Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management enablers: a case study

Purpose – To analyze the crucial role that enablers play in carrying out knowledge management within the enterprise.Design/methodology/approach – This research uses the method of a case study and has directed the survey on Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASE) and VIA Technologies, Inc. (VIA). It is anticipated through the case study of these two companies that it will be possible to verify the finding of enablers concluded by other papers, thus showing the inter‐relationship between theory and business.Findings – It is found that among the enablers: on the part of strategy and leadership; obtaining top managements' support is most important; among organization culture enablers is the forming of an atmosphere and culture of sharing is most important but needs to be supplemented by informational technology; among people enablers, other than training courses and channels that provide learning, employee incentive program is one of the executing key factor; and among informational technology enablers.
Staphylococcal Pericarditis, and Liver and Paratracheal Abscesses as Presentations in Two New Cases of Interleukin-1 Receptor Associated Kinase 4 Deficiency

Background: A deficiency in the interleukin-1 receptor activated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) has recently been associated with severe recurrent, predominantly Gram-positive bacterial infections. Clinical Presentation: Two unrelated Canadian children with unique presentations of IRAK-4 deficiency are described. Both children had multiple Gram-positive bacterial infections, specifically Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Although these microorganisms in patients with IRAK-4 deficiency commonly cause invasive infections, such as meningitis, arthritis, and sepsis, the sites of infection in our patients were unique. In the first patient, staphylococcal pericarditis and, on a separate occasion, staphylococcal liver abscesses with generalized peritonitis were presentations. In the second child, S. aureus infection caused submandibular and periauricular lymphadenitis with unsuspected paratracheal abscess as well. These severe infections were not accompanied by the expected constitutional symptoms or hematologic and acute phase responses despite findings of advanced infection on diagnostic imaging. Methods: Cytokine production [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] by whole blood leukocytes and adherent monocytes after stimulation with IL-1β or various Toll-like receptor agonists [lipopolysaccharide, Poly I:C, S. aureus peptidoglycan (PGN)] was analyzed. IRAK-4 genes were sequenced by standard techniques. Results: Failure by whole blood leukocytes to produce IL-6 or TNF-α in response to any of these stimuli was the most consistent finding. In striking contrast, IL-8 production in response to PGN was normal in both cases. Both patients had novel and heterozygous mutations and deletions in the IRAK-4 gene. Conclusions: Our results indicate that PGN-induced IL-6 production is via IRAK-4 dependent mechanisms, whereas IL-8 response to PGN is via IRAK-4 independent mechanisms. Patients with relatively silent but invasive bacterial infection should raise suspicion of IRAK-4 immunodeficiency.
The Association of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms and the Risk of Falling.

IMPORTANCE Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect of neurotoxic chemotherapy resulting in pain, sensory loss, and decreased quality of life. Few studies have prospectively examined the relationship between sensory neuropathy symptoms, falls, and fall-related injuries for patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between the symptoms of CIPN and the risk of falls for patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this secondary analysis of a prospective study, 116 patients with breast, ovarian, or lung cancer who were beginning neurotoxic chemotherapy with a taxane or platinum agent were recruited from oncology clinics. These patients would call a novel automated telephone system daily for 1 full course of chemotherapy. The telephone system (SymptomCare@Home) used a series of relevant CIPN questions to track symptoms on a 0 to 10 ordinal scale and contained a questionnaire about falls. Those reporting a numbness and tingling severity score of 3 or greater for at least 10 days were considered to have significant CIPN symptoms and were compared with those patients who did not. Data analysis was performed in November 2015. EXPOSURE Chemotherapy with a neurotoxic taxane or platinum agent. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Patient-reported falls or near falls and fall-related injuries. The hypothesis was generated after data collection but prior to data analysis. RESULTS Of the 116 patients who started neurotoxic chemotherapy (mean [SD] age was 55.5 [11.9] years, and 109 [94.0%] were female), 32 met the predetermined criteria for CIPN symptoms. The mean duration of follow-up was 62 days, with 51 telephone calls completed per participant. Seventy-four falls or near falls were reported. The participants with CIPN symptoms were nearly 3 times more likely to report a fall or near fall than the participants without CIPN symptoms (hazard ratio, 2.67 [95% CI, 1.62-4.41]; P < .001). The participants with CIPN symptoms were more likely than the participants without CIPN symptoms to obtain medical care for falls (8 of 32 participants with CIPN symptoms [25.0%] vs 6 of 84 participants without CIPN symptoms [7.1%]; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings suggest that the sensory symptoms of CIPN are an indicator of an increased risk of falling and an increased use of health care resources. This study demonstrates the utility of a novel telephone-based system to track neuropathy symptoms. Careful monitoring and coaching of patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy for new sensory symptoms may facilitate more effective fall prevention strategies.
Light-dependent Formation of the Photosynthetic Proton Gradient Regulates Translation Elongation in Chloroplasts*

