Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Japanese Construction Alliances

As a result of increased globalization, characterized by freely accessible communications and transportation systems, the traditionally geographically dependent construction industry finds itself in the midst of industry changes in which the borders between competitors are being removed. As a result, construction industry organizations need to react to change and increased competition. One method for doing so is formation of construction alliances to provide for the resource, geography specific, and technological needs of project owners. The objective of this paper is to present the results of interviews with leaders in the Japanese construction industry, with a perspective on perceptions of change in the international and domestic market, and the use of alliances to react to those changes. The results indicate an increasing need to form alliances to remain competitive across and within traditional market borders. Additionally, the impact of the spread of the free market economy is noted as a significant factor in the rise of increasing competitiveness. The importance of alliance success is stressed, and the means to that success is careful integration of cultures and technology during alliance formation.
Temporal structure of neural oscillations underlying sensorimotor coordination : a theoretical approach with evolutionary robotics

The temporal structure of neural oscillations has become a widespread hypothetical \mechanism" to explain how neurodynamics give rise to neural functions. Despite the great number of empirical experiments in neuroscience and mathematical and computa- tional modelling investigating the temporal structure of the oscillations, there are still few systematic studies proposing dynamical explanations of how it operates within closed sensorimotor loops of agents performing minimally cognitive behaviours. In this thesis we explore this problem by developing and analysing theoretical models of evolutionary robotics controlled by oscillatory networks. The results obtained suggest that: i) the in- formational content in an oscillatory network about the sensorimotor dynamics is equally distributed throughout the entire range of phase relations; neither synchronous nor desyn- chronous oscillations carries a privileged status in terms of informational content in relation to an agent's sensorimotor activity; ii) although the phase relations of oscillations with a narrow frequency difference carry a relatively higher causal relevance than the rest of the phase relations to sensorimotor coordinations, overall there is no privileged functional causal contribution to either synchronous or desynchronous oscillations; and iii) oscilla- tory regimes underlying functional behaviours (e.g. phototaxis, categorical perception) are generated and sustained by the agent's sensorimotor loop dynamics, they depend not only on the dynamic structure of a sensory input but also on the coordinated coupling of the agent's motor-sensory dynamics. This thesis also contributes to the Coordination Dynam- ics framework (Kelso, 1995) by analysing the dynamics of the HKB (Haken-Kelso-Bunz) equation within a closed sensorimotor loop and by discussing the theoretical implications of such an analysis. Besides, it contributes to the ongoing philosophical debate about whether actions are either causally relevant or a constituent of cognitive functionalities by bringing this debate to the context of oscillatory neurodynamics and by illustrating the constitutive notion of actions to cognition.
Progesterone treatment of boar spermatozoa improves male pronuclear formation after intracytoplasmic sperm injection into porcine oocytes

Boar spermatozoa were prepared for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) by two different treatments to facilitate sperm chromatin decondensation and improve fertilisation rates after ICSI in pigs: spermatozoa were either frozen and thawed without cryoprotectants, or treated with progesterone. Morphological changes of the sperm heads after the treatments were examined and then the activation of oocytes and the transformation of the sperm nucleus following ICSI were assessed. After freezing and thawing, the plasma membrane and acrosomal contents over the apical region of sperm head were lost in all the spermatozoa. Following treatment with 1 mg/ml progesterone, the acrosome reaction was induced in 61% of spermatozoa. After injection of three types of spermatozoa, non-treated spermatozoa and progesterone-treated (i.e. acrosome-reacted) spermatozoa induced oocyte activation, but frozen-thawed spermatozoa induced oocyte activation at a significantly lower rate. Sixty-two per cent of sperm heads remained orcein-negative for 6 h, however, resulting in delayed sperm chromatin decondensation and low male pronuclear formation in the oocytes injected with a non-treated spermatazoon. Since the treatments of freezing and thawing and progesterone for spermatozoa accelerated the initial change in sperm chromatin and the latter treatment induced oocyte activation earlier, it is considered that the delay in oocyte activation and decondensation of sperm chromatin after injection of non-treated spermatozoa is caused by the existence of the sperm plasma membrane. These results show that progesterone treatment efficiently induces the acrosome reaction in boar spermatozoa without destroying their potency for oocyte activation, and the induction of the acrosome reaction results in the promotion of male pronuclear formation after ICSI.
Measuring Technical Efficiency in Australian Credit Unions

