Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scaling up community-based services and improving quality of care in the state psychiatric hospitals: the way forward for Ghana.

OBJECTIVE This paper aims to explore the options available for developing community-based care and improving the quality of care in psychiatric hospitals in Ghana. METHOD Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted: with a cross-section of stakeholders including health professionals, researchers, policy makers, politicians, users and carers. The SSIs and FGDs were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. Apriori and emergent themes were coded and analysed with NVivo version 7.0, using a framework analysis. RESULTS Psychiatric hospitals in Ghana have a mean bed occupancy rate of 155%. Most respondents were of the view that the state psychiatric hospitals were very congested, substantially compromising quality of care. They also noted that the community psychiatric system was lacking human and material resources. Suggestions for addressing these difficulties included committing adequate resources to community psychiatric services, using psychiatric hospitals only as referral facilities, relapse prevention programmes, strengthening psychosocial services, adopting more precise diagnoses and the development of a policy on long-stay patients. CONCLUSION There is an urgent need to build a credible system of community-based care and improve the quality of care in psychiatric hospitals in Ghana.
An exploration of quality management practices, perceptions and program maturity in the supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine differences among industry classes and supply chain positions in order to gain insight into quality management program maturity across industries and within supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – Data for comparison in this study comes from an e-mail survey of professionals across the USA, employed primarily in sourcing or logistics (i.e. Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)). Findings – This study found that quality maturity varies by industry class. While prior studies have found differences by industry class, they have been limited to at most three classes, while this study examined 17 classes. This study also examines quality maturity by supply chain position, with the finding that quality maturity differed by supply chain position depending on how position is defined. Questions are raised regarding the proper characterization of supply chain position. Research limitations/implication.
Membrane fluidity and the surface properties of the lipid bilayer: ESR experiment and computer simulation

Penetration of the liposome membranes formed in the gel phase from DPPC (DPPC liposomes) and in the liquid-crystalline phase from egg yolk lecithin (EYL liposomes) by the TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) and 16 DOXYL (2-ethyl-2-(15-methoxy-oxopentadecyl)-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxy) spin probes has been investigated. The penetration process was followed by 120 hours at 240C, using the electron spin resonance (ESR) method. The investigation of the kinetics of the TEMPO probe building into the membranes of both types of liposomes revealed differences appearing 30 minutes after the start of the experiment. The number of TEMPO particles built into the EYL liposome membranes began to clearly rise, aiming asymptotically to a constant value after about 100 minutes, whereas the number of the TEMPO particles built into the DPPC liposome membranes was almost constant in time. The interpretation of the obtained experimental results was enriched with those of computer simulation, following the behavior of the polar heads (dipoles) of the lipid particles forming a lipid layer due to the change in the value of the model parameter, k, determining the mobility of the dipoles. The possibility of the formation of an irregular ordering of the polar part of lipid membranes was proved, which leads to the appearance of spaces filled with of water for k > 0.4. The appearance of these defects enables the penetration of the bilayer by the TEMPO particles. The limited mobility of lipid polar heads (k < 0.2) prevents the appearance of such areas facilitating the penetration of the lipid membrane by alien particles in the gel phase.
SME stakeholder relationship descriptions in website CSR communications

Purpose - – The aim of this paper is to report on an exploratory, qualitative study of how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) describe their firm’s relationships with or impact on stakeholders when communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their websites. Design/methodology/approach - – Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 22 Australian SME websites from the information media and telecommunications sector. Stakeholder theory was used as the basis for analysis. Findings - – An important aspect of CSR communication is reporting the firm’s relationships with stakeholders such as society/communities, ecological environment, employees, customers and suppliers. This paper provides insights into how these relationships are manifested in SME website communications. For example, three-way relationships between the firm and stakeholders were described on some websites, but few explained the impact of their CSR on stakeholders. Research limitations/implications - – This study concentrated on identifying the CSR communication on websites from one industry sector in Australia. These limitations provide the basis for future research to explore and compare CSR communication on websites by SMEs from other industry sectors and countries. Practical implications - – The findings offer SME owner-managers ideas on different ways they can incorporate details of stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications. Originality/value - – There has been little research on how SMEs use channels such as websites to communicate CSR. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by providing insights into how SMEs describe stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications.
Reaching for Yield or Playing It Safe ? Risk Taking by Bond Mutual Funds ∗