Upon transfer of lysed chloroplasts from darkness to light, the accumulation of membrane and stromal chloroplast proteins is strictly regulated at the level of translation elongation. In darkness, translation elongation is retarded even in the presence of exogenously added ATP and dithiothreitol. In the light, addition of the electron transport inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea inhibits translation elongation even in the presence of ATP. This inhibition can be overcome by addition of artificial electron donors in the presence of light, but not in darkness. Electron flow between photosystem II and I induced by far red light of 730 nm is sufficient for the activation of translation elongation. This activation can also be obtained by electron donors to photosystem I, which transport protons into the thylakoid lumen. Release of the proton gradient by uncouplers prevents the light-dependent activation of translation elongation. Also, the induction of translation activation is switched off rapidly upon transfer from light to darkness. Hence, we propose that the formation of a photosynthetic proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane activates translation elongation in chloroplasts.
Predictors of severe outcomes associated with Clostridium difficile infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

The increasing incidence of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) among patients with inflammatory bowel disease is well recognised. However, most studies have focused on demonstrating that CDI is associated with adverse outcomes in IBD patients. Few have attempted to identify predictors of severe outcomes associated with CDI among IBD patients.
Detection of New Francisella-Like Tick Endosymbionts in Hyalomma spp. and Rhipicephalus spp. (Acari: Ixodidae) from Bulgaria

ABSTRACT We report on the identification of two new Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) found in three different tick species from Bulgaria. The FLEs were characterized by 16S rRNA and tul4 gene sequencing and seem to lack the molecular marker RD1. These two new taxa seem to be facultative secondary endosymbionts of ticks.
A significant portion of mitochondrial proton leak in intact thymocytes depends on expression of UCP2

The uncoupling protein homologue UCP2 is expressed in a variety of mammalian cells. It is thought to be an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. Uncoupling proteins previously have been shown to be capable of translocating protons across phospholipid bilayers in proteoliposome systems. Furthermore, studies in mitochondria from yeast overexpressing the proteins have led to suggestions that they may act as uncouplers in cells. However, this issue is controversial, and to date, definitive experimental evidence is lacking as to whether UCP2 mediates part or all of the basal mitochondrial proton leak in mammalian cells in situ. In the present study, by using thymocytes isolated from UCP2-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice, we addressed the question whether UCP2 is directly involved in catalyzing proton leak in intact cells. Over a range of mitochondrial membrane potentials (ΔΨm), proton leak activity was lower in thymocytes from UCP2-deficient mice compared with WT mice. At physiological levels of ΔΨm, a significant portion (50%) of basal proton leak in resting cells depended on UCP2. Of note, proton leak in whole cells from WT mice, but not UCP2-deficient mice, responded to stimulation by 4-[(E)-2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-napthalenyl)-1-propenyl]benzoic acid (TTNPB), a known activator of UCP2 activity. Consistent with the observed changes in proton leak, ΔΨm and ATP levels were increased in untreated thymocytes from UCP2-deficient mice. Interestingly, resting respiration was unaltered, suggesting that UCP2 function in resting cells may be concerned with the control of ATP production rather than substrate oxidation. This study establishes that UCP2, expressed at endogenous levels, mediates proton leak in intact cells.
A constructive Lyapunov function for controlling the inverted pendulum

A constructive control strategy is presented for the stabilization of the inverted pendulum system. Under the assumption that the pendulum is initialized above the upper half plane. To carried out, a suitable procedure is presented in order to find a candidate Lyapunov function, for the whole system. Then the control is proposed directly from the obtained Lyapunov, in such a way, that its time derivative be semi-definite negative with respect to a convenient manifold. Finally, the asymptotically stability of the closed-loop system is concluded by LaSalle theorem.
Gastric cancer in the young, with special reference to 14 pregnancy‐associated cases: Analysis based on 2,325 consecutive cases of gastric cancer

Clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer in young women were analyzed with special reference to pregnancy (P). Among 2,325 consecutive patients, there were 152 young patients under 40 years of age (57 males and 95 females), and 14 P‐associated cases were identified. The male‐to‐female ratio was 1.7:1.0 on the whole, but 1.0:1.7 in the young group with more females predominating as the age of patients decreased. Among characteristics of gastric cancer in the young females, we noted a significantly higher frequency of both Borrmann type 4 cancer and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with the scirrhus type of growth and peritoneal metastasis. These characteristics were more pronounced in the P‐associated cases. Although we were unable to determine the mechanism for these tendencies, our findings suggest that the development and growth of gastric cancer in young women may be influenced by their natural, biological and hormonal circumstances. The prognosis of the young women with or without associated pregnancy was good afer curative surgery. Both early detection of gastric cancer and subsequent potentially curative surgery are the best ways to obtain good survival for young women, as is the case for members of other age and sex groups. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effectiveness of Comparison Overlays Generated with DentalPrint© Software in Bite Mark Analysis *

ABSTRACT: Validation studies of the new DentalPrint© software were carried out with experimental bite marks in pigskin. The bite marks were digitally photographed according to the ABFO guidelines for evidence collection. Dental casts used in the experiment were scanned in 3D and 2D, and comparison overlays were generated using DentalPrint© and Adobe® Photoshop® software, respectively. Digitized photographs of the experimental bite marks and the biting edges obtained in the overlays were compared by two different examiners to analyze the impact of training and experience with the two methods. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, sensitivity, specificity, and 95% confidence intervals for each cutoff point were calculated. The expert examiner using DentalPrint© obtained the best results, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.76 (SE=0.057; CI at 95%=0.652–0.876). Fairly high specificity values were found for DentalPrint©, and the best results were obtained for the cutoff value that discriminated between the examiner's response “biter” and the rest of the possible (specificity 97.9%, CI at 95%=93.2%–99.6%). Therefore, the results presented here indicate that DentalPrint© is a useful, accurate tool for forensic purposes, although further research on the comparison process is needed to enhance the validity of bite mark analysis.
Gait Alterations Negotiating A Raised Surface Induced by Monocular Blur

Purpose. Falls in the elderly are a major cause of serious injury and mortality. Impaired and absent stereopsis may be a significant risk factor for falls or hip fracture, although data from epidemiological studies are not consistent. Previous laboratory based studies, however, do suggest that stereoacuity is an important factor in adaptive gait. The present study investigates how acute impairment of stereopsis, through monocular blur of differing levels, ranging from 0.50 diopter (D) to a monovision correction affected gait when negotiating a raised surface in elderly subjects. Method. Eleven elderly subjects (73.3 ± 3.6 years) walked up to and negotiated a raised surface under nine visual conditions, binocular vision, one eye occluded and 0.50 D, 1.00 D and monovision correction (mean 2.50 D ± 0.20 D) with blur and occlusion either over the dominant or non-dominant eye. Analysis focused on foot positioning and toe clearance parameters. Results. There was no effect of ocular dominance on any parameters. Monocular blur impaired stereopsis (p < 0.01), with more minor effects on high and low contrast acuity. Vertical and horizontal lead limb toe clearance both increased under all levels of monocular blur including the lowest level of 0.50 DBlur (p = 0.03) and monovision correction led to toe clearance levels similar to that found with occlusion of one eye. Conclusions. Findings demonstrated that even small amounts of monocular blur can lead to a change in gait when negotiating a raised surface, suggesting acute monocular blur affected the ability to accurately judge the height of a step in the travel path. Further work is required to investigate if similar adaptations are used by patients with chronic monocular blur.
Respiration during cell division in the egg of the sea urchin psammechinus miliaris.

The later divisions in the egg of Psammechinus miliaris are accompanied by variations in oxygen uptake. As in the embryo more and more cells divide simultaneously, the respiratory variations become more and more pronounced. The phenomenon is interpreted as an extra O2-uptake correlated with the mitosis. During the four divisions nos. 58 proportionality is approximated between number of cells dividing and extra O2 taken up. Thus, for the division period considered, the extra O2 consumed by a dividing cell approximates constancy, viz.: it is independent of the size of the dividing blastomere.
A Reconfigurable Optical Logic Gate With up to 25 Logic Functions Based on Polarization Modulation With Direct Detection

We propose and investigate a new scheme to realize optical logic gates using polarization addition with direct detection. Two polarizations of an optical signal are modulated, respectively, by independent binary inputs to represent four different states, while direct detection is used to map the four states to the corresponding binary output. Up to 25 logic gates, including all the basic logic gates, can be implemented by adjusting bias voltages of the two modulators, peak–peak voltages of the driving signals, and the rotation angle between the two polarizations. A modified Poincare sphere and a simplified 2-D description are developed to illustrate the principle of the proposed scheme. Experiments are successfully carried out to realize all of the six basic logic gates at 1 Gb/s. Influences on the performance of logic gates are also studied by considering some key factors, such as the extinction ratio of Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM), input power, and rotation-angle deviation.
Repeated cross-sectional study of the longitudinal changes in attitudes toward interprofessional health care teams amongst undergraduate students