Credit unions are small, cooperative, not-for-profit institutions; facts which usually distinguish them from other financial intermediaries. While respecting the unique organizational and institutional features of credit unions, the present study also accepts the need for rigorous efficiency assessment. Using a sample of 233 Australian credit unions the study uses nonparametric techniques to measure efficiency, followed by parametric techniques to attribute variation in efficiency. The results indicate that a large number of credit unions are best-practice efficient, and any efficiencies found appear to flow from X-inefficiencies, rather than from the selection of an inappropriate scale of operations. All other things beings equal, credit unions formed on the basis of a community bond, with a large asset base, and an orientation towards commercial loans, will be relatively more efficient. Copyright 1999 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester
Femtocells: The HOMESNET vision

This paper presents the vision shared by partners from the CELTIC project HOMESNET about Femto Base Station deployed at Home, i.e. Home Base Station (HBS). Three of the main aspects under study are presented. The challenges in HBS self-organizing, including femto-macro coexistence, are explained and methodology for successful self-organization is proposed. To achieve very low radio emission at home or constrained environment like hospitals, an architectural option for HBS relying on Radio over Fiber approach is proposed. Last, an innovative use case for HBS, allowing indoor emergency telemedicine scenarios, whereby, paramedics are able to seamlessly exploit HBS at the patient or neighboring apartment, is described. The expected impacts of the HOMESNET project and the planned next steps toward this vision are presented.
How-to guide on biomarkers: biomarker definitions, validation and applications with examples from cardiovascular disease

A biomarker is a characteristic that can be objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention. Many commonly used tests in clinical practice can serve as biomarkers. The majority have been identified on the basis of insight or underlying physiology or biological mechanisms. With increasing knowledge and practical experience, some of these tests have evolved into a measurable end point in clinical research, applied as an indicator of change, for the better or worse. The traditional identification of biomarkers as an observational side product of clinical practice is increasingly turning into an industrialised process of biomarker discovery, supported by standardised paradigms of biomarker validation and translation from bench to bedside. The potential utility of biomarkers in clinical studies, investigating either new treatments or new strategies of clinical management, is capitalising on recent advances in technology, from molecular sciences to powerful imaging, bearing the promise of expediting the discovery of new treatments. In the active search for new biomarkers, many potential candidates can be considered side by side, allowing many failures but a few great winners. Biomarker discovery is an ongoing process, with translation being tested de novo in every single study, providing us with the opportunity to revise our knowledge of the complex scheme of human physiology and pathophysiology. In predicting what Nature has set in place, advances in technology may be only the first step. This review provides an introduction to the field of biomarker discovery and translation. It deals with evolving nomenclature, basic principles of the validation process, and, drawing on examples in cardiovascular medicine, their significance for clinical application.
Decreasing the incidence and impact of infections in neutropenic patients: evidence from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials

ABSTRACT Backgound: Neutropenia is a common complication of intensive chemotherapy in patients with solid organ or hematologic malignancies that is associated with a high risk for life-threatening infections. Many interventions have been employed in order to limit the incidence of these infections or to treat them when the prophylactic measures fail. Scope: The commonest characteristic of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted on this issue was the small sample size. In addition, if RCTs studying the prophylactic interventions were excluded, the aim of most of the rest of relevant RCTs was to prove the equal effectiveness of the tested interventions in terms of treatment success. We searched PubMed and Cochrane database to identify meta-analyses of RCTs in the field of febrile neutropenia. Results: The most prominent findings of these meta-analyses were the promising effect, although based on open label RCTs, of antimicrobial prophylaxis with fluoroquinolones on the mortality of all neutropenic patients and the beneficial effect of antifungal prophylaxis on mortality of neutropenic patients with allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation. Another noteworthy finding was the higher mortality associated with empiric cefepime treatment when compared with other β-lactams. In other cases, the findings of the published meta-analyses either confirmed or consolidated the results of individual RCTs. Conclusion: Meta-analyses are very useful for obtaining a better overview and to provide some general qualitative and quantitative conclusions, but are not always a substitute for appropriately powered, well-designed RCTs. In addition, the reported findings should be interpreted with caution taking into account the limitations of various methodological aspects of meta-analysis in general, as well as the limitations of the individual meta-analyses in this field.
Turning failure into success: what does the case of Western Australia tell us about Canadian cannabis policy-making?

