Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EA Planning, Development and Management Process for Agile Enterprise Development

In this study, we suggest an enterprise architecture (EA) development process model suitable for EA projects limited in scope and time. Several EA process models have been put forward, which have in common the idea of comprehensive EA management and development that is generic, cyclic and ongoing in a user organization. The suggested models are of varying level of abstraction. It is not simple to select the right issues from them for a restricted development effort. An ICT services provider needs a process model to follow in EA consulting and development projects. This approach is also needed for incremental EA development by user organizations. Starting with the suggested EA process models and with findings in IS literature, we create a generic process model for EA management. Based on this model, and supported with a case study, we then develop a process model for discrete EA development efforts undertaken as incremental steps.
Assessment of Short-Term Hematological Changes in Pigeons (Columba livia domestica) with Intravenous Injection of Haloperidol -

The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of a short-acting neuroleptic (haloperidol) on hematological and biochemical changes in naive racing pigeons (Columba livia domestica). Sixteen numbers of pigeons were allocated to three equal groups (A, B and control). 4 mg/kg haloperidol (HALODIC, Haloperidol Amp. 5mg/ml, Caspian Tamin Ph. Co., Rasht, Iran) was administered intravenously for each bird. Blood sample was taken before injection in control group and 15 and 90 min post injection (MPI) in groups A and B, respectively. Total erythrocyte and total leukocyte counts, hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV) and differential leukocyte counts were determined. Serum biochemical parameters including total protein (TP), albumin and cortisol (CoE) were measured. Results revealed that injections of haloperidol cause specific effect on the number of WBC and RBC, PCV, Hb, MCV as the significant increasing of these parameters were recorded at 15 MPI and decreased thereafter (P<0.05). Heterophil\Lymphocyte index (HLI) was increased significantly after injection and estimated at maximum level at 90 MPI. The mean CoE concentration was increased significantly after injections at 15 and 90 MPI in comparison with control group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in albumin and TP during experiment. The results obtained support the suitability of using haloperidol in capture operations of pigeons in order to reduce the stress response and prevent its adverse effects. More studies would be advisable to assess the effects of haloperidol in different doses.
In Vitro Activities of Amoxicillin-Clavulanate, Doxycycline, Ceftazidime, Imipenem, and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole against Biofilm of Brazilian Strains of Burkholderia pseudomallei

ABSTRACT This study aimed at investigating the in vitro activities of amoxicillin-clavulanate, doxycycline, ceftazidime, imipenem, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole against Burkholderia pseudomallei in planktonic and biofilm forms, through broth microdilution and resazurin-based viability staining, respectively. In planktonic growth, the strains were susceptible to the drugs, while in biofilm growth, significantly higher antimicrobial concentrations were required, especially for ceftazidime and imipenem, surpassing the resistance breakpoints. These results highlight the importance of the routine evaluation of biofilm antimicrobial susceptibility.
Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Mycoplasma genitalium Strains Examined by Broth Dilution and Quantitative PCR

ABSTRACT Only limited information regarding the antimicrobial susceptibilities of Mycoplasma genitalium is available because of difficulties in isolating M. genitalium strains from clinical specimens. Antimicrobial susceptibilities of 15 clinical isolates, 7 ATCC strains, and an early passage of the M30 strain were examined by the broth dilution method. Azithromycin, clarithromycin, sitafloxacin, and moxifloxacin were the most active drugs against M. genitalium, and their MIC90s were 0.002, 0.008, 0.125, and 0.125 mg/liter, respectively.
Robust Sliding Mode Control for Discrete Stochastic Systems With Mixed Time Delays, Randomly Occurring Uncertainties, and Randomly Occurring Nonlinearities