In a low interest rate environment, bond mutual funds have strong incentives to hold bonds with higher yields compared to their benchmarks (“reaching for yield”) in order to attract more inflows. This paper investigates reaching for yield among corporate bond mutual funds. We find that funds’ main vehicle for reaching for yield is non-AAA investment grade bonds. Funds engage in negative reaching for yield (“playing it safe”) with AAA-rated and high-yield bonds. Funds reach for yield more when both the level and slope of yield curves are low and the default spreads are narrow. In the cross section, young and large funds with high expense ratios reach for yield more. Active changes in reaching for yield attract more flows, showing that funds’ marginal portfolio decisions for higher yield bonds matters for fund investors. High reaching-for-yield funds generate high returns, but their superior performance is explained by common risk factors thus driven mainly by risk-taking rather than skill. ∗We thank seminar participants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for helpful comments and suggestions. †Department of Finance, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Address: 515 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. Email: jaewchoi@illinois.edu. ‡Department of Finance, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Address: 1206 S. Sixth St., Champaign, IL 61820. Email: kronlund@illinois.edu. Reaching for Yield or Playing It Safe? Risk Taking by Bond Mutual Funds
Influence of vitamin E concentration in bacterial adherence on UHMWPE +

Introduction Bacterial adhesion is the initial step in biofilm development, an extremely important process considered the key pathogenic factor in biomaterial-related infections. The adhesion process is a complex series of physical and chemical interactions between the substratum and the microbe, and thus can be modified with changes in the biomaterial under risk. The use of vitamin E in UHMWPE has been recently developed as a method to minimize material oxidization, but may change the substratum and the subsequent bacterial adhesion process, as vitamin E is a cofactor of important vital processes. In fact, vitamin E has been claimed as an immunomodulator against upper respiratory infection, and also to control oxidative stress in sepsis, but no clear understanding of its potential against infection has been devised. In this sense, we performed a study to evaluate the effect of vitamin E on bacterial adherence on UHMWPE.
Wavelength multistability in ring and fabry-Pérot lasers: The effect of spatial hole burning

Recently it was experimentally demonstrated [1,2] that the emission wavelength of bidirectional semiconductor ring lasers (SRLs) can be selected by optical injection at wavelengths corresponding to the modes of the cavity; upon removal of the optical injection, the emission wavelength remains stable at the chosen value. It was found that this multistability can coexist with the directional bistability shown by these devices, therefore it can be of interest for all-optical signal processing applications at higher-logical level [3]. On the other hand, this multistability has, to our knowledge, never been explained or reported in Fabry-Pérot (FP) lasers, hence it recalls for an explanation of the different behavior shown by ring RLs and FP lasers regarding multistability.
Predicting consumer acceptance in mobile services: empirical evidence from an experimental end user environment

This paper studies consumer acceptance of mobile services. The theoretical framework of the study is based on extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The empirical part of the study was conducted in an experimental mobile service environment, SmartRotuaari, which was developed in the University of Oulu's Rotuaari research project. SmartRotuaari is operational at the city centre of Oulu in Northern Finland. Our results show that usefulness, user guidance and support, and user skills are significant factors in explaining the acceptance of mobile services. We also found that usefulness and user-satisfaction are significant predictors of the willingness to recommend the services to others.
Improved endothelial function and decreased levels of endothelium-derived microparticles after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

AIMS Degenerative aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is independently associated with endothelial dysfunction and increased levels of circulating endothelium-derived microparticles (EMPs) as a marker of compromised endothelial integrity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether therapy for severe AVS by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) improves endothelial function and decreases EMPs. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty-six patients with indication for TAVI due to symptomatic severe AVS were prospectively enrolled. Brachial wall shear stress (WSS), endothelial function and circulating microparticles (MPs) were measured before and three months following TAVI. Endothelial function was assessed as flow-mediated dilation (FMD) using ultrasound. MP subpopulations were discriminated by flow cytometry according to the expression of established surface antigens: CD31+/CD41-, CD144+ and CD62E+ as EMPs and CD41+ as platelet-derived MPs (PMPs). In patients with severe AVS, decreased brachial WSS was an independent predictor of low FMD. At three-month follow-up after TAVI, WSS and FMD increased along with decreased levels of EMPs as compared to pre TAVI. Decrease of CD31+/CD41-, CD144+ and CD62E+ EMP levels correlated with the increase of FMD. CONCLUSIONS Therapy for AVS by TAVI was associated with improved endothelial function and integrity indicating beneficial effects of TAVI on systemic arterial function.
Equilibrium and balanced growth of a vegetative crop.