Cannabis policy in Canada is a puzzling affair. Since the 1960s and as recently as 2006, several policy windows have opened promising evidence-based cannabis law reform only to be slammed shut before achieving meaningful change. This ‘saga of promise, hesitation, and retreat’ has motivated Canadian cannabis researchers to investigate the reasons behind this policy inertia. These single-jurisdiction analyses have resulted in interesting yet necessarily tenuous findings. Fischer's (1999) Policy Studies article suggests the need for an analysis of Canadian cannabis policy in comparative context and offers Australia as a point of departure. This article addresses this analytic task by examining two recent case studies in cannabis policy. Specifically, borrowing Kingdon's (1995) concept of a policy window, it contrasts Canada's failure to decriminalise minor cannabis offences between 2001 and 2006 with Western Australia's successful decriminalisation of cannabis possession and production for personal use between 2001 and 2004. In particular, it appears that a lack of support from law enforcement and cannabis users, conflicting evidence and risk associated with a lack of an evaluation plan all combined with a weakened electoral mandate for the government to contribute to a perception that cannabis decriminalisation was not politically feasible. Additional variables worthy of further inquiry are also discussed.
An Examination of Business Occupier Relocation Decision Making: Distinguishing Small and Large Firm Behaviour

This paper explores how business occupiers decide whether and where to relocate. It captures the experience and behaviour of a range of sizes and types of business occupier and subjects their decision‐making processes to detailed scrutiny. A linear three‐stage decision model is used to sequence and structure interviews with individuals who have intimate involvement with the relocation of 28 firms and organizations in Tyne and Wear, in the north‐east of England. The ‘constant comparative’ method is used to analyse the interview data, from which emerges 18 key concepts, comprising 51 characteristic components. Using an axial approach, these are organized into 10 cross‐cutting themes that represent the main areas of consideration or influence on the thinking of the people involved in determining whether a firm or organization should relocate and, if so, where to. The resulting analysis finds that organizations adopt varying degrees of sophistication when making relocation decisions; small firms are more inclined to make decisions based on constrained information; larger organizations adopt a more complex approach. Regardless of firm size, key individuals exert considerable influence over the decision‐making process and its outcome.
Labour market- versus life course-related social policies: understanding cross-programme differences

The article introduces the distinction between labour market- and life course-related social programmes and discusses why it matters politically. Life course risks are by and large uncorrelated with the income distribution, so the median voter will be comparably favourable towards generous provision. Left- and right-wing governments will therefore enact similar policies, and constitutional veto points will play no role for provision because no political actors will use them to block change. The median voter is less favourable towards labour market-related programmes that protect against risks that first and foremost adversely affect low-income individuals. Right-wing governments therefore have greater leeway to implement retrenchment on labour market-related programmes. Yet, in the event of external shocks to the labour market like rising unemployment and globalization, the median voter becomes gradually more exposed to labour market risks, which in turn reduces the room for right-wing retrenchment.
Age and homocysteine plasma levels are risk factors for thrombotic complications after ovarian stimulation.

BACKGROUND The magnitude of thrombotic risk during ovarian stimulation cycles is not known. We calculated the magnitude of thrombotic risk in a cohort of women starting a new cycle of ovarian stimulation and investigated the role of inherited and acquired thrombophilia for these events. METHODS This is an observational study involving outpatients of a clinical research centre. Consecutive women undergoing ovarian stimulation (n = 305) were enrolled. Blood samples for studying inherited and acquired thrombophilia were obtained > or = 2 months after the last cycle of treatment. Odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) were determined for markers significantly associated with thrombotic events. Blood samples were analysed for inherited and acquired causes of thrombophilia (antithrombin, protein C, protein S, antiphospholipid antibodies, the Factor V Leiden and FIIA20210 mutations, the TT677 MTHFR genotype, and homocysteine plasma levels). RESULTS Thrombotic events were observed in 4/747 cycles of ovarian stimulation, with a prevalence of 0.5%, corresponding to 1.6 per 100 000 cycles/woman. Age > or = 39 years and homocysteine plasma levels above the 97.5 percentile were significantly associated with thrombotic events during IVF [OR 15.2 (95% CI 2.0-115.0) and 14.4 (1.5-141.3) respectively]. CONCLUSIONS Age > or = 39 years and mild hyperhomocysteinaemia are strongly associated with the occurrence of thrombotic events during IVF.
College on the Cheap: Consequences of Community College Tuition Reductions

This paper examines the effects of community college tuition on college enrollment. I exploit quasi-experimental variation from discounts for community college tuition in Texas that were expanded over time and across geography for identification. Community college enrollment in the first year after high school increased by 5.1 percentage points for each $1,000 decrease in tuition, which implies an elasticity of -0.29. Lower tuition also increased transfer from community colleges to universities. Marginal community college enrollees induced to attend by reduced tuition have similar graduation rates as average community college enrollees.
Concomitant KIT/BRAF and PDGFRA/BRAF mutations are rare events in gastrointestinal stromal tumors