This paper investigates the robust sliding mode control (SMC) problem for a class of uncertain nonlinear stochastic systems with mixed time delays. Both the sectorlike nonlinearities and the norm-bounded uncertainties enter into the system in random ways, and such randomly occurring uncertainties and randomly occurring nonlinearities obey certain mutually uncorrelated Bernoulli distributed white noise sequences. The mixed time delays consist of both the discrete and the distributed delays. The time-varying delays are allowed in state. By employing the idea of delay fractioning and constructing a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, sufficient conditions are established to ensure the stability of the system dynamics in the specified sliding surface by solving a certain semidefinite programming problem. A full-state feedback SMC law is designed to guarantee the reaching condition. A simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SMC scheme.
Finite-Element and Analytical Calculations of No-Load Core Losses in Energy-Saving Induction Motors

This paper presents a no-load core loss analysis of a three-phase energy-saving small-size induction motor supplied by a sinusoidal voltage. In the field-circuit approach, the distribution and changes of magnetic flux density in the motor are computed using a time-stepping finite-element method. The discrete Fourier transform is used to analyze the magnetic flux density waveforms in each element of the motor model. The rotational aspect of the field is included by introducing a correction to the losses generated by the first harmonic of magnetic flux density. The core losses in each element are evaluated using a loss curve measured on a toroidal core at different frequencies. Finally, an approximate analytical formulation is derived for rapid field computation. The results are compared with measurements.
Modeling the Impact of Alignment Routines on IT Performance: An Approach to Making the Resource Based View Explicit

This paper investigates the link between IT and firm performance by combining different theoretical perspectives and emphasizing the role of routines in IT-Business alignment. The basic concept of routines is operationalized and presented in an algebraic form allowing for explicit modeling and using of findings from the literature on the resource based view (RBV) and IT-Business alignment. How to use IT to gain a sustainable competitive advantage and in turn a plus in firm performance is a key question in IS research. This paper contributes to this discussion by combining different theoretical perspectives and making them explicit. The results show that indeed routines are a fundamental concept to understand the linkage between IT resources and firm performance. The proposed model shows the functional relations known from literature that have not been explicated so far.
Sex differences and subclinical retinal injury in pediatric-onset MS

Objective: To assess retinal ganglion cell (RGC) injury and sex differences in axon loss in pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: This is a cross-sectional evaluation of consecutive pediatric MS subjects and controls. Eyes with acute optic neuritis (ON) within 6 months of visit were excluded. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) included peripapillary ring and macular scans with post-acquisition segmentation of retinal layers using automated software (Heidelberg v1.8.6.0). Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) measured associations of sex, history of ON, disease duration, and age with OCT outcomes. Results: In all, 53 MS subjects (100 eyes, median disease duration = 1.0 years, interquartile range (IQR) = 0.3, 2.5) were compared to 19 control subjects (38 eyes). Eyes with history of ON showed reduced retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL: −26.8 µm, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −38.9, −14.8, p < 0.001) and 26% lower ganglion cell layer (GCL) volumes (−0.12 mm3, 95% CI = −0.16, −0.072, p < 0.001) compared to control eyes. Non-ON MS eyes had lower temporal RNFL (−11.9 µm, 95% CI = −18.6, −5.3, p < 0.001) and GCL volumes (−0.036 mm3, 95% CI = −0.06, −0.011, p = 0.004) than control eyes. In MS eyes, males versus females had lower global RNFL (−9.4 µm, 95% CI = −17.4, −1.33, p = 0.022) and in ON eyes had lower temporal quadrant RNFL (−9.6 µm, 95% CI = −15.1, −4.15, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Subclinical retinal injury occurs in pediatric-onset MS patients without a history of ON. As in adult-onset MS, substantial GCL thinning is present in eyes with prior ON. Finally, greater retinal axonal injury occurs in boys compared to girls.
Factors related to the quality of life in the context of communication in people with aphasia in southern Brazil