MODEL A previously developed dynamic model, NICOLET, designed to predict growth and nitrate content of a lettuce crop, is subjected to (virtual) constant environmental conditions. For every combination of shoot and root environment, the cell sap, here assumed to reside in the "vacuole" compartment, equilibrates at a certain nitrate concentration level. This, in turn, defines the composition of the crop in terms of carbon and nitrogen content in each of the three compartments of the model. Growth under constant environmental conditions is defined as "equilibrium" growth (EG). If, in addition, the source strengths of carbon and nitrogen balance each other, as well as the sink strength of the growing crop, the growth is said to be "balanced" (BG). RESULTS It is shown that the range of BG approximately coincides with the range of "mild" nitrogen stress, where reduction in nitrogen availability results in a mild reduction of relative growth rate (RGR). Beyond a certain low nitrate concentration in the cell sap, the N-stress becomes "severe" and the loss of growth increases considerably. CONCLUSIONS The model is able to mimic the five central observations of many constant-environment growth-chamber experiments, namely (1) the initial exponential growth and later decline of the RGR, (2) the constant chemical composition, (3) the equality of the RGR and the relative nutrient supply rate (RNR), (4) the proportionality between the N : C ratio and the RNR, and (5) the proportionality between the water content and the reduced N content. Guidelines for the optimal combination of the shoot and root environments are suggested.
China through 2020 : a macroeconomic scenario

This paper sketches a macroeconomic scenario for China for 2010-20. The growth accounting exercise finds that, with both the working population and total factor productivity on course to decelerate, potential gross domestic product (GDP) growth is likely to moderate in the coming 10 years, despite still sizeable capital deepening. Actual GDP should grow broadly as fast as potential GDP, continuing the track record since the late 1990s. With some rebalancing expected, the share of consumption in GDP is likely to bottom out and to rise somewhat through 2015 while the share of investment edges down. Robust economic growth in China will support imports. Meanwhile, given the outlook for the world economy, the share of exports in GDP may decline in 2010-2015 despite good competitiveness. As a result, the trade surplus may diminish relative to the size of China's economy. Even so, the external surplus will continue to rise in US dollar terms, especially the current account. In 2020 China's GDP per capita will be broadly comparable to the current level in Latin America, Turkey, and Malaysia. Adjusted for purchasing power, in 2020 China's GDP per capita will be one-fourth of the US level and China's total economy larger than that of the US. The pace of catch up in current prices and market exchange rates will depend on the extent of real exchange rate (RER) appreciation. Past experience internationally suggests that, with a large portion of labor employed in agriculture, RER appreciation may be modest in the coming decade. However, demographic changes may speed up the tightening of the labor market and trend RER appreciation. Reflecting this uncertainty, two scenarios are presented, suggesting China may become the largest economy on this metric sometime between 2020 and 2030.
HIV Antiretroviral Treatment: Early Versus Later

Objectives:Cohort studies indicate that starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) when the CD4+ T-cell count is less than 200 cells/μL is associated with poor outcomes. These studies have been unable to address how early HAART should be initiated, however. This report uses a modeling approach to compare starting HAART at a mean CD4+ T-cell count greater than 350 cells/μL (early) versus less than 350 cells/μL but greater than 200 cells/μL (later). Methods:A Markov model tracks people with HIV infection through 6 disease stages defined by CD4+ T-cell count ranges over a 25-year period. Transition probabilities between the disease stages for 6-month periods vary according to initial viral load. Sequences of different first-line, second-line, and “salvage” antiretroviral regimens are defined, and their impact on transition probabilities is estimated. HAART effectiveness is based on data from an urban hospital-based HIV clinic, supplemented by clinical trial data. The model computes the incremental cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment patterns and includes sensitivity analyses for a range of plausible alternative input values. Results:Starting HAART earlier rather than later increases total lifetime costs by $19,074, increases years of life by 1.21 years, increases discounted quality-adjusted life-years by 0.61, and has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $31,266 per quality-adjusted life-year. Early therapy is more cost-effective when the impact of HAART on well-being is smaller. Conclusions:Initiation of HAART at a CD4+ T-cell count greater than 350 cells/μL may be cost-effective (less than $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year) compared with initiating HAART at a CD4+ T-cell count less than 350 cells/μL but greater than 200 cells/μL and may result in longer quality-adjusted survival.
Neuronal apoptosis in HIV infection in adults

Productive infection of the central nervous system by HIV predominantly involves the white matter and basal ganglia. Involvement of the cerebral cortex with neuronal loss is also described in AIDS patients but not in asymptomatic HIV‐positive patients. The mechanism of neuronal damage is unknown. To enquire whether neuronal loss in AIDS may be due to an apoptotic process, we examined the cerebral cortex from 12 patients who died from AIDS using two different methods: in situ end labelling and gel electrophoresis of DNA to demonstrate DNA fragmentation. None of the patients had cerebral opportunistic infection or tumour. Four patients had no significant neuropathological changes, eight patients had variable cerebral atrophy and four of them also had productive HIV infection of the brain. These patients were compared with four HIV‐positive asymptomatic patients, five seronegative asymptomatic controls, and two seronegative patients with Alzheimer's disease. We demonstrated neuronal apoptosis in the cortex in all AIDS patients, as well as in the Alzheimer's patients. Apoptosis was not observed in the asymptomatic cases whether seropositive or seronegative. Neuronal apoptosis was more severe in atrophic brains, and did not directly correlate with productive HIV infection, suggesting an indirect mechanism of neuronal damage is most likely.
Project success: a multidimensional, strategic concept

Summary form only given. What does project success mean? When a project is completed on time and within the original budget, is it a success? Or even when it fails to meet these objectives but succeeds in meeting its specified requirements, is it then a successfully completed project? The objective of this work is to develop a universal framework for the assessment of project success to help organizations cope with the above questions. We view project success as a strategic multidimensional concept where project efforts must be aligned with the strategic long-term goals of the organization. We employ in this study a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, and two data sets which included more than 140 projects. Using a project specific approach, our analysis resulted in four distinct success dimensions: (1) project efficiency, (2) impact on the customer, (3) direct business and organizational success, and (4) preparing for the future. These dimensions represent different points of view, different concerns of the organization, and different time horizons. We demonstrate how the relative importance of these dimensions varies with the time passed since project completion, as well as with the project type. Finally, we provide a set of guidelines for project managers and policy makers at the top level.
Comparing Interview Interaction Modes in Management Accounting Research: A Case to Answer?

The medium by which interviews are conducted is of potentially important consequence in qualitative management accounting research. Advances in communications technology have largely mitigated the ‘tyranny of distance’ challenges experienced by geographically disparate researchers and research participants. In addition to face-to-face interviewing, researchers now have the option of using telephone as well as videoconferencing mediums through which to collect data, thereby enhancing their accessibility to data sources that have previously been prohibitive for reasons relating to both time and expense. Limited empirical attention, however, has been directed towards the similarities and differences between face-to-face, telephone and videoconferencing interview interactions. Indeed, the equivalence of these forms of qualitative data collection has rarely been questioned in the management accounting literature. The current study challenges the seemingly uncontested premise that ‘all interviews are alike’, and in so doing, aims to provide insights into the extent to which data obtained by interviews in face-to-face, telephone and videoconferencing modes in qualitative management accounting research may be comparable.Our investigation is informed by the opinions of 25 senior management accounting academics from 21 universities in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand who have published qualitative interview-based research in selected international peer-reviewed academic journals in the 25-year period from 1988-2013. The perceptions of these academic participants clearly reflect a view that, ‘all interviews are not alike’ in the characteristics of the data they capture, and the implications of this variation for the ensuing analysis and interpretation of findings. Information Richness Theory (IRT) provides a partial explanation for these perceptions, but the predictions of IRT are moderated for all three modes of interaction. Channel Expansion Theory (CET) offers insights into why these perceptions may prevail, and these influence-shaping perceptions serve as the basis of a provision typology of interview modes, and their contextual suitability. Rather than a prescriptive or normative base upon which future interview-based management accounting research ‘should’ be undertaken, our findings serve as a starting point for further consideration and reflection, with direct implications for the credibility and validity of qualitative management accounting research.