AIM The BRAF mutation is a rare pathogenetic alternative to KIT/PDGFRA mutation in GIST and causes Imatinib resistance. A recent description of KIT and BRAF mutations co-occurring in an untreated GIST has challenged the concept of their being mutually exclusive and may account for ab initio resistance to Imatinib, even in the presence of Imatinib-sensitive KIT mutations. BRAF sequencing is generally limited to KIT/PDGFRA wild-type cases. Hence, the frequency of concomitant mutations may be underestimated. METHODS We screened for KIT (exon 9, 11, 13, 17), PDGFRA (exon 12,14, 18) and BRAF (exon 15) mutations a series of 407 GIST. Additionally, we evaluated the BRAF V600E mutation-specific antibody, VE1, as a surrogate for V600E mutation, on a series of 313 GIST (24 on whole sections, 288 cases on tissue array), including 6 cases molecularly ascertained to carry the BRAF V600E mutation. RESULTS No concomitant KIT/BRAF or PDGFRA/BRAF mutations were detected. BRAF mutation was detected only in one case, wild-type for KIT/PDGFRA. All the 6 BRAF-mutant cases stained positive with the VE1 antibody. A weak VE1 expression was observed in 14/287 (4.9%) BRAF wild-type cases, as observed also in 2/6 BRAF-mutant cases. Overall in our series, sensitivity and specificity of the VE1 antobody were 100% and 95.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION The concomitance of BRAF mutation with either KIT or PDGFRA mutation is rare in GIST. In these tumors, moderate/strong VE1 immunoreactivity is a valuable surrogate for molecular analysis. Instead, genotyping is warranted in the presence of weak VE1 staining.
The role of occupational therapy in hospice care.

The hospice concept seeks to help terminally ill persons to "live until they die. " It holds that when the quantity of life is limited, the quality of that life should be the maximum possible. Hospice differs from the traditional models of care for the terminally ill in several major ways: The hospice option enables the dying and their families to receive support and help, rather than con­ tinued conventional care where such treatment is no longer of value. Palliation, not cure, is the major objective of the hospice approach. Emphasis is placed on the control of pain in its psychological, social, and spiritual, as well as physical di­ mensions, and on the alleviation of other distressing disease sysmptoms. Care is provided by an integrated team including physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, allied heal th professionals, and other pro­ fessional and lay volunteers.
Small island urban tourism: a residents' perspective

The impacts of tourism have been given much consideration by scholars attempting to investigate the attitudes of the host population toward tourism. Such studies have been carried out in rural, coastal as well as in urban areas. However, most studies on urban tourism impacts have been conducted in the context of the developed world, whereas very little research has been carried out in the urban environment of Small Island Developing States. Using a sample size of 230 residents, this study contributes to the limited literature on urban tourism in islands by examining the residents' attitudes toward tourism in Port Louis, the capital city of the island of Mauritius. Findings suggest that while the positive impacts of tourism are well recognized by the residents, the latter are also concerned with some negative influence of tourism in Port Louis. Residents were found not to be homogeneous in their perceptions toward tourism. Employment in tourism was found to be an antecedent of attitudes. Gender and age were also found to be discriminators toward some tourism impact. Findings also revealed that residents were supportive of cultural tourism development. Implications for the management of the small island urban tourism are also discussed.
Time Diversification and Long-Term Asset Allocation

This article asks whether it is possible to diversify investments through time—a hotly debated topic, and one that divides academics and practitioners perhaps like no other financial paradigm. In the late 1960s, Samuelson first argued strongly against the existence of time diversification. Since then, other academics have raised a theoretical challenge to the notion of time diversification. On the other hand, empirical evidence has hardly supported their view. To date, the question still remains wide open: Does time diversification exist? If so, what are the policy implications for asset allocation? This article addresses the gap between theory and empirical evidence by reexamining these issues using a time series framework. Three time series models are fitted with historical data on S&P 500 Index and T-bill and T-bond returns over the period 1802–2002. Although both T-bill and T-bond returns are found to evolve in different serial correlated stationary processes, stock returns are consistent with a mean-reversion process. The change in relative riskiness of stock over bill and bond returns as a result of different time diversification effects strongly supports the conventional recommendation on asset allocation policy with different investment horizons.
Critical success factors in aligning IT and business objectives: A Delphi study

Aligning information technology (IT) and business objectives is an important task for enterprises. IT service management (ITSM) is one of the methods used to achieve this mission. ITSM implementation often involves huge investment with unexpected risks. Understanding which are the critical areas and how to manage these can help in not only reducing the risks but can also provide helpful guidance for enterprises. However, relatively few studies exist on the critical success factors (CSFs) related to ITSM implementation. This paper presents the results of a modified Delphi study of ITSM professionals on the relative importance of various CSFs for implementing ITSM. A total of 13 factors are identified by the Pareto principle, and the rationales behind the factors are investigated. Finally, the implications based on the findings are given for the management of ITSM implementation.