Background: Stroke is a major global health problem. Aphasia, as a complication of stroke, has an impact on the quality of life (QOL). Few studies exist on the factors associated with QOL of people with aphasia (PwA), especially in communication, in emerging countries. Aims: To evaluate factors associated with QOL in the domain of communication using Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) to assess PwA in the southern region of Brazil. Methods & Procedures: Medical files of participants diagnosed with ischaemic stroke admitted to a public hospital in Joinville, Brazil, from August 2010 to December 2011 were reviewed. QOL in PwA was assessed using SAQOL-39 scale. Some factors associated with prognosis of aphasia were assessed with respect to QOL with an emphasis on the communication domain. Outcomes & Results: Of 50 PwA evaluated, 60% were male. The mean age was 69.6 years and the average time after stroke was 11.7 months. Overall mean score on the SAQOL-39 scale was 3.09, standard deviation (SD) = 0.6, range = 1.67–4.62. The psycho-social domain demonstrated a statistical trend towards significance for the lowest score obtained (p = .09). The habit of reading pre- and post-onset of stroke, higher economic level, larger time post-onset of stroke and higher physical domain scores were significantly associated with higher scores in the communication domain. There was no association between the communication domain scores with age, gender, caregivers, number of inhabitants in the home and physical and social activity. Conclusion: In the communication domain, reading showed positive implications on QOL. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of reading practices as a therapeutic option in PwA.
Gain-of-Function Mutations in the Transcription Factor MRR1 Are Responsible for Overexpression of the MDR1 Efflux Pump in Fluconazole-Resistant Candida dubliniensis Strains

ABSTRACT Candida dubliniensis, a yeast that is closely related to Candida albicans, can rapidly develop resistance to the commonly used antifungal agent fluconazole in vitro and in vivo during antimycotic therapy. Fluconazole resistance in C. dubliniensis is usually caused by constitutive overexpression of the MDR1 gene, which encodes a multidrug efflux pump of the major facilitator superfamily. The zinc cluster transcription factor Mrr1p has recently been shown to control MDR1 expression in C. albicans in response to inducing stimuli, and gain-of-function mutations in the MRR1 gene result in constitutive upregulation of the MDR1 efflux pump. We identified a gene with a high degree of similarity to C. albicans MRR1 (CaMRR1) in the C. dubliniensis genome sequence. When C. dubliniensis MRR1 (CdMRR1) was expressed in C. albicans mrr1Δ mutants, it restored benomyl-inducible MDR1 expression, demonstrating that CdMRR1 is the ortholog of CaMRR1. To investigate whether MDR1 overexpression in C. dubliniensis is caused by mutations in MRR1, we sequenced the MRR1 alleles from a fluconazole-resistant, clinical C. dubliniensis isolate and a matched, fluconazole-susceptible isolate from the same patient as well as those from four in vitro-generated, fluconazole-resistant C. dubliniensis strains derived from two different C. dubliniensis isolates. We found that all five resistant strains contained single nucleotide substitutions or small in-frame deletions that resulted in amino acid changes in Mrr1p. Expression of these mutated alleles in C. albicans resulted in the constitutive activation of the MDR1 promoter and multidrug resistance. Therefore, mutations in MRR1 are the major cause of MDR1 upregulation in both C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, demonstrating that the transcription factor Mrr1p plays a central role in the development of drug resistance in these human fungal pathogens.
The Mobile Internet: The Pioneering Users' Adoption Decisions

Substantial financial and technological investments by private and public organizations have resulted in the delivery of the third generation mobile technologies, although the journey has not always been smooth. This study aims to uncover some of the challenges and/or opportunities faced by the mobile Internet through systemic examination of the research question: How do the pioneering adopters of the mobile Internet reach their adoption decisions? This research question is empirically addressed through an exploratory quantitative survey. The survey instrument is partially founded on Rogers' Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and partially anchored in a number of dialogues with practitioners of the mobile Internet industry. The survey contains information from 222 (N) respondents who actively utilized the mobile Internet in the Danish market at the beginning of 2002. Ten significant components emerged from the survey while utilizing correlation analysis and nonparametric testing. This quantitative study takes its point of departure in the innovation-decision model formulated by Rogers.
Hispanic Americans and African Americans with multiple sclerosis have more severe disease course than Caucasian Americans