Abstract The interprofessional education (IPE) program at Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan, uses a lecture style for first-year students and a training style for third-year students. To investigate the comprehensive implications of IPE, the change pattern of attitudes toward health care teams was examined longitudinally in pre-qualified students. The modified Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (mATHCTS) was used. The overall mean score of the mATHCTS improved significantly after the training-style IPE in their third year. Two individual items in the factor “quality of care delivery” decreased significantly during the first year. In contrast, two individual items in the factor “patient-centered care” increased significantly during the third year. These changes over time were confirmed by analyses using regression factor scores. There are at least two independent attitudes toward collaborative practice (CP) or IPE in response to IPE interventions: the attitude toward “value of IPE for health care providers” may response negatively to IPE in the early stages, and the attitude toward “value of IPE for health care receivers” positively in the later stages. These findings suggest that the continuation of mandatory IPE, which must be designed on the basis of students’ high expectations for IPE and CP on entry, may result in profound changes in attitudes amongst participating students.
Wireless network coding with improved opportunistic listening

Network coding has been shown to be a very promising technique for increasing the throughput in wireless ad hoc networks. In this paper, we set to define simple extensions for distributed medium access control (MAC) protocols that optimize the transmission of network-coded packets independently of the actual network coding algorithm. The main characteristic of the proposed protocol is that it improves the efficiency of coding decisions and allows verifying the decodability of packets before they are transmitted. The aforementioned goals are achieved first by adopting minor extensions to the channel access scheme, and second by introducing a new algorithm that manages intelligently the data packets that are stored at the MAC queue of each network node. The later algorithm improves the knowledge of a node regarding the available correct coding opportunities by the use of opportunistic acknowledgments, and by maintaining virtual buffers for the overheard data packets. For the proposed protocol, we also develop an analytical performance model that is used for evaluating its performance in conjunction with simulations. Extensive simulations are presented for several ad hoc network topologies that test all the features of the proposed protocol. Significant throughput improvement can be observed when our protocol is compared with network coding schemes that do not exploit the full potential of opportunistic listening.
Psychiatric diagnostic categories in Saudi Arabia

This study involves 324 new cases referred to the Psychiatric Department of King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, over a period of 6 months. Men outnumbered women, which is in contrast to most Western studies. There was a preponderance in the younger age groups. The interaction of cultural factors and the rapid urbanization of the Saudi society may to some extent explain the pattern.
Rhythm and Expression in Akkadian Poetry

Abstract: My aim for this article is to resuscitate the proposal by von Soden that Akkadian poetry uses two core rhythmical elements, the trochee and the amphibrach. After a discussion of previous treatments of metre and rhythm in Akkadian poetry and of the rules of stress in the Akkadian language, I proceed to show that these two core elements are to be found arranged into meaningful patterns, recreating and emphasising the movements of the text. My main point is therefore that the rhythm of Akkadian poetry is to be thought of as a vehicle for poetic expressivity rather than as a metrical law.
Ultrasound-detected inflammation predicts radiographic progression in hand osteoarthritis after 5 years

Objective To examine whether ultrasound predicts radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) progression after 5 years. Methods We included 78 participants (71 women, mean (SD) age 67.8 (5.2) years) from the Oslo Hand OA cohort with ultrasound examination (gray-scale (GS) synovitis and power Doppler (PD) signals) at baseline and conventional radiographs and clinical examination at baseline and 5-year follow-up. Radiographic progression was defined as an increase in global OA according to the Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) scale or progression of individual radiographic OA features. We examined whether baseline ultrasound features and clinical examination predicted radiographic progression using generalised estimating equations, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and follow-up time. Results Radiographic progression occurred in 17.9% joints for KL, 12.1% for joint space narrowing, 11.7% for osteophytes and 4.5% for erosions. Ultrasound-detected inflammation predicted KL progression, and dose–response associations were observed for GS synovitis grade 1 (OR=2.8, 95% CI 1.8 to 4.2), grade 2 (OR=3.6, 95% CI 2.2 to 5.8) and grade 3 (OR=15.2, 95% CI 6.9 to 33.6), and for PD signal grade 1 (OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 6.8) and grades 2–3 (OR=12.0, 95% CI 3.5 to 41.0). Significant associations were also observed between ultrasound inflammation and progression of all individual radiographic features, and between clinical soft tissue swelling at baseline and radiographic progression. Conclusions Ultrasound-detected GS synovitis and PD signals were significantly associated with radiographic progression after 5 years. This study supports the use of ultrasound as a tool to detect patients with hand OA who are likely to progress.