent). The vaccine reduced clinic visits for G1-G4 rotavirus gastroenteritis by 86.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 73.9 to 92.5 percent). CONCLUSIONS This vaccine was efficacious in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis, decreasing severe disease and health care contacts. The risk of intussusception was similar in vaccine and placebo recipients. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00090233.)
The Novel 3-Way Power Dividers/Combiners Structure and Design

A fabricated 1:3 power divider that provides equal power split to all four output ports over a large bandwidth is presented, which can be extended to an arbitrary number of output ports. A new wideband three-way microstrip power divider implemented on a single-layer printed circuit board (PCB) is presented in this design. The proposed three-way planar power divider consists of a branch lines and a combine line for three output ports of characteristics of equal magnitude and in-phase. To demonstrate the design methodology, one prototype is realized. The new design was simulated and validated by the measurement. Measured results show that 10 dB return loss of the three output ports has been achieved across the bandwidth from 1.8 GHz to 10.5 GHz.
Comparison of strand displacement and ligase chain amplification for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in urogenital specimens

The following pages constitute the final, accepted and revised manuscript of the article: Zeeberg, B and Miörner, H and Thelin, I and Agren, S and Schalén, C “Comparison of strand displacement and ligase chain amplification for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in urogenital specimens” Clin Microbiol Infect. 2005 Sep;11(9):761-4. Publisher: Blackwell-Synergy Use of alternative location to go to the published version of the article requires journal subscription.
The unpredictability of serum concentrations of gentamicin: pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in patients with normal and abnormal renal function.

The pharmacokinetics of gentamicin were studied after a single im injection of gentamicin over a wide range of doses (0.83-3.14 mg/kg) in patients with normal and abnormal renal function. The results of these studies indicated that peak levels in serum following the same dose of gentamicin per kg of body weight vary widely and that rates of disappearance of gentamicin from serum vary considerably in patients with comparable renal function. These data suggest that although nomograms for administration of gentamicin may serve as useful guides, individual measurement of serum levels is desirable in determination of therapy for patients with serious infections or with renal insufficiency and is essential in patients with changing renal function.
An analysis of factors affecting tissue oxygen tension

A mathematical analysis of the factors affecting the distribution of oxygen in living tissue is the subject of this paper. The Erlang -Krogh equation discussed in § 1 is derived from a highly simplified model, comprising a long, straight capillary surrounded by a cylinder of respiring tissue. Succeeding sections describe the effects upon the distribution of oxygen as predicted by this model of the following factors: (a) Hexagonal rather than cylindrical symmetry. (b) Decrease in the rate of consumption of oxygen by the cells in the tissue when the oxygen tension falls below a certain value. (c) Variation of the diffusion constant with position in the tissue. (d) A sudden change in the value of the oxygen tension at the capillary surface. (e) A decrease in oxygen tension along the length of the capillary. (f) Fluid flow in the extracellular fluid.
[Efficacy of docetaxel in non-small cell lung cancer patients previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy. French Group of Pneumo-Cancerology].

PURPOSE Determine the response to, and toxicity of docetaxel (Taxotere) in patients (pts) with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-seven patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC, having received one platinum-containing regimen were treated with 100 mg/m2/3 weeks of docetaxel until tumor progression or severe toxicity. Premedication with prednisolone and diosmin was given in all patients. Antitumoral activity was assessable in 21/27 pts. Median age: 52 years; WHO performance status 0-1: 77% pts, stage IV disease: 63% pts. RESULTS 6/21 eligible pts (24%) achieved a partial response to treatment [C.I 95%: 5.6-42]. Median time to progression: 2.9 months, median survival: 8.5 months with a median follow-up of 23.7 months (range: 13.5-27). Hematologic toxicity: grade 3-4 neutropenia: 75% pts, febrile neutropenia: 11% cycles. Non hematologic toxicities: fluid retention, rash, alopecia, sensory neuropathy, asthenia, and nail changes. CONCLUSION Docetaxel (Taxotere) administered at 100 mg/m2/3 weeks has relevant clinical activity against platinum treated NSCLC pts. Neutropenia is the main toxicity.
B chromosomes of rye are highly conserved and accompanied the development of early agriculture.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Supernumerary B chromosomes (Bs) represent a specific type of selfish genetic element. As Bs are dispensable for normal growth, it is expected to observe B polymorphisms among populations. To address whether Bs maintained in geographically distinct populations of cultivated and weedy rye are polymorphic, the distribution patterns and the transcriptional activity of different B-located repeats were analysed. METHODS Bs of cultivated and weedy rye from seven origins were analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes specific for the pericentromeric and interstitial regions as well as the B-specific non-disjunction control region. The DNA replication, chromatin composition and transcription behaviour of the non-disjunction regions were determined. To address whether the B-marker repeats E3900 and D1100 have diverged genotypes of different origin at the sequence level, the genomic sequences of both repeats were compared between cultivated rye and weedy rye from five different origins. KEY RESULTS B chromosomes in cultivated and weedy rye have maintained a similar molecular structure at the level of subspecies. The high degree of conservation of the non-disjunction control region regarding its transcription activity, histone composition and replication underlines the functional importance of this chromosome region for the maintenance of Bs. The conserved chromosome structure suggests a monophyletic origin of the rye B. As Bs were found in different countries, it is likely that Bs were frequently present in the seed material used in early agriculture. CONCLUSIONS The surprisingly conserved chromosome structure suggests that although the rye Bs experienced rapid evolution including multiple rearrangements at the early evolutionary stages, this process has slowed significantly and may have even ceased during its recent evolution.
Over-the-Counter Derivatives and Systemic Risk to the Global Financial System

Over the last decade dealing in derivative financial instruments (basically forwards, futures, options and combinations of these), particularly in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market has become a central activity for major wholesale banks and financial institutions. Measured in terms of notional principal amount, OTC derivatives outstanding are near, if not greater than, US$10 trillion, even after deduction of double-counting for intra-dealer transactions. Major new regulatory initiatives, including proposed new capital requirements, are under consideration as a means of reducing systemic risk. This paper examines the concept of systemic risk -- that failure of one firm will lead to the failure of a large number of other firms or indeed the collapse of the international financial system. Alternative proposed definitions are considered and integrated and the effects of OTC derivatives on these risks discussed. The key conclusion is that systemic risk has been reduced by the development of the OTC derivatives market due to shifting economic risks to those better able either to bear the risk or, in many cases, cancel it against offsetting risks. The implications of the Basle II capital proposals for systemic risk are analyzed and shown to increase this risk due to encouraging transactions which increase portfolio risks of the dealers and discouraging transactions which decrease their portfolio risk.
Some Hypothesis on Commonality in Liquidity: New Evidence from the Chinese Stock Market

In this paper, we examine four specific hypotheses relating to commonality in liquidity on the Chinese stock markets. These hypotheses are: (a) that market-wide liquidity determines liquidity of individual stocks; (b) that liquidity varies with firm size; (c) that sectoral-based liquidity affects individual stock liquidities differently; and (d) that commonality in liquidity has an asymmetric effect. Based on a two-year dataset on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges comprising of over 34 and 48 million transactions respectively, we find strong support for commonality in liquidity and a greater influence of industry-wide liquidity in explaining liquidity of individual stocks. Moreover, our results suggest that of the three main sectors – financial, industrial, and resources – industrial sector‟s liquidity is most important in explaining individual stock liquidities. Finally, we do not find any evidence of size effects, and document an asymmetric effect of market-wide liquidity on liquidity of individual stocks.
Developmental properties of transactional models: The case of life events and mastery from adolescence to young adulthood

That behavior reflects ongoing transactions between person and context is an enshrined proposition of developmental theory, although the dynamic properties of these transactions have not been fully appreciated. In this article, we focus on reciprocal links between the Pearlin mastery scale and life events in the transition to adulthood, a strategic relationship given that control orientations are thought to mediate links between stressors and a range of indicators of distress, and given that life events become increasingly likely in young adulthood. Drawing on 12 waves of data from the Youth Development Study, spanning ages 14–15 to 26–27, we examine a series of growth curve models that interrelate mastery and life events. Results for females reveal that mastery during the senior year of high school predicts life events for the following 4-year period, which in turn predicts mastery over the 5-year period spanning ages 21–22 to 26–27. For males, mastery during the senior year (and perhaps the sophomore year) predicts subsequent life events, which in turn have short-term implications for mastery. Thus, transactions between life events and mastery are observed, although the temporal patterns of these exchanges are complex. These findings are discussed in terms of the developmental properties of transactions between person and context.The Youth Development Study is supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD44138) and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH42843). Support for the research reported in this article comes in part from a subcontract to the first author (“Role configurations and well-being in the transition to adulthood”). The authors thank Lance Erickson and Sondra Smolek for helpful assistance.
Quality of life after an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: the patient's point of view.

Recent progress in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has dramatically improved the prognosis of otherwise fatal hematological diseases. These better results allow more and more patients to resume a normal life after a BMT. However, for some of them the quality of life is different after undergoing a BMT. In order to evaluate the changes that the patients have experienced in their lives, a questionnaire was sent to 90 adult patients. These patients were treated with a BMT between January 1984 and December 1989. Among the 49 answers received, 26 were from male patients and 23 from female patients. After the BMT, 65% felt that they resumed a normal life whereas 35% did not share this feeling. The lack of physical strength was the more often mentioned handicap. Following the BMT, 55% of the patients worked again after a mean time of 16 months. Among the working patients, 60% obtained satisfaction from their work. To the last question: "Based upon your experience, would you again choose to be treated with a BMT? " only one patient answered no. To conclude this survey, we showed that among the patients who answered the questionnaire a majority felt positive about the outcome of their BMT.