Whether disease course in Hispanic Americans (HA) with multiple sclerosis (MS) is different from Caucasian Americans (CA) or African Americans (AA) is unknown. We compared MS severity in the three main ethnic populations in our tertiary MS clinics using disease duration–adjusted rank score of disability: Patient-Derived Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (P-MSSS). The age- and gender-adjusted P-MSSS was significantly higher in HA (3.9 ± 2.6) and AA (4.5 ± 3.0) compared to CA (3.4 ± 2.6; p < 0.0001 for both). Adjusting for insurance did not change these results. These findings suggest that HA, as AA, have more rapid disability accumulation than CA.
A Disruption Analysis in the Mobile Payment Market

Mobile payments are predicted to have a bright future as m-commerce becomes more popular. However, this promising application has not been as successful as anticipated. This can be partially explained by the infancy of the market and a lack of standards. Moreover, technological and business issues create a market uncertainty that mobile network operators and financial institutions have difficulties managing. Thus, the evolution of the mobile payment market is subject to many speculative scenarios. This paper analyzes two possible disruptions of the mobile payment market.
Age Related Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score: Disability ranked by age

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) is obtained by normalising the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score for disease duration and has been a valuable tool in cross-sectional studies. Objective: To assess whether use of age rather than the inherently ambiguous disease duration was a feasible approach. Method: We pooled disability data from three population-based cohorts and developed an Age Related Multiple Sclerosis Severity (ARMSS) score by ranking EDSS scores based on the patient’s age at the time of assessment. We established the power to detect a difference between groups afforded by the ARMSS score and assessed its relative consistency over time. Results: The study population included 26058 patients from Sweden (n = 11846), Canada (n = 6179) and the United Kingdom (n = 8033). There was a moderate correlation between EDSS and disease duration (r = 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45–0.47) and between EDSS and age (r = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.43–0.45). The ARMSS scores showed comparable power to detect disability differences between groups to the updated and original MSSS. Conclusion: Since age is typically unbiased and readily obtained, and the ARMSS and MSSS were comparable, the ARMSS may provide a more versatile tool and could minimise study biases and loss of statistical power caused by inaccurate or missing onset dates.
Nucleoside Inhibitors of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

ABSTRACT Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a leading cause of human neuroinfections in Europe and Northeast Asia. There are no antiviral therapies for treating TBEV infection. A series of nucleoside analogues was tested for the ability to inhibit the replication of TBEV in porcine kidney cells and human neuroblastoma cells. The interactions of three nucleoside analogues with viral polymerase were simulated using advanced computational methods. The nucleoside analogues 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine (7-deaza-2′-CMA), 2′-C-methyladenosine (2′-CMA), and 2′-C-methylcytidine (2′-CMC) inhibited TBEV replication. These compounds showed dose-dependent inhibition of TBEV-induced cytopathic effects, TBEV replication (50% effective concentrations [EC50]of 5.1 ± 0.4 μM for 7-deaza-2′-CMA, 7.1 ± 1.2 μM for 2′-CMA, and 14.2 ± 1.9 μM for 2′-CMC) and viral antigen production. Notably, 2′-CMC was relatively cytotoxic to porcine kidney cells (50% cytotoxic concentration [CC50] of ∼50 μM). The anti-TBEV effect of 2′-CMA in cell culture diminished gradually after day 3 posttreatment. 7-Deaza-2′-CMA showed no detectable cellular toxicity (CC50 > 50 μM), and the antiviral effect in culture was stable for >6 days posttreatment. Computational molecular analyses revealed that compared to the other two compounds, 7-deaza-2′-CMA formed a large cluster near the active site of the TBEV polymerase. High antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity suggest that 7-deaza-2′-CMA is a promising candidate for further investigation as a potential therapeutic agent in treating TBEV infection.
Risk Factors for Isolated Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Background & objective: Left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis (defined as 50 or > 50 percent narrowing of luminal diameter) usually has a bad prognosis unless revascularization done. Isolated left main coronary artery (ILMCA) disease is a rare clinical entity. Although it carries a grave prognosis, its etiology is not well-understood. Determining risk factors for ILMCA disease might be promising in the preventive strategy of ischemic heart diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and traditional risk factors for left main coronary artery disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on patients who underwent coronary angiogram (CAG) at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute from February 2005 to June 2009. Total number of procedures done in Cath Lab was 7103. Of them 6708(94%) cases underwent CAG. Only 18 of them (0.27%) had isolated left main lesion and were included as cases. Patients who did not have ILMCA were taken as controls. The number of controls selected was 8 times the number of cases (n = 144). Of them 3 were excluded because of incomplete data leaving 141 controls finally. Fifty or > 50% stenosis in the left main was considered as significant stenosis. Major demographic and clinical information of patients were collected from the database of the Institute and were compared between the case and control groups. Results: Of the 18 subjects who had ILMCA disease 44.4% exhibited stable angina, 27.8% had ACS. One third of these patients had normal ECG, ST-T changes in another one third of the patients and 11% had previous MI. 16.7% patients had wall motion abnormality in echocardiogram. Only 4 out of these 18 patients had ETT done before CAG and all were found positive. Patients with ILMCA disease were comparatively old (> 50 years) than the patients without ILMCA disease (p = 0.448). Females were more prevalent in the case group (27.8%) than that in the control group (22.2%) (p = 0.854). There was no significant difference between patients with or without ILMCA disease in terms of traditional risk factors for ischemic heart diseases like hypertension, diabetes, smoking habit, dyslipidemia and family history of ischemic heart diseases (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Isolated and significant LMCA disease is an unusual angiographic finding and presents most commonly as stable angina. A female preponderance is usually observed. The prevalence of atherosclerotic risk factors of these patients is similar to that of the general population undergoing coronary angiogram. Key words: Isolated left main disease; risk factors; coronary angiogram; significant lesion. Ibrahim Card Med J 2011; 1(1):17-21
Long-Lasting Enfuvirtide Carrier Pentasaccharide Conjugates with Potent Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Activity

ABSTRACT Enfuvirtide (also known as Fuzeon, T-20, or DP-178) is an antiretroviral fusion inhibitor which prevents human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from entering host cells. This linear 36-mer synthetic peptide is indicated, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, for the treatment of HIV-1-infected individuals and AIDS patients with multidrug-resistant HIV infections. Although enfuvirtide is an efficient anti-HIV-1 drug, its clinical use is limited by a short plasma half-life, i.e., approximately 2 h, which requires twice-daily subcutaneous injections, often resulting in skin sensitivity reaction side effects at the injection sites. Ultimately, 80% of patients stop enfuvirtide treatment within 6 months because of these side effects. We report on the development of long-lasting enfuvirtide conjugates by the use of the site-specific conjugation of enfuvirtide to an antithrombin-binding carrier pentasaccharide (CP) through polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers of various lengths. These conjugates showed consistent and broad anti-HIV-1 activity in the nanomolar range. The coupling of the CP to enfuvirtide only moderately affected the in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity in the presence of antithrombin. Most importantly, one of these conjugates, enfuvirtide-PEG12-CP (EP40111), exhibited a prolonged elimination half-life of more than 10 h in rat plasma compared to the half-life of native enfuvirtide, which was 2.8 h. On the basis of the pharmacokinetic properties of antithrombin-binding pentasaccharides, the anticipated half-life of EP40111 in humans would putatively be about 120 h, which would allow subcutaneous injection once a week instead of twice daily. In conclusion, EP40111 is a promising compound with strong potency as a novel long-lasting anti-HIV-1 